Lake Ulabat

After we left Zeytinbagi, we drove inland to connect to a main road and make a circle back to our home. We came upon this huge lake and wondered why, on a hot afternoon, there was no traffic on the lake. After a couple of turn arounds we finally found a small road that led to a village down by the lake and what turned out to be a bird sanctuary. The village was called Eski Karaagac (and no, I don't think I can pronounce this word, or at least not correctly!) and the lake, Ulabat. Ulabat Lake is a shallow, freshwater lake, 9' at it's deepest part. It contains 8 islands and one peninsula. It is fed by the Mustafakemalpasa River and the leaves the lake by a stream that flows to the Marmara Sea. Most of the shores are marshy and it has an extensive White Lily bed. It is a bird sanctuary for Cormorants, Herons and Spoonbills, but we were lucky to see lots of nesting storks. There are only a few villages along the shores, but it used to be on the main trade route. The area was famous for its silkworm cultivation, but that industry as dies out due to synthetic fabrics. The main industry is fishing.



Coming into the village of Eski Karaagac. You can see the lake and the hills in the distance.



View of the lake, one island and the marshland surrounding it. We wound down a narrow dirt road to get to this location.



Some of the local fishing boats, although some looked like they hadn't seen the water in a long time.



Our first view of a stork looking for food.



The same stork, out of the grassy area. Maybe that is his/her boat????