Patara Antik Kenti

Patara Antik Kenti, or Patara Ancient City, is a fascinating birding and history spot next to the Patara beach. It combines agricultural, marsh, bush and dry rocky habitats, which means a rich diversity of fauna.

The ruins were once Patara city of the ancient Lycian civilisation, and although it is a tourist attraction, it is relatively expansive and generally not so popular or busy. The birds also seem pretty relaxed with humans being around, and one can observe some of them from remarkably close.

This is especially a great place for viewing rock loving birds of south-eastern Europe, such as białorzytka, białorzytka płowa, białorzytka rdzawa, modrak, trznadel modroglowy, ortolan and kowalik skalny, among many more. In spring-time they hop among the ruins with relatively little fear of tourists. bialorzytka arabska, bialorzytka cypryjska and białorzytka pstra have also been seen here.

There are several ponds that run north to south along the west of the ruins, from the small town of Gelemis, down to the dunes and amphitheatre, this area was once the harbour of the ancient city. These are surrounded by reedbeds, scattered scrub and trees, and in these environments one can find warblers such as wierzbówka zwyczajna, tamaryszka pokrzewka czarnogardla and pokrzewka wasata, and other birds like dzierzba bialoczelna and dzięcioł białoszyi.

Many raptors also frequent the area, or pass over during migration, species such as gadożer, sokół skalny and rybołów can be glimpsed.

In the surrounding rural agricultural area, many different sparrows, swallows, pipits and larks can also be found, as well as plenty of tortoises!