Lake Kuyucuk ( tr, Kuyucuk Gölü) is a small shallow lake located in

Arpaçay Arpaçay is a town and a district of Kars Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. The population is 2,503 as of 2010. The mayor is Erçetin Altay ( AKP). Azerbaijanis and their subgroups of Terekemes and Karapapaks make up the majo ...

district of

Kars Province Kars Province ( tr, Kars ili; ku, Parêzgeha Qersê; hy, Կարսի նահանգ) is a province of Turkey, located in the northeastern part of the country. It shares part of its closed border with Armenia. The provincial capital is the city of ...

in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. It has an area of and a maximum depth at . The lake area is an internationally recognized Ramsar site, important for its ornithofauna, and a tourist wildlife reserve.

Geology

The Kalkankale Formation, consisting of old

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

mudstone Mudstone, a type of mudrock, is a fine-grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Mudstone is distinguished from '' shale'' by its lack of fissility (parallel layering).Blatt, H., and R.J. Tracy, 1996, ''Petrology. ...

and

claystone Mudrocks are a class of fine-grained siliciclastic sedimentary rocks. The varying types of mudrocks include siltstone, claystone, mudstone, slate, and shale. Most of the particles of which the stone is composed are less than and are too sm ...

dating back to early

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58agglomerate Agglomerate (from the Latin ''agglomerare'' meaning "to form into a ball") is a coarse accumulation of large blocks of volcanic material that contains at least 75% bombs. Volcanic bombs differ from volcanic blocks in that their shape records flui ...

tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock cont ...

and

andesite Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predomi ...

of early Pliocene old

Kura Rúben de Almeida Barbeiro (born August 21, 1987 in Leiria), better known as KURA, is a Portuguese electro house music DJ and producer. Kura has released tracks through labels such as Hardwell's Revealed Recordings, Flashover Recordings, M ...

volcanic rocks while the southwestern elevations are formed by tuff, andesite, pearlite,

pumice Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicular vol ...

and

obsidian Obsidian () is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extrusive rock, extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock. Obsidian is produced from felsic lava, rich in the lighter elements s ...

of Dumanlıdağ

pyroclastic rock Pyroclastic rocks (derived from the el, πῦρ, links=no, meaning fire; and , meaning broken) are clastic rocks composed of rock fragments produced and ejected by explosive volcanic eruptions. The individual rock fragments are known as pyrocl ...

Topography

Büyükalamet Heights , Küçükalamet Heights , Kızılgüney Heights and Uzungüney Heights in the north, Alaca Heights in the west and Cadalı Heights , Yumru Heights and Mevzili Heights in the southwest are the elevations around the lake making up the landscape's topography.

Flora

At an elevation of , the lake region has two ecosystems,

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the temperate grasslands, ...

and

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

. The wetland flora are free-floating aquatic plants from the

duckweed Lemnoideae is a subfamily of flowering aquatic plants, known as duckweeds, water lentils, or water lenses. They float on or just beneath the surface of still or slow-moving bodies of fresh water and wetlands. Also known as bayroot, they arose ...

family (''Lemna''), common reed (''Phragmites australis'') and rushes (''Juncus'') while the steppe flora are shrubs and herbs (''Astragalus'', ''Onobrychis''),

vetches ''Vicia'' is a genus of over 240 species of flowering plants that are part of the legume family ( Fabaceae), and which are commonly known as vetches. Member species are native to Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Africa. Some othe ...

(''Vicia''), daisy (''Artemisia''), common dandelion (''Taraxacum officinale'') and

alsike clover ''Trifolium hybridum'', the alsike clover, is a species of flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae. The stalked, pale pink or whitish flower head grows from the leaf axils, and the trifoliate leaves are unmarked. The plant is up to tall, and ...

(''Trifolium hybridum''). The globally threatened plant species grass (''Elymus sosnowskyi''), which is endemic to Turkey, grows here.

Fauna

Lake Kuyucuk is a wetland site for at least 233 bird species, and is a

Ramsar site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **

stretching over an area of . It is Turkey's thirteenth Ramsar site, and the first one in eastern Turkey. The lake has great ornithological importance, being on the African-Eurasian flyway of

migratory birds Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting by ...

