Kızılırmak Delta

The Kızılırmak runs more than thirteen hundred kilometres across Anatolia and reaches the sea at Bafra, building a delta of lagoons, marsh, dune, wet meadow and flooded forest that is the largest wetland on the Turkish Black Sea coast and one of the most important bird sites in the country - Ramsar-listed, on Turkey's UNESCO tentative list, with over three hundred and thirty species recorded, which is close to the national total. The lagoons - Balık, Uzun, Cernek, Liman - hold breeding pelicans, herons, spoonbills and terns, wintering waterfowl in large numbers, and passage waders. Water buffalo are kept in the marsh by local farmers and wade through it in herds, which is the image people photograph. There is a bird ringing station at Cernek and an observation tower. The delta is under pressure from drainage, dam-reduced sediment and agricultural expansion, and its extent has shrunk over recent decades.

What you actually see

• The lagoons - Balık, Cernek and the shallow waters.
• The water buffalo - herds wading the marsh.
• The bird colonies - pelicans, herons and spoonbills breeding.
• The ringing station - the research post at Cernek.

When to go

March to May and September to November for migration and breeding. Winter brings large waterfowl flocks. Summer is quieter and hotter.

Honest expectations

Access is by farm tracks with no signage and a car is essential; bring binoculars. There is no visitor centre worth the name. Mosquitoes are severe in the warm months.

Nearby

Bafra town is the nearest base; Samsun is 50 km east along the coast.