The only area this side of the "Soviet Union" where Caucasian Blackcock can be found.
If you are lucky you may see the Blackcock plus Caspian Snowcock and Wallcreeper from
the roadside without the strenuous effort usually required for these species. Other
birds here include Mountain Chiffchaff, Green Warbler, Lammergeier, Radde's Accentor
and a variety of high-altitude species.
Getting there
Sumela Monastery is south of Trabzon, near Macka. The other sites are along the mountain
road which begins near Rize on the Black Sea coast and crosses the mountains to Erzurum
via Ispir. The higher parts of this road are blocked by snow from about November to
May. Much of the 200 km road is unmade, or full of potholes so you are obliged to travel
slowly and take in the scenery. Alternatively, the route via Hopa and Artvin is almost
pothole-free and is, in my opinion, even more spectacular.
Notes
Sumela Monastery is probably the best-known Green Warbler site in Turkey. Beyond
the monastery, a downward dirt-track twists through woodland then circles back to the
car park via the river. Several singing Green Warblers can be expected along this track
in June. Other birds to look out for, especially near the river, include Red-breasted
Flycatcher, Black Woodpecker and Dipper. Green Warbler song is loud and 'chirrupy' like
a cross between Cetti's Warbler and Pied Wagtail.
Gooders (1988) and Jannes (1990) recommend a specific site for Green Warblers
near Ikizdere but in fact this is not a difficult bird to find in most of the woods
between here and Sivri Kaya. Perhaps the most convenient site is around the back of
the Genesis Hotel, a few km north of Sivri Kaya. The owners have great plans for this
new hotel but since there are usually more staff than guests I doubt whether these are
justified. The provision of such a conveniently located hotel should be a godsend to
birders in search of Blackcocks etc. but the price per room is already $60 and will
presumably rise as more facilities are added. It's nice to hear Green Warbler from your
bedroom though. If you don't stay at the hotel, another Green Warbler site is just south
of here, in the trees to the far side of a flat field on the east side of the road.
Sivri Kaya is the place in the Western Palearctic for Caucasian Blackgrouse and
Mountain Chiffchaff. Other goodies include Caspian Snowcock, Lammergeier and Wallcreeper (see Page 4).
Ispir is a rather run-down town in the middle of the mountains, cut off from the
rest of the world for many months of the year. It has been vaunted as a site for Semi-collared
Flycatcher (e.g. by the bus station) but Hadoram Shirihai visits this area every summer
and reckons that the flycatchers have become so scarce that a casual visitor would be
lucky indeed to find one. In any case, the following site is probably a better bet.
Gelinkaya is a tiny village with a number of riverside orchards which are well
worth investigating. In early September 1992, Mountain Chiffchaff was the commonest
bird here and two flycatchers could have been Semi-collared. Other birds seen in a couple
of hours included a Green Warbler, a Golden Oriole, 3 Penduline Tits, a Hobby carrying
prey, a male Levant Sparrowhawk and several Armenian Gulls. Marsh Warblers can be expected
earlier in the year.
In late May 1996 Hadoram Shirihai took us to a site north of Gelinkaya where Mountain
Chiffchaffs were singing commonly in riverside bushes, alongside Marsh Warblers and
Rosefinches. Mountain Chiffchaff song is almost identical to that of 'common' Chiffchaff,
but slightly faster and a little squeakier. When seen they can be identified by the
lack of yellow in the plumage and especially by the neat white supercilium, made even
more striking by its distinctly darker borders. At least in summer Hadoram has never
had a 'common' Chiffchaff anywhere in this range of hills or mountains above 1100 metres.
Sivri Kaya (Page 2)
Notes
Ovitdagi Gecidi is the highest mountain pass in north-east Turkey, 12 km south
of Sivri Kaya, at an altitude of 2800 metres (over 9000 feet). At the end of May, if
the road isn't blocked by snow, you can look for Caspian Snowcock around the crags to
the south and Lammergeiers overhead. Other mountain birds here include numerous Water
Pipits, Shore Larks, Twite (race brevirostris), Black Redstarts and, higher up, Alpine
Accentors. In September I found all of these species easily, plus 1 Snowfinch, 2 Griffon
Vultures and several presumed migrants such as 2 Short-toed Larks, several Whinchats
and flava wagtails, a Honey Buzzard and 5 Montagu's/Pallid Harriers. At the end of May,
the pass was mostly snow-covered and the mountain birds were closer to the road. In
1992, Hadoram Shirihai found a pair of Radde's Accentor about 6 km from the summit on
the south side, almost opposite a building site where a new mosque is apparently being
built. This same area was also good for Rock Thrush, Twite and Water Pipit.
The road between the pass and Sivri Kaya provides many vantage points from which
to scan and look for Blackcocks and Snowcocks. The Blackcocks aren't too difficult to
spot, at least in spring when the males display in the open. Look up the gullies on
the west side of the road and check every dark spot on the south-facing slopes. With
a telescope you'll be able to recognise up to 10 Caucasian Blackcocks and you may even
see them displaying; they are most active early in the morning but it's possible to
locate them at any time of day. Caspian Snowcocks are more difficult, however, and require
a lot more patience. At dawn the sound of calling birds may help you but otherwise you
just have to scan endlessly up and down the rocks and screes. Wallcreepers are also
possible on the rock faces and a pair have been known to breed right by the road so
you might be lucky. In late May these roadsides are also the best places to look for
Alpine Accentor, Snowfinch and Twite.
Not many birdwatchers are happy with the views they get of Blackcocks and Snowcocks
from the road. To get closer to them you have to go climbing up the hillsides, preferably
in the early morning. In the past it has been suggested that you should ask at the tea-room
in Sivri Kaya for a character called Mustapha Sari. Unfortunately, the site that Mustapha
used to take people to is now greatly disturbed by the development of an unmade road
up to the summer mountain village. This site is now most unlikely to be worth visiting.
Instead you should try the opposite side of the valley and either pick your own route,
based on your roadside observations, or seek the help of Hadoram Shirihai. Hadoram is
best known for his guiding skills in his native Israel, but he also knows this part
of Turkey better than anyone else and would be happy to show you the birds of this area
such as Caucasian Black Grouse, Caspian Snowcock, Radde's Accentor, Green Warbler and
Mountain Chiffchaff. He should be contacted in advance by phoning 00972 7 379326.
The conifer plantation opposite Sivri Kaya is famous as the site for Mountain
Chiffchaff although this species is easier to see on the south side of the mountains.
Green Warbler has also bred here.
Although there are many scattered farm buildings nearby, Sivri Kaya itself is
only about half a dozen buildings. There is no restaurant and the nearest hotel is a
few km to the north; the 'shop' sells only biscuits and perhaps bread in the morning.
The famous 'tea-rooms' are no more than a wooden building with some tables inside. It
is apparently possible to sleep above the tea-rooms for a negotiable fee. Some birders
have paid as little as 70p per night but I still reckon they were overcharged. Around
the village the commonest birds are White Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Chaffinch and Scarlet
Rosefinch and the bushy areas in the valley abound with Marsh Warblers. Any Chiffchaff
heard singing from these bushes is almost certain to be a Mountain Chiffchaff.
