At the Florina Lakes

I few days ago I visited the Florina prefecture. I went there with my wife and we stayed at one of the highland villages located near the Lake Petron east of the city of Florina. There are actually four lakes in the region (Vegoritida, Himaditida, Petron and Zazari). They have swallow water and most of their banks are covered with reeds. A large number of migrating birds select these lakes to spend the winter. My photographic outings were limited to a few early morning walks around the hotel and a daily excursion to the nearby lakes, particularly lakes and Petron and Zazari. This was enough to realize how beautiful this place is. Even though the water of the lakes was starting to freeze there were many birds there.

Beside the enormous numbers of Coots you could see many Common Teals, Mallards, Red-crested Pochards, Northern Shovelers, Tufted Ducks and even some Ferruginous Ducks feeding at the lakes. I also saw many Great and Pygmy Cormorants and even some Dalmatian Pelicans. Many Little and Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons and some Great Bitterns were in the reeds surrounding the lakes.

At the same reeds it was relatively easy to see Water Rails, Reed Buntings, Blue and Penduline Tits, and even Many Bearded Reedlings. At the Lake Zazari I saw a Great Grey Shrike and a Middle Spotted Woodpecker at some point where the forest reached the lake.

At the area surrounding the lakes there were many birds of prey and we saw Common Buzzards, Marsh and Hen Harriers, Sparrowhawks, a Goshawk and a Spotted Eagle.

All these findings in a place with a landscape of unique beauty ideal for walks in nature. A very nice place for relaxation, far away from the noise and the fast pace of the city. I hope that we will be able to visit the place again in the near future.