Kuyucuk Bird Research and Education Center

Spring 2010 Volunteer Positions at Aras & Kuyucuk Bird Ringing (Banding) Stations in northeastern Turkey

2010-01-14T22:36:00.001-08:00

The environmental NGO KuzeyDoga Society has been monitoring and ringing birds at Aras and Kuyucuk Bird Ringing (Banding) stations in northeastern Turkey's Kars and Igdir provinces. We have so far recorded 313 bird species in the Kars region, over two-thirds of the country’s species, including most of eastern Turkey specialties. 170 bird species have been ringed and both numbers are still rising. A bird list is here: http://www.kuzeydoga.org/index.php/birdlist

This is a part of the Kars-Igdir Biodiversity Project led by ornithologist, ecologist and conservationist Dr. Cagan Sekercioglu (http://www.sekercioglu.org), senior scientist at Stanford University Biology Department and the president of KuzeyDoga. As a result of our multi-year efforts to protect and monitor the region’s bird diversity while benefiting local people from ecotourism, KuzeyDoga was honored to receive from HRH Princess Anne the 2008 Whitley Gold Award, the most presitigous grassroots conservation award of the United Kingdom (http://www.whitleyaward.org/display.php?id=133).

Our conservation and ecotourism efforts have culminated in the designation of Lake Kuyucuk as Turkey’s 13. and eastern Turkey’s first RAMSAR wetland, and Kuyucuk’s election as Turkey’s 2009 European Destination of Excellence by the European Commission.

Aras Station (950 m a.s.l., 40º 07' N, 043º 35' E) is in a wetland by the Aras river and is surrounded by reeds and willows. Kuyucuk Lake (1627 m a.s.l., 40º 45' N, 043º 27' E) is a bird-rich steppe lake surrounded by wheat fields and alpine meadows. Photos can be seen on http://www.kuzeydoga.org/index.php/albuem/view/1

You can see the lists of species ringed daily at both stations in the following blogs:

http://arasbirdstation.blogger.com
http://kuyucukbirdstation.blogger.com

Both stations have over 200 bird species, collectively exceeding 270 species, 60% of the entire avifauna of Turkey. Over 22,500 birds of 170 species have been ringed, including many Turkey specialties and rarities such as Spotted Crake, Great Snipe, Long-legged Buzzard, Ruddy Shelduck, Levant Sparrowhawk, Pallid Harrier, Little Crake, Syrian Woodpecker, Citrine Wagtail, Corncrake, River Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, Blyth’s Reed Warbler, Caucasian Chiffchaff, Green Warbler, Paddyfield Warbler, Short-toed Lark, Siberian Stonechat, Finsch’s Wheatear, Moustached Warbler, Upcher’s Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Menetrie’s Warbler, Barred Warbler, Red-throated Flycatcher, Semi-collared Flycatcher, Rose-colored Starling, Common Rosefinch and Black-headed Bunting.

In spring 2010, ringing will begin at Aras station on March 15, 2010 and will end on May 31, 2009. The start date of Kuyucuk station depends on the weather but will be around April 1. We are looking for volunteers who will help ring birds at our stations between these dates. The facilities are basic but comfortable, with amenities such as hot showers and Western-style flush toilets. Minimum participation must be at least 15 days, ideally one month or more.

Accommodation at the Aras station will be provided in the former teacher's house with a capacity of 5 beds. Western-style flush toilet, hot shower, kitchen, and stove are available in the house. Volunteers are responsible for preparing the breakfast whereas delicious lunch and dinner are cooked locally.

At Kuyucuk, accommodation will be provided in the former teacher's house with 6 beds in the village and in a cabin by the lake with a capacity of 4 beds. Western-style flush toilet, hot shower and kitchen are available in the house. Volunteers are responsible for preparing the meals with supplies provided by KuzeyDoga. Since Lake Kuyucuk is mile-high in elevation, we recommend our volunteers to bring their own sleeping bags and cold weather clothes, particularly in April. During the day, it will be 15-20 C, warming up as spring progresses.

