I've finally got round to doing a trip report for my visit to Lake Kerkini in northern Greece. Just to set the scene here is a map of it's location which is about an hour and a half north of Thessaloniki almost up to the Bulgarian border.
Copyright Google maps
The lake is formed by a dam at the lower end which I think was constructed for water supply. At the top (northern end) the lake broadens out and is quite shallow which makes it ideal for water birds as we shall see later.
Our base for the week was this hotel which is located on the northeast side of the lake. This is not my photo - I forgot to take one. Yes, there was snow on the mountains even in May.
Looks a bit like a Tibetan monastery set against the foothills of the Himalayas but it was definitely Greek and very comfortable. It was family run and mama did all the cooking - very good it was too. We'd had an upgrade from the usual guest house because our group was too large to be accommodated there.
A couple of views of the lake from my balcony window.
What stuck me initially about the area was the sheer abundance of bird life. Although it's a very fertile area the agriculture is small scale and diverse with many areas of uncultivated land and wild flowers. None of the mono-culture and manicured land which we are accustomed to and consequently wildlife flourishes.
Nightingales seemed to be singing every few hundred metres as were Cetti's Warblers but they were just as hard to see as in the UK. Corn Buntings were equally ubiquitous including one that never seemed to stop calling in the hotel grounds but were more obliging.
Although the lake was the main attraction - more about that later - we explored various habitats around the area so I'll start with a few bits and pieces.
At a small disused quarry one of our group recognised the song of an Orphean Warbler - a new one for me. It was perched high up so not a good shot.
More at the same place included a (Black-headed) Yellow Wagtail (ssp Feldegg) ......
........ a distant Cirl Bunting feeding on the ground ...
.... and an equally distant Ortolan Bunting.
This site proved to be quite fruitful as on a second visit I managed to get these Red-rumped Swallows coming to collect mud which I've never managed to photograph before.
Who's a pretty boy?
At a reed bed alongside the road a Great Reed Warbler was showing nicely .......
....... and if you've never heard one singing it sounds like a common Reed Warbler with laryngitis and much louder.
A White Stork posing on a dead branch beside the lake. There were plenty around in the villages but this was so nicely posed that it would have been rude not to have snapped him.
A roadside Little Owl. Sorry it was poor shot through glass.
Our local guide was constantly stopping to rescue reptiles from the road. This is a Herman's Tortoise.
And say hello to what I think he said was a Dice Snake.
And here's one we found in a safer location. Only the body visible on this one unfortunately.
An overflying Black Kite. Rather dull compared with my Red Kites.
I'm going to pause here before I lose the lot and also to give you all a break. More to come in due course.
To be continued >>>>>>>
____________________________________________________________________
Tony
My Flickr Photostream
So interesting TJ and gorgeous photographs, what a variety you have shown us so far, look forward to the rest. Lovely views of area and reminds me of Crete with the snow on the mountains early Spring, always felt it unusual as we used to swim in March, much to the locals disgust.
Lot to learn
Wow, what a fabulous selection Tony, wonderful to see so many different species which are new to me and some i've only ever read about. After this first section of your thread I feel like packing my bags and racing off to Lake Kerkini area lol looks a beautiful area and the hotel didn't look bad either !!!
Stunning photos and enthralling blog on the first part of your sightings ..... can't wait for the next instalment :)
_________________________________________________________________________
Regards, Hazel
Hi Tony, how can you call Black kites dull!! Maybe not as colourful as yours but special to us members of the Black Kite Fanclub!! A lovely place by the look of it & smashing to see and photograph such a variety of wildlife. I'll look forward to the rest.
Best wishes
Hazel in Southwest France
Hazel C said:Tony, how can you call Black kites dull!!
Thanks all. It's a wet day here so time to add some more.
There were quite a few butterflies around so here's a selection from various locations. Thanks to Noisette and Germain for helping with some of the ID's.
