Long considered a Garden of Eden for migratory birds, the Vain Lagoon along the northern Albanian coast has been increasingly abandoned by a range of species as rising temperatures wreak havoc on wetlands across the country.
Millions of birds pass through Albanian lagoons and estuaries during flights north every year, providing critical grounds for migratory species travelling between northern Europe and Africa.
The Vain Lagoon covers more than 7,400 acre stretched along the Adriatic Sea and is home to 196 species of migratory birds.
Scientists say that poaching, poisoning, collision with power lines and loss of habitat kills migratory birds by the thousands every year. But spiking temperatures across the globe may prove even more disruptive.
Local fishermen have also blamed warming waters for the overall decline in fish populations in the area, depriving the birds of vital food supplies.