Great Reed Warbler

On June 22, 2026 we were in Istanbul, Turkey. We'd arrived the evening before at Istanbul Airport, took an hour taxi ride to the city and got to the Erboy Hotel for a late meal on the roof and a view of the Bosporus. I got up early to meet my guide, Dogan Bilge, at 5:00 a.m. outside the hotel. We drove about 45 km west of Istanbul to Lake Buyukcekmece near the Marmara Sea. I didn't actually see the lake as we focused on an inlet stream which was full of reeds and further inland. Dogan was fascinating. He has a masters degree in math from Michigan State and a PhD in math from a university in France and teaches math for a private university in Istanbul. We drove along both sides of the stream in his car using the car as a blind. 

The most prominent bird, at least early, was the great reed warbler. We could hear them singing among big swaths of reeds and I got to where I could spot them pretty readily (about the only bird I could spot). 

I like this photo because it shows a wide swath of reeds and the warbler in the middle. I think this was the first one we saw. 

My favorite photo - showing this beautiful little bird. 

Birds of the World notes that it "[b]reeds chiefly in beds of reed...growing in fresh or brackish water...Prefers tall reeds with thick stems, especially next to open water." 

Illustration from Birds of the World.

Range from Birds of the World.