JARI PELTOMÄKI

LAKE KERKINI, GREECE

Lake Kerkini is the best place in the world to photograph Dalmatian Pelicans.

Lake Kerkini is in north Greece close to the Bulgarian border. It’s a 110 km² (42.5 mi²) reservoir that was formed in 1932 on a large flood plain of the River Strymon when the river was dammed. The river brings in silt that has created a large delta on the lake. The regulated water level varies about 5 m (16.4 ft) in a year; the highest level is in summer and the lowest level is at the end of autumn. When the water is low, the alluvial deposits are exposed and attract the migrating birds to land for rest, and some birds winter there. Fish-eating birds find a lot of food in the shallow waters.

Lake Kerkini is one of Greece’s most valuable ...

Get The Handbook of Bird Photography now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.