Rare Arctic glaucous gull turns up in Turkey

The arctic seagull making a special appearance on Turkey's Rize coast was reportedly last seen here 140 years ago

A glaucous gull, which only recently reappeared on the Black Sea coast after more than a century, has drawn prominent birdwatchers to the northern province of Rize.

The glaucous gull is believed to have first appeared in 1874 in the busy Turkish province of Istanbul. This is actually the sole evidence of their existence in the Turkish territory, but there has been no sighting of the bird for 140 years.

The white-headed and-tailed bird has been described as the glaucous bird, which has first been recorded in 1874 in Istanbul, according to a discussion among Turkey's key bird watchers.

Bird enthusiasts are watching history

As many as 20 birdwatchers and photographers across Turkey have flocked to Rize after a local twitcher, Murat Altuk, had recognized and photographed the different type of gull on Friday.

Murat Saltuk said that the gull has been first spotted in northern Turkey since 1874. "That's a great experience for Turkey. This bird is generally spotted in the northern parts of the World," he said. "It has managed to travel here from its natural habitat."

The rare gull landed in the customs zone

The bird's appearance on the Black Sea coast has been circulated through special pages and social media networks of birdwatching.

After the circulation of this report, the watchers from from the provinces of İstanbul, Antalya, Trabzon, Adana, Samsun and İzmir, traveled to Rize and entered the customs zone to take images of the gull through a special permission by Rize governor Ersin Yazıcı.

Many believe the unusual feathered friend should be properly housed and cared for, since it has become such a main attraction.

A prominent photographer pointed out the re-appearance of this rare bird in North Turkey.

"The place it has been spotted must be protected and serve as a bird watching station," said Emin Kanbur, the chair of Rize Photographic Art Society.

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