Birds return en masse to restored Turkish wetland

After it completely dried up last year, Kuyucuk Lake in eastern Turkey has returned to form in 2020, with at least 110 species of bird recorded.

The lake, located in the Arpaçay district of Kars province, is protected by the Ramsar Convention but became bone dry last year. However, thanks to specialised drilling work carried out by the provincial government, its condition has been restored and birds have begun to flock to the area again.

Black-necked Grebe is a breeding speciality at Kuyucuk Lake (Steven Higginbottom).

A sewage line from Kuyucuk village was put into service to prevent waste from mixing with the lake water, according to Resul Gök, the provincial head of the General Directorate of Nature Protection and National Parks. Gök said no fewer than 7.1 gallons of water per second was pumped into the lake during the drilling work.

He also said they had set up an online meteorology station on the shores of the lake to monitor the impact of climate change. Kuyucuk is among the most important wetlands in the country and is Turkey's 13th internationally recognized Ramsar site. The site covers an area of 416 ha, some 245 ha of which is the lake alone.

Kuyucuk hosts many breeding birds including Black-winged Stilt, Ruddy Shelduck and Black-necked Grebe, as well as a plethora of species which use the site on migration, especially waders and both Common and Demoiselle Crane.