10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 15, 2015

“The estuary and the delta of the River Kalamas form the most important wetland of northwest Greece”, so the “ Birding in Greece ” guidebook claims for the area where I am heading, a bit late since I overslept this morning. A few moored boats with piles of fishing nets, but no people. The canals aren’t bad for birds, either.

Greece 235

Greece Dogs Pelicans Fish 235

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 29, 2023

I also travelled to Kerkini in Northern Greece in June and Kefalonia in south-east Greece in October, so my overall year list was a more satisfactory 272 species. Big flocks of Long-tailed Ducks were a delight, but our target bird, Steller’s Eider, let us down – we found just a single female, not the flocks we were expecting.

Estonia 231

Estonia Portugal Greece Barn Owls 231

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2016

I dipped it once before and only this autumn found them in Greece. This species’ population is suspected to have decreased rapidly, owing to levels of hunting on the staging and wintering grounds, and habitat deterioration (largely as a result of land cultivation). Lesser White-fronted Goose by Ingar Oien.

Serbia 202

Serbia Greece Montenegro Bulgaria 202