Stork and fisherman unite in Bursa for 13 consecutive years

BURSA

A longstanding friendship between a stork and a fisherman in the Karacabey district of Bursa, a northwestern province, blossomed once again as the majestic bird returned for its thirteenth consecutive year of migration, gracefully resting upon the fisherman’s boat, reigniting a bond forged over the years.

For 13 years, the stork named Yaren, settles in her nest in Eskikaraağaç Stork Village every spring when she comes back from migration. Yaren spends spring and summer with Adem Yılmaz, setting sail on the Uluabat Lake on the fisherman’s boat.

It was noteworthy that Yaren arrived earlier this year compared to previous years. The stork, which migrated early and landed on Yılmaz's boat as of Feb. 29 this year, had arrived on Mar. 17 in 2023.

The Eskikaraağaç Stork Village, the only village representing Türkiye in the European Stork Villages Association, is on a migration route where tens of thousands of storks pass every year during the migration period. The village is also home to resident storks.

The duo’s story gained international fame after it was photographed on the lake. The story was performed as a shadow play in Greece and became the subject of textbooks in Austria and Germany.

In 2019, the documentary “Yaren,” filmed by Burak Doğansoysal and prepared with the contributions of the Karacabey Municipality, returned from the Prague Film Awards with the title of best documentary.

Last year, Karacabey Municipality commissioned a statue of the fisherman Adem and Yaren Stork, immortalizing the story in the village square.

Tens of thousands of tourists who hear the story and want to see the storks closely visit the Stork Village every year. Meanwhile, natural lovers can now watch Yaren Stork’s nest live on a broadcast on YouTube.