I selected the little jetty at Mandraki village for the Monday morning excursion. It was very close to the hotel and I was there well before the sunrise. This time the clouds were quite thick and the sun stayed hidden behind them. After some time many Northern Shovelers, Teals and Mallard ducks were gathered around the jetty in order to feed in the almost icy water of the lake. It was quite fun to watch the Northern Shovelers feeding just a few meters away and although the light was not great I managed to get some decent images.
A female Hen Harrier and two Common Kestrels made a quick pass but unfortunately the White-tailed Eagle that I saw the previous day didn’t show up. On the way back to the hotel a silhouette on a tall tree next to the train station of the village caught my attention. It was a male Goshawk. I took some pictures from the car window quickly and after that, I grabbed my tripod in order to try and get a little closer. Unfortunately, in the mean time a group of Carrion Crows forced the Goshawk to fly away. I lost a good chance for some better pictures but I have no complains since this was my first encounter with this species.
It was just before noon and our scheduled departure from the lake, when I made a last hasty visit to the small jetty of the Mandraki village with my wife. We went just for a walk but I soon realized that it was a very good spot for making images of Teals and Northern Shovelers in flight. We left at noon because I wanted to visit the Gallikos River delta at Thessaloniki before our final departure for Athens, but even before we leave the lake I have already started thinking about my next visit there…
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