The Bird Man of Sivas: On Private Devotion and Public Responsibility
What Consistency Means in Animal Welfare
In the heart of Sivas, in the courtyard of the historic Sivas Ulu Camii, a quiet ritual has unfolded every single day for twenty years.
It is not an organised project.
It is not a funded programme.
It is not done for recognition.
It is simply one man and the birds.
A Dream That Became a Commitment
Two decades ago, Ali Biçicioğlu experienced a dream that would shape the rest of his life. In it, he saw İhramcızade İsmail Hakkı Toprak, a respected religious figure, who gave him a simple instruction: feed the birds.
Many people wake from dreams and move on.
He did not.
From that day forward, he began feeding the birds in the courtyard of Sivas Ulu Camii. And he has continued, without interruption, for twenty years.
Daily Devotion
Winter in Sivas is unforgiving. Temperatures fall far below freezing. Snow gathers in thick layers across stone courtyards. Yet the routine remains unchanged.
Each day, food is scattered. Each day, wings descend.
The birds know him now. They gather when he arrives. There is rhythm in it, a quiet exchange built over years of consistency.
He does more than feed them. He also keeps the courtyard clean, maintaining the space for worshippers and wildlife alike. It is an act of stewardship as much as compassion.
What Endures
There is something striking about the simplicity of this story.
No campaign.
No social media strategy.
No fundraising appeal.
Just continuity. Twenty years of small, repeated action.
In a world that often measures value by visibility, the Bird Man of Sivas represents something different: the power of private commitment. The understanding that care does not need an audience to matter.
A Wider Reflection
Acts like this are easy to dismiss as small. Feeding birds. Sweeping a courtyard.
But they speak to something larger, the human capacity to notice other living beings and to assume responsibility for them.
Not because it is profitable.
Not because it is praised.
But because it feels right.
Twenty years is not a moment of kindness. It is a life shaped around it.
And that is what makes the Bird Man of Sivas worth writing about.