24/06/2018
The Sea of Marmara may be the
smallest sea in the world, but it is now known to be home to a major stop-over
point for more than 15,000 Great
White Pelicans when breaking up their epic spring migration journey.
The site, on the Karacabey
Floodplain in Turkey’s north-western Marmara region, is of global significance
because it holds at least half of the species’ European population during
spring migration, along with 5 per cent of the world population. The wetland is
also considered important for other waterbird species such as Dalmatian
Pelican and Glossy
Ibis.
The discovery was made recently
by Doğa Derneği (BirdLife Turkey) during the organisation's ongoing work to
safeguard migratory birds passing over the country along the Africa-Eurasia
flyway. As part of its education and community outreach work on illegal bird
killing – boosted over the last year by funding from the 2017 Champions of the
Flyway race in Israel – Doğa Derneği had been working in co-operation with the
municipality of Karacabey and other local groups to co-organise a migratory
bird monitoring event. Over these three days of systematic counting, the
pelican discovery was made.
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