In line with the brochure you’re prone to be given should you go to the Axios-Loudias-Aliakmonas Nationwide Park, “the 4 river-mouths and in depth lagoons kind one of many largest and most complicated wetland programs in Greece, with salt marshes and water meadows, coastal islets, riparian forests and rice fields offering appropriate chook habitats”. It sound terrific, however be warned, it’s not the simplest place I’ve been to searching for birds, as among the websites are tough to seek out, and you’ll have to do many miles of driving on gravel roads to get to any of them.
Mute Swans and Higher Flamingoes on the Kalohori Lagoon
The nationwide park covers covers an space of 33,800ha, whereas its official designations embrace being a Ramsar web site, an Essential Chook Space (IBA) and a part of the Natura 2000 community. It’s simple to get to because it’s only some miles west of Thessaloniki, the second largest metropolis in Greece. Steve Mills describes it properly in his e book Birdwatching in Northern Greece (a necessary should you plan to go to the realm): “Beforehand an enormous delta provided by 4 rivers – the Axios, Aliakkmon, Gallikos and Loudias – it’s now largely agricultural and is punctuated by these rivers operating via embankments to the ocean. The wetland complicated as soon as fashioned some of the essential Greek websites for birds, however most has been misplaced, each to agriculture and because of the rivers being canalised and not flooding the realm. Good habitat is now squeezed to the river margins and the coast.”
Although I’d visited it earlier than, my lack of success to find good websites had largely put me off visiting once more, however earlier this month I spent a while searching for birds on this attention-grabbing, if difficult, panorama. My companions and I began our quest on the Kalohori lagoons, a wonderful web site for waders, although to get to the lagoons you need to drive via the deeply unattractive industrial complicated of Kalohori.
Black-winged Stilts are widespread breeding birds within the delta
Surprisingly, this was the one Widespread Redshank that we discovered
Late on a Sunday afternoon the realm was busy with day trippers, not birdwatchers, although we did meet 5 younger Greek birders who have been red-hot chook finders. They kindly pointed us in the precise course to see a Terek Sandpiper, a uncommon and irregular passage migrant right here, and the primary one I’d ever seen in Greece. For a while the chook was quick asleep, so there have been few actual clues to its identification, however it will definitely awoke and co-operatively flew to an island not too removed from us. A lifer for my three associates, it gave us nice views. With its relatively quick yellow legs and upturned beak, there’s no different wader you’ll be able to confuse a Terek with. The place was it heading? The almost certainly vacation spot was Russia, however these birds additionally breed in Ukraine and Belarus. There are additionally a number of pairs in Finland, the place I’ve seen them.
Terek Sandpiper, in firm with Black-winged Stilts and a Widespread Tern
Frustratingly, although there have been loads of waders to be seen on the lagoons, the sunshine was dangerous, as a lot of the birds have been fairly distant and into the sunshine. We did handle to see a very good assortment, even so, with Ringed and Kentish Plovers, quite a few Little Stints and Curlew Sandpipers, a single Wooden Sandpiper and some Ruffs.
A couple of pairs of Spur-winged Lapwings nest within the delta
Although many species of geese winter within the delta, few stay to breed. One which does is the Shelduck
Over the subsequent 36 hours we managed to seek out no fewer than 18 species of waders, most of them acquainted birds from dwelling, corresponding to Oystercatcher, Avocet, Redshank and Black-tailed Godwit. A couple of pairs of Spur-winged Plovers (or Lapwings) nest right here, and these we ultimately discovered fairly simply, although we drove many miles to take action. We have been additionally delighted to see scores of Collared Pratincoles, probably the most sleek of waders, and one which behaves far more like a tern than a wading chook.
A Collared Pratincole overhead
We noticed many Black Terns
Sandwich Terns (above and under) are widespread within the delta
There have been terns in selection, too, and we notched up no fewer than eight species. The most typical have been Sandwich and Widespread Terns, which nest right here, however we additionally had nice views of migrant Black Terns (which proved troublesome to {photograph} due to the sunshine), and a few White-winged Terns. The latter are probably the most eye-catching of the three species of marsh terns, however they’re the rarest on passage right here. Gull-billed Terns are related in dimension and look to Sandwich Terns, however they’ve distinctive voices and are often seen hawking over arable fields. We noticed them a number of instances.
Slender-billed gulls (above and under)
Mediterranean Gull, and (under) a big colony of those gulls
There was an attention-grabbing number of gulls. We noticed simply half a dozen Little Gulls, dainty, engaging birds that actually stay as much as their Latin title of Larus minutus, for they’re minute in comparison with the delta’s resident Yellow-legged Gulls. Our favorite gull was the elegant Slender-billed, of which we noticed many. In breeding plumage these engaging gulls have a definite pink blush to their white breasts. We additionally noticed quite a few Mediterranean Gulls, coming throughout an enormous colony on an offshore island that most likely numbered round 3,000 pairs.
Aside from the ever-present Marsh Harriers we noticed comparatively few birds of prey. White-tailed Eagles nest within the delta, however we did not see any. We did watch each Pink-footed Falcons and Hobbies hawking for dragonflies over an in depth lagoon at Nea Agathoupoli, the place there may be a formidable brick-built tower cover. I had visited this cover earlier than within the winter, when it was firmly locked, however this time it was open and properly value visiting.
The southernmost a part of the park is the Alyki Kitrous Lagoon, a part of which is a salt works. Although you’ll be able to’t drive right here, there are footpaths you’ll be able to discover across the lagoon. Our greatest discover right here was a pair of Nice Noticed Cuckoos, noisy birds that have been troublesome to over look. We additionally discovered Stone Curlews, in addition to good flocks of Curlew Sandpipers, with most of the latter of their great brick-red breeding plumage.
Nice Noticed Cuckoo
Maybe the chook of the delta is one I’ve but to say: the Higher Flamingo. They’re extensively distributed on appropriate lakes and lagoons across the Thermaikos Gulf, and we noticed many tons of of them. Curiously, Flamingoes have been as soon as uncommon birds in Greece, and till 1982 there have been fewer than 30 information. Now you can see them within the delta space all year long. With so many current it’s inevitable that they may ultimately attempt to breed, in the event that they haven’t performed so already.
Higher Flamingoes
Birding the delta was laborious work, whereas it’s not a spot the place you’ll meet many different individuals searching for birds, even if the Nationwide Park authority encourages birdwatchers. Nonetheless, it’s an space that’s value visiting, regardless of the challenges of doing so, and it makes an attention-grabbing further vacation spot so as to add to a go to to Kerkini.
Spoonbills feed within the delta
