willows by eating the leaves and proving that these had been in fact eaten by the hyponemetua caterpillar, the professor was able to persuade them to leave it in peace. In 1952 the instate of hydrobiology, Istanbul Uni. Set up a research station here with the responsibility of protecting the birds and the proposals of Prof Kosswig and Prof.Inal of the faculty of forestry, were implemented in 1959. For the sanctuary to be granted the status of national park. The sanctuary is situated on the north eastern bank of the lake Manyas and divided into two parts by the S.Atik stream. The delta has a plant cover of willows and rushes which projects like a tongue into the lake when observed from one of the surrounding hilltops. Every spring more than 3000 pairs build their nests in the sanctuary and as the larger species like the spoonbill, pelican and tern build them on the trees instead of in unapproachable rushy areas as is their habit, it is possible to observe them incubating and feeding their chicks. Apart from spring it is frequented all the year round by migrants including geese and duck, and up to 200 species such as the heron, ibis, birtern, egret, moorhern, water rail, corncrake, great tit, starling, jackdaw, roller, owl, mallard, Spanish sparrow, turtle dow, and nightingale are to be found. Food is not a problem since the Sanctuary waters boast an abundance of fish and the plant cover insects and small animals. The birds are recognized as local as they open their eyes here and are recorded in the sanctuary records. Its existence in this particular area is explained by : a- its abundance of natural food, b- its on the migratory route birds flying to and from Europe, Asia and Africa, c- the mild climate here and, d- the fact that the water of the lake covers upto one meter of the trees and rushes and so protect their nests from the wild dry-ground animals in the region. |
| BIRDS PARADISE IN EUROPE / Nr.1 |
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| Discovered in 1938 by Prof.Dr.C.Kosswig and his wife, the Paradise of Birds, which is the smallest National Park in Turkey, covering just over 52 hectares was granted national park status in 1959 from which time its fame has spreadthroughout the world. The Council of Europe decided to award it the European Conservation Diploma which is granted only to such areas as conform to prescribed conditions within conservation media. Prof.Kosswig, who had first noticed and been impressed by the number and variety of birds he and his wife and assistant had observed while on a fishing trip celled it the paradise of birds based on its history. |
| Later, as a result of the professors studies, during the period he was the Director of the Institute of Zoology, Faculty of Science at the University of Istanbul, the value of the flocks nesting here was better appreciated and nature lovers started to frequent it. Protection of the birds was achieved through the personal efforts of the professor as the the director of the Institute by convincing t he inhabitants of S.Atik village of their significance. On revisiting the sanctuary after World War 2, however, Kosswig found that the flocks had been devasred by the villagers who contented that they were damaging the |
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