Turkey's bird paradise hosts 110 species

KARS, Turkey

Kuyucuk Lake in eastern Turkey, known as a major ecotourism spot and bird paradise, is hosting up to 110 bird species this year.

The lake, located in Arpacay district in Kars province, is protected by the Ramsar Convention but completely dried up last year. However, thanks to specialized drilling work in the area carried out by the provincial governorship, its condition has been restored.

The sewage line of Kuyucuk village was put into service in order to prevent sewage from mixing with the lake water and 300 tons of sewage waste was transported during the process, according to Resul Gok, the provincial head of the General Directorate of Nature Protection and National Parks.

Gok said 27 liters (7.1 gallons) of water per second was pumped into the lake during the drilling work.

"Since Dec. 28, 2019, a total of 440 million liters [around 116 million gallons] of water have been pumped into the lake with the water pump, and 612 million liters [around 161.6 million gallons] of rainwater reached the lake," he said.

He also said they have set up an online meteorology station on the lakeshore to monitor climate change.

The wildlife reserve is among the important wetlands in the country and is Turkey's internationally recognized 13th Ramsar site.

The bird paradise covers an area of 416 hectares, 245 hectares of which is the lake and is located 1,627 meters (around 5,338 feet) above sea level.

It was learned that Kuyucuk Lake this year hosted tens of thousands of birds of many species that migrate between Eurasia and Africa or stay for a short time in the region.

The lake hosts many bird species including stilts, ruddy shelducks, coots, black-necked grebes, starlings, and graylag geese as well as many migratory birds.

The lake is also very popular among photography aficionados as well as bird watchers.

The Ramsar Convention, also known as the Convention on Wetlands, was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and is the intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

*Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev in Ankara