Thousands of flamingos that inhabit wetlands across the country throughout the summer have started arriving on the shores of Lake Van in the eastern Karahan region, Gelingüllü Dam and Erçek Lake as the locations offer some of the most important habitats for migratory species.
The Lake Van basin hosts hundreds of bird species, with Erçek Lake in the Ipekyolu district being a chosen breeding site for nearly half of the 453 bird species in Türkiye.
Professor Lokman Aslan, director of Van Yüzüncü Yıl University's (YYU) Wild Animal Protection and Rehabilitation Center, said that the rich and natural structure of the wetlands in Lake Van is the reason why wild animals prefer the spot.
Explaining that more flamingos came this year compared to last year, Aslan said that some of the first wild animals to be affected by global warming and climate change are flamingos, but many migratory birds still come because they are able to find food in the basin.
Nature photographer Salih Akan, who photographed the first group of flamingos, said: "When I heard that flamingos had arrived, I immediately came to this region, and captured this spectacle. I also share these visuals on my own social media accounts to promote our city.
Lake Van is not the flamingos' only pitstop. Gelingüllü Dam in Yozgat province in the central Anatolia region of Türkiye, which is used for agricultural irrigation in the province, is also home to many bird species, especially flamingos. The dam hosts the fantastic pink birds as well as many other migrating species such as cranes, wild geese, ducks, swans and pelicans.
Resul Demir, a local resident, told reporters that they came to watch flamingos, pelicans and other birds, expressing that the dam is alive with the arrival of spring, and more birds are expected.
Muhittin Binici, a fisherman, stated that there are three to four times more flamingos compared to previous years, and some flamingos did not migrate during the winter season and preferred staying here.
The arrival of flamingos continues until November every year. The birds then migrate to Africa as the weather changes.
