This was a two week trip to mainland Greece with the middle week spent driving around the north-west visiting the Amvrakikos Gulf, the Prespa lakes, Metsovo and several other locations. My wife isn’t a birder but is tolerant of my hobby so I was hoping to find a few good birds along the way.

We arrived in Athens airport late afternoon on 31^st August 2013, collected the hire car and were soon on the excellent motorway heading west towards the Peloponnese. We were spending the first few days in Xylokastro on the northern coast of the Peloponnese where my wife has relatives before heading north. I’ve been there several times before and know the birding isn’t terribly good but it was a chance to pick up some of the commoner birds: Red-rumped Swallow, Alpine and Pallid Swifts, Cetti’s and Sardinian Warblers.

By the following Tuesday I was keen to move on and we headed west along the coast to Patras where we crossed the truly stunning bridge over the Gulf of Corinth. On the mainland proper we ignored the temptations of the Mesalonghi wetlands and drove north up the coast road to the Amvrokikos Gulf. Here we drove anti-clockwise around the gulf finally arriving in a small holiday village called Mitikas just north of Preveza.

Wednesday 4^th was our first birding day and we headed off early towards the northern part of the gulf looking initially for the Rodia Wetlands Centre in the village of Strongili where we were hoping to get maps and directions to the best birding areas. Anybody who has visited Greece will have found the road maps to be not terribly accurate and road signs to be less than reliable. Things looked good at first when we entered Strongili there was a sign to the centre which unfortunately proved to be the only one. My wife is Greek so we were able to stop and ask for directions – the Rodia wetland centre is closed, she was told, apparently permanently! We did have some directions and a rather dodgy road map so we drove towards the wetlands heading east towards Vigla. The road was pretty good and, initially at least, easy to follow and I was soon watching the first of my target birds – Pygmy Cormorant. Several were swimming in the shallow water whilst others were perched, very photogenically in a dead tree.

There were lots of Great White and Little Egrets, numerous waders including Kentish Plovers and Black-winged Stilts and further out, several Black-necked Grebes. Further along we saw our only White Stork of the trip and our first Squacco Heron both in a small, flooded field. We continued along the road to Vigla and on over the causeway to Koronisia. The road runs for several kilometres with water on both sides but there were very few birds. Only as we approached the village of Koronisia itself did we see a large bird far out on the gulf – the second of my target birds, Dalmatian Pelican. We briefly went to explore the village and on our return the Pelican had moved much closer and I was able to take a few record shots.

The following day it was our intention to complete the long drive to the Prespa lakes but we didn’t take into account the black hole that is Ioannina. We stopped off for lunch in the town with me keen to see the lake and hopefully the colony of Lesser Kestrels – the lake had an algal bloom and stank and there was no sign of the kestrels. We stayed for only about an hour but spent another hour and a half trying to leave – all roads led to the new ring road (not marked on our map) but then none seemed to lead north from there. On our third time of asking we were told to follow signs for the airport and finally made our escape. If we hadn’t had a Greek speaker on board I fear we might still be there! A few miles north we turned off the main road following signs for Mikro Papigo in the Vikos-Aoos National Park. It was a winding and jaw-droppingly beautiful drive up into the mountains and the lovely village of Mikro Papigo. We stopped here and took a brief walk along one of the many mountain paths but saw few birds, just a few Ravens flying over. The highlight was the red underwing type moth Catocala conjuncta disturbed from the eaves of one of the buildings.

It was mid-afternoon by the time we got back to the main road and were once more heading towards the Prespa lakes. Unfortunately I had underestimated how long the drive would take and by early evening we were still a long way from our destination. We came to the town of Kastoria and saw from the map that it was on the shores of a lake and the decision was made. We found a nice lakeside hotel and booked in for the night.

The following morning I inspected the lake from our balcony. Distantly a large bird on the surface of the lake proved to be a pelican but it was too far away to be sure which species. More of a surprise as we drove through town to get back on the Prespa road was a small group of Mute Swans. A Greek tick for me although I’m not convinced they were wild. The Prespa lakes proved to be less than an hour’s drive and we arrived in Agios Germanos about 10 in the morning – we booked into a hotel, had breakfast and had a talk in the visitor’s centre all before midday. Our first destination, after a slow drive, stopping frequently along the causeway between the two lakes was the island of Agios Achillios on Mikri Prespa. It’s a lovely place reached by a floating bridge from the shore with Cormorants (Pygmy and Greater) and Grebes (Little, Great Crested and Black-necked) on the surface of the lake, Pelicans (mostly Dalmatian but a handful of White) and Bee-eaters flying over and Warblers (Great Reed, Icterine & Cetti’s) in the reeds and bushes. A truly stunning place – I’d love to have come back here in the early morning before the first tourists arrived but I didn’t get the chance.

We decided to explore a bit further and drove to the small village of Psarades on the banks of Megali Prespa. Here it’s possible to enjoy lunch whilst overlooking a small patch of wetland with Squacco Herons, Little Bitterns and Pygmy Cormorants showing just a few yards away. From here you can also take a boat trip out onto the lake for close up views of pelicans and some truly amazing Byzantine cliff paintings and cave dwellings – well worth the 30 euros if you get the chance.

