Bird sanctuary finally welcomes its wayworn guests

Hosting one of Turkey's largest bird sanctuaries, the Kızılırmak Delta in northern Samsun province welcomed back its wayworn aliferous guests with the arrival of spring.

Hundreds of birds arrived at the delta to claim one of the dozens of nests at the sanctuary to spend the season and to breed with their mates.

It is possible to see 359 of the 487 bird species, such as water buffaloes, sea eagles, crested pelicans, black storks and ducks, observed in Turkey in the Kızılırmak Delta Bird Sanctuary.

Registered on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, more than 21,000 hectares of the Kızılırmak Delta are composed of wetlands, of which 5,174 hectares were put under protection as a wildlife development area.

Having three of the four most important criteria in the European Bird Areas Inventory, Kızılırmak Delta also stands out with the presence of jade horses and buffaloes alongside bird species.

The delta comprises one of the most diverse ecosystems of Turkey with its lakes of various sizes, reed fields, rarely flooded forests, wet meadows and a large number of species.

In the delta, which is a habitat for 554 plants, 35 fish, 42 mammals, 260 invertebrates, 13 reptiles and 12 amphibian species, yılkı horses, living in herds in Central Anatolia after being abandoned by villagers and that have become wild over time, roam freely.

The water daisies that bloom also create a different beauty as the water level increases with the spring on the base of the forest flooded in the delta.

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