In the first days of 2017 I visited again the Gallikos river estuaries in Thessaloniki. This time I was looking for a Pacific Golden Plover that had appeared there.
This species is a rare vagrant to Greece and since I was returning to Athens after seasons holidays, I changed my return schedule in order to see and take some pictures of it.
The mouth of the Gallikos river is located at the outskirts of the city of Thessaloniki. Just where the river flows into the sea, at some point the water is almost stagnant. As a result many items that are gathered throughout the course of the river are congregated there. Plastic bags, bottles and all kinds of miscellaneous items, create a not so pleasant sight. I was just passing from that point after visiting the Pacific Golden Plover spot. Suddenly I saw a Jack Snipe feeding there, completely ignoring my presence. A true midget with a body no bigger than that of a sparrow, was feeding frantically between plastic bottles and bags into the half frozen waters of the Gallikos river, struggling to survive. I took a few pictures of it before I leave for Athens.
As for the Pacific Golden Plover, I finally found it after a few hours search. It was impossible to get to the perfect light angle but I finally managed to get some decent pictures.
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