The aim of this site is to help fellow birders who visit Dalyan and the surrounding region to locate birds and to provide a record of what birds you are likely to see.
I hope fellow birders will keep us informed of their own sightings and submit tweets, reports and photographs they are willing to share, this way a picture can be built up of the birding expected in the area and help other birders locate the birds they want.
The tab ‘Sightings’ section contains four links with up to date news of birds seen in the region.
The tab ‘Targeted Birds’ and drop down menu are twenty four suggested birds to see.
The tab ‘Birding Sites’ and drop down menu are descriptions and directions to various sites by walking , cycle, car or boat
The Dalyan region consists of complex wetland of brackish lakes , canals , fresh water and estuarine marshes , reed beds , coastal habitats and degraded maquis scrub covered limestone hillsides. Pinus brutii forests, liquid amber Orientalis forests and deciduous forests. The Lake and delta area are surrounded by extensive arable land with numerous varieties of agricultural crops, and forest hills. The region is composed of Lake Köyceğiz , 10km long River Dalyan originally called Dalyan Calbis which the locals simply call ‘ Kanal’ which cuts its way to the sea from Lake Köyceğiz making the Dalyan Delta , connecting Köycegiz Lake to Iztuzu Beach and the Mediterranean sea. Forests covered mountain chains border the east and the west side of this system.
The west end of Dalyan Beach is bordered by Dalyan River where the out flow from Lake Köyceğiz reaches the sea , while the east end is surrounded by a mountains bordering the north and east of Lake Iztuzu. The length of the beach is 4.2 km and water depth is very low and you can walk for quite a distance before the water reaches chest height .The width of the beach varies between 75 m and 200 m, with an average width of 125 meters. The Delta side which covers the considerable area between Dalyan Beach and Lake Köyceğiz, consists of a channel system divided by reeds and rushes with a length up to 3 m. Inner sections of reeds are covered with rushy or agricultural areas and cattle can be seen grazing here.
The Dalyan delta and beach area provides a nesting habitat for both freshwater and marine turtles, supporting a population of Soft-shelled Nile Turtles in the brackish waters of the Dalyan River and Köycegiz Lake, Caretta Caretta Turtle nesting on the Iztuzu beach.
The Köyceğiz-Dalyan Delta has a Mediterranean climate, thus it presents the typical floral characteristics of this climate type. The region is very rich in plant cover and its environment have unique trees and plants, especially pine trees, eucalyptus, oak, juniper and liquidambar Orientalis trees. Resin is extracted from the trunks of these trees , which is called "Sigla". These trees are reportedly only found in Canada and Southwest Turkey. In the north of Köycegiz, there are two groves of liquidambar Orientalis . A scented resin is produced from the trunk of these trees. The resin is very valuable and is used in the areas of medicine, pharmacy, paint, perfume and soap.You can locate a small wood of these trees near Dalyan on the right just after heading towards Ortaca from Dalyan. As for the other plants in the region; citrus fruits, pomegranate, fig trees are grown, as are cotton, tobacco and sesame.
Another feature of this region is the thermal springs of which there are many in the area . Alla Gul has thermal springs feeding it and this makes for a very unusual swimming experience with the water being warmer (and even hot) the deeper you swim . You can find these thermal springs in open fields in the district if you know where to look or take a trip to the Sultahaniye Sulphur baths on the edge of Köycegiz Lake. All in all Dalyan is a great base for a birding and wildlife holiday which the family can enjoy too.
Butterfly