Back in Agios Germanos in the late afternoon we decided to take a walk out of the village into the surrounding hills. A pair of Lesser Kestrel, a single flyover Levant Sparrowhawk and several Grey Wagtails were all trip ticks but a female-type Collared Flycatcher was the real prize – a new bird for me.

The next day, Saturday 7^th, we drove past the village of Pili and made a rather pointless visit to Zachandi Cave – basically a hole in the ground with steps leading down into it. A single bat flying in the mouth of the cave being its only interesting feature. We drove on a bit further and walked for a mile or so along a small track leading back to Psarades. Common Redstart, Whinchat, Northern Wheatear and Sombre Tit all showed well but we were rather distracted by the attentions of a local, non-Greek shepherd and his fearsome dog who followed us for much of the time. We were both extremely relieved to get back to the car!

The following day we headed back south towards Metsovo in the Pindos mountains, making a small diversion to the stunning village of Meteora. I had hoped for Egyptian Vulture here but it seems we were too late in the year and they had all gone. Black Stork and Short-toed Eagle were reasonable substitutes although the Rock Nuthatch calling loudly but refusing to show was disappointing.

We arrived in Metsovo in mid-afternoon and found a lovely hotel away from the main centre of the busy town overlooking the valley and sat on the balcony with a drink to recover from what had been a fairly hair-raising drive from Meteora. Dozens of Alpine and Pallid Swifts flew low over the hotel and the second Short-toed Eagle of the day passed across the valley. A Greater-spotted Woodpecker and Olivaceous Warbler in trees in front of the hotel were both trip ticks.

The final full day of our trip was spent driving through the beautiful Pindos mountains. We did a loop heading first to Krania, then across the mountains to Mikrolivado, Perivoli and then back to Metsovo. It was a long but rewarding day with several additions to the list including both Black and Grey-headed Woodpeckers – both distant and brief views so no chance of any photos, unfortunately. Apart from a single Honey Buzzard we saw no large raptors either which was disappointing. The trip back to Xylokastro the following day did produce a fly-over Booted Eagle however, which made the long drive worthwhile.

Our final few days in Greece were spent mostly visiting friends and family but we did manage a trip into the mountains to the ski resort near Mount Zyria where amongst the deserted ski lifts we found Wood Larks, Coal Tits and a Hoopoe, the last additions to the trip list. A journey on the beautiful railway up to Kalavrita took up our final day. I saw a Blue Rock Thrush from the train a few years ago but no such luck on this occasion but worth the trip for the Kalavrita Holocaust Museum which really puts everything into perspective.

Bird List

Black-necked Grebe – Amvrakikos

Little Grebe – Amvrakikos

Great Crested Grebe – Amvrakikos

White Pelican – Prespa

Dalmatian Pelican – Prespa, Amvrakikos

Cormorant – Prespa

Pygmy Cormorant – Prespa

Little Egret

Great White Egret – Prespa

Squacco Heron – Prespa, Amvrakikos

Grey Heron

White Stork – Amvrakikos

Black Stork – Meteora

Mute Swan – Kastoria

Mallard

Short-toed Eagle – Meteora, Metsovo

Booted Eagle – Peloponnese

Marsh Harrier – Prespa

Common Buzzard

Honey Buzzard – Pindos

Sparrowhawk

Levant Sparrowhawk – Prespa

Kestrel

Lesser Kestrel - Prespa

Water Rail (hrd)

Moorhen

Coot

Southern White Admiral

Black-winged Stilt - Amvrakikos

Little Ringed Plover – Amvrakikos

Kentish Plover – Amvrakikos

Wood Sandpiper – Amvrakikos

Common Sandpiper – Amvrakikos

Redshank

Greenshank

Black-headed Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

Common Tern

Feral Pigeon

Stock Dove

Turtle Dove

Collared Dove

Common Swift

Pallid Swift

Alpine Swift

Hoopoe – Mt Zyria

Kingfisher

Bee-Eater – Prespa

Black Woodpecker – Pindos

Grey-headed Woodpecker – Pindos

Great Spotted Woodpecker – Metsovo

Crested Lark

Woodlark – Mt Zyria

Sand Martin

Crag Martin – Meteora

House Martin

Barn Swallow

Red-rumped Swallow

Stream Frog

White Wagtail

Yellow Wagtail

Grey Wagtail - Prespa

Black Redstart – Prespa

Common Redstart – Prespa

Northern Wheatear – Prespa

Black-eared Wheatear - Amvrakikos

Whinchat – Prespa

Robin

Mistle Thrush

Blackcap

Sardinian Warbler

Cetti’s Warbler

Great Reed Warbler – Prespa

Icterine Warbler – Prespa

Olivaceous Warbler

Willow Warbler

Spotted Flycatcher

Collared Flycatcher – Prespa

Great Tit

Blue Tit

Coal Tit

Marsh Tit

Sombre Tit – Prespa

Rock Nuthatch (hrd) – Meteora

Red-backed Shrike – Pindos

Woodchat Shrike

Lesser Grey Shrike - Prespa

Magpie

Jay

Jackdaw

Hooded Crow

Raven

Starling

House Sparrow

Spanish Sparrow

Chaffinch

Goldfinch

Greenfinch

Cirl Bunting

Corn Bunting