Migratory birds return to Van as rain revives wetlands

VAN

Wetlands in eastern Türkiye’s Van have come back to life after months of heavy rainfall, drawing migratory birds back to habitats that had been severely diminished by years of drought.

In the district of Erciş, water sources that had dried up or receded in recent years due to prolonged arid conditions have been replenished by abundant spring rains and snowmelt, restoring marshlands and streambeds across the region.

The Van Lake basin, which has experienced one of its wettest periods in recent years, is now hosting a growing number of bird species. Among those observed are spoonbills, grey herons, great egrets, night herons, lapwings, black-winged stilts and various wild duck species.

Members of the Van Photography Art Association have been documenting the ecological recovery, photographing birds along the lake’s shoreline and newly flowing streams.

Professor Özdemir Adızel, a biologist at Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, said wetlands are among the most biodiverse ecosystems and are highly vulnerable to shifts in rainfall patterns.

He noted that drought in recent years had caused significant degradation across the basin, including the complete drying of Akgöl.

However, sustained rainfall has helped reverse much of the damage, with wetlands reemerging, streams flowing again and retreating shorelines moving closer to their former levels.

“The abundance of water and nutrients carried by streams has positively affected bird populations,” Adızel said, noting a visible increase in protected waterfowl species across the basin. “It is a reminder that water is life.”