A buff-breasted sandpiper spreads its wings in Manavgat’s Ulualan area.
For the very first time in the country’s history, birdwatchers have recorded a buff-breasted sandpiper in the southern province of Antalya, officially bringing Türkiye’s total recorded bird species to 506.
A Dutch birdwatcher first spotted the bird in Ulualan, where the Manavgat River meets the Mediterranean Sea. Members of the Antalya Bird Watching Community then documented it with photographs and video, making it the 361st bird species recorded in Antalya.
Türkiye Bird Committee Chairman Mustafa Erturhan said the species normally lives in North America, including Alaska. Some individuals stray from their usual routes and turn up in Europe, but this was the first record in Türkiye, he said.
Around 20 members of the Antalya Bird Watching Community, which has about 200 members, were among the first to see the bird, Erturhan said. Birdwatchers from other parts of Türkiye have since traveled to the area, while others have set off for Manavgat.
The Manavgat wetland is an important area for birdwatching and wildlife in the western Mediterranean, offering birds places to rest and feed during migration, he said. Rare species can be seen in important bird areas, and Manavgat attracts both Turkish and foreign birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts, he said.
The wetland’s natural structure must be preserved to protect the area’s natural wealth, Erturhan said.
Gökçe Irmak, one of the community’s youngest members, said seeing the rare bird in Manavgat had excited her.
“I was excited to see a rare species like the buff-breasted sandpiper here. I came to photograph it, and I did. I am truly happy right now,” she said.
The buff-breasted sandpiper breeds in Arctic Alaska and Canada and winters in the grasslands of Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. Unlike many other shorebirds, it uses dry, grassy habitats during migration, including pastures and farm fields. It feeds on insects and other invertebrates, picking prey from the ground.
