Wetland Birds, Raptors and More in Northern Greece
- Harris Brooker
- 17 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Greece is one of the most iconic countries in Europe for wildlife and history. This year on a tour led by Sally Nowell, we’ll be going to Lake Kerkini in Northern Greece, which offers one of the richest wildlife experiences in Europe.
Lake Kerkini is actually an artificial reservoir, created in 1932 but then redeveloped in 1980 on what was previously extensive marshland. It is today however, a RAMSAR site, designated for being a wetland of high importance to European biodiversity. Lake Kerkini is an anomaly in that in most places, human intervention hasn’t always led to good outcomes. Here however, such intervention has truly made it a haven for wildlife. Thousands of birds come to breed, winter and in particular, migrate. The lake sits on a migratory flyway for birds on their way to the Aegean Sea, the Balkans, the Black Sea, the Hungarian steppes and beyond. At the time we’re going in September, the migration will be in full swing with thousands of ducks, shorebirds, raptors and passerines present around the lake. One of the star attractions here are the Dalmatian Pelicans, a rare bird that breeds on the lake in late spring and early summer, but around 1000 of them winter here, alongside smaller numbers of Great White Pelicans.
There is a boat trip out into the lake to see the heronries and a large colony of cormorants and a diversity of herons including Grey, Purple, Squacco and Black Crowned Night Herons, with Great White and Little Egrets, Black Storks and Eurasian Spoonbills possible.
There is an opportunity to look for several species of Woodpecker, plus several species associated with forests and open country like Spotted Nutcracker and Red Backed Shrike. There is even an opportunity to visit the Axiom Delta in the Aegean Sea to see migrating waders, gulls and terns. These include Temminck’s Stints, Stone Curlews, Wood Sandpipers, Slender Billed Gulls, Gull Billed Terns, Little Terns and as a bonus Greater Flamingoes often still linger here through the autumn. All in all, there is plenty to see here and it’s easy to see why Lake Kerkini is such a favourited place for naturalists the world over.
If you would like more information after reading our itinerary below, please get in touch or head over to our main website pages.
Dates: 22 - 29 September 2025
Our Itinerary
Day 1
After landing at Thessaloniki Airport we meet our other guide and transfer to Lake Kerkini, located some 60 miles north.
Our base throughout the week is the comfortable Limneo Guesthouse located on the east side of the lake. Within a few hundred metres we find ourselves on the eastern shore of Lake Kerkini. The guesthouse offers delicious local food and wine.
Days 2 - 7
We shall make day trips from our base each day, either to the lake or to the nearby mountains and the Axios river delta on the coast.
Lake Kerkini is renowned as one of the finest wetland sites in Europe. It attracts tens of thousands of wetland birds throughout the year. In late September, along with a great variety of resident species around the lake, migration is in full swing with many ducks, shorebirds, raptors and passerines present around the lake. Up to a 1,000 Dalmatian Pelicans winter here and White Pelicans should still be around in good numbers. Lesser White-fronted Geese usually arrive on the lake at the end of September, to spend the autumn and winter months here.
There is much to see and do in this picturesque corner of Greece and we shall divide our time between the various habitats and what’s about locally at the time.
The lakeshore is a good spot for herons and egrets, Water Rail and Little Crake. Cetti ́s Warblers are common and Reed Warblers can still be seen. More open areas are good places to look for Red-backed Shrike and Cirl and Corn Buntings.
We shall enjoy a boat trip along the northern shore of the lake, where the major heronries and a large colony of cormorants are located. The place is teeming with birds: Purple, Grey, Squacco and Black-crowned Night Herons, Eurasian Spoonbill, Black Stork and Great and Little Egrets feed in the shallow water.
Hundreds of Great Crested Grebes frequent the fish-rich waters of the lake. Migrating terns pause to feed in good numbers and we are likely to see Whiskered and White-winged Black Tern and Caspian and Common Tern could be among them.
The riverine forest is a haven for woodpeckers! Old poplars, willows and ash trees provide great habitat for seven woodpecker species. We shall be looking especially for Grey-headed and Middle Spotted Woodpecker, but Black and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers are found here too.
After our ‘woodpecker walk’ we shall make our way to a reedbed area and grazed grassland, where migrating Red-footed Falcons like to stop on their way south. The reeds can hold Little Bittern and Penduline Tit.
On another day we shall explore the Kroutsia Mountains. Hawfinch is common here and others to watch for include Woodchat Shrike and Eastern Black-eared Wheatear. These mountains hold good numbers of raptors. Black Kite and White-tailed, Lesser Spotted and Booted Eagles all occur here.
In the foothills of the Belles Mountains Long-tailed Tits and the scarce Sombre Tit forage in the bushes. Hoopoes can be around and migrating warblers and flycatchers favour more secluded spots.
We shall explore the grazed slopes and disused quarry area northeast of the lake. This bird-rich habitat of scattered bushes and small trees can hold Eastern Subalpine and Sardinian Warblers.
Driving higher into the Belles Mountains we reach an area that has Black Woodpecker, Spotted Nutcracker and Crested Tit in the pinewoods, with Rock Bunting on the more open alpine slopes. The shy and ever-elusive Rock Partridge is also possible here, if we are lucky! We’ll also look for Western Rock Nuthatch that breeds on the limestone cliffs. The rock is also used by raptors from the lowlands seeking thermals upon which to soar into the hills. Short-toed Snake Eagle and Long-legged Buzzard are regular visitors.
One day we shall make an early start for a day trip to the coast, approximately a 90 minute journey from Kerkini. On the shores of the Aegean Sea, the Axios River Delta is home to a range of coastal wetland species.
We may find a good range of migrating waders, gulls and terns here, including Stone-curlew, Wood Sandpiper, Temminck’s Stint, Spotted Redshank, Mediterranean and Slender-billed Gulls and Gull-billed and Little Terns. Greater Flamingos often linger throughout the autumn here.
Day 8
After breakfast we travel back to Thessaloniki for our flight back to the UK.
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