Bar-tailed lark spotted in Turkey for 1st time

By Lale Koklu Karagoz

HATAY, Turkey (AA) - A rare bird species called bar-tailed lark was spotted in Turkey for the first time, in the country's southern province of Hatay, according to an expert.

Also known as the "Saudi Arabian lark" in Turkey, the bird was spotted in the Samandag district of Hatay by Emin Yogurtcuoglu, a bird observer.

Yogurtcuoglu, known as “the bird detective” as he has been photographing the rare species since 2002, managed to record the rare bird in Hatay, which is located on important migration routes in the world and is home to many bird species.

He noted the importance of March for bird observers, adding that he chose Hatay for this year’s observation.

Yogurtcuoglu explained that he encountered another rare bird which he immediately photographed.

“It's also a bird species living in deserts that all bird watchers have been looking for years.”

While following that bird, Yogurtcuoglu came across the Arabian lark behind the dunes. “That was a dream moment for me. It is not an easily seen species even in Saudi Arabia.”

Yogurtcuoglu took photos and shot a video of the Arabian lark. The rare bird was recorded as the 487th bird species seen in Turkey, while Yogurtcuoglu said he also photographed 442 of those species.