Our Dalmatian Pelican photography tours take place at Lake Kerkini, a premier location for birdwatchers & photographers. Mountain ranges protect three sides of the lake which provides a mild climate & an abundance of fish for over 300 species of birds, many of whom are migratory birds en route to the South East of Europe or Africa.
We time our trips to coincide with their breeding season which is when these charismatic birds look their best with their bright red pouches & crazy hair-dos.
Earlier this year, Tony attended our Dalmatian Pelicans of Kerkini photography holiday. 2019 saw the return of snow & ice to the region so he faced some challenging weather conditions but thanks to our resourceful boatman, Tony came back with some stunning photos. He has very kindly sent in 12 beautiful images for us to share with you.
Omar & his friend came all the way from Kuwait to join our Dalmatian Pelicans of Greece photography holiday. Our trips this year attracted many international clients from USA & Kuwait to Denmark, Belgium & Germany.
I have to admit to being blown away when I opened Omar’s email & saw his images. Some of them are absolutely sensational. Continue reading →
Jessica was a guest on one of the Dalmatian Pelicans of Greece Photography Workshops that we conducted in January 2018. Having run this tour for the past four years, the itinerary is now, in our opinion, the perfect experience. But it’s not what we think that matters, the view of our guests matters more.
Jessica said, “I had the pleasure to go to Greece in January 2018 to photograph the Dalmatian Pelicans of Greece & I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. Not only were there plenty of opportunities to capture images of these big & charismatic birds in various conditions, but we also had a lot of fun with the group. Our guide Sean was always attentive & ready to answer our questions & give photography advice. The accommodation was ideal & the trip very well organised. Being able to photograph the pelicans very early in the morning & late in the afternoon added a special touch to the photos. I would certainly recommend going on this photography trip in Greece.” Continue reading →
John wanted to spend more time photographing the Dalmatian Pelican, so he booked onto two consecutive trips. During his time in Lake Kerkini, he was blessed with fabulous lighting conditions and perfected his reflection shots.
As soon as I had set eyes on some photographs of Dalmatian Pelicans on the internet I knew that I was going to visit them, I was so profoundly enchanted by them. It didn’t take me long to find the NaturesLens Dalmatian Pelican Photography Holiday & I booked it right away!
Six months later I found myself standing on the shores of the beautiful Lake Kerkini in Northern Greece, adjacent to the Bulgarian border, & I discovered that these majestic birds are even more charming than I had first imagined. Each morning & evening for four fully-packed days we went out for lengthy sessions of Dalmatian Pelican photography & I never got tired of doing so. We started off with a gorgeous sunrise on the first morning out on the lake with our avian models following in the wake of the boat. Our fabulous boatman & Dalmatian Pelican expert kept them entertained & happy so that we could catch wonderful moments. These early morning boat trips were a treat by themselves; the colourful sunrises with these gorgeous birds in front is something you will never forget as well as the sight of the lake that lies calmly like a perfect mirror for the flying Pelicans. What a beautiful experience … after a 3 hours boat trip in the mornings & a nice break in our comfortable hotel for lunch & warming up we went out a second time to photograph the Pelicans from ashore in the afternoon. I was amazed at the sheer abundance of dalmatian pelican photography opportunities; flying, landing, portraits, close-ups, details, panning, long exposures, reflections, wide-angle shots, single birds, pairs, groups vying for fish & many more. The cloudy days provided for capturing calm pictures with perfect reflections & vibrant colours, the sunny days golden light. & if you ran out of ideas all you had to do was ask Sean, our excellent guide; so easy going, knowledgeable, always helpful & encouraging. The workshop was perfectly organised, the hotel comfortable, providing piles of delicious Greek food & thanks to a friendly group of NaturesLens guests, we also had a lot of fun & laughter … what more would you want? You are welcome to view more images of these beautiful birds on my homepage. To photograph the charismatic Dalmatian Pelicans yourself, join Sean Weekly, one of the most active members of the NaturesLens guiding team, in Kerkini, Greece during January 2018 for a trip lasting 4 nights; this photography holiday will offer you the opportunity to capture images of the Dalmatian Pelican; the NaturesLens Dalmatian Pelicans Photography Holiday is offered on a full board, non-shared room basis, & costs £1099 per participant. All the details of the Dalmatian Pelicans Photography Holiday are available on the dedicated event page.
Lake Kerkini in Northern Greece is situated in the northeast of the district of Serret just 40km from the town of Serres & 100km from Thessaloniki. The lake is one of the most important wetlands in Europe with about 300 bird species having been observed there. Among them, the Dalmatian Pelican, a prehistoric looking but utterly photogenic & charismatic bird.
Our 2017 Dalmatian Pelicans Photography Tours to photograph the Dalmatian Pelicans of Lake Kerkini marked our third year of visiting this beautiful lake & back in January, I had the pleasure of leading the first of our two trips out there with Sean Weekly, the newest member of our guiding team.
I have to admit to being more than a little excited about the trip. Kerkini was experiencing its coldest winter in over a decade with lots of snow & ice, something they had not seen in 15 years & snow was something that we have been hoping for since we started visiting the area.
As we approached our hotel, we could see that the lake was completely frozen over, which meant boat trips were not going to be possible unless there was a big thaw while we were out there.
