Thursday, November 12, 2009

Internation Nature School visited Lake Kuyucuk

United Nations Award-Winner, International Nature School, an education program organized by Nature Society, was held for the fifth time this year and brought together fifteen young students from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Turkey. Open to those undergraduates and final year’ undergraduates who wish to take an active part in the conservation of nature and to improve their understanding on natural world, and to apply for participating free-of-charge, Nature School started in Sarıkamış Çamkar Hotel in Kars, in cooperation and hosting of KuzeyDoğa Society on 26 October 2009. Four Azerbaijani, three Armenian, four Georgian, and four Turkish students will participate in the 5th semester of Nature School that provides the youth in search of taking an active part in conservation efforts with experiences, and that aims at establishing a human resource in this field for the sake of effectively preserving the environment of Turkey and Caucasia Biodiversity hotspot.

To be organized in two one-week’ sections, Nature School will start with fundamental ecology and biology knowledge and end with the subjects of problem analysis and sustainable solutions. Able to provide the young ones with the on-site opportunity to see the nature-related problems and their solutions and to gain experiences through the lectures of different experts, Nature School will also play a significant part in the fulfillment of the lack of human resources regarding the nature conservation in the participating countries.

In Nature School, for which admissions are free-of-charge, the young individuals from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Turkey will be educated in Kars and Rize in the form of two modules as fieldworks and interactive events.

During the initial 4 days of the education, which will last 6 days, the students will be lectured by experts in many subjects varying from general ecology to the geology of Caucasia, from the biogeography of the Caucasian area to the analysis of utilization of natural lands, and they will visit the important natural areas of the province of Kars during the remaining two days. Nature school participants will on the first day of the fieldworks visit Sarıkamış Forests and Allahuekber Mountains, an important natural region, and on the second day, will go to the Lake Kuyucuk, Turkey’s 13th East Anatolia’s first and unique RAMSAR area, selected by the European Commission as European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) in 2009, around which fieldworks are carried out by KuzeyDoğa Society.

By now, 75 young nature conservationists have graduated from blue-roofed, green walled, Nature School that provides, in addition to the theoretical information, practices focused on “learning by experiencing”. A significant portion of the Nature School graduates are actively working for many nature conservation institutions such as TEMA, WWF Turkey, Nature Society, Ege Natural Life Conservation Society and KuzeyDoğa Society. Thanks to the newly graduates, Nature School, which has come to be an international institution, will contribute to conservation of not only Turkey’s nature but of Caucasian Biodiversity Hotspot, one of the most important 34 hotspots of the world.

Kuyucuk Station 2009 Fall Season Volunteers

1-Güler Bozok (Hacettepe University)
2-Yiğit Ozan Çolak (Hacettepe University)
3-Abdurrahman Sefalı (Yüzüncü Yıl University)
4-Libor Praus (Czech Republic)
5-Jindrich Sedlacek (Czech Republic)
6-İlknur Çelebi (Kafkas University)
7-Remzi Cevher (Kafkas University)
8-Taner Şimay (Kafkas University)
9-Jerry Lewis (England)
10-Ron Clevely (England)
11-Cihangir Kirazlı (Anadolu University)
12-Seda Önemci (Uludağ University)
13-Esma Akdoğan (Gazi University)
14-Kerem Soyöz (Istanbul)
15-Kirsty Jane Lees (Scotland)
16-Ahmet Yesari Selçuk (Hacettepe University)
17-Cihan Odabaşı (Hacettepe University)
18-Ayşen Erdil (WWF - Turkey)
19-Nergis Yazgan (WWF - Turkey)
20-İlker Burgaç (WWF - Turkey)
21-Dave Hazard (England)
22-Robert Shaw (England)
23-Vedat Güç (Istanbul)

Kuyucuk Bird Ringing Station End Season

Two of Turkey’s three bird-ringing stations, namely Kuyucuk and Aras Bird-Ringing Stations, have just ended their fall 2009 studies. Total number of the birds ringed in both stations through the fieldworks conducted by KuzeyDoğa Society, Kars Directorate of Environment and Forestry, Iğdır Directorate Environment and Forestry and Kafkas University, reached collectively to 5439.