Each station will be led by a licensed master ringer(s) and volunteers will be responsible for checking the nets hourly, collecting birds from nets, bringing to the ringing center, recording the data on data sheets, making orientation experiments, releasing the ringed birds and preparing the meals. We usually have English speaking ringers at the stations and our English-speaking staff can be reached at all times. KuzeyDoga Society may move volunteers between stations depending on available capacity.

At our stations, you can, by alternating, go hiking, go birdwatching, look for herbs, butterflies, and dragonflies, go fishing at Aras river as long as it is catch and release, watch fall raptor migration, stargaze, ride horses and have exciting cultural experiences, such as participating in village festivities.

Anybody who is interested and can volunteer at least 15 days between the dates mentioned above should get in touch with onder@kuzeydoga.org and let him know your name, last name, the dates you are available, and any questions.

Onder CIRIK
KuzeyDoga Society
Projects Coodinator
http://www.kuzeydoga.org
http://www.kuyucuk.org

Turkey names 13th Ramsar site

2009-12-02T03:43:00.000-08:00

20/11/2009

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry has designated Lake Kuyucuk (Kuyucuk Gölü) (416 hectares, 40°45’N 043°27’E) as Turkey’s 13th Wetland of International Importance. As summarized by Nadezhda Alexeeva from the RIS, this Wildlife Reserve is one of the most important wetlands of Kars province in northeastern Turkey – the freshwater stream- and spring-fed lake is surrounded by treeless steppe and sparse Phragmites reed patches, and the area may be typical of what much of the Anatolian Steppe grassland-wetland community used to consist of before widespread degradation of its water bodies over the past several hundred years.

Located along the African-Eurasian migration flyways, the lake is a crucial stop-over and breeding site for many bird species, including ten globally threatened. Every fall the site hosts up to 30,000 Ruddy Shelducks. The lake is currently the only source of water for the three surrounding villages. Human activities around the lake include cereal production and livestock grazing. The area is attractive for birdwatching and nature tourism; in 2009 it received the European Destination of Excellence award. Threats are seen from over-grazing (especially in reed beds that provide important habitats for birds), disturbance for birds caused by cattle, and pollution from surrounding villages and livestock farming.

Source:

http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-84^24238_4000_0

Internation Nature School visited Lake Kuyucuk

2009-11-12T08:47:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T08:43:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T08:39:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T08:36:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T08:33:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T08:31:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T08:30:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T08:27:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T08:25:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T08:23:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T08:20:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T08:17:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T08:13:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T08:10:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T08:06:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T08:04:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T07:58:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T07:56:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T07:52:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T07:49:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T07:47:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T07:44:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T07:39:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T07:36:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T07:33:00.000-08:00

Today we ringed 35 birds out of 6 species.

Today's birds are:

Snipe
Corn Bunting
Starling
White wagtail
Gadwall
Chiffchaff

3 October 2009

2009-11-12T07:31:00.000-08:00

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)

2009-11-12T07:21:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T07:16:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T07:14:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T07:11:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T07:09:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T07:07:00.000-08:00

Today we ringed 34 birds out of 6 species.

Today's birds are:

Little Stint
Ruff
Corn Bunting
Starling
Quail
Shoveler

26 September 2009

2009-11-12T07:03:00.000-08:00

Today we ringed 11 birds out 7 species.

