After a long period of no birding trips due to lockdown measures, the first birding trip for 2021 is a fact!
The destination was Prespes Lakes, in Western Macedonia, at the borders with Albania and Northern Macedonia. An amazing National Park, the only place in Greece and the southernmost limit in Europe, where Goosanders breed and a haven for Dalmatian and Great White Pelicans, several herons and Pygmy Cormorants, among many other birds.
The target birds of the trip were the Goosander, the Marsh Warbler and the Barred Warbler. They were all seen pretty good, and the first two were also photographed. The Marsh Warblers were seen in the riparian forest, in reedbed patches; other species seen were the Red-backed Shrike, the Nightingale, the Golden Oriole, the Turtle Dove and the Honey Buzzard.
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| Marsh Warbler |
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| Red-backed Shrike |
In Lake Megali Prespa, we got to see 20 Goosanders, an amazing figure given it is a rare species after all. Great White and Dalmatian Pelicans were very common, as were Great and Pygmy Cormorants.
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| White Pelicans |
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| Female Goosander with chicks |
More than 65 species were seen during that day, a great number given the circumstances as we arrived at noon.
SPECIES LIST
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Greylag Goose - Anser anser |
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Mute Swan - Cygnus olor |
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Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos |
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Goosander - Mergus merganser |
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Little Grebe - Tachybaptus ruficollis |
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Great Crested
Grebe - Podiceps cristatus |
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Rock Dove - Columba livia |
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European Turtle
Dove - Streptopelia turtur |
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Collared Dove - Streptopelia decaocto |
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Common Cuckoo - Cuculus canorus |
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Alpine Swift - Apus melba |
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Common Swift - Apus apus |
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Pallid Swift - Apus pallidus |
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Little Ringed
Plover - Charadrius dubius |
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Yellow-legged
Gull - Larus michahellis |
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White Stork - Ciconia ciconia |
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Pygmy Cormorant - Microcarbo pygmaeus |
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Great Cormorant - Phalacrocorax carbo |
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Great White
Pelican - Pelecanus onocrotalus |
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Dalmatian Pelican - Pelecanus crispus |
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Grey Heron - Ardea cinerea |
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Great White
Egret - Ardea alba |
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Little Egret - Egretta garzetta |
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European
Honey-buzzard - Pernis apivorus |
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Common Buzzard - Buteo buteo |
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Eurasian Hoopoe - Upupa epops |
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European
Bee-eater - Merops apiaster |
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Great Spotted
Woodpecker - Dendrocopos major |
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Common Kestrel - Falco tinnunculus |
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Eurasian Golden
Oriole - Oriolus oriolus |
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Red-backed
Shrike - Lanius collurio |
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Eurasian Jay - Garrulus glandarius |
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Common Magpie - Pica pica |
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Eurasian Jackdaw - Corvus monedula |
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Hooded Crow - Corvus cornix |
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Common Raven - Corvus corax |
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Eurasian Blue
Tit - Cyanistes caeruleus |
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Great Tit - Parus major |
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Eurasian
Penduline Tit - Remiz pendulinus |
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Woodlark - Lullula arborea |
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Crested Lark - Galerida cristata |
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Marsh Warbler - Acrocephalus palustris |
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Great Reed
Warbler - Acrocephalus arundinaceus |
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Sand Martin - Riparia riparia |
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Eurasian Crag
Martin - Ptyonoprogne rupestris |
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Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica |
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Red-rumped
Swallow - Cecropis daurica |
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Common House
Martin - Delichon urbicum |
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Cetti's Warbler - Cettia cetti |
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Eurasian Blackcap - Sylvia atricapilla |
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Barred Warbler - Sylvia nisoria |
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Subalpine Warbler - Sylvia cantillans |
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Common Whitethroat - Sylvia communis |
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Eurasian Wren - Troglodytes troglodytes |
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Common Starling - Sturnus vulgaris |
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Eurasian Blackbird - Turdus merula |
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Common Nightingale - Luscinia
megarhynchos |
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Black Redstart - Phoenicurus ochruros |
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House Sparrow - Passer domesticus |
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Eurasian Tree
Sparrow - Passer montanus |
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Western Yellow
Wagtail - Motacilla flava |
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Pied
Wagtail/White Wagtail - Motacilla alba |
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Common Chaffinch - Fringilla coelebs |
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European Greenfinch - Chloris chloris |
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Common Linnet - Linaria cannabina |
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European Goldfinch - Carduelis carduelis |
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Corn Bunting - Emberiza calandra |
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Cirl Bunting - Emberiza cirlus |
