Water levels are rising again in the Lake Van basin, a fertile area and favorite bird sanctuary spread in and around Turkey’s largest lake. Blue waters now cover parched soil left by drought last year. Chirping above the lake, wading through its waters, the basin’s avian guests bask in the sunlight and tranquility shattered only by loud noises coming from fellow birds.

The basin, where birdwatchers count some 240 species every year, benefits from a return of heavy precipitation in the past few months, filling the wetlands in the eastern province of Van. From flamingos to white-headed ducks, black-winged stilts, common shelducks and Eurasian coots, birds cohabit the basin whose wetlands make up one-third of the country’s wetlands.

A dire drought last year had prompted concerns on the wetlands with birds rapidly disappearing, heading to other places, before unprecedented snowfall and a subsequent rainy spell in the spring attracted them again as they regained their breeding grounds.

Professor Özdemir Adızel, a biology expert from Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, says the basin is an important place for wildlife and they can see an apparent rise in the avian population in the region. "The ecosystem is now at a level perfect for birds in terms of nutrition and living conditions," he told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Sunday. He says preservation measures also helped encourage the return of the birds that also suffered from illegal hunting. "They feel safe now. For instance, we have seen wild geese arriving in droves, something nobody has seen for years. The place is a bird sanctuary again and I hope this will be sustainable," he said.

The basin is on the itinerary of migratory birds, especially flamingos. It includes Ak Lake, the usual first stopover of flamingos bred in Iran that migrate to neighboring Turkey.