Nature on Mt. Cudi
I saw this extraordinary bird on the way to the mountain.
Just a simple butterfly:
These flowers were everywhere, and I thought they were a wonderful infusion of color into the dry landscape, until I touched one and it drew blood:
I don’t think this picture does justice to the size of these enormous grasshopper.
These were my favorites, the mountain goats or ibexes. Their agility and sure-footedness on the most difficult of terrain is astonishing. This was two females with a kid between them:
While the above were my own photos, the following are from motion-sensing cameras that Turkish biologists set up in 2013 to examine the wildlife around Cudi after its 30 years of isolation. They found striped hyenas:
Porcupines:
Foxes:
And more (or perhaps the same) mountain goats:
A couple of months later, a beautiful leopard was shot by a shepherd in nearby Diyarbakır province.
Locally, the Tigris River, which flows beneath Mt. Cudi, is said to have been given its name, the Latin word for “tiger,” because of the leopards that were once common around the upper reaches of this “Tiger River.” Apparently, they used the same caves, rough terrain, and remote location to stay clear of humanity as the guerrilla fighters now employ.
May 10, 2014 @ 9:21 pm
Great pictures! Couldn’t help noticing the wild life at it’s finest in a place overwelming by his history – and simply share my congratulations for the pics shared! Such an imposing surrounding, so full of diversity and life! Thanks for sharing it with us!
May 11, 2014 @ 2:13 am
What a lovely collection of nature photos from Mt. Cudi. All of these things are beautiful and dangerous at the same time. I have a particular affinity for the porcupine!
May 15, 2014 @ 8:39 pm
Indescribably beautiful thank you. Love the bird in the first picture
May 19, 2014 @ 3:19 am
What a beautiful place. You took some great pictures — and thanks for sharing the others too. Some very cool wildlife around Cudi.
June 4, 2014 @ 9:00 pm
I was so happy and captivated by the beautiful wildlife of the first few images. The stunning colours on that magnificent bird and the outstanding colours of the fauna and then came the poor leopard. I don’t judge them badly, it is their life and their livelihood and they will not have killed the animal for sport like some but I still hurt for the amazing creature.
The story and information these images exude whilst drawing emotion shows you as a skilled photographer with a very artistic eye.
June 4, 2014 @ 9:03 pm
I was so happy and captivated by the beautiful wildlife of the first few images. The stunning colours on that magnificent bird and the outstanding colours of the fauna and then came the poor leopard. I don’t judge them badly, it is their life and their livelihood and they will not have killed the animal for sport like some but I still hurt for the amazing creature.
The story and information these images exude whilst drawing emotion shows you as a skilled photographer with a very artistic eye.
June 4, 2014 @ 9:47 pm
What amazing photography! Do you have any idea what that stunning bird is called? I can not find it by searching for coloured birds near Mt Cudi. It would be great to find out what such an unusual coloured bird is.
June 12, 2014 @ 11:35 pm
This place looks forsaken while the pictures depict such lovely fauna and flora. The mountain goats caught my attention, such a shame you don’t have a close up picture on them, I find their acrobatic skills captivating. The flowers are a tough copy of the desert, appealing in some places but very dangerous for the untrained people.
November 10, 2014 @ 4:22 pm
I agree with Miranda, I’m an animal person and the picture of the leopard is hard to see. I’m sure there was a good reason – it was probably eating someones sheep / livelihood. As for the other pictures, they’re amazing. Especially the one of the beautifully colored bird. I’d love to read more about this adventure – will look into your book.