How It All Started
A Stork, A Fisherman, A Lake
In the small village of Eskikaraağaç, on the misty shores of Lake Uluabat in Bursa, Turkey, lives an elderly fisherman named Adem Yılmaz. Every morning before dawn, he rows his small green boat out onto the lake, casts his nets, and waits.
But Adem is never alone. Since 2010, a white stork has been landing on the bow of his boat every spring. He named her Yaren — Turkish for "close companion" or "soulmate."
She arrives like clockwork every March, after flying over 10,000 kilometers from Africa. She doesn't stop at any other boat. She doesn't visit any other fisherman. She comes to Adem. Only Adem.
The Morning Ritual ☀️
Every morning, the routine is the same: Adem waves when he sees Yaren approaching. She lands on the boat. He offers her fresh fish from his catch. They go fishing together — the fisherman and his stork, side by side on the quiet waters.
"She eats from my hand," Adem says, eyes glistening. "When she's here, I feel complete. When she leaves in autumn... I count the days until March."
The villagers say Adem has changed since Yaren came into his life. He smiles more. He talks about her like she's family. Because to him, she is.
The Photographer Who Told the World 📸
In 2016, wildlife photographer Alper Tüydeş visited the village and captured their bond on camera. The images went viral across Turkey — and then the world took notice.
A full-length documentary titled "Yaren" was produced in 2019. It won Best Feature Documentary at the 2020 Prague Film Awards. BBC, Daily Sabah, Good News Network — everyone wanted to tell this story.
The village embraced it: a statue of Yaren and Adem now stands in the town square. Murals of the stork cover the village walls. A 24/7 live camera was installed on her nest. Eskikaraağaç became a member of the European Stork Villages Network.