Today's birds are:

Greenshank
Little Stint
Yellow Wagtail
Swallow
Snipe
Redstart
Bluethroat

25 September 2009

2009-11-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T06:57:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T06:56:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T06:54:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T06:51:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T06:49:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T06:46:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T06:42:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T06:39:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T06:36:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T06:34:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T06:31:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T06:15:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T06:11:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T06:09:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T05:46:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T05:43:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T05:41:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T05:39:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T05:37:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T05:34:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T05:31:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T05:28:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T05:25:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T05:24:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T05:20:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T05:16:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T05:11:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T04:55:00.000-08:00

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

27 August 2009

2009-09-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

Today we ringed the following 13 species of birds at the station:

Ringed plover
Little Stint
Temminck's stint
Ruff
Wood sandpiper
Sand martin
Swallow
Yellow wagtail
Citrine wagtail
Sedge warbler
Starling
Rose-colored starling
Ortolan

26 August 2009

2009-09-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

Today we ringed the following 12 species of birds at lake Kuyucuk:

Black-winged stilt
Little stint
Temminck's stint
Ruff
Snipe
Wood sandpiper
White-winged black tern
Sand martin
Swallow
Yellow wagtail
Sedge warbler
Corn bunting

25 August 2009

2009-09-05T08:57:00.000-07:00

Today we ringed the following 11 species of birds at the station:

Black-winged stilt
Ruff
Snipe
Green sandpiper
Wood sandpiper
Sand martin
Swallow
Yellow wagtail
Sedge warbler
Marsh warbler
Corn bunting

24 August 2009

2009-09-05T08:55:00.000-07:00

Today we ringed the following 8 species of birds at the station:

Ruff
Snipe
Wood sandpiper
Sand martin
Swallow
Whincat
Marsh warbler
Corn bunting

23 August 2009

2009-09-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

We ringed following 10 species of birds at the station today:

Squacco heron
Spotted crake
Dunlin
Ruff
Snipe
Wood sandpiper
Sand martin
Swallow
Yellow wagtail
Sedge warbler
Marsh warbler

22 August 2009

2009-09-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

Today we ringed the following 11 species of birds at the station. The weather was fine in the day and can decrease 1 degree at nights.

Teal
Black-winged stilt
Little stint
Ruff
Snipe
Wood sandpiper
Sand martin
Swallow
Yellow wagtail
Sedge warbler
Marsh warbler

Bird ringing started at Lake Kuyucuk (21 August 2009)

2009-09-05T08:38:00.000-07:00

KuzeyDoga Society started bird ringing season at Lake Kuyucuk on August 21, 2009. Our Czech ringers Libor Praus, Jindrich Sedlacek and Turkish volunteers Güler Bozok, Remzi Cevher, İlknur Çelebi and Yiğit Ozan Çolak set up the nets and started to catch the birds today. The study is being carried out under the control of our field biologist Yakup Şaşmaz at the station. The ringing goes on 24 hours a day and volunteers apply shifts for night checks. The nets are being checked once an hour and birds are being brought to the ringing trailer. Our ringing experts Libor and Jindrich are ringing the birds.

Today we ringed the following 11 species of birds at the station:

Little stint

Ruff

Redshank

Greenshank

Wood sandpiper

Sand martin

Swallow

Yellow wagtail

Sedge Warbler

Lake Kuyucuk of Kars has become Turkey’s 2009 European Destination of Excellence (EDEN)

2009-06-05T02:14:00.000-07:00

The honour of being Turkey’s EDEN has passed across the country from Edirne to Kars

Kars’ Lake Kuyucuk Wildlife Reserve, a haven for tens of thousands of birds of 207 species and rising, the first RAMSAR candidate site of eastern Turkey, and where conservationists have built the first island ever created in Turkey for wildlife, has won the first place in Turkey in the European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) tourism competition (http://www.edenineurope.eu/) organized by the European Commission, in collaboration with Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Following KuzeyDoğa Society’s application in March 2009, Lake Kuyucuk and other finalists went through a rigorous selection process. On June 1, 2009, Lake Kuyucuk was chosen the winner, and Kars province became Turkey’s 2009 European Destination of Excellence. This award, which has no monetary value, will provide worldwide publicity and promotion of Lake Kuyucuk and Kars, highlight the region as a center of nature tourism, and help raise the tourism revenue of Kars and neighbouring provinces, especially the villages and towns around Lake Kuyucuk.

