Greece, Lake Kerkini - Dalmatian Pelican
Country: Greece,
Destination: Kerkini National Park
Traveller guidance and Kit recommendations are at the end of this article.
Click to enlarge images
North of Thessaloniki international airport are the Rhodope Mountains which form the border between Greece and Bulgaria. Below the foothills are extensive marshlands, part of which was dammed and flooded in the 1930s to create Lake Kerkini. Further development in the 1980s has now created an internationally important hydrobiosphere and site for migratory birds. We met our guide George Blonski (a professional photojournalist, landscape and wildlife photographer) at the airport, travelling north to Kerkini and staying at the Oikoperiigitis Hotel on full-board basis. George was the first to organise trips to this region from the UK, speaks fluent Greek and also offers Landscape tours around the country.
The hotel was within walking distance of the lake and the wildlife park boat moorings. We spent most of our 6 days on and around the lake, making 2 separate day excursions to the mountain foothills and marshlands close to the border with Bulgaria.
The primary objective for the trip was to photograph Dalmatian Pelican. However, the landscape in the region has much to offer and it is well worth considering visits throughout the seasons.
It was a wet mid-January and one of those weeks where it was “make the best of the weather-conditions”. We were a small group of 4 and George’s experience of photographing Dalmatian Pelican, on-shore and from a boat, along with his expertise in animal behaviour, was invaluable. Our boat helm, Vasilis, is definitely worth seeking out. His local knowledge and understanding of photographer’s needs in terms of maneuvering his boat into good positions was first rate.
GALLERY : click an image for Slideshow
Traveller Guidance:
There are regular scheduled flights direct to Thessaloniki international airport from London Gatwick. Car hire is available from the airport. We were picked up by our guide George Blonski .
There is a fair range of accommodation in the Kerkini area . We opted for a local family-run hotel, recommended by George. The staff were very friendly and the food was good and plentiful.
Weather can be extreme and variable in January, so be prepared for snow through to heavy rain; basically warm layers with an outer waterproof. Warm gloves, preferably with a waterproof outer-layer. Hand-warmers are a ‘nice to have’ too; for those periods of inactivity in an open boat on the vast lake.
Day-walking boots are fine, wellington boots are also fine as there is not much walking involved shooting on and around the lake.
A camera bag to keep your gear in one place on the boat is useful to have.
A spare/2nd body is recommended on the boat, in order to ease changes from wide-angle to long-telephoto lens shots.
Mobile phone coverage is a bit of a lottery, however the hotel Wi-Fi had plenty bandwidth for our needs during our stay.
Camera Kit:
Waterproof camera-gear covers are essential; you need to be able to protect your gear from prolonged exposure to the elements; rain and driving wind.
We found a telephoto zoom range around 100-500mm, f4 - f5.6, was ideal in terms of reach and weight. The 400mm prime is the most you’ll need .
Shorter telephoto around 24-70mm were useful mounted on a spare body; for those close encounters of the Pelican kind. Take your have a fish-eye if you have one; opportunities will present themselves.
We used and would also recommend taking a compatible 1.4TC, if possible. Filters were not essential, although we always carry and did use our CPL.
A medium telephoto (filling the 70-200mm range) is also useful for wider shots on the lake, along with occasional close-quarter encounters: better still, if it is mounted and ready on a second/spare body.
Tripod/monopod with gimbal/mono-gimbal have limited use on this trip. We took them but got by with bean-bags. That said, you will likely find a tripod useful for some landscape shots if you intend to spend time away from the lake.
Overcast ambient light can be challenging at times, especially hand-held exposure times in the rain. Know your camera’s capabilities and limitations (every camera has them), particularly with ISO noise and with low-contrast auto-focus. Wide-aperture lens really help when light is challenge, but when needs must adapt your shooting to the current conditions.