South West Turkey, 26 May-1 June 2007

• Several more Syrian Woodpeckers were seen, a superb male Masked Shrike and the only Long-tailed Tits of the trip.  In a gully not far up the track a cracking male Ruppel’s Warbler displayed, which was the first of many...Mark Easterbrook reports

Akyaka Turkey 13th August -20th August 2006

• There is a large reed bed area,river delta  and river system which supports a good number of birds.Whether you are staying in Akyaka or in the vicinity this area is well worth a visit....Mark Graham reports

Dalyan, South West Turkey 28th May-12th June 2004.

• A great country to visit - for birdwatching and a general holiday.  The Turks are fabulously friendly and hospitable and Dalyan itself is a pleasant quiet resort, albeit rapidly expanding outwards....Dominic Bates reports

South West Turkey 6th - 19th April 2003

• The snow was melting fast in this area exposing pastures with colourful crocuses springing up every where. This spot was very rich for birds... I soon located a nice male Finsch's Wheatear and later found a second one. There were also a couple of Black-eared Wheatears. A small flock of 8 Red-fronted Serin fed on the damp pasture land....Bob Swann reports

South Western Turkey (Olu Deniz and surrounding area) 27th July - 10th Aug 2002

• This two week trip was undertaken as a family holiday (hence the date) and not as a birding holiday. From my experiance, the area must surely be of great interest during spring with a wide range of habitats with easy access. The birding during July -August was extremely hard work, not so much thwarted by the extreme temperatures, but by the shear lack of numbers of birds (although anyone with an interest in insects would have a field day!)

South West Turkey 16^th -22^nd October 2001

• We continued north up to Atburgazi and turned left along side the northern edge of Karine Golu (more large coastal lagoons). Here in the distance on a large sandbank were 50 Dalmation Pelicans, which were soon joined by another 30 that glided in to join them. Also on the sandbank were a group of Pygmy Cormorants and there were more on the water beyond them, again about 80 in all. At one stage the pelicans and cormorants all started feeding in a dense flock moving quickly through the water...Bob Swann reports

South West Turkey based at Patara Autumn '95

• My impression of Patara is that the birdwatching potential is very good indeed. Most of these species were seen within a five mile radius of the village. Anyone who has transport could really open up the area and increase the number of species to be seen.... John Bateman reports

South West Turkey based at Hisaronu 12th-26th Sept '94

• The area is certainly well worth visiting, both from a birdwatching aspect but also as a holiday area. The locals are extremely friendly and the cost of living is extremely low. I saw 126 species, over 40 of them new for me, and all this without a car.... John Bateman reports.

Birds of the Middle East R.F. Porter, S. Christensen, P. Schiermacker-Hansen: Buy from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk If your going to this region you must buy this book. It is a great break through. Comprehensive and complete, it eliminates the need to carry too many books in the field: we know how important that is! The text is well written by experts, and many of the plates are fantastic; those by John Gale especially stand out; just dream about those raptors! Birds of the Middle East" is the first comprehensive field guide dealing exclusively with the birds of this region. It covers all the species, including vagrants likely to be seen in Turkey

Collins Bird Guide Lars Svensson et al: Buy from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk An excellent field guide covering all of the birds of the region. Stunning drawings by the worlds finest bird illustrators. (and it shows.) Check out the Wheatears and Larks and some of the other difficult to identify birds of turkey.

Recommended travel books for Turkey

Lonely Planet: Turkey Tom Brosnahan, Pat Yale, Richard Plunkett: Buy from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk This guide to Turkey provides details on getting around, places to stay, places to eat, and entertainment options.

The Rough Guide to Turkey Rosie Ayliffe, Marc Dubin, John Gawthrop: Buy from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk I used this book on holiday in Turkey last year and I found it had all the vital information required to make my holiday a greater experience. Every detail beaches, restaurants, customs, food and what to watch out for were all explained very clearly. On the subject of food, I was advised NEVER to eat mussels sold by locals on the beach, but unfortunately I read the book 1 day too late!