Last year the theme of the competition was “Tourism and Intangible Heritage”. The Edirne province, which borders Greece, won the competition with its famous Kırkpınar traditional olive oil wrestling festival. This year, the honour of being the European Destination of Excellence (EDEN) passed across the country from Edirne to Kars. With this, the Kars province, which borders Armenia, has become the easternmost Destination of Excellence in Europe. By choosing Kars as its 2009 EDEN, Turkey has taken a crucial step to promote a part of Turkey that is little-known, and is home to unique and fascinating nature, wildlife, history, culture, cuisine, and geography.

The application by KuzeyDoğa Society was done in collaboration with the Kars Governorship, Arpaçay District Governorship, Kars Directorate of Culture and Tourism, and Kars Directorate of Environment and Forestry, with the aim of improving and promoting sustainable nature tourism at Lake Kuyucuk and around Kars. The 2009 theme of the competition was “Tourism and Protected Areas”, for which Lake Kuyucuk Wildlife Reserve, a Key Biodiversity Area and eastern Turkey’s first Ramsar candidate, is uniquely suited. The competition aims to promote protected areas and their surroundings where an economically viable tourism product can be developed using the protected area as an asset, all the while respecting its protected environment and meeting the needs of local residents and visitors.

By awarding up to 34 destinations of excellence throughout Europe, the European Commission’s specific aims are to:

-enhance visibility of the emerging European tourist destinations of excellence, especially the lesser known,
-create awareness of Europe's tourist diversity and quality,
-promote all European countries and regions,
-help de-congestion, combat seasonality, rebalance the tourist flows towards the non- traditional destinations,
-awarding sustainable forms of tourism,
-create a platform for the exchange of good practices,
-promote networking between awarded destinations which could persuade other destinations to -adopt sustainable tourism development models.

Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism collected applications throughout Turkey and nominated Lake Kuyucuk as one of the four finalist sites after the initial screening. Lake Kuyucuk wildlife reserve competed with the finalists Yedigöller National Park and Abant Lake Nature Park (Bolu), Gideros Bay Natural Site (Cide/Kastamonu), and Uluabat Lake Wetland Area (Uluabat Lake/Bursa).

These four finalist sites were visited by the expert selection committe of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The committee came to Kars during May 12-14 2009, visited Lake Kuyucuk and other nature tourism attractions in the region with the KuzeyDoğa team, and was impressed with the full support of Kars administrators for the conservation of Lake Kuyucuk. By coincidence, the committee arrived at Lake Kuyucuk the day when Turkey’s first man-made island for wildlife conservation was cut off from the mainland. The committee was impressed with the unprecedented support of the Kars governor Mehmet Ufuk Erden for nature conservation and with KuzeyDoğa Society’s regional work on conservation, wetland restoration, ecological research, environmental education, and community-based bio-cultural tourism.

Kars province will now be presented to the European Commission as Turkey’s 2009 European Destination of Excellence. European Commission will promote the EDEN sites throughout Europe, encourage European tourists to go and visit these sites, establish a network between the winner sites of each country and present them the European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) awards by organizing a ceremony at the European Tourism Forum.

Dr. Çağan Şekercioğlu, the president of KuzeyDoğa Society, stated the following:

