The Southern Marmara Birding Trail
The Southern Marmara region is a critical hub on the Via Pontica, one of the world’s major bird migration highways. Each year, millions of birds traverse this corridor, and the lakes of Manyas, Uluabat, and İznik provide indispensable rest stops and breeding grounds.
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Manyas Bird Paradise (Kuş Cenneti): This is the smallest national park in Turkey yet one of the most significant. Awarded the Class A European Diploma for its successful conservation, the park protects a small willow forest and reed beds on the shores of Lake Manyas. It is a sanctuary for over 270 bird species. The park’s pièce de résistance is its massive observation tower, one of the largest in the world, which allows you to gaze over the nesting and feeding birds without causing disturbance.
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Lake Uluabat and Gölyazı: Recognized under the Ramsar Convention, Lake Uluabat is a vast, shallow freshwater lake celebrated for its breathtaking carpets of white water lilies. Its extensive reed beds and sheltered bays are a stronghold for the endangered White-headed Duck, which gathers here in the thousands during cold winters. The lake is also a key breeding site for the Pygmy Cormorant and a gathering spot for Dalmatian Pelicans. On a small peninsula in the lake lies Gölyazı, an ancient Greek settlement where stone houses and historic mosques create a uniquely atmospheric backdrop for birdwatching.
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Lake İznik: As the largest lake in the Marmara Region, deep-water Lake İznik serves a different but equally vital ecological role. While it lacks the extensive reed beds of shallower lakes, it becomes a crucial winter refuge for bird populations when inland lakes in Central Anatolia freeze over. The lake’s perimeter, fringed with olive groves, offers a serene landscape for spotting wintering and migratory waterfowl