Kuyucuk Bird Research and Education Center is situated by the Lake of Kuyucuk, in the district of Arpaçay, province of Kars. In fall 2007, the bird-ringing studies were initiated at Kuyucuk Bird Research and Education Center, and this year’s works started on 21 August 2009 and ended on 26 October 2009. For the period of the aggregate 66 days of ringing, 2571 birds from 67 species were ringed. 17 persons from Hacettepe, Gazi, Anadolu, Yüzüncü Yıl, Uludağ and Kafkas Universities worked voluntarily, and 5 expert ringers provided us with support during the activities. And also, during the observations by Kirsty Jane Lees, a Scottish volunteer of us, a goldeneye was classified to be a member in the fauna of Kuyucuk whose number of the species then became 212.

26 October 2009

Today is the last day of fall season 2009 at Kuyucuk Bird Research and Education Center. We ringed 30 birds out of 9 species.

Today's birds are:

Snipe
Corn Bunting
Reed Bunting
Water Pipit
Shoveler
Moustached Warbler
Calandra Lark
Jack Snipe
Robin

25 October 2009

Today we ringed 18 birds out of 6 species.

Today's birds are:

Dunlin
Corn Bunting
Reed Bunting
Chiffchaff
Calandra Lark
Jack Snipe

24 October 2009

Today we ringed 22 birds out of 7 species.

Today's birds are:

Snipe
Corn Bunting
Bluethroat
Reed Bunting
Water Pipit
Calandra Lark
Jack Snipe

23 October 2009

Today we ringed 16 birds out of 6 species.

Today's birds are:

Little Stint
Corn Bunting
Reed Bunting
Water Pipit
Moustached Warbler
Calandra Lark

22 October 2009

Today we ringed 24 birds out of 8 species.

Today's birds are:
Snipe
Corn Bunting
Reed Bunting
Water Pipit
Calandra Lark
Jack Snipe
Pintail
Grey Heron

21 October 2009

Today we ringed 22 birds out of 6 species.

Today's birds are:

Snipe
Corn Bunting
Bluethroat
Water Pipit
Calandra Lark
Jack Snipe

20 October 2009

Today we ringed 23 birds out of 7 species.

Today's birds are:

Wood Sandpiper
Corn Bunting
Reed Bunting
Water Pipit
Chiffchaff
Moustached Warbler
Calandra Lark

19 October 2009

Today we ringed 34 birds out of 10 species.

Today's birds are:

Teal
Corn Bunting
Starling
Reed Bunting
Water Pipit
Shoveler
Chiffchaff
Calandra Lark
Jack Snipe

18 October 2009

Today we ringed 29 birds out of 7 species.

Today's birds are:

Ruff
Snipe
Corn Bunting
Quail
Water Pipit
Moustached Warbler
Calandra Lark

17 October 2009


Today we ringed 29 birds out of 6 species. We had a pintail today.

Today's birds are:

Corn Bunting
Starling
Water Pipit
Moustached Warbler
Calandra Lark
Pintail

16 October 2009

Today we ringed 35 birds out of 9 species.

Today's birds are:
Little Stint
Dunlin
Corn Bunting
Starling
Bluethroat
Water Pipit
Moustached Warbler
Calandra Lark
Jack Snipe

15 October 2009

Today we ringed 88 birds out of 9 species. We had a starling shower today.

Today's birds are:
Snipe
Dunlin
Corn Bunting
Starling
Reed Bunting
White wagtail
Water Pipit
Shoveler
Calandra Lark

14 October 2009

Today we ringed 19 birds out of 9 species.

Today's birds are:

Snipe
Teal
Corn Bunting
Bluethroat
Reed Bunting
Water Pipit
Shoveler
Moustached Warbler
Calandra Lark

13 October 2009

Today we ringed 39 birds out of 9 species.

Today's birds are:

Dunlin
Corn Bunting
Starling
Willow Warbler
White wagtail
Water Pipit
Chiffchaff
Calandra Lark
Jack Snipe

12 October 2009

Today we ringed 21 birds out of 9 species.

