Kerkini - The End

Due to Covid-19 I had not been able to travel abroad with my camera for two years. A lot of planned trips had been cancelled or postponed and I really looked forward to my third winter to Lake Kerkini in Northern Greece photographing the amazing Dalmatian Pelicans during January 2022.

Before going to Kerkini, I had to provide a negative Covid-19 test to allow me entering Greece. Although having been fully vaccinated and even had the booster I was very concerned about the whole situation as I would be very sad if not allowed to travel this time. Fortunately, I passed the test before flying to Thessaloniki on 3rd January 2022.

To compensate for the last two years of travel restrictions I had allowed myself a double trip to Kerkini and I had to be with two different groups of fellow photographers during my 10 days stay.

The first group of five was picked up at the airport of Thessaloniki by our tour leader David Miles and after less than a two-hour drive, we arrived at Kerkini just before sunset.

New accommodation same boatman

Due to different circumstances the tour operator had replaced their usual hotel in the town of Kerkini with Guesthouse Ixnilatis in the countryside.

I got a very nice room and the breakfast was much better than anything ever served at the old hotel.

However, the guesthouse was not an ordinary hotel and you could not buy as much as a cup of coffee.

It was arranged that they served us lunch and dinner but after a few days with mediocre food it was decided to use a taverna in Kerkini instead.

This was a good decision despite a long drive every time.

After all, the photography condition is always the most important to me when on a photo trip and it was great to find that our loveable and very skilled boatman Vasilis was still there.

Vasilis has been with the tour for many years and knows a lot about photographers need when on the lake with the amazing pelicans.

Despite not being a photographer himself he has an insight on how to positioning the boat to get the best light on the birds. Furthermore, he is a great personality and the trip would not be the same without Vasilis!

On the lake

Kerkini harbour

Finally, it was time the first morning to go out on Lake Kerkini to meet the impressive Dalmatian Pelicans.

As we had planned to be on the lake before sunrise, we left the Kerkini harbour just after 7 o’clock. And it would not take long before the first Dalmatians arrived nearby the boat.

It was still too dark to photograph but Vasilis started to throw out a few fish to make the birds stay and attract others.

Although we still needed more light for “standard” photography, I started to experiment with a slow shutter speed to create some artistic images with motion blur. I am not a huge fan of this kind of images but it is always fun to try something new and maybe I would succeed.

Every morning before sunrise, I would challenge myself with some motion blur images and eventually got a few decent keepers.

Before leaving Denmark, the weather forecast predicted sunny conditions in Kerkini for the most part of my stay – and this first morning on the lake proved right.

It was a beautiful morning with golden soft light for the first hour and I really enjoyed being with the wonderful Dalmatian Pelicans again. Thankfully, we had some good photo opportunities and returned to the harbour after three hours that definitely met my high expectations.

Before lunch I had to download and backup my image files and prepare the gear for the first afternoon by the shoreline.

Shoreline feed

As on previous trips to Kerkini the afternoon was spend at the shoreline. Only difference this time was that we were at a location further north than normally. The reason was that the usual location was told to be crowded by locals.

You may think that it is unimportant from which shoreline we attract and photograph the Dalmatians – but it is not. At the new location there was a lot of clutter in the water e.g., plastic bottles from the fishermen’s net. Furthermore, a small “harbour” nearby meant a lot of traffic from boats passing by.

Worst of all was a lot of bubbles in the water that made it almost impossible to get nice and clean images of the pelicans. I don’t know what caused these bubbles as I have never experienced this on my previous trips.

On the positive side there was a huge rock on the shore that the pelicans would stand on occasionally – especially when encouraged by a fish. This made it possible to get images of standing pelicans which was new to me.

Despite a first afternoon with beautiful soft light, I didn’t manage to get many good images. Glad that I still had nine days left … ; - )

Morning boat trips

The following days we had some great mornings on the lake. Most days the sun decided to hide behind the clouds and we didn’t go out on the lake before sunrise. It was pure luxury for a wildlife photographer to sleep long.

Obviously, I would have preferred a beautiful sunrise but not having the harsh shadows for the rest of the morning was actually a great advantage when photographing. And despite a few clouds the light would often be soft and create pastel like colours. However, the full day with heavy rain we could have been without.

When on the lake the photo opportunities are diverse. You can get images of Dalmatian Pelicans flying high and turning in weird positions when a fish is thrown or just slowly passing the boat with the mountains in the background.

From time to time the boat will lie still with the engine turned off. Then it is time for close ups including some actions when Vasilis orchestrate a fight for fish.

On my previous trips to Kerkini I have only seen a single Great White Pelican while sailing on the lake. Reason is that they migrate to Africa during the winter months. However, this year as many as five Great White Pelicans were following the boat at the same time. And they are very cute!

The Great White Pelicans are always outnumbered by the Dalmatian Pelicans and they are bullied too. They have a hard time getting to the fish thrown out and our boatman often feed them individually when none of the bigger Dalmatians are close by.

A newly learned trick by one of the Dalmatian Pelicans was to land on the front deck of the boat begging for a fish. Naturally, the brave behavior was both honored and exploited by the photographers.

Afternoons by the shore

Following a few afternoons at the new shoreline location we moved to the usual spot – and this was much better! Now, we had a clear view and no disturbing clutter in the water.

Unfortunately, the weather did not improve and we had cloudy conditions most of the time. It would have been nice with more sun to bring out a nice blue color in the water.

At the shoreline we attracted a reasonable number of Dalmatian Pelicans by providing them some fish. They are used to fly in when seeing a group of photographers and maybe more importantly Vasilis waving and throwing fish into the water. As soon as a few pelicans arrive to the shoreline more will follow when they sense the action and a free meal.

Occasionally, we competed with a fisherman supervising his nets from a small boat.

The Dalmatian Pelicans will come very close to the shore hoping for a fish. Therefore, we often have a group of pelicans just a metre in front of us allowing for funny images of chaotic fights. Then, you need a wide-angle lens and a cloth to wipe off the inevitably water spray.

One afternoon at the shoreline I made an experiment. I covered my photo bag with a towel and used it to get a diffused and blurred white foreground when photographing the Dalmatian Pelicans in front of me. It was difficult to get it right but I managed to get a few nice images.   

On the last afternoon we finally had a clear sky and I had the luck to photograph a Great White Pelican flying against the snow-covered Mount Belles in the background.

Closing remarks

I really enjoyed returning to Kerkini.

Being a wildlife photographer, it is a marvelous location to visit during winter when the Dalmatian Pelicans are most colourful.

They are very photogenic and easy to get close to – at least if you bring some fish!

The Dalmatian Pelican is one of the largest flying bird species in the world with a length of up to 1.8 metres and an average weight of 12 kilograms. And not to forget a wingspan of 3.5 metres!

It is sad that these amazing birds are near threatened. Their numbers are declining and it is estimated that only 10,000 – 20,000 Dalmatian Pelicans are left in the world. They are so charismatic and very entertaining.

This was my third visit to Kerkini during winter and even an extended trip of 10 days.

Although returning home with a small portfolio of nice images I realized how difficult it is to keep pursuing something new.

I will miss the amazing birds and not least my good friend Vasilis. However, I am quite sure that this was my last trip to Kerkini to photograph the Dalmatian Pelicans – I have reached to a point when enough is enough.

Kerkini – The End!