Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus
HOW T
ERE TH
O GET
The closest cities to the lakes are Kastoria (50 km south) and Florina (40 km east). Kastoria is 560 km northwest of Athens and 220 km west of Thessaloniki. Florina is 573 km and 160 km, respectively. Daily flights connect Kastoria with Athens.
UTE RO
Megali Prespa is the deepest of the two (maximum depth 55 m) covering an area of approximately 270 km2, only 38 of which are in Greece. From the surface of Mikri Prespa, Greece possesses 43 out of its 48 km2. Its maximum depth is slightly less than 8 m. The two lakes are separated by a thin strip of land and are connected with a small canal at the location of Koula. The Prespa National Park is situated at a high altitude, with its lowest part (the lakes) approximately at 840 m and its highest at 2,292 m. From an ornithological point of view, both the lakes and the surrounding area host many important species, among which the two landmark pelican species of the area: the Dalmatian Pelican and the Great White Pelican that coexist and breed in the lakes, along with the Pygmy Cormorant. The
more experienced birdwatchers, however, will be fascinated by the Greylag Goose, the Goosander - for which this is its southernmost distribution limit in Europe -, the Hazel Grouse, the White-backed Woodpecker and the Golden Eagle in montane areas and by migrants like the Lesser Kestrel, the Barred Warbler, the Glossy Ibis and the Purple Heron. More than 260 bird species have been recorded in the area and at least 80 of them are regular breeders. Among them there are many rare and globally threatened species. The main attraction for birdwatchers at Mikri Prespa is the mixed breeding colony of Dalmatian Pelicans and Great White Pelicans. The population and distribution of both species have now increased so the colony is divided in two parts: the colony of Vromolimni (an inland lake at the north part of Mikri Prespa) and the colony of Kri-
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