Today's birds are:

Dunlin
Corn Bunting
Starling
Bluethroat
Water Pipit
Chiffchaff
Moustached Warbler
Calandra Lark
Cetti's Warbler

11 October 2009

Today we ringed 65 birds out of 12 species.

Today's birds are:

Snipe
Dunlin
Corn Bunting
Starling
Bluethroat
Reed Bunting
White wagtail
Siberian Stonechat
Stonechat
Water Pipit

10 October 2009

Today we ringed 27 birds out of 9 species.

Today's birds are:

Snipe
Dunlin
Reed Warbler
Bluethroat
Reed Bunting
White wagtail
Water Pipit
Chiffchaff
Moustached Warbler

9 October 2009

Today we ringed 20 birds out of 7 species.

Today's birds are:

Snipe
Spotted Crake
Dunlin
Corn Bunting
Water Pipit
Moustached Warbler
Calandra Lark

8 October 2009

Today we ringed 16 birds out of 8 species.

Today's birds are:

Little Stint
Snipe
Corn Bunting
Reed Bunting
Water Pipit
Sholever
Moustached Warbler
Calandra Lark

7 October 2009

Today we ringed 37 birds out of 7 species.

Today's birds are:

Little Stint
Snipe
Dunlin
Corn Bunting
Starling
Reed Bunting
Water Pipit

6 October 2009

Today we ringed 21 birds out of 6 species.

Today's bird are:

Snipe
Corn Bunting
Starling
Reed Bunting
Water Pipit
Kingfisher

5 October 2009

Today we ringed 53 birds out of 5 species.

Today's birds are:

Wood Sandpiper
Snipe
Corn Bunting
Starling
Redstart
Bluethroat
Water Pipit
Chiffchaff
Moustached Warbler

4 October 2009

Today we ringed 35 birds out of 6 species.

Today's birds are:

Snipe
Corn Bunting
Starling
White wagtail
Gadwall
Chiffchaff

3 October 2009

Today we ringed 61 birds out of 8 species. There was starling shower today.

Today's birds are:

Little Stint
Snipe
Corn Bunting
Starling
Redstart
Bluethroat
Water Pipit
Chiffchaff

Kars-Iğdır Nature Festival started (2 October 2009)


Today we ringed 9 birds out of 5 species.

Today' birds are:

Little Stint
Corn Bunting
White-winged Black Tern
Redstart
Water Pipit




1 October 2009

Today we ringed 52 birds out of 13 species.

Today's birds are:

Ruff
Snipe
Marsh Warbler
Dunlin
Corn Bunting
White-winged Black Tern
Starling
Willow Warbler
Redstart
Reed Bunting
Siberian Stonechat
Water Pipit
Garganey

30 September 2009

Today we ringed 24 birds out of 14 species.

Today's birds are:

Little Stint
Yellow Wagtail
Swallow
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Snipe
Dunlin
Corn Bunting
White-winged Black Tern
Citrine Wagtail
Kestrel
Reed Bunting
Water Pipit
Chiffchaff

29 September 2009

Today we ringed 18 birds out of 11 species.

Today's birds are:
Swallow
Ruff
Snipe
Dunlin
Corn Bunting
White-winged Black Tern
Kestrel
Reed Bunting
Stonechat
Water Pipit
Meadow Pipit

28 September 2009

Today we ringed 15 birds out of 7 species.

Today's birds are:

Yellow Wagtail
Swallow
Sand Martin
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Snipe
Corn Bunting

27 September 2009

Today we ringed 34 birds out of 6 species.

Today's birds are:

Little Stint
Ruff
Corn Bunting
Starling
Quail
Shoveler

26 September 2009

Today we ringed 11 birds out 7 species.

Today's birds are:

Greenshank
Little Stint
Yellow Wagtail
Swallow
Snipe
Redstart
Bluethroat

25 September 2009

Today we ringed 18 birds out of 12 species.

