Kavakarsı Forest is less than half an hours drive from Dalyan and offers a variety of birding and pleasant walks through this interesting woodland leading into open fields that boarder Köycegiz Göl. The forest is made mainly from Liquidambar orientalis, commonly known as Oriental sweet gum trees. The Turkish name of the species is Günlük ağacı or Sığala ağac. Günlük ağacı means “frankincense / myrrh tree”. The trees are slow-growing, deciduous tree that is native to flood plains, valleys and stream banks in south western Turkey.
The Turkish Sweetgum tree has been exploited for its balsam since antiquity and was used for embalming in ancient Egypt. Because of its pleasant aroma, the balsam was also burnt in ceremonies and during festivities. The balsam is in fact a resin which the tree only secretes when its trunk is injured. It helps the tree to protect itself against parasites, insects and bacteria by covering its scars. The extraction of the resin and the production of the sweetgum oil (sığala yağı), as well as exports of these products, used to play an important role in the local economy. The process of obtaining the balsam and the preparation of the oil involve quite strenuous tasks lasting from end March until the end of October
Potential birds may include :
Green Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Syrian/Gt Spotted Woodpecker ,Woodchat Shrike,Red backed Shrike, Song Thrush, Icterine Warbler, Kingfisher, Cetti’s Warbler, Buzzard, White Throated Kingfisher amongst others.
Directions: View or download PDF below.