“Our nature conservation and nature tourism activities that started with the Kars-Iğdır Biodiversity Project in 2003 gained steam with the establishment of KuzeyDoğa Society, the increasing support of the Kars governor Mr. Mehmet Ufuk Erden and the October 2008 visit to Kuyucuk Lake by Mr. Ertuğrul Günay, the Culture and Tourism Minister of Turkey. This award is a historical achievement for Lake Kuyucuk, for Kars, and for nature tourism in the entire region. Last year, the Lake Kuyucuk Project has received from HRH Princess Anne the Whitley Gold Award, United Kingdom’s most prestigious grassroots conservation honor. Our aims are to help conserve the region’s nature and wildlife by working with local people and raising their income through sustainable nature tourism. The honor of being a European Destination of Excellence will increase tourism and local benefits. However, increased tourism and its benefits must be regulated carefully with a sustainable tourism strategy in order to prevent the negative impacts of mass tourism around Lake Kuyucuk and the Kars region. Kuyucuk Lake can be packed with thousands of geese and we do not want to kill the goose that lays the golden egg of nature tourism. Lake Kuyucuk’s recent nomination as the first Ramsar site in eastern Turkey due to its global importance as a wetland was the most important factor in winning this award, which provides a great example of the symbiosis between nature conservation and nature tourism. Lake Kuyucuk’s Ramsar candidacy and its Ramsar boundaries were approved by the National Wetland Commission on April 2, 2009. It is extremely important that the Turkish government sends Lake Kuyucuk’s Ramsar application to the International Ramsar Secreteriat urgently, as the international recognition of Kuyucuk’s Ramsar status will lead to better conservation and will also increase the benefits of the EDEN honor for Lake Kuyucuk, Kars, and Turkey. As the president of KuzeyDoğa Society, we thank the Kars governor, Arpaçay and Akyaka district governorships, Kafkas University, Kars Directorates of Culture & Tourism and Environment & Forestry, and most importantly, the people of Kuyucuk, Duraklı and Carcıoğlu villages. This success is the culmination of years of teamwork with all stakeholders.”

What is European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN)?

EDEN is the acronym for European Destinations of Excellence, a project promoting sustainable tourism development models across the European Union (http://www.edenineurope.eu/). The project is based on national competitions that take place every year and result in the selection of a tourist “destination of excellence” for each participating country. Through the selection of destinations, EDEN effectively achieves the objective of drawing attention to the values, diversity and common features of European tourist destinations. It enhances the visibility of emerging European destinations, creates a platform for sharing good practices across Europe and promotes networking between awarded destinations.

This European quest for excellence in tourism is developed around an annual theme, chosen by the Commission together with the relevant national tourism bodies. This theme functions as a leitmotif: so far, rural tourism, intangible heritage and protected areas have been the main EDEN themes.

The key feature of the selected destinations is their commitment to social, cultural and environmental sustainability. The recipients of the award are emerging; little known European destinations located in the 27 Member States and candidate countries. The EDEN project helps to spread the sustainable practices used in the chosen destinations across the Union and to turn these places into all-year-round venues. The process thus aims to help de-congest over-visited tourist destinations.

National Geographic - Road Becomes Turkey's First Island Sanctuary for Birds

2009-05-29T02:29:00.000-07:00

After years of lobbying, planning, and months of hard work, conservationists have built the first island ever created in Turkey for wildlife.

"It may be the first artificial island in the country," said Cagan H. Sekercioglu in an email. "We have taken conservation science to the next stage and have created critical habitat for thousands of birds. It is very rewarding to be doing something concrete after my depressing papers estimating bird extinctions.

"This is an excellent example of hands-on conservation resulting from close collaboration of local villagers, conservation scientists, decision-makers and local government."

Sekercioglu is a senior research scientist at Stanford University's Center for Conservation Biology. He has received funding from the National Geographic Society's Committee for Research anbd Exploration to study forest birds in Costa Rica, a project unrelated to the island in Turkey.

The artificial island was made from a dirt road which bisected Lake Kuyucuk in the Kars province of eastern Turkey. Home to at least half the 465 species of birds found in Turkey and a critical stopover for thousands of birds that migrate annually between eastern Europe and Africa, Lake Kuyucuk was recently named by the United Nations as a wetlands of international importance.

The manmade island in the center of the lake becomes a safe place for birds to roost and breed. It also restores the natural water regime of the lake by connecting the southern and northern sections formerly bisected by the old Kars-Akyaka road.

Local authorities expect that the new 200-yard-long island will increase nature tourism in the region.

The artificial island was finished and announced during the Eleventh Turkish Birding Conference, which was hosted by Kars Kafkas University and the KuzeyDoğa Society in Eastern Turkey ast week.