Today's birds are:

Little Stint
Yellow Wagtail
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Snipe
Willow Warbler
Lapwing
Bluethroat
White wagtail
River Warbler
Stonechat
Rook

24 September 2009

Today it snowed in the morning and we could only ring 8 birds out of 3 species.

Today's birds are:

Swallow
Wood sandpiper
Corn bunting

23 September 2009

Today we ringed 41 birds out of 10 species.

Today's birds are:

Little Stint
Yellow Wagtail
Sedge Warbler
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Black-winged Stilt
White-winged Black Tern
Starling
Reed Bunting
Siberian Stonechat

22 September 2009

Today we ringed 31 birds out of 15 species.

Today's birds are:

Little Stint
Yellow Wagtail
Swallow
Sand Martin
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Black-winged Stilt
Snipe
Dunlin
Corn Bunting
Whinchat
White-winged Black Tern
Temminck's Stint
Savi's Warbler
Redstart

21 September 2009

Today we ringed 31 birds out of 14 species.

Today's birds are:

Little Stint
Yellow Wagtail
Swallow
Sand Martin
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Snipe
Teal
Corn Bunting
Whinchat
Citrine Wagtail
Ringed Plover
White wagtail
River Warbler

20 September 2009

Today we ringed 30 birds out of 11 species.

Today's birds are:

Little Stint
Yellow Wagtail
Swallow
Sand Martin
Wood Sandpiper
Spotted Crake
Squacco Heron
Corn Bunting
Citrine Wagtail
Bluethroat
River Warbler

19 September 2009

Today we ringed 52 birds out of 14 species.

Today's birds are:

Little Stint
Yellow Wagtail
Sedge Warbler
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Snipe
Marsh Warbler
Spotted Crake
Corn Bunting
Starling
Citrine Wagtail
Lapwing
Redstart
Bluethroat

18 September 2009

Today's we ringed 25 birds out of 9 species.

Today's birds are:

Little Stint
Yellow Wagtail
Sedge Warbler
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Snipe
Corn Bunting
Ringed Plover
Siberian Stonechat

17 September 2009

Today we ringed 13 birds out of 6 species.

Today's birds are:

Yellow Wagtail
Sedge Warbler
Wood Sandpiper
Snipe
Corn Bunting
Ringed Plover

16 September 2009

Today we ringed 28 birds out of 14 species.

Today's birds are:

Little Stint
Yellow Wagtail
Swallow
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Black-winged Stilt
Snipe
Spotted Crake
White-winged Black Tern
Little Ringed Plover
Red-breasted Flycatcher
Redstart
Reed Bunting
White wagtail

15 September 2009

Today we ringed 18 birds out of 9 species.

Today's bird are:

Redshank
Little Stint
Yellow Wagtail
Swallow
Wood Sandpiper
Snipe
Whinchat
Citrine
Kaydı Yayınla
Wagtail
Bluethroat

14 September 2009

Today we ringed 31 birds out of 11 species.

Today's birds are:

Little Stint
Yellow Wagtail
Swallow
Sand Martin
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Black-winged Stilt
Teal
Spotted Crake
Temminck's Stint
Little Ringed Plover

13 September 2009

Today we ringed 61 birds out of 12 species.

Today's birds are:

Yellow Wagtail
Swallow
Sand Martin
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Snipe
Corn Bunting
Little Ringed Plover
Willow Warbler
Savi's Warbler
Bluethroat
White wagtail

12 September 2009

Today we ringed 48 birds out of species.

Today's birds are:

Little Stint
Yellow Wagtail
Sedge Warbler
Sand Martin
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Snipe
Marsh Warbler
Corn Bunting
Starling
Citrine Wagtail
Lesser Whitethroat
Ringed Plover
Garden Warbler
Reed Warbler
Redstart

11 September 2009

Today we ringed 46 birds out 14 species.

Today's birds are:

Little Stint
Yellow Wagtail
Sedge Warbler
Sand Martin
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Snipe
Dunlin
Corn Bunting
Temminck's Stint
Lesser Whitethroat
Ruddy Shelduck
Red-breasted Flycatcher
Savi's Warbler

10 September 2009

Today we ringed 18 birds out of 8 species.

