He saw the first stork of the year and won a sack of flour

Bahattin ALBAYRAK/SÖKE (Aydın), (DHA)

Creation Date: February 26, 2025 15:39

The first stork known as the harbinger of spring in Aydın arrived in Avşar Neighborhood of Söke in Lower Büyük Menderes Basin. Ayşe Kavas was the one who saw the first stork of the year that arrived in the city. Kavas, who saw the stork flying in the air, sent its photo to EKODOSD. Thus, Kavas became the winner of EKODOSD's traditional "A sack of flour to the person who sees the first stork" campaign. EKODOSD officials delivered a sack of flour to Kavas together with Avşar Neighborhood Headman Bedri Avcı.

'WE SEE THEM AS OUR NEIGHBORS'

Stating that she was happy to be the first person to see the stork, Ayşe Kavas said, "The stork's nest is in front of my house. We see the stork as our neighbor. We constantly watch the storks from their arrival until they raise their young and migrate. We love storks very much."

'THE AIM IS TO CREATE AWARENESS ABOUT STORKS'

EKODOSD President Bahattin Sürücü said, "Our aim in the 'First stork to see, a sack of flour' campaign is to create awareness in rural areas about storks, which have an important function in the ecosystem, and to ensure the protection of birds and their habitats, the wetlands. Ensuring the protection of wetlands will ensure the protection of storks, other birds and aquatic creatures. Especially in our region where agriculture is widespread, storks have many benefits in terms of reducing agricultural pests. This campaign we have carried out to draw attention to storks creates excitement and sweet competition in rural areas and further increases interest in storks."

EKODOSD President Bahattin Sürücü, who reminded that they worked with villagers and students to prevent storks from dying of electric shock in Avşar Neighborhood, said, "We created an artificial platform for the first time in 2008 with our own means. Since the nest in the chimney weighing hundreds of kilos was in danger of collapsing, we took the nest from the chimney and moved it to the platform we made. When the storks came and adopted this nest, everyone was very happy. However, when the number of storks dying of electric shock increased, artificial platforms were placed in Avşar Neighborhood, which was first selected as a pilot village by AYDEM Electricity Distribution Company in 2010, and the number of stork deaths decreased to almost zero. We are very happy for this. With this project, the death rates of our storks coming to our country and region decreased to almost zero."

'THE STORK RINGING STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AVŞAR'

EKODOSD President Bahattin Sürücü stated that ringing studies were carried out for storks for the first time in Avşar in the Aydın region together with the Nature Conservation and National Parks, Ege University Biology Department, and said, "All these studies carried out in our region created significant awareness in the village.

"When something happens to a stork and its chick, we work together with the villagers to save their lives. In order to ensure that the storks continue their lives in a healthy way and to draw attention to the protection of the wetlands that are their feeding grounds, we symbolically reward the first person to see the stork with a sack of flour by our members and try to raise awareness. We have made this a tradition," he said. (DHA)