Birds at Lake Kerkini in Greece

Warm temperatures. Dawn choruses of birdsong. And nature finally awakening in vibrant colors after a long winter. Spring is often considered one of the best times of the year for birdwatching.

But there are places that possess a unique charm even in winter—like Lake Kerkini in Greece.

The reason? The pelicans.

Located in the north of the country, not far from the Bulgarian border, the lake is nestled within a vast, tranquil landscape. The nearest major city is Thessaloniki—and that’s exactly where my journey began.

From there, I made my way to Lake Kerkini, a place that is anything but grey, even in February.

Since I’ve already dedicated a detailed article to the pelicans, I’ll keep this section brief.

What I can say, though, is that I had some wonderful opportunities to photograph the Dalmatian pelicans from a boat—and to get remarkably close to them. In an earlier blog post, I explained in detail where the boat tours on Lake Kerkini depart, how I booked mine, and which operators are available.

For now, I’d simply like to share a few photographic impressions before turning my attention to the other birds that call Lake Kerkini home. After all, there’s far more to discover here than just pelicans.

Early on the morning of my first day at Lake Kerkini, I set out in search of pelicans. I was staying in Livadia, a small village not far from the lake. From there, my first stop was the pelican observation tower near Mandraki.

The morning was misty and grey. The sun failed to break through the thick cloud cover with its first rays, and even as the day went on, it remained hidden behind the blanket of clouds. Still, I wasn’t discouraged and continued scanning the lake for the birds I had come to see.

At the observation tower, however, there wasn’t a single pelican to be seen—not even in the distance. Instead, I was greeted by the first pygmy cormorants, a small but welcome consolation on that quiet morning.

Unfortunately, Lake Kerkini didn’t reveal only its most beautiful side on my very first day. Plastic litter was caught among the reeds and drifting across the water—a discarded bottle floated just a short distance from a mallard. It was a sobering sight in an otherwise peaceful landscape.

In the distance, however, I was rewarded with a more uplifting moment. Two greylag geese came in to land almost in perfect unison, touching down gracefully on the water. Watching their elegance and synchronized movements was truly captivating. Yet they, too, seemed to notice my presence. No sooner had they landed than they became alert and watchful.

Eventually, I decided to continue on toward Kerkini itself. Perhaps I would still come across pelicans there. I was somewhat surprised that not a single one had been visible at the pelican observation tower. Later, however, I learned that after winter—when the breeding season gradually begins—the pelicans tend to retreat to the more northern areas of the lake. It may well be that they only return regularly to the observation tower in spring. In early February, when I was there, they remained out of sight.

On my way back to the car, I encountered a grey heron, and I kept seeing Eurasian magpies again and again. They seemed to be everywhere. Around Lake Kerkini, many of them gather in the villages, enlivening the otherwise quiet surroundings with their calls.

In Kerkini, I made my way to the small harbor. This is supposedly where many boat tours set off to see the pelicans. That morning, however, everything felt quiet and deserted. Only a few construction workers were busy at work; otherwise, there was no one in sight.

And then, at last: my first pelican. A Dalmatian pelican. For a brief moment, it swam clearly in front of me—only to disappear just as quickly once it noticed my presence.

Not far away, a common pochard was sitting on the water, watching me attentively, as if silently taking in the scene.

Not far from the shore, a pygmy cormorant was perched on a solitary post. I was convinced I was keeping a respectful distance, moving only behind the low stone wall. But apparently, even that slight movement was enough. The cormorant noticed me almost immediately and flew away.

I felt genuinely sorry at that moment. Disturbing its peace was the last thing I had wanted to do.

Another pygmy cormorant was resting much farther out on the water. It remained calmly in place, seemingly unfazed by my presence, as though it had simply decided there was no reason to be concerned.

At some point, I decided to walk along the bushes to get a closer look at another group of birds at Lake Kerkini. Besides numerous cormorants and Eurasian coots, there were also pelicans—Dalmatian Pelicans and even great white pelicans.

Incidentally, this was the first and only time I spotted great white pelicans at Lake Kerkini. Where they had been hiding for the rest of the week remained a mystery to me. That made me all the happier to have the chance to observe them, even if only for a brief moment.

A grey heron allowed me to observe it from very close range. I also spotted another photographer. On my first day, I had only seen very few people and had started to think I might be the only holidaymaker at Lake Kerkini in February. Fortunately, I later did meet others who were also searching for the pelicans—it is always nice to meet like-minded people.

From this spot in Lithotopos, however, the photographer did not have an ideal position for photographing the pelicans. The great egret (left photo) was much easier to observe, as was a cormorant (right photo).

At Lake Kerkini, I also saw numerous other birds—and I’m sure many more escaped my attention. Among the species I was able to identify were common chaffinches, great tits, northern shovelers, hooded crows, long-tailed tits, green woodpeckers, blue tits, great spotted woodpeckers, and house sparrows. I also heard a corn bunting and, I believe, a Eurasian blackcap—though I wasn’t entirely sure about the latter.

Some birds at Lake Kerkini I was able to identify on my own, others I confirmed with help, and a few remained unidentified—such as this gull. Maybe it is a yellow-legged gull.

All in all, Lake Kerkini is an exceptionally rewarding destination for birdwatching, even in winter.

I organized my trip to Lake Kerkini entirely on my own and did not book through a tour operator. I arrived at Thessaloniki Airport and rented a car there to drive to Lake Kerkini. The drive takes about two hours.

Originally, I had considered traveling by train. There is supposedly a train connection, but during my one-week stay at the lake, I didn’t see a single train running. Once there, a car is essential, as there are no rental options locally. I therefore recommend renting a car already in Thessaloniki or another larger city.

A bicycle was also not available in Livadia, where I stayed.

There are a noticeable number of dogs in the village. Most of them live in gardens and are fenced in, so they bark when someone passes by but cannot leave the property. In addition, there are also a few dogs in the area that roam freely and do not seem to belong to anyone in particular.

While I was walking toward Lake Kerkini on foot to go hiking, I passed a farm. Suddenly, two larger dogs and a smaller one started following me. Fortunately, a farmer noticed the situation and called his dogs back—but they did not respond. In the end, he had to come over himself and fetch them. Reluctantly, they followed him. I likely would not have been able to get out of that situation on my own.

This was a less pleasant experience during my stay at Lake Kerkini. Overall, however, most of the free-roaming dogs behaved calmly: they did not bark and did not follow me.