Pelicans of Kerkini

My travels earlier this year took me to the astonishingly beautiful Lake Kerkini in Greece. It was winter, the snow capped mountains of Kerkini are visible in the distance and form a dramatic backdrop for one of the most important wetlands in this part of Europe. For those interested in birds, this area has a special claim to fame – this is where you can best approach, observe and photograph the threatened Dalmatian Pelicans.

So after a long drive from Sofia in neighboring Bulgaria, I reached here late at night. I got the distinct feeling that US passports aren’t very commonly seen at the over land checkpoint crossing into Greece. But while it was too late to recon the lake, I arrived to a warm welcome and delicious sea food. The next morning I woke before daybreak to a steady drizzle, grey skies and generally miserable conditions. But if you know me, this has never stopped me before. A very kind fisherman welcomed us into his little shed on the shore of the lake and I shot as much as possible in the rain from the shore and on a boat.

The rain seemed to make the birds more approachable, so I took advantage of that to get some tight profile shots.

I was also able to use a slow shutter speed for some creative blurs as the birds flew by.

Here are some other compositions I made in the poor light. It allowed me the freedom to overexpose and play with high-key styles.

And of course – true to my style – I have some head on shots as well. Photographs that highlight the bird instead of just a bird.

The next morning was much better for dramatic skies and backdrops, so my wide-angle lenses were put to good use. Note that one of these pelicans is not like the others – can you find the interloper? I put on my waders and went into the water for these shots. Blend in – I guess.

And the boat trips allowed for some action photography. Some at very close quarters.

I’ll wrap this post up with a gallery of varied shots – conventional flight shots, blur induced by slowing shutter speed down and some portraits of these gorgeous birds.

An awesome trip and very productive couple of days!