First ever trip to mainland Greece to explore the area of Lake Kerkini National Park - most well know as a site for both Dalmatian & White Pelicans, it's only about an hour or so drive north of Thessaloniki and just a few miles south of the Bulgarian border.
Unusual for me to do a trip to hotter climes mid-summer due a combination of less obvious bird activity at the back end of the breeding season, with high temperatures and associated heat haze making photography more difficult. Not much info available online either for visits this time of year, with most relating to the spring and winters periods, so it was a case of just having a look and seeing what wildlife was around. On a six day trip, one day either side effectively taken with travel, another day exploring the sights and shops of Thessaloniki. left just three full days in the field. Temperatures were off the scale, peaking at around 45 degrees, so afternoons onwards were pretty much a write off - too hot for both people and wildlife.
Accompanied by Evie on this trip, with her excellent navigation skills & ability to get us to some pretty rural spots. Driving was exceptionally busy around Thessaloniki compared to hardly any traffic in the Lake Kerkini area.
The two pre-arranged dawn boat trips onto the lake were both excellent for photo opportunities and well worth doing, with different light conditions & species on offer. Water levels vary substantially over the year, being pretty shallow in July, so at times the flat bottomed boats were navigating in just a couple of feet to give close range views.
On such a short trip there was always an element of hit and miss as to what was seen, but overall more than happy - highlights in addition to the pelicans included frequent sightings of top quality raptors, as well as waders in full breeding plumage.
Unusual for me to do a trip to hotter climes mid-summer due a combination of less obvious bird activity at the back end of the breeding season, with high temperatures and associated heat haze making photography more difficult. Not much info available online either for visits this time of year, with most relating to the spring and winters periods, so it was a case of just having a look and seeing what wildlife was around. On a six day trip, one day either side effectively taken with travel, another day exploring the sights and shops of Thessaloniki. left just three full days in the field. Temperatures were off the scale, peaking at around 45 degrees, so afternoons onwards were pretty much a write off - too hot for both people and wildlife.
Accompanied by Evie on this trip, with her excellent navigation skills & ability to get us to some pretty rural spots. Driving was exceptionally busy around Thessaloniki compared to hardly any traffic in the Lake Kerkini area.
The two pre-arranged dawn boat trips onto the lake were both excellent for photo opportunities and well worth doing, with different light conditions & species on offer. Water levels vary substantially over the year, being pretty shallow in July, so at times the flat bottomed boats were navigating in just a couple of feet to give close range views.
On such a short trip there was always an element of hit and miss as to what was seen, but overall more than happy - highlights in addition to the pelicans included frequent sightings of top quality raptors, as well as waders in full breeding plumage.
© East Ayton Photography