This page shows the blog pages. For most trips, there is one blog per day. Clicking on the photo for a day will take you to a slider: a photo carousel that shows the photos large. Clicking on the title will take you to another page with more information about the photos.
The link Top will take you back to the top of this list.
| Title | Day 1: Flight and introduction |
|---|---|
| We leave early in the morning for Thessalonika, where we land in nice weather. Thessalonika is located on the Thermaic Gulf, on the northwest side of the Aegean Sea. We start our journey at the Kalochori Lagoon, a beautiful nature reserve for water birds. We see our first pygmy cormorants. From the bay we go to Lake Kerkini, where we will spend the next few days. | |
| Date: | 2026-05-04 |
| Title | Day 2: Lake Kerkini |
|---|---|
| We explore the wooded shores of Lake Kerkini, where we meet species that are new to me. One of those species is the Eleonora's falcon, a species that was once searched for in vain in Mallorca. The Rock Nuthatch was also a new species: it is a small bird that lives on/in a rock wall. We were lucky that another bird watcher had already found one. Many of the photos were taken from a great distance, for example the Eleonora's falcon at 88 meters. That doesn't help with the sharpness. | |
| Date: | 2026-05-05 |
| Title | Day 3: A trip across Lake Kerkini |
|---|---|
| For me, boat trips are ideal: I don't have to walk, and the birds are often easier to see than on shore. The main attractions are the colonies of Pink Pelicans and Dalmatian Pelicans. When the valley was still a large swamp, the pelicans could survive here, but now they have to be helped with breeding islands in the lake. They are also fed additionally. For me the most beautiful photo was that of the Red-necked Grebe, a beautiful little grebe in breeding. | |
| Date: | 2026-05-06 |
| Title | Day 4: To the west, close to the Turkish border |
|---|---|
| We start at Lake Kerkini, where the guide finds a masked shrike. Quite far from the path, but thanks to the telephoto lens it is recognizable. I don't see this bird any closer, although we see it often. Our next destination was the Alexandroupoli area. Our hotel was close to a hill where birds of prey and black storks like to hang in the wind. This way I was able to take pictures of the Short-toed Eagle and Spotted Eagle. | |
| Date: | 2026-05-07 |
| Title | The Evrosdelta and Potamos river |
|---|---|
| The group is now going to the Evros Delta, but the papers were not yet available for me, so I walked around the area around the hotel. This time I was busy with well-known birds. In the afternoon we went together to the valley of the Potamos River. For me, the abandoned station from the steam era was the nicest. | |
| Date: | 2026-05-08 |
| Title | Day 6: Dadia National Park |
|---|---|
| We start the day with a vulture feeding ground, where we can see Black Vultures. That turns out to be true, but there is no feeding today. In fact, feeding is only done once a week anymore. The vultures don't understand it yet either. The vultures are doing well, so well that they can provide their own food. The feeding ground is in the Dadia forest, but unfortunately a very large area was burned in the park in 2023. We see few or no forest birds. | |
| Date: | 2026-05-09 |
| Title | Day 7: The Nestos Delta and lakes |
|---|---|
| We start with a trip from our hotel around the hills a few kilometers away, then we go to the east side of the Nestos Delta where there are many lakes. One of those lakes is a resting place for hundreds of flamingos. The most special part of the day was seeing shearwaters from the coast. Usually they are just dots in a scope;now I could even take recognizable photos. | |
| Date: | 2026-05-10 |
| Title | Day 8: The Nestos Delta and Nestos Gorge |
|---|---|
| Not many birds today in the mountains, although we start with birds. There were especially nice flowers on the mountains, even a number of species of orchids. | |
| Date: | 2026-05-11 |
| Title | Day 9: Long drive from Nestos to the Prespa lakes |
|---|---|
| We spent almost all day in the car. after a short stop at lakes. The village is very different from the area we have been to so far, more pleasant I think. We walk a bit along the river in the village, where we can actually see an oriole in the treetop. In the photo the oriole turned into a yellow spot, so I won't show it. | |
| Date: | 2026-05-12 |
| Title | Day 10: The Prespa lakes |
|---|---|
| The last day we spend birding around the Prespa lakes. The lakes are at high altitude. They are mainly known among bird watchers for their pelicans, but for me it is also nice to see completely different villages. The White-eyed Duck was the nicest sighting for me. The area is also very suitable for looking for plants. With the help of Plantnet and observation, I can put a name to a number of plants. No guarantees of course. | |
| Date: | 2026-05-13 |
| Title | Day 11: Prespa to Amsterdam |
|---|---|
| This morning we take a last look at the Prespa lakes. Then we go to the airport with our suitcases packed. We got there way too early, but we were all tired so it was totally fine. | |
| Date: | 2026-05-14 |