The first harbinger of spring has arrived! Look what a gift was given to the first person to see the stork

The Avşar Neighborhood of Aydın's Söke district became lively with the arrival of the stork, the first harbinger of spring. The Ecosystem Protection and Nature Lovers Association (EKODOSD) awarded Ayşe Kavas, who was the first to spot the stork, as part of the "A sack of flour to the first person to see the stork" campaign it organizes every year.

'We love storks very much'

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."

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 ringing of storks was done for the first time in Avşar"

Bahattin Sürücü, EKODOSD President, stated that ringing studies were carried out for storks in Avşar for the first time in the Aydın region together with the Department of Biology of Ege University and said, "All these studies carried out in our region have created significant awareness in the village. When something happens to a stork and its chick, their lives are saved by cooperating with the villagers. In order to ensure that the storks continue their lives in a healthy way and to draw attention to the protection of wetlands, which are their feeding areas, we try to raise awareness by symbolically rewarding the first person to see the stork with a sack of flour by our members. We have made this a tradition."