IGDIR, Turkey
Mount Ararat National Park in eastern Turkey continues to host various bird species in the winter, despite the extremely cold temperatures.
The national wildlife park in Agri province includes Turkey’s highest mountain, Mount Ararat, with a height of 5,137 meters (over 16,853 feet) and a vast surrounding area of 88,000 hectares (over 217,452 acres).
The bird species include migratory birds that choose to spend the winter here.
Pochard ducks, grey herons, Eurasian coots, Eurasian teals, common moorhens, grebes, long-legged buzzards, marsh harriers and Great Cormorants particularly enjoy the park’s wetlands.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Emrah Celik, an ornithologist at Igdir University in eastern Turkey, said the park is alive with birdlife throughout all four seasons.
“While some bird species emigrate for a season or a few seasons, Eurasian coots and crested grebes are permanently there,” he noted.
The lively bird life in the park has also paved the way for the flourishing of bird watching in the region and has attracted many bird watchers from other places, he said.
