Zarivar Lake in Kordestan Province has been host to over 12,000 aquatic birds since the beginning of the spring, giving the lake a new life, a senior official at the Department of Environment said.
"Every year in spring, water birds of different kinds settle in the lake for nesting and laying eggs; thanks to the recent springtime rainfalls that have improved the condition in the lake, a noticeable increase in the number of birds, including indigenous and migratory types can be observed," IRNA quoted Habibollah Dabestani, a monitoring expert at the provincial DOE as saying.
Providing specific details, Dabestani said around half of the waterbirds (some 6,000) are coots. Ivory gulls, the most common species to annually select the lake for reproduction, comprise 2,000 birds.
"Ferruginous ducks, mallards, terns, little and great crested grebe and grey heron, are other kinds of aquatic birds frequently seen in and around the lake," he added.
Lost Paradise
Located in the western Zagros Mountain Range and within walking distance from dense oak forests, Zarivar Lake is affectionately called "Kordestan's Lost Paradise" by locals; however, the lake's popularity contradicts its status as a "lost" paradise. Zarivar is undoubtedly one of Iran's most beautiful bodies of water in a picturesque region.
The lake has no tributaries and is not fed by springs in the lakebed, only melted snow from the surrounding mountains ensures Zarivar is constantly brimming with water.
The lake is embellished with over 760 hectares of reed beds, which play a key role in maintaining ecological balance and filtering the water. At its fullest, the lake contains more than 30 million cubic meters of water. The overflow pours out of the lake in Marivan River. Besides the wide gamut of flora living in the lake's water, so far, 97 species of birds, 31 mammals, 13 reptiles, 11 types of fish and more have been sighted in the lake.