"The island was the big surprise of the conference and exhilirated Turkey's birdwatchers," according to a media statement sent by Sekercioglu.

The island was converted from the old road across the lake after local authorities, conservationists and surrounding communities agreed last year on the conservation zones and the Ramsar boundaries of Lake Kuyucuk. Ramsar is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework under UN auspices for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their associated resources.

It was agreed at that time to remove the road from the lake as soon as possible. The KuzeyDoğa Society, a bird research and conservation organization led by Sekercioglu, proposed that the dirt road be converted into an island as an easy and affordable way to provide a haven for breeding birds.

Fifty yards road were removed from both ends of the dirt and the excavated soil was added to the southern bank of the remaining 200-yard road segment to expand the width of the island.
Ninety-three trees of local species such as birch and willow, suited to the local steppe wetland ecosystem, were planted along the northern side of the island.

The soil addition on the south bank created a more gradual slope (half as steep) into the lake. This new, shallow bank will enable more species of birds to use and breed on the island, the news statement said.

"The entirety of the island is now inaccessible to people, cattle, sheep, horses, foxes, wolves, dogs and cats and therefore any birds nesting or feeding there will be free of these human and animal disturbances common elsewhere around the lake."

Original link: http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2009/05/turkey-bird-island.html

World Migratory Day at Lake Kuyucuk (9 May 2008)

2009-05-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

We have celebrated the 2009 World Migratory Bird Day at Lake Kuyucuk. This is an Important Bird Area and Ramsar candidate site where KuzeyDoga has so far documented 204 bird species, including globally Endangered White-headed Duck (breeding), Red-breasted Goose, and Egyptian Vulture. Up to 35,000 birds can be seen on the lake.

Over 150 people and 85 students participated from Kuyucuk, Durakli and Carcioglu villages, Arpacay district Boarding School and Kars. The celebration was honored by Kars Director of Environment and Forestry Mr. Erol Bilgir. During the press conference we announced the formal recommendation, by the Turkish government, of Lake Kuyucuk as Turkey's 13. and eastern Turkey's first Ramsar site. This was followed by lunch and birdwatching at Lake Kuyucuk.

For more pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/kuzeydoga/WorldMigratoryDay2009Kuyucuk

Kuyucuk Multilingual

2009-03-30T03:35:00.000-07:00

Português (Brasil) / Portekizce / Portuguese

Français / Fransızca / French

Türkçe / Turkish

English (UK) / İngilizce

Magyar / Macarca / Hungarian

हिन्दी / Hintçe / Hindi

Rare Turkish bird haven under threat

2009-03-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

By Sarah Rainsford
North-eastern Turkey

The birdwatchers at Kuyucuk lake rise with the sun.

The water stretched out before them is covered with black dots that suddenly come alive as flocks of birds open their wings and soar into the early morning sky.

"I've never seen such a congregation of wildfowl in my life, it's phenomenal!" enthuses Glen, binoculars glued to his eyes - a spotter who has come to Turkey from Britain.

"The number of birds is overwhelming. It's awe-inspiring. I don't know where to look."

Kuyucuk lake, close to Turkey's border with Armenia, lies at a critical spot on the bird migration path between eastern Europe and Africa.

Almost 200 species stop here to feed, breed or rest en route, and the spotters have recorded 14 species that are globally endangered.

Ten rare white-headed duck are regular visitors to Kuyucuk and the orange-bodied ruddy shelduck, rarely seen in the wild in Europe, is in abundance here.

Grass greener

A small team of conservationists now work at the lake, documenting its rich population and battling to keep the birds' habitat intact.

For years, nearby villagers have led their cattle to graze by the water. They have chomped the tall reeds that once lined the shore to the roots, leaving little space for the birds to nest or breed in.

The conservationists have fenced off small zones to encourage re-growth.

But the wire has been cut in several places by local shepherds, convinced the grass on the forbidden side must be greener.

"People here say they are proud of the lake and support us," explains Dr Cagan Sekercioglu, who heads the lake conservation project for the KuzeyDoga Association.

"But if a shepherd's out here alone and he sees the nice green grass and reeds in our enclosure, he'll let the animals in. It's too tempting."

Trucker 'magnet'

Now a new threat to the lake is looming.

The Turkish-Armenian border lies just 30km (19 miles) from Kuyucuk, but it was closed in the 1990s when Turkey sided with Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia. Diplomatic relations were frozen.

But there are talks now about re-opening the border and re-establishing official ties.

Many locals support that and the surge in trade it is sure to bring. Ornithologists fear disaster.

A branch of the old road to Armenia already bisects the lake, but it is rarely used.

"That road would definitely be expanded if the border opens, then the whole lake area would be a magnet for truckers," Dr Sekercioglu says.

He worries the area will be developed - until hotels, shops and recreation facilities crowd the shoreline. Legally, there is nothing to stop that.

Rare wetland

"The birds come here to rest," Dr Sekercioglu says. "They can't afford to waste valuable migration energy, fleeing from visitors. If they're constantly disturbed they can't stay here."

Almost 60% of Turkey's wetlands have disappeared in the past five decades - a result of irresponsible irrigation combined with climate change. That has made the struggle to save Kuyucuk for the birds more urgent.

Every so often a huge truck rumbles by loaded with construction materials for a new dam being built nearby.

The prospect of irrigation is encouraging villagers to plan more intensive farming, using fertilisers for the first time. If that happens, those chemicals are sure to contaminate the lake.

But on its shore the protection work goes on, to the constant honk of hundreds of shelduck.

Every hour, volunteers untangle birds from huge nets strung at various points on the lakeside. They weigh and measure them, then release them into the wild with a metal leg-ring to track their progress.

"We want to see where they go, what the trends are and how global warming is affecting things," explains Alan Brooks, a volunteer from South Africa, who is dressed in shorts despite the biting cold.

"Tens of thousands of birds use this place. It's one of the few wetlands of its type left. We must preserve it. It's very important," Mr Brooks believes.

Dangerous time

The volunteers are true enthusiasts, able to swap bird stories non-stop and never tire.

But the team knows they need to infect the local villagers with some of their passion to have any chance of protecting Kuyucuk for the future.

"For now, people talk the talk, but they don't walk the walk," Dr Sekercioglu explains.

"Conservation is still seen as a luxury in Turkey," he says, though in Kuyucuk awareness is improving - encouraged by talk of eco-tourism and a potential income for the villagers.

Due to Dr. Sekercioglu's tireless campaigning, Turkey's environment ministry has been considering granting the lake area limited protection status.

However, there are signs it may be faltering - and Dr Sekercioglu is worried.

"We've lost so many important conservation sites almost overnight in Turkey - and ones with far stricter protection than what's being considered for Kuyucuk," he says.

"Anything could happen here."

Original Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7789585.stm

Click for radio story

Kuyucuk Island

2009-03-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

A small road bisects lake Kuyucuk into two so that there is no water flow between two parts and it causes human disturbance at lake Kuyucuk. This road had been constructed by local authority as a result of local villager's request in order to by-pass the main road for villagers who wants to reach their farms. It only shortens the length about a 500 meters so that it is really an useless road in the middle of the lake.

As a result of KuzeyDoga staff's lobbying to local authorities and villagers, it has been decided to cancel this road and convert it to an island in order to provide a safe place for breeding birds if we consider foxes are a serious threat for birds' nests and chicks. Human disturbance at the lake will be getting less when the road is converted to an island.

Kars governorship supported us and provided trucks and shovels to digg the road and spread it into the lake to create a breeding island. We have been told that it is going to take at least 10 days to process it. First digging started on March 23th, 2009.

This is how it looks like before the diggings:

This is how it is going to be after diggings: