April 14 / Influx of visitors !

Taking advantage of the weekend, bird lovers in Ankara influxed to our station. Thanks to all standing with us. Although they couldn’t have the chance to examine many birds in close, they seemed to be pleased to watch kinds of bird species and also to spend time in nature. We hope to see them again in following weeks.

We closed the day with 5 species out of 6 birds. Blackcaps and a jay were new for the station.

Blackcaps (male & female)

A Jay

Many thanks to Ali Can Öztabak, Oğuz Işık, Kuzey Işık, Neslihan Ayvaz, İlker Şahin, Umut Tekakça, Hamit Çağlar Karataş, Kerem Kaplan, AysuTırnova, Gizem, Alper Kaya, Hüseyin Karakaya, Bayram Karakaya and Can Bilgin for their kind support.

Kuzey & a robin

Good birding...

Today’s species:

1. Blackbird (Turdus merula)

2.Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos)

3.Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)

4.Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

5. Jay (Garrulus glandarius)

April 13 / Short toed treecreeper !

A short toed treecreeper

We opened the day with a scops owl and a long eared owl in the nets. Great tits which are plenty in the area were caught today for the first time. Also, the first blackcaps of the season were seen in tha area. Today’s surprise was a short toed treecreeper. The pregnant individual was the certain proof for their breeding in Eymir Lake. We closed the day with 7 species out of 12 birds.

Many thanks to Başak Şentürk, Can Bilgin, İsmail Şenel ve Soner Bekir for their kind supports.

Başak & Great tit

Scops owl & Soner

Good birding...

Today's species:

1. Scops owl (Otus scops)

2. Long eared owl (Asio otus)

3. Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos)

4. Great tit (Parus major)

5. Chiffcaff (Phyloscopus collybita)

6. Blackbird (Turdus merula)

7. Short toed treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla)

April 12 / Four New Species!

Scops owl (Otus scops)

Nature of Eymir Lake seemed to be sligtly blossomed this week. Some of the sprouts had been burst and greens had appeared. We set up the nets again with my advisor Can Bilgin. We made a few changes in nets’ positions. We changed the place of first net and add two more nets to the area. This change took its effect quickly that we cought the half of the birds of two days in the first net. Today’s first bird was a Syrian woodpecker. Although we couldn’t catch many birds during day, we had 4 new species for the station: nightingale, cetti's warbler, penduline tit & scops owl. The long tailed tit we had caught last week was retraped with her pair in this time. She was in the club at his time. :) Their fidelity to each other was amazing!

Toyga, Melike & long tailed tits

nightingale & penduline tit

We closed the day with 7 species out of 8 birds.

Many thanks to Can Bilgin, Melike Eren, Toyga Özver, Soner Bekir, Emre Öztürk, Özgür Çavuş, Gazi abi, Jennifer Kalvenas, Hüseyin Karakaya and Elçin Ekşi for their kind supports.

Good birding...

Today’s species:

1. Syrian woodpecker (Dendrocopos syriacus)

2. Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos)

3. Long tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus)

4. Cetti's warbler (Cettia cetti)

5. Penduline tit (Remiz pendulinus)

6. Blackbird (Turdus merula)

7. Scops owl (Otus scops)

April 5 / Syrian woodpeckers!

Migration started to show itself gradually. There was a remarkable increase in the number of chiffcaffs and robins in the area. 10 birds out of 5 species were caught until noon. Today’s top birds were the a male and a female Syrian woodpeckers caught in the same net in a few hours intervals.

Syrian woodpeckers (male & female)

Good birding...

Today’s species:

1. Blackbird (Turdus merula)

2. Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

3. Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)

4. Syrian woodpecker (Dendrocopos syriacus)

5. Chiffcaff (Phyloscopus collybita)

Blackbird & chiffcaff

April 4 / Long eared owl!

Long eared owl (Asio otus)

A more active day than previous day. With Mr. İsmail Şenel, we went to net controls with the hope of a different exciting species and we mostly turned back with ‘’firsts’’. The redwing being the first caught in ringing studies in METU, was also important showing the sign of prolonged winter in Ankara. We closed the day with few birds but a high diversity (12 birds of 8 different species). The last net round was again gave a surprise and one of the long eared owls that we saw during day was caught!

Many thanks to İsmail Şenel for his kind supports and also for his gracious ways.

Good birding...

Today’s species:

1. Blackbird (Turdus merula)

2. Redwing (Turdus iliacus)

3. Chiffcaff (Phyloscopus collybita)

4. Long tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus)

5. Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)

6. Blue tit (Parus caeruleus)

7. Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

8. Long eared owl (Asio otus)

Redwing, Robin, Blue tit & Long tailed tit

April 3 / First Day!

After finished all necessary preperations, we took the road to the METU Plantation along the Lake Eymir early in the morning. My advisor Can Bilgin and my friends Başak Şentürk, Emel Kunduz ve Emre Öztürk came along with me. We were full of first day’s excitement and were curious about the species waiting for us. I was also wondering whether the blackcaps (my study bird) had arrived or not?

Today's first bird was a blackbird

The atmosphere was like fall in the plantation. Even the leaves of the bushes and the trees were not out yet. The nature was still in its winter sleep. The first two birds of the day were blackbirds which are resident birds that we encounter frequently in the area. But, the close was a surprise: A nightjar!

A Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus)

8 birds out of 6 species were ringed in this somehow poor day.

Many thanks to today’s team (Başak Şentürk, Can Bilgin, Emel Kunduz, Emre Öztürk) for their kind support.

Emel, Emre & Başak

Good birding...

Today’s species:

1.Blackbird (Turdus merula)

2.Chiffcaff (Phyloscopus collybita)

3.Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

4.Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)

5.Song trush (Turdus philomelos)

6.Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus)