"Each team includes an expert bird watcher, assistant and observer. They are responsible for specific counting points and must finish the job from morning to evening. At each count point, all water birds in the field of view are counted individually or in groups with telescopes and binoculars and the teams move on to the next point after the assessments there," he added.
Hakan Ozdur, the local manager of Nature Conservation and National Parks, said the Gediz Delta was included in the scope of the International Ramsar Convention in 1998 due to the diversity of habitats that provide habitat and breeding areas for endangered waterfowls.
"300 different bird species have been observed in the area so far. Among these birds, the Dalmatian pelican, pallid harrier, Branta ruficollis and Cinereous Bunting are endangered species. The average number of water birds wintering in the area, including duck species in winter, is about 70,000-80,000," he noted.
Ozdur added that a total of 60 different species and some 64,325 individual birds were counted in 2020 in the Gediz Delta.