Clouded Yellow
Common Blue
Adonis Blue
Wall Brown
Queen of Spain
Green-underside Blue
They found some minerals they liked
Sooty Copper
Small Copper
Scarce Swallowtail
A few other insects
Probably a Blue-tailed Damselfly but open to correction
Red-veined Darter I think
Not sure what this pair were but they were small and having fun.
There were lots of these large black bees around but they were not at all aggressive. I think it's a Carpenter Bee but not sure of the specific variety.
You gotta love a Dung Beetle for its sheer persistence. The funny thing was that although there was plenty of dung around two or three beetles would fight each other for the same ball.
Good to hear you had a good holiday Tony and as has already been said that's one nice looking hotel what a great place to rest after a good day out. My favourite bird has to be the Red Rumped Swallow and favourite insect, is the Scarce Swallowtail.
Regards Shane
My Photos in Flickr.
Continued
Before I cover the boat trip on Lake Kerkini which was to be one of the highlights of the trip there are some lake birds which I'll cover separately.
There were loads of Squacco Herons around but I struggled to get close enough for decent photos. When they are perched their plumage is a beautiful peachy colour and at this time of year the base of the bill is blue and they have long head plumes
When they fly their wings appear almost completely white and it like a different bird.
There must have been an abundance of fish in the lake because there were very many pairs of Great Crested Grebes.
(Great) Cormorants were in abundance too. One evening we spotted a feeding frenzy of probably several hundred Cormorants. They almost seemed to be herding the fish with new birds arriving all the time. A few Pelicans joined in. Quite distant so you might want to enlarge the photo.
As well as (Great) Cormorants its smaller cousin the Pygmy Cormorant was present on and around the lake but in smaller numbers. This is the only photo I got.
To be continued ...........
Tony you certainly crammed a lot in you must have been shattered by the end, the Squacco Heron is a stunning bird I have never seen one even in captivity.
Thanks Shane, you ain't seen nothing yet. LOL
......... continued.
The boat trip
Lake Kerkini is one of the premier sites for breeding populations in Europe of both White Pelicans and Dalmatian Pelicans. The lake is also host to large numbers of cormorants, herons, gulls and terns. The northern end of the lake is quite shallow with a number of islands and half submerged trees which provide breeding sites for some of these species.
We had about a three hour boat trip cruising quietly through the colonies affording us some tremendous views of these birds. The birds are used to these boats so are relatively undisturbed by our presence.
My intrepid fellow sailors bravely setting off into the unknown.
A couple of photos to show the what the area is like.
I was a bit puzzled as to how these half submerged trees survived. Apparently, the top end of the lake dries out in the summer giving the trees a chance to recover and I think cattle can graze there as well.
Cormorant colony
Up close and personal
Panorama of pelicans and cormorants on an island.
A comparison between White and Dalmatian Pelicans. For those that are unfamiliar with them the White Pelican has the pink eye patch and whiter plumage. The Dalmatian has no eye patch, scruffier looking greyish plumage and a noticeable peak to its crown.
Dalmatian posers
During the courtship phase male Dalmatiian Pelicans have an orange pouch. As the breeding season was underway this had mostly faded but this one was still showing it.
The park authorities have built a nest platform for the Dalmatians but we were not allowed to approach too closely.
A passing posse of White Pelicans
A solitary Spoonbill
....... with an itch
.... and in a flimsy looking nest.
Lots of Night Herons posing for us. This one appeared to be eating a bit of scavenged fish
.... and a better pose. I've never noticed that lovely plume before. Stunning red eye.
A posing Whiskered Tern ....
..... and a fly by.
A posing Common Tern for comparison .....
..... and a vocal fly by.
It was a brilliant 3 hour boat trip being able to get so close to these beautiful birds.
More to come from elsewhere if you can stand it .........
This is brilliant stuff, great commentary and pics. Looks a really outstanding location! I look forward to more :)
My blog: http://mazzaswildside.blogspot.co.uk/
My Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/124028194@N04/