The environment of the Kacjcar Daglari 
The Ka^kar Daglari is situated on the borders of Artvin, Rize and 
Erzurum provinces and is an area of high barren peaks, alpine meadows 
and valleys with extensive deciduous and coniferous forests, and small 
areas of cultivation in the lower valleys. Our base was located near the 
main ridge which runs on a north-east/south-west axis from the Marsis 
group north of Altiparmak to Ka^kar Peak in the south. In this area there 
are several peaks higher than 3500m and most of the area lies above 
2750m. One of the most significant environmental characteristics of the 
area is the remarkably clear climatic division between the north-west 
(Black Sea) facing slopes, and those to the south-east of the divide 
(hereafter referred to as 'north' and 'south' facing slopes). The north 
facing slopes experience much cloud and rain, even in late summer, and 
visibility is often minimal for periods of several days. The cloud develops 
on the lower slopes closest to the Black Sea and swiftly extends up the 
valleys, usually between mid-morning and mid-day. It is a severe 
constraint upon observation-based field work in this region except during 
the late summer, and in early mornings. In contrast the south facing 
slopes are generally sunny in late summer although sometimes subject 
to overspill cloud from the north side and storms can be frequent 
although this frequency diminishes as the summer progresses. To the 
south of this divide the alpine areas above the tree line (c 2200m) are 
characterised by flower-rich meadows and sparsely vegetated rocky 
slopes. On the northern slopes, which receive far more precipitation, 
forest cover is normal and Rhododendron species comprise the dominant 
vegetation at higher altitudes. 
Caucasian Black Grouse 
In Turkey this species is little known and there are records from only a 
small number of sites. Over 90% of records originate from one site: the 
mountains above Sivri Kaya on the road from Ispir to Rize. A nest was 
found and photographed therein 1991 (J Temple-Lang and Mark Cocker, 
Sandgrouse, 1992). Cramp and Simmons (1980) surmise that the species is 
'probably well-distributed in small numbers in the upper levels of (the) 
Black Sea coastal range'. The only other observation of this species in 
Turkey outside of this area is from the (Jam Gecjdi, east of Savsat on route 
965, in the early 1970's (Gunther Bauer, pers comm). The species prefers 
mountain forest and meadows (from 1500m to 3000m) in the Caucasus, 
also favouring Rhododendron thickets and clumps of low willows (Salix) 
and birches (Betula) (Cramp and Simmons et al 1980). Observations 
indicate that, at least in summer, they are found almost exclusively on 
Rhododendron covered slopes. 
I was able to map accurately the extent of Rhododendron only for the 
south-western quarter of the main Kaqkar range. Anecdotal information 
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