We went on an excursion by boat to Dalyan to visit Turtle Beach and the mud baths and ancient tombs at Caunos. The boat trip from Icmeler to Dalyan lasted about 2 and a half hours and I was surprised at how few birds there were on the way. All I saw was a few Yellow-legged Gulls and a single, distant bird of prey which remained unidentified.  

Things started to look more promising when we arrived at the reed beds near Dalyan when four Little Egrets showed themselves on the edge of the reeds behind Turtle beach. We heard lots of Cetti's Warblers and a few Reed Warblers singing as the boat wound it's way through the channels between the reeds. Two Purple Herons rose and flew off and two more were seen later on. A first for me was the White-winged Tern which drifted lazily over the boat and a Yellow Wagtail briefly flew along the water's edge near a fish farm. We also saw two Kestrels and a male Lesser Kestrel flew over just as we arrived at the mud baths. It's unspotted back looked quite different to a Kestrel's and appeared to be almost orange rather than brown. Just after leaving the mud baths we saw a turtle swimming alongside the boat. We were told that Loggerhead Turtles breed at Turtle beach but I don't know if the turtle we saw was a Loggerhead or some other species. It was in fresh water and had a pointed snout. 

The return boat trip to Icmeler produced more Yellow-legged Gulls but also four Cormorants and two Glossy Ibis which were flying towards the mainland near Turunc.