Collared Pratincole

While near a stream which flows into Lake Buyukcekmeca near Istanbul I was with my birding guide, Dogan Bilge, as we watched some birds flying over quite fast. They circled and went back and forth several times. They had scissor tails and Dogan said they were rare birds for this area - he only sees them about once a year. 

I didn't really see them well until working on my photos when I got home. They are seriously cool looking birds. They usually feed on aerial insects while flying, like swallows, but can also feed on the ground. They usually feed near or over water, especially larger rivers and estuaries.  

Illustration from Birds of the World.

Illustration from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World. 

Black-Headed Bunting

My favorite bird from our recent trip to Turkey and Greece was the black-headed bunting, a lifer for me. I was at an inlet stream to Lake Buyukcekmece, near Istanbul, Turkey, with my guide, Dogan Bilge. Birds of the World notes that Turkey is the black-headed bunting's "stronghold". 

Illustration of a female from Birds of the World.

Illustration of a male from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World. Note the weird wintering range, all in India, compared to the summer range spread out over parts of Europe and Asia. 

Cetti's Warbler

Unlike the great reed warbler, my last post, which I got pretty good at spotting, I had a very difficult time seeing Cetti's warbler, and when I did see it I had an even harder time getting a photo of it. I saw them near Lake Buyukcekmece near Istanbul, Turkey. I just spent several minutes scanning four photos I took of a sage brushy type plant looking for the warbler which is in there somewhere - but can't find it. We heard lots of them, saw a lot fewer, and my photos are non-existent. 

Illustration from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World. 

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. 

Blue Rock Thrush

On June 29, 2026 we were with Judy's family in Greece and taking a tour of Delphi (home of the famous Delphic oracle). Judy and I visited there in 2010, but it was fun to be there again. I didn't have my large camera, but had a small Canon point and shoot. We walked up through the beautiful ruins and I noticed a grayish-blue bird. It flew and landed several times and a number of my photos did not turn out well, but a couple were fine. 

Blue rock-thrush

The blue rock-thrush has six subspecies. The nominate ssp. is solitarius and I saw ssp. longirostris which is found in Greece, western and southern Turkey, the Levant, Afghanistan, and the northwestern Himalayas (northern Pakistan and Kashmir). It winters in Arabia, northeastern Africa and east to northwestern India. Longistiros is smaller than the nominate, the male is duller, paler and grayer. The female, which I did not see, is paler and less crisply marked. It breeds on "precipitous cliffs, in steep rocky valleys and defiles, ravines and gorges, on crags, outcrops, ...ruins..." The describes exactly the steep, rocky mountain, filled with ruins that is ancient Delphi. 

Illustration of a female from Birds of the World. 

Illustration of a male (nominate) from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World. 

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler

This is a continuation from my last two posts on the spur-winged lapwing and greater flamingo, both of which I saw in the Pamucak Wetlands outside of Kusadasi, Turkey. In my first post I noted walking along Pamucak Beach to the Little Meander River where it empties into the Aegean Sea. From there I tried to follow the river upstream which was virtually impossible because the vegetation along the riverside was so thick. 

This is a view from Pamucak Beach upstream of the Little Meander River. I was on the right side of the river and note how thick the vegetation is. That thickness was quite extensive. 

I made an attempt to penetrate the vegetation and made it partway through, but it was more than I could reasonably attempt. However, I did have several wonderful bird sightings at that point. First, I saw a European goldfinch, only the third one I've ever seen, the second one was earlier on this trip near Istanbul. 

My first European goldfinch was found in Portugal and I did a post on it here on July 28, 2022. It was so memorable that I recognized it immediately.  

After I got a number of good photos of the goldfinch another bird flew in to a spot very close to where the goldfinch had been. I had no idea what it was, but I later learned it was an Eastern olivaceous warbler a new bird (lifer) for me. 

Eastern olivaceous warbler.

This warbler is native to the Old World and mostly breeds in southeastern Europe, the Middle East and adjacent western Asia. It winders in the northern Afrotropics. There are four subspecies and I saw ssp. elaeica which is found in southeastern Europe, Turkey, the Holy Land and into central Asia in the Stans. It winters in the central and eastern Sahel region of Africa. 

Illustration from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World. 

Greater Flamingo

In my last post I mentioned the Pamucak Wetlands and the Little Meander River. My taxi driver, Hassan, had taken me there to look for flamingos. I separated from Hassan a little bit as he walked along on the beach and I walked a little further inland, among the grass and scattered bushes. As I got close to the Little Meander River I saw a greater flamingo right on Pamucak Beach right next to the Aegean Sea, perhaps 50 yards from the mouth of the river. I could see Hassan and figured that he could also see the flamingo.

Greater flamingo

Hassan standing on a dead tree trunk at the beach. 

When we re-connected later Hassan was lamenting that we had not seen any flamingos and I had to break the news to him that I actually had seen one and thought he'd seen it as well. We walked back to the taxi, about 1.5 miles, and drove inland to some wetlands which are known as the Pamucak Wetlands. As we drove by I was shocked to see lots and lots of flamingos. We stopped by the side of the road and I took lots of photos. 

I've posted on the greater flamingo before, those we saw in Portugal in 2022. Flamingos are always a thrill to see: so large, ungainly and colorful. 

Illustration from Birds of the World.

Illustration from Birds of the World.

Range from Birds of the World. I'm surprised at how closely the range mirrors the seacoasts except in Africa and India.