Today's birds are:

Little stint
Yellow Wagtail
Wood Sandpiper
Snipe
Corn Bunting
Citrine Wagtail
Water Rail
Willow Warbler

9 September 2009

Today we ringed 26 birds of 12 species.

Today's birds are:

Little stint
Yellow Wagtail
Sand Martin
Wood Sandpiper
Black-winged Stilt
Snipe
Spotted Crake
Citrine Wagtail
Curlew Sandpiper
Willow Warbler
Quail
Lapwing

8 September 2009

Today we ringed 23 birds out of 8 species.

Today's birds are:

Little stint
Yellow Wagtail
Sedge Warbler
Sand Martin
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Spotted Crake
Citrine Wagtail

7 September 2009

Today we ringed 18 birds out of 6 species.

Today's birds are:

Little stint
Yellow Wagtail
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Curlew Sandpiper
Jackdaw

6 September 2009

Today we ringed 33 birds out of 10 species.

Today's birds are:

Little stint
Yellow Wagtail
Sedge Warbler
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Snipe
White-winged Black Tern
Temminck's Stint
Starling
Little Ringed Plover

5 September 2009

Today we ringed 35 birds out of 11 species.

Today's birds are:

Little stint
Yellow Wagtail
Sedge Warbler
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Snipe
Spotted Crake
Temminck's Stint
Citrine Wagtail
Curlew Sandpiper
Ringed Plover

4 September 2009

Today we ringed 45 birds out of 13 species.

Today's birds are:

Little stint
Yellow Wagtail
Sedge Warbler
Wood Sandpiper
Black-winged Stilt
Snipe
Spotted Crake
Citrine Wagtail
Curlew Sandpiper
Little Ringed Plover
Ringed Plover
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Willow Warbler

3 September 2009

Today we ringed 38 birds out of 12 species.

Today's birds are:

Little stint
Yellow Wagtail
Sand Martin
Ruff
Black-winged Stilt
Snipe
Corn Bunting
Temminck's Stint
Curlew Sandpiper
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Willow Warbler
Kestrel

2 September 2009

Today we ringed 47 birds out of 14 species.

Today's birds are:

Little stint
Yellow Wagtail
Swallow
Sedge Warbler
Sand Martin
Ruff
Black-winged Stilt
Snipe
Marsh Warbler
Corn Bunting
Temminck's Stint
Citrine Wagtail
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Garden Warbler

1 September 2009

Today we ringed 48 birds out of 9 species.

Today's birds are:

Little stint
Yellow Wagtail
Sedge Warbler
Sand Martin
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Snipe
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Quail

31 August 2009

Today we ringed 34 birds out of 12 species.

Today's birds are:

Greenshank
Little stint
Yellow Wagtail
Sedge Warbler
Sand Martin
Wood Sandpiper
Black-winged Stilt
Corn Bunting
Green sandpiper
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Willow Warbler
Green Warbler

30 August 2009

Today we ringed 136 birds out of 18 species.

Today's birds are:

Little stint
Yellow Wagtail
Sedge Warbler
Sand Martin
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Black-winged Stilt
Snipe
Marsh Warbler
Spotted Crake
Dunlin
Temminck's Stint
Starling
Rose Starling
Citrine Wagtail
Little Bittern
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Water Rail

29 August 2009

Today we ringed 102 birds out of 17 species.

Today's birds are:

Redshank
Little stint
Sedge Warbler
Sand Martin
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Black-winged Stilt
Corn Bunting
White-winged Black Tern
Temminck's Stint
Starling
Ortolan
Curlew Sandpiper
Little Ringed Plover
Ringed Plover
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Garden Warbler

28 August 2009

Today we ringed 98 birds out of 17 species.

Today's birds are:

Little stint
Yellow Wagtail
Sedge Warbler
Sand Martin
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Snipe
Marsh Warbler
Spotted Crake
Green sandpiper
Starling
Rose Starling
Citrine Wagtail
Lesser Whitethroat
Curlew Sandpiper
Little Bittern
Little Ringed Plover