A stork, a fisherman and their unlikely bond

Adem Yilmaz gathers his fishing nets at daybreak while keeping an eye out for Yaren the stork in Eskikaraagac, Turkey, March 20, 2024. Thirteen years ago, a stork landed on Yilmaz’s boat looking for food. He has come back every year since, drawing national attention. (Ivor Prickett/The New York Times)

THIRTEEN years ago, a poor fisherman in a small Turkyish village was retrieving his net from a lake when he heard a noise behind him and turned to find a majestic being standing on the bow of his rowboat.

Gleaming white feathers covered its head, neck and chest, yielding to black plumes on its wings. It stood atop skinny orange legs that nearly matched the colour of its long, pointy beak.