Pelicans of Lake Kerkini

During this workshop we will be photographing the spectacular but endangered Dalmatian pelicans on Lake Kerkini in northern Greece. I’m running this trip for the twelfth consecutive year with local guides who have excellent knowledge of the resident wildlife and have been working with the pelicans for many years.

Our main aim will be to capture some stunning images of Dalmatian Pelicans on the lake. These charismatic birds spend the winter here. We will photograph them from a boat and from the shore, and we’ll use various techniques to enable you to capture some dramatic, creative, beautiful and comical images of the birds. At this time of the year there should be over one hundred pelicans on the lake, and the adult birds will be coming into breeding plumage with bright orange and red throat pouches. Expect to capture a wide variety of images including portraits, fighting, feeding and flight shots. Hopefully this will all be against a backdrop of snow-covered mountains! There may also be white pelicans in their splendid pink breeding plumage, along with a few other species on and around the lake. Sometimes it’s also possible to photograph flamingos at the other end of the lake. This is usually an extremely productive workshop, so you can expect to shoot between 2000 and 4000 images each day!

ITINERARY (subject to change due to weather, bird activity and flight times)

Day 1: Arrive at Thessaloniki airport and transfer to our hotel close to Lake Kerkini. Depending upon flight times we may have a short introductory afternoon photography session with the pelicans.
Day 2: Early morning photography around Lake Kerkini where we will photograph Dalmatian Pelicans from a boat and from the shore.  Return to the hotel for brunch and image review. Return to the lake in the afternoon to look for flamingos and to photograph the Dalmatian pelicans in late afternoon light and at sunset.
Day 3: A repeat of day two photographing more birdlife around Lake Kerkini. Each day we will spend four hours on a small boat on the lake to get some different angles on the pelicans and to find different backgrounds.
Day 4: A repeat of day two photographing on and around Lake Kerkini from a boat and from the shore.
Day 5: Depending upon flight times we may have a short early morning session with the pelicans before packing up and heading back to Thessaloniki airport.

• Price

  £1995

• Maximum Participants

  6

• Level of Fitness Required

  Easy - just a little walking over rough terrain

• Included

  Transport from and to Thessaloniki airport, Accommodation in single en-suite rooms, All meals and most drinks

• Excluded

  Travel to Greece, Additional alcoholic drinks, Insurance, Tips