Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator
The birdwatcher has the opportunity to watch from a really close distance (and we mean it!) the usually distrustful Mallards, Pochards and Coots. Bird photographers will definitely need a wide angle lens if they want to capture the atmosphere and the birds, while those carrying only a zoom lens will certainly regret it. Especially at the site where Pygmy Cormorants roost for the night - often along with Jackdaws - and with the beautiful city in the background‌ The roosting site is at the centre of the city, approximately 50 m from the shore, close to the building of the Prefectural Administration of Kastoria. At the riparian forest northwest of the lake (1) there is a mixed colony of herons, Great Cormorants and Pygmy Cormorants. You can easily enjoy (always from a safe distance so that you don’t disturb the birds) Little Egrets, Night Herons and Grey Herons in flight, on their way from and to the nests.
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The lake is known to birdwatchers as one of the two most reliable sites in the country for wintering Goosanders. A few individuals overwinter at the northeast edge of the lake every winter, taking advantage of the abundant and easy food. Usually, it is easy to spot five to ten individuals in winter. Being much more common, Dalmatian Pelicans, Great Cormorants and Pygmy Cormorants can be seen virtually
everywhere! The Great Egrets and Bitterns overwinter here as well. As the birds are accustomed to human presence, you can easily watch them or take pictures from a short distance. Along the lakeshore, in spring, you can find breeding Coots, Moorhens and Little Grebes, as if you were watching a documentary! In summer, you will be watching Water Rails looking for food and Little Bitterns and Squacco Herons feeding on newts. Ferruginous Ducks, a permanent target species of birdwatchers, can be spotted on the lakeside village of Dispilio (2). There are wet meadows that flood with waders in spring and reedