By petros, on April 12th, 2012
Although winter was quite dry this year in Athens and the water level is quite low at Schinias wetland, we did have some pleasant surprises during the migration period. The biggest one so far was the presence of a Spotted Crake and a Citrine Wagtail at the same time and at the same spot!
The news spread very quickly and soon many birdwatchers and photographers rushed to see and photograph the rare visitors, who became famous. These birds must have been the most photographed birds of the month! Despite much work in the office, I was able to make 2-3 very short visits and take some photos. Unfortunately the only time that I saw the Spotted Crake, the light was quite harsh, so the photos are not as good as I wanted but I am not going to complain about that 
By petros, on March 18th, 2012
Two weeks ago I visited the area around the lake Polyfytou at Kozani. The reason had nothing to do with wildlife photography, but when I saw two Syrian Woodpeckers just outside of our room inside the Hotel’s yard, I decided to go for a 2-hour unscheduled photographic excursion.
The woodpeckers were not there when I left the Hotel room, so I went for a walk in search of other photo opportunities. The lake was created by the Aliakmon River dam which supplies water to the largest hydroelectric plant in the country. The area around the lake is full of fields with fruit trees and crops of any kind that they were just been seeded. These fields were full of Calandra Larks and since the weather was quite good that day, the birds were performing display flights. Their song was heard everywhere and soon I managed to get some nice pictures before returning to the hotel. That was very nice because when we got up next morning it was snowing! It was a reminder that winter is not over yet.
By petros, on March 1st, 2012
My second visit to Lake Kerkini was at the end of January. I went there with two fellow nature photographers and although the weather was far from great, our visit was quite successful. If you have been at Kerkini many times, you know where you should look for certain species. However since the time is always limited and there are so many options, you must have a plan and specific targets. We decided to “ignore” the wildfowl species and concentrate our efforts to other species that can be found in the area.
The first day we came through a nice mixed flock of Mistle Thrushes, Fieldfares and Redwings among others.
The second day we failed on approaching the group of Cranes that spend their winter at Kerkini, but a Greater Spotted Eagle made a fly-by just above our heads while we were waiting for the Cranes.
The highlight of our visit however was Woodpeckers. We saw six Woodpecker species and we managed to get nice photos of Grey-headed, Great Spotted and Lesser Spotted woodpeckers.
The last day of our visit we even found a Eurasian Otter in a water channel beside the lake. There was not enough light and it was not as close as I wanted but this was my first encounter with that species also.
Other findings include all the usual wildfowl species, Great and Pygmy Cormorants, Yellowhammers and Corn Buntings, Flamingos, a Goshawk, all common Egret species, and many others.
I have so many nice pictures from this visit that I am still working on them even now, one month after returning from Kerkini. I hope that I will be able to make another visit there in spring so stay tuned.
By petros, on February 12th, 2012
Last month I visited Lake Kerkini twice. Unfortunately the weather was not on our side. Heavy clouds covered the sun almost all days and in some cases it was raining all day long. Nevertheless Kerkini always finds a way to reward you for each visit there.
Most Nature Photographers visit Lake Kerkini because of the rare Dalmatian Pelicans. Late January they have already changed to their impressive breeding plumage and they can be easily spotted at many locations around the lake. However if you have been at Kerkini many times and you have a good knowledge of the area, you tend to ignore them and focus to the many other very interesting bird species found there at all seasons. More than 300 bird species have been spotted in the area with dozens of rare or endangered species among them. In addition there are many mammal and amphibian species to be found with some more effort and (of course) luck.
My first winter visit this year was at the first days of January. Even though I spotted many interesting species I didn’t get many good quality pictures. The weather was bad and in one case it was raining all day long.
I even managed to see a nice group of Lesser White-fronted Geese in a mixed flock with White-fronted Geese although from a distance. There are only about 100 Lesser White-fronted Geese in existence and most of them are wintering to Lake Kerkini and Evros River Delta.
Other interesting observations (Pelicans excluded) include 26 Common Cranes, Imperial, Golden, White Tailed and (at least 5) Spotted Eagles, Pygmy Cormorants, Smews, Goosanders, and most other wildfowl species that can be spotted in Europe this time of year plus a Great Black-backed Gull. This gull species has only a few times been spotted in Greece. Although the above photo is certainly not the best photo of this gull species, I am glad that I have something to remind me of this brief encounter.
By petros, on February 7th, 2012
It was about 10 days before when I visited the Loutros area at Spata for the first time this year. I had hopes that the seasonal lake that was created last year in this area (after several dry years) would be there again. Well, my hopes did not materialize. There was some water in the small torrent that crosses the area but nothing more. I found two White Wagtails feeding into the torrent and I spent some time there taking photos as the birds didn’t seem to care much for my presence. Unfortunately a Grey Wagtail that was at the same spot left before I had the chance to get close.
Other observations include all the usual species for this time of year. Goldfinches, chaffinches, robins, serins and all other common winter species, the most interesting being two linnets which are not easily seen at this spot. I hope that my next visit will be more interesting (especially is there is enough rain in the coming months).
By petros, on January 25th, 2012
During my last visit to Kalamas River Delta one of the most notable findings was a female Merlin. It was perched high on a tree and there was no way to get close to it. I took some pictures but I was not very happy since the big distance prevented me from getting the images I wanted. Since the bird remained on the same branch for quite a long time I decided to use the 2x extender in order to get some better images. In the old days of the 1D MkIIN I was using the 2x extender quite often. However in the last two years of using the 7D as my main camera I am not using it since autofocus is lost with the 500 f/4 and the 2x attached.
Since there was enough light I decided to take some pictures first with the use of Liveview for autofocus and then using manual focus. I closed the aperture from f/8 to f/10 and took a series of photos with both methods. Auto focusing with Liveview and a lens with a maximum aperture of f/8 is slow but effective. The results were surprisingly good with both methods and now I have my first decent photos of a female Merlin. The photo shown here is about 65-70% of the full frame and it can be easily printed in an A2 size photo paper.
The next time that you will find yourself in a situation that you do not have enough focal length available, keep in mind that you do have some more options in order to get the picture!
By petros, on January 23rd, 2012
I visited Kalamas River Delta during Christmas holidays. Although I am a regular visitor there, it has been two years since my last winter visit. Kalamas is not the best place in Greece to spot really rare bird species (although this is possible), but it is one of the best places for nature photography. For example the Kingfisher picture below was selected as photo of the month in the recently founded Greek monthly wildlife photography contest here.
The most significant findings this time were a female Merlin and five Spotted Eagles. There were also many Cattle Egrets that although in the rest of the country are rare; at Kalamas River Delta one can see them all year round. All other Egret species found in Greece during winter were also there in great numbers (Grey Heron, Little and Great Egrets). Great and Pigmy cormorants were also present. I also spotted all the usual wildfowl species in great numbers. Mallards, Gadwalls, Pintails, Northern Shovelers, Eurasian Wigeons, Common Teals and Pochards were all over the place, since hunting is banned in the area for some years now. You can also find Ferruginous and Tufted Ducks but there are only a few of them present and it is difficult to spot them.
Passerines were everywhere from the more common Corn Buntings to the somewhat rarer Penduline Tits that you can always find in the same place. Other observations include Spoonbills, Flamingos, Dalmatian Pelicans plus almost all common waders although in small numbers, the most notable sighting being a group of 14 Golden Plovers that I saw from a great distance.
In summary I find that Kalamas River Delta even though it’s not as famous as Lake Kerkini or Evros River Delta, definitely deserves a visit during winter.
By petros, on January 18th, 2012
A few days after we returned from the photographic excursion to Mesolonghi, I returned to the area for a very short visit. The reason was that as soon as I returned from my previous visit there, I learned that we had just missed a spot where at least one Osprey is wintering every year. At first I felt a bit disappointed, but then I remembered that in a few days I would pass near the area again going to my wife’s hometown for Christmas. So we made a slight detour in our trip hoping that I will be luckier this time.
Indeed just before we reach the spot, I saw from a distance an Osprey diving and then leaving with a big fish in his claws! When I arrived I thought I had lost the opportunity for some good photos, but almost immediately a second Osprey appeared and made a few circles over the area. So I managed to get a few pictures of it, although it was not very close.
When I saw the pictures at home later, I found that the Osprey was ringed at the legs. Moreover in some photos I could read the ring data. In these cases if you are in Greece you should send a report to the “Greek Bird Ringing Center” (email takr@aegean.gr) providing ring data, bird species name, date, time and the place that you saw the bird. That way not only you contribute to the research on the bird habits and migration routes but you can find out where did the “famous” visitor came from.
By petros, on January 15th, 2012
It has been quite some time since my last post here. The reason was not only I have been working quite hard lately but also that I did manage to go out and get some nature photos during Christmas, so stay tuned!
A month has already passed since my visit to Mesolonghi. Mesolonghi with the salt works, the lagoon and the Acheloos river delta nearby, is one of the largest wetlands in Western Greece. A large number of birds mostly waders are gathered there to spend the winter.
Unfortunately during our visit and although the weather was not bad, the water level was very low to the lagoon and to the salt works. This was the main reason that we didn’t have many decent photo opportunities. I have been there many times and this was the first time that I left the place with so few photos.
The most notable observations were one Bittern, five young Black Kites and some White Storks and all were quite far. We saw very few wader species. Even the Caspian Terns which are always there during winter were too far for decent photos. We had to settle with the Sandwich Terns which were more cooperative.
Towards the end of the day we found a backlit Cormorant which left us to photograph his silhouette with the calm water as a background.
By petros, on December 18th, 2011
Although winter is here, the weather is quite good in the area of Athens. It’s is not very cold and we haven’t seen any decent rain for quite some time now.
I have been very busy lately in the office but nevertheless I have managed to make some outings in the area around Athens. I haven’t found anything special other than the expected winter passerine species in great numbers. Especially the Robins are everywhere. Perhaps they appreciate Athens’s mild climate.
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