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Writer's pictureMartin Roper

Lake Kerkini and Central Macedonia

Having visited several Greek islands birding we thought it was time to take a look at the mainland and where better than Lake Kerkini situated in Central Macedonia and nestling in the foothills of the Belles mountains in Northern Greece. The scenery here is breathtaking and the wildlife just as spectacular, our journey begins with a flight from Manchester to Thessaloniki and after picking up a hire car at the airport we drove the one hour's journey to Lake Kerkini and Lithotopos on the southern tip of the national park. Dalmatian pelican.

The lake and surrounding area is undoubtedly one of the best places in Europe for birding and has over 300 rare and protected species that live and breed here. The best time to visit is early Spring which coincides with the famous Dalmatian pelicans in their splendid breeding plumage and of course annual bird migration. Our visit was in mid November when most of the villages are semi hibernating, with this in mind we stayed at the Erodios a hotel with plenty of amenities and great views of the Lake. View from hotel Erodios.

The village of Lithotopos has a dam and small Port which operates boat trips on the Lake and while the pace of life can be slow here it's not quite stationary, there's a hand full of decent restaurants, a smattering of cafe's and a well stocked convenience store, more than enough for our stay. Arriving late afternoon we met up with local guide Nikos Gallios and planned out the next few days of our trip. Nick was kind enough to loan us his copy of Birdwatching in Northern Greece by Steve Mills which proved to be invaluable field guide during our visit and can be purchased here: birdwing-books Lithotopos.

Eastern embankment Eastern Embankment

Driving east and passing through the village of Irakleia we headed through Megalochori towards the triangle and Eastern embankment, along the way we saw 50+ Hooded crow, 4 Common buzzard, 2 Kestrel, 1 Honey buzzard and 1 Great spotted woodpecker seen flying between utility posts. At Megalochori triangle we noted 9 Pygmy cormorant, 3 Mute swan, 14 Little grebe, 1 Little crake, 12 Coot, 1 Water rail, 2 Ferruginous duck, 1 Moustached warbler 4 Black redstart, 2 Cirl bunting, 9 Chiffchaff, 1 Golden eagle, 1 Greater spotted eagle, 32 Hawfinch, 1 Water pipit, 1 Eurasian bittern, 8 Spotted flycatcher and 5 Coypu. Spotted crake.

Continuing along the embankment we stopped at a small tributary surrounded by a muddy scrape where we noted 11 Common snipe, 14 Moorhen, 16 Teal, 3 Spoonbill, 1 Green sandpiper and 20 Spotted redshank in full winter plumage. In the trees we spotted 1 Eleonora's falcon, 1 Green woodpecker, 1 Sparrowhawk and 2 Kestrel, overhead were 2 Lesser spotted eagle, 5 Common buzzard and 1 Marsh harrier. Spotted redshank.

Further down the track we reached the Sunken Forest which is a vast dry lake bed used in winter for pasture by Water buffalo, in springtime the area is under four metres of water as snow melts on the mountain range.

Continuing along the track we stopped at the pumping station next to a small chapel and sluice gate which is a magnet for Heron and Egret, the view here was beautiful so we paused for a few photos. Lake Kerkini.

Returning back along the Eastern embankment and turning off near the village of Limnochori we began to head back to base when we observed a family of Golden jackals and were treated to 10 minutes of howling.

Back at Lithotopos we stopped on the bridge over the Strymónas river where we spotted 78 Grey heron and 5 Great white egret along with huge numbers of Cormorant and Black-headed gull. From the Dam wall we noted Pygmy cormorants perched up and had our first glimpse of Dalmatian pelicans. Golden jackal.

Western Embankment Western Embankment

We woke early to an amazing red sky which gave way to lingering fog over the Lake scuppering our plans for a boat trip, credit to Nick for waiting an hour for the fog to lift, but even then it was apparent the trip wasn't going to happen, changing plans last minute we headed for Mandraki port. The road west hugs the contours of the lake at the edge of the dense Balkan forest which cascades down to meet the Lake. Spoonbills.

