A longstanding friendship between a stork and a fisherman in Turkey blossomed once again as the majestic bird returned for its 14th consecutive year of migration, gracefully resting upon the fisherman’s boat.
For 14 years, the stork named Yaren, settles in her nest in Eskikaraağaç Stork Village in north-west Turkey every spring when she comes back from migration.
Stork Yaren reunites with fisherman for 14th year in Türkiye’s Bursa pic.twitter.com/UrobZApRbc
— Türkiye Today (@turkiyetodaycom) March 15, 2025
Yaren spends spring and summer with Adem Yılmaz, setting sail on the Uluabat Lake on the fisherman’s boat, the Turkish daily Hurriyet reports.
This year, Yaren arrived two days after its mate, “Nazlı,” on March 15, and perched on Yılmaz’s fishing boat longer than usual, creating yet another touching and exhilarating moment that deepens the bond between the beloved stork and the community.
Yılmaz expressed a mix of relief and joy at Yaren’s return, saying, “I held onto hope for Yaren’s arrival, but I felt a lingering unease since it was later than in previous years. But when I finally saw it, I was overwhelmed with pure happiness.”
“Yaren is like a child to me. “Every morning, I feed it fish, and then it returns to the nest to care for its offspring. If it gets hungry again, it always comes back to my boat.”
Yaren stork has been following the 10 thousand km migration route for 14 years and gets on the same boat pic.twitter.com/rLTqh30bsG
— Enezator (@Enezator) March 17, 2025
The Eskikaraağaç Stork Village, the only village representing Turkey in the European Stork Villages Association, is on a migration route where tens of thousands of storks pass every year during the migration period. The village is also home to resident storks.
The duo’s story gained international fame after it was photographed on the lake. The story was performed as a shadow play in Greece and became the subject of textbooks in Austria and Germany.
In 2019, the documentary “Yaren,” filmed by Burak Doğansoysal and prepared with the contributions of the Karacabey Municipality, returned from the Prague Film Awards with the title of best documentary.
Last year, Karacabey Municipality commissioned a statue of the fisherman Adem and Yaren Stork, immortalizing the story in the village square.
Tens of thousands of tourists who hear the story and want to see the storks closely visit the Stork Village every year.
Stork-fisherman, fish-diver
The story is reminiscent of the extraordinary tale of the friendship of a man with a fish that has unfolded over almost three decades.
In Japan, diver Hiroyuki Arakawa shares an incredible bond with a fish named Yoriko, an Asian sheepshead wrasse.
In a recent interview, Arakawa shared, “I’d say we understand each other. Not that we talk to each other. I kissed her once. I’m the only person she’ll let do it. If you look closely, from the front, they look like they have a human face. When you look really close, you’ll think it looks like someone you know.”
During one of his dives, Arakawa discovered that Yoriko had suffered a significant injury to her mouth. Remarkably, despite her injury, she made a determined effort to greet him, showcasing the depth of their unique connection.
Realizing that Yoriko might struggle to catch her own food due to her mouth injury, Arakawa dedicated the following ten days to providing her with nourishment.
Related: Greece’s European Stork Village Celebrates Return Of Migratory Birds