FlamingosflyovertheSelKapaniDamLakeinAnkara,Türkiye,onMay14,2024.Flamingos,herons,pelicans...Türkiye'smigratorybirdspecieshavereturnedtothecapitalcityAnkara'slakesandpondsthisyear,muchtothedelightoflocalbirdwatchers.(MustafaKaya/HandoutviaXinhua)byBurakAkinciANKARA,May15(Xinhua)--Flamingos,herons,pelicans...Türkiye'smigratorybirdspecieshavereturnedtothecapitalcityAnkara'slakesandpondsthisyear,muchtothedelightoflocalbirdwatchers.Onlyashortdriveawayfromthebustlingcityof6millionpeople,theSelKapaniDamLakeandLakeMogan,locatedintheGolbasidistrict,hostmanyvarietiesofmigratorywaterbirdseachspringandsummer.Onachillybutsunnymorning,MelihOzbek,awildlifephotographeraswellasabird-watcherandactivist,wasbusytakingpicturesintheSelKapaniDamLake,awetlandhabitatsurroundedbyshallowpools,reedsandfieldswithsubstantialnumbersofbirds,includingpinkflamingos."ManyspeciescometoAnkara'slakesforastopoverortobreed.Therefore,LakeMoganandnearbywetlandsstandasanoasisformigratorybirds,"hetoldXinhua."Youdon'tseemanycitieswithsomanyspeciesofmigratorybirds.Ankarastandsoutinthisregard,"saidthebird-watcher.AmongtheotherbirdspeciesreproducingatLakeMoganandnearbypondsarewildducks,greatcrestedgrebe,littlegrebe,squaccoheron,andlittlebittern,tonameafew.LakeMoganwasdeclaredaSpeciallyProtectedEnvironmentAreain1990.Inwintermonths,onecanseeseabirdscomingfromnortherncountriestoTürkiye,andinsummer,specieslikeferruginousduckandred-crestedpochardincubatetheireggshere.OzbekexplainedthathalfofthebirdspeciesinTürkiyecanbeseeninLakeMoganandnearbywetlands,makingitaparadiseforbirdwatchers.TürkiyeisgeographicallysituatedontheMediterranean-BlackSeamigrationroute,amajorwinterbirdmigrationpathway.BirdsofvariousspeciesmigratefromEuropetoAfricaintheautumn,crossingoverTurkishskiesbeforereturninghomealongthesamerouteinthespring.However,Türkiye'sbirdpopulationfacesthreatsfrombothhumanandnaturalfactors.AccordingtoTürkiye'snon-profitNatureAssociation,55percentofover300birdspeciesinTürkiyehavedecreasedinnumberoverthepastdecadeduetothedestructionoftheirnaturalhabitats,primarilyresultingfromwaterprojects.Foryears,peoplehavedrainedwetlandsforagriculturalpurposesordevelopmentprojects,causinghabitatloss,accordingtoareportpublishedinMay2023bytheassociation.Itnotedthatdroughtsalsocontinuetorise,addingthatAnatolia'swetlandshavebeendestroyedbyincorrectwaterandagriculturalpoliciesforhalfacentury.TürkiyeisapartytotheRamsarConvention,atreatyfortheconservationandsustainableuseofwetlands.Yet,alarmbellsareringingforsomewetlands,thoughconservationeffortsareunderway."WetlandsareincreasinglyshrinkinginAnatolia.Somepondsandlakeshavealreadydriedout,"whichiscausedbydetrimentalhumanactivitiesandclimatechange,Ozbeksaid.Meanwhile,"therearetensofthousandsofunlicensedwellsincentralAnatoliathatharmwetlandsandevencreategiantsinkholes,"headded.■FlamingosflyovertheSelKapaniDamLakeinAnkara,Türkiye,onMay14,2024.Flamingos,herons,pelicans...Türkiye'smigratorybirdspecieshavereturnedtothecapitalcityAnkara'slakesandpondsthisyear,muchtothedelightoflocalbirdwatchers.(MustafaKaya/HandoutviaXinhua)ApelicanisseenattheSelKapaniDamLakeinAnkara,Türkiye,onMay14,2024.Flamingos,herons,pelicans...Türkiye'smigratorybirdspecieshavereturnedtothecapitalcityAnkara'slakesandpondsthisyear,muchtothedelightoflocalbirdwatchers.(MustafaKaya/HandoutviaXinhua)FlamingosarepicturedattheSelKapaniDamLakeinAnkara,Türkiye,onMay14,2024.Flamingos,herons,pelicans...Türkiye'smigratorybirdspecieshavereturnedtothecapitalcityAnkara'slakesandpondsthisyear,muchtothedelightoflocalbirdwatchers.(MustafaKaya/HandoutviaXinhua)FlamingosarepicturedattheSelKapaniDamLakeinAnkara,Türkiye,onMay14,2024.Flamingos,herons,pelicans...Türkiye'smigratorybirdspecieshavereturnedtothecapitalcityAnkara'slakesandpondsthisyear,muchtothedelightoflocalbirdwatchers.(MustafaKaya/HandoutviaXinhua)FlamingosarepicturedattheSelKapaniDamLakeinAnkara,Türkiye,onMay14,2024.Flamingos,herons,pelicans...Türkiye'smigratorybirdspecieshavereturnedtothecapitalcityAnkara'slakesandpondsthisyear,muchtothedelightoflocalbirdwatchers.(MustafaKaya/HandoutviaXinhua)Editor:DisclaimerTheviewsandopinionsexpressedinthisarticlearethoseoftheauthor's,GMW.cnmakesnorepresentationsastoaccuracy,suitability,orvalidityofanyinformationonthissiteandwillnotbeliableforanyerrors,omissions,ordelaysinthisinformation.