The combination of wetland meeting woodland provides a rich and diverse habitat for a staggering amount of birds and wildlife. Common buzzard, Hooded crow, Kestrel and Jay were in abundance, Chaffinch, Black redstart, Spotted flycatcher, Robin, and Wren seemed to occupy every shrub along the road. A juvenile Red-backed shrike sat in a bush while on the water 27 Spoonbills occupied a small island along with 4 Dalmatian pelicans, others congregated at the fishing boats, the fishermen regularly feeding them their discard. Pelicans.

Our next encounter was a flock of 50 Greater flamingo around 100 metres away from the edge of the water. Pink legs and plumage was clearly visible while red wing coverts became more apparent as a few of the birds took to flight. The fog lifted revealing thousands of Black-headed gulls along with Lesser Black-backed gull, Caspian gull, Mediterranean gull, Yellow-legged gull and around 70 Black-winged stilts. Flamingos.

We continued on to the village of Kerkini where we accessed the track for the Western embankment heading towards Levadia On the lake we noted 200 Common pochard, 4 Black necked grebe, 8 Little Grebe, 4 Great crested grebe, 100 Greater flamingo, 12 Pelican and a Kingfisher fishing from a rock. Over the fields a Marsh harrier was spotted quartering and Lesser spotted eagle sat in a tree, 80 Hawfinch were also noted in the trees and on the ground along with 40 Siskin, 18 Greenfinch and 32 Goldfinch. Hawfinch.

A Kestrel flew towards the track hovering above the embankment before passing overhead while drumming from an old tree turned out to be a female Lesser spotted woodpecker rooting around for larvae and insects. Leaving the embankment at Livadia we headed towards Mandraki crossing over the railway before arriving at the port. The jetty looked across the sunken forest which was completely dry for a considerable distance but using the scope we noted 1 Black Stork, 1 Lesser spotted eagle, 42 Lesser white-fronted geese and 28 Pintail, Spotted eagles circled above on thermals, one perched on a branch on the sunken forest. Lesser spotted eagle.

Lake Kerkini

Although foggy and overcast this morning we decided we would take the boat trip on the Lake, this was now our third attempt as previously Nick the captain had refused to take us due to inclement weather conditions. We headed down to the port in Lithotopos and from the jetty we spotted a Kingfisher perched on one of the boat rails, while beyond the harbour wall we could see Great White Egret, Grey Heron, Pygmy Cormorant, Dalmatian Pelican, Cormorant and Black-headed Gull. Pygmy cormorant and Great cormorant.

Leaving the harbour we slowly made our way through the still waters of the vast Lake, by now the fog began to clear revealing patches of blue sky through the thick morning clouds. Ahead we could see a huge flight of Cormorants, these had been joined by a colony of Black-headed gulls and a significant number of Dalmatian pelicans, this could only mean one thing, the birds had found a large shoal of fish and were in the middle of a feeding frenzy, we increased our speed and set a course to join them. Feeding frenzy.

As we neared the huge gathering we switched the engines off and drifted towards the birds, easily numbered in their thousands. Cormorants surfaced with their catch only to have it snatched away by a hovering gull or stolen by the opportunistic Pelicans busy scooping up any dropped bounty. More birds joined this growing noisy collective as the deafening cacophony reached fever pitch, incredibly we found ourselves in the middle of this frenzied feast while the birds remained oblivious to our presence. Other gulls involved with the melee included Caspian gull, Yellow-legged gull, Lesser Black-backed gull and Mediterranean gull and no sooner as it started, it was all over and the birds dispersed. Caspian gull.

Near the shore small pods of Pelicans had gathered looking for a free lunch from the fishermen while further along the shoreline we had sightings of Great white egret, Glossy ibis, Pintail, Grey heron, Greater flamingo, Pygmy Cormorant, Teal, Yellow-legged gull and Black-headed gull. Behind us large pods of Pelicans headed towards several small islands skimming above the calm waters as they passed the boat. Pelican in flight.

By now the light had improved and taking advantage of this we began capturing Pelicans in flight. The birds effortlessly glided inches above the surface of the lake using ground effect to reduce any drag. We reached the small islands and once again drifted towards the basking birds, rowing to improve the position the boat and minimise disturbance, taking more photos of the group before finally heading back to port. Pelicans.

Himaros quarry

Our plan today was to look for Eagle owl and after talking to a few birders the day before we had a good idea where to start. We consulted our book and found Himaros quarry was only a few miles up the road and after saying farewell to the female Black redstart that greeted this morning we had breakfast, loaded up the car and off we went. Taking the road towards Thessaloniki and turning onto a small track near to a bridge we headed towards Himaros and parked in a clearing adjacent to the face of the quarry. Continuing on foot we spotted Mistle thrush, Hawfinch, Black redstart, Jay, Long-tailed tit and a confiding Marsh tit. Black redstart.

Further up the track we had views of a Grey-headed woodpecker, slightly smaller than Green Woodpecker, the male has a red patch on his crown which is restricted to his forehead while the female has no red on her crown at all, this was a male. Reaching an area where coppicing was had taken place we decided to head back towards the quarry and at this point we found Eagle owl pellets. A little further down the trail we also noted a female Great spotted woodpecker. Grey headed woodpecker.

Deciding we would have more luck later in the day we returned to base and called back at dusk, sightings this time were Meadow pipit, Great spotted woodpecker, Hawfinch, Mistle thrush, Jay and 2 Eagle owl he clearly heard calling to each other, one close, but well hidden, and the second at some distance. Listening to the calls of the Owls until light disappeared completely before heading back to Lithotopos. Great spotted woodpecker.

Achladochori Quarry Achladachori quarry

After a tip off about a local sighting of Wallcreeper we set off to investigate and heading towards Sidirokastro

we took the old road which snakes under and over the main highway. Just passed the junction at Sidirokastro on a long stretch of dual carriageway we stopped abruptly to witness an amazing spectacle. 250,000 Starlings like a living blanket covering the carriageways, barriers, fencing and trees as far as the eye could see. We began inching our way slowly an patiently through the static murmuration completely surrounded by a sea of birds reminiscent of a scene from the famous Hitchcock movie, the was noise was deafening. Wallcreeper.

A once in a lifetime experience without a single photo taken and hardly believing what had just occurred we carried on before taking the road towards Achladochori where a track took us to the old abandoned quarry. Parking in a clearing next to derelict buildings we began the climb up the hill and on reaching the quarry we set up our gear next to an old concrete wall, sat down and began to wait. Wallcreeper.

Our first sighting was 3 Black redstart followed by 14 Alpine accentors, 2 Rock nuthatch and 1 Little owl on sandstone cliffs while over head we noted 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Common buzzard and 1 Kestrel. After waiting around 2 hours the Wallcreeper appeared and was just about close enough to get a few images as it traversed up and down the rock face before it finally disappeared. Little owl.

Deciding to return later we dropped back down the track and parked the car to continue on foot, overhead a Peregrine falcon was spotted above the dense woodland canopy, soon we reached a picturesque area with two beautiful cascading waterfalls. Nearby we noticed some small bird activity and heading to investigate we were rewarded with sightings of 3 Coal tit, 1 Black redstart, 1 Song thrush, 1 Robin and 5 Firecrest. Firecrest.

Returning back up the track our luck was about to change for the better and on entering the quarry we were greeted with the Wallcreeper who for a good half an hour traversed the nearby rock faces foraging for insects. For me this is the ultimate European bird, a lifer and well worth the journey up the hill if not the whole trip.

The following morning we headed back to Thessaloniki for our journey home.












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