Down here, in Gibraltar and its hinterland, spring migration is now in full swing. Short-toed Snake Eagles (Circaetus gallicus) are among the stars right now, as the beautiful adults arrive in droves from the south. The mild oceanic climate allows things to get going here much earlier than elsewhere. The past few days at the other end of the Mediterranean, in northern Greece, revealed a very different picture. Around Lake Kerkini, temperatures did not exceed 7oC this week. At night they went down to -3oC. This is very much a continental climate and winter is slow in releasing its grip.
Spending many hours floating on shallow-bottomed boats in the middle of the lake required cold weather gear. And yet, I was surprised to find a couple of Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) already up here. Of course, this is little compared to the many thousands already with us at home, birds which started coming in two months ago. At Kerkini, there were other signs of spring coming. A good number of Dalmatian Pelicans (Pelecanus crispus) were in breeding dress now, their bright orange bill pouches telling the story. These birds are at the extreme south-west of their range down here so it is likely that things get going sooner than in more continental parts of the Palaearctic, where most birds are fully migratory and leave in winter altogether.
A few Great White Pelicans (Pelecanus onocrotalus) were also about, here as far north as you are likely to find them in the winter. The roles will be reversed later this month when thousands will arrive at the lake from African wintering grounds. Great Whites will then dominate numerically.
Pelicans aside, it was great to catch up with another eastern species that I don’t get to see where I live. Pygmy Cormorants (Microcarbo pygmaeus) are lovely little versions of their larger relatives but they have a character of their own, being quite skittish. Photographing them was not as easy as photographing the pelicans!
Many thousands of Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) were present, many in breeding plumage. They belong to the race sinensis, their white heads making them stand out. Often overlooked, like many common birds, these birds were splendid.
There wasn’t much time for other species. Great Egrets (Ardea alba) and Grey Herons (Ardea cinerea) were everywhere. The lake was full of Black-headed Gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus), some Yellow-legged Gulls (Larus michahellis) and a few Caspian Gulls (Larus cachinnans). There were large flocks of duck, mainly Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), while Great Crested Grebes (Podiceps cristatus) were busy with their nuptial displays. Black-necked Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis), on the other hand, were still in winter plumage.
Kerkini is actually not a lake at all but a very large reservoir. The water levels, shallow and fairly constant, have turned this into a haven for birds. Comparing with home once more, I couldn’t help but feeling how it could be here too. The Lake of La Janda, on the northern shores of the Strait of Gibraltar, was once Spain’s largest lake. That’s until Franco drained it in the 1960s. Among many other species, it was the last breeding outpost of the Common Crane (Grus grus) in southern Europe. Discussing it with my son Stewart, who shares my avian passion, as we floated on the boat surrounded by waterbirds, we imagined what a Kerkini would look like on the site of La Janda.
Leave a Comment