. It has been recognized by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

as an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

in 2004. In the fall, up to 45,000 birds stop over at the lake. An artificial islet on the lake was formed in 2009 to provide a safe breeding place for bird species and to help protect them from predators. The Ramsar site harbors bird species such as

ruddy shelduck The ruddy shelduck (''Tadorna ferruginea''), known in India as the Brahminy duck, is a member of the family Anatidae. It is a distinctive waterfowl, in length with a wingspan of . It has orange-brown body plumage with a paler head, while the ...

(''Tadorna ferruginea''), the globally endangered

white-headed duck The white-headed duck (''Oxyura leucocephala'') is a small diving duck some long. The male has a white head with black crown, a blue bill, and reddish-grey plumage. The female has a dark bill and rather duller colouring. Its breeding habitat is ...

(''Oxyura leucocephala''), vulnerable

red-breasted goose The red-breasted goose (''Branta ruficollis'') is a brightly marked species of goose in the genus ''Branta'' from Eurasia. It is currently classified as vulnerable by the IUCN. Taxonomy and etymology The red-breasted goose is sometimes placed ...

(''Branta ruficollis''), vulnerable velvet scoter (''Melanitta fusca''), western marsh harrier (''Circus aeruginosus''), common crane (''Grus grus''), black-winged stilt (''Himantopus himantopus''),

Eurasian coot The Eurasian coot (''Fulica atra''), also known as the common coot, or Australian coot, is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae. It is found in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and parts of North Africa. It has a slaty-bla ...

(''Fulica atra''), black-necked grebe (''Podiceps nigricollis''),

common starling The common starling or European starling (''Sturnus vulgaris''), also known simply as the starling in Great Britain and Ireland, is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It is about long and has glossy black plumage ...

(''Sturnus vulgaris'') and

greylag goose The greylag goose or graylag goose (''Anser anser'') is a species of large goose in the waterfowl family Anatidae and the type species of the genus ''Anser''. It has mottled and barred grey and white plumage and an orange beak and pink legs. A ...

(''Anser anser'').

KuzeyDoğa KuzeyDoğa (Northeastern Nature) is a Turkish conservation non-governmental organization operating primarily in the far eastern section of the country, with a focal area ranging from the shores of the Black Sea to Mount Ağrı (Ararat). History ...

, a Turkish non-governmental organization for ecological research and community-based nature conservation, has operated a station at the lake to carry out birdwatching,

bird ringing Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight ...

and bird counting. Lake Kuyucuk hosted Kars' first bird ringing station, where over 22,500 birds of 170 species were ringed until January 2010. Bird ringing starts in April. In 2011, a birdwatching tower was built at the lake. In September 2004, over 20,000 ruddy shelduck, which makes out almost 12% of the world population, were observed on the lake in just one day. Other notable fauna found around the lake are the mammal species

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the Order (biology), order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe ...

(''Vulpes vulpes''), Nehring's blind mole rat (''Spalax nehringi''),

southern vole The East European vole (''Microtus mystacinus'') is a species of vole (rodent) in the family Cricetidae. Distribution and habitat It is found in Albania, Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Iran, Svalbard (accidentally introduced), North Macedonia, Roman ...

(''Microtus levis'') and

marbled polecat The marbled polecat (''Vormela peregusna'') is a small mammal belonging to the monotypic genus ''Vormela'' within the mustelid subfamily Ictonychinae. ''Vormela'' is from the German word , which means "little worm". The specific name ''peregusn ...

(''Vormela peregusna''), the

amphibian Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terres ...

European green toad The European green toad (''Bufotes viridis'') is a species of toad found in steppes, mountainous areas, semi-deserts, urban areas and other habitats in mainland Europe, ranging from far eastern France and Denmark to the Balkans and Western Russi ...

(''Bufo viridis'') and

marsh frog The marsh frog (''Pelophylax ridibundus'') is a species of water frog native to Europe and parts of western Asia. Description The marsh frog is the largest type of frog in most of its range, with males growing to a size around 100 mm (3.9 ...

(''Pelophylax ridibundus'') as well as the

reptile Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...

species sand lizard (''Lacerta agilis''). The highly acidic water of the lake does not support fish species.

Climate

The Lake Kuyucuk and its surroundings are situated in the coldest zone of Eastern Anatolia characterized with harsh

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing som ...

. Winters are long and very cold, summers are moderate, even coolish. Maximum precipitation is observed in May while in January precipitation is at minimum.

Wildlife endangered

By January 2014, it was reported by KuzeyDoğa that the wildlife at the lake is endangered due to dropping water levels. The lake's water level decreased down to . That resulted in connecting of the artificial breeding islet with the lake shore at some places, which brings the birds in danger by predators. Moreover, the vegetation on the islet was destroyed as it was used by the local herdsmen as fodder for their livestock. The negative change of the ecosystem was caused mostly by water levels dropping due to insufficient water inflow and excessive extraction of groundwater from local wells drilled by the villagers. In addition, the creek feeding the lake is used as watering trough for livestock by blocking their flow. KuzeyDoğa proposed to set up a planning for water supply in the basin and to immediately reform the islet by digging a ditch around.

Tourism

The European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) of the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...

has listed Lake Kuyucuk as a notable tourist

wildlife reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

since 2009. In 2012, a tourism center was built in Kuyucuk Village near the lake to serve for

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds ...

. Since 2011, an annual two-day birdwatching festival is held in mid June. The nearest populated place is Kuyucuk village, west of the lake. Until 1920, the village was inhabited by

Molokans The Molokans ( rus, молокан, p=məlɐˈkan or , "dairy-eater") are a Spiritual Christian sect that evolved from Eastern Orthodoxy in the East Slavic lands. Their traditions—especially dairy consumption during Christian fasts—did not ...

, members of a Christian sect. Later, Karapapaks, a Turkic-speaking sub-ethnic group of

Azerbaijanis Azerbaijanis (; az, Azərbaycanlılar, ), Azeris ( az, Azərilər, ), or Azerbaijani Turks ( az, Azərbaycan Türkləri, ) are a Turkic people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. They are the second-most numer ...

, settled in the village. A village school building, built by Molokans in 1907, is still intact. From the 1909-built three-story Russian orthodox church, only the first floor has survived. Other buildings, preserved from the Molokan times, are the village chambers. Nature tourists and birdwatchers come to Lake Kuyucuk between the beginning of spring and the end of fall. The site is also visited by students of local schools and colleges on special days like

World Biodiversity Day The International Day for Biological Diversity (or World Biodiversity Day) is a United Nations–sanctioned international day for the promotion of biodiversity issues. It is currently held on May 22. The International Day for Biological Diver ...

World Environment Day World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated annually on 5 June and encourages awareness and action for the protection of the environment. It is supported by many non-governmental organizations, businesses, government entities, and represents the ...

, International Migratory Bird Day and Birdwatching Day. The ruined medieval Armenian city-site

Ani Ani ( hy, Անի; grc-gre, Ἄνιον, ''Ánion''; la, Abnicum; tr, Ani) is a ruined medieval Armenian city now situated in Turkey's province of Kars, next to the closed border with Armenia. Between 961 and 1045, it was the capital of th ...

and the ruins of an 11th-century Shaddadids mosque, the Manucehr mosque (Menucehr camii) within the site of Ani, are notable tourist attractions in the vicinity. Lake Çıldır is another tourist destination in the region.

Access

Lake Kuyucuk is accessible through the state road , which crosses over the northern part of the lake. It is about northeast of

Kars Kars (; ku, Qers; ) is a city in northeast Turkey and the capital of Kars Province. Its population is 73,836 in 2011. Kars was in the ancient region known as ''Chorzene'', (in Greek Χορζηνή) in classical historiography ( Strabo), part of ...

and west of

Akyaka, Kars Akyaka ( ota, شوره کل ''Şoregil'' or ''Şöregel'', az, Ağyaxa or , ; ) is a district of Kars Province in eastern Turkey, and the name of the small town that is the district's administrative capital. It is located on Turkey's closed bord ...

. The road through Kuyucuk village is used to get to the lake.

References

{{Ramsar sites in Turkey Kuyucuk Landforms of Kars Province Ramsar sites in Turkey Tourism in Kars Province Ecotourism Bird observatories Important Bird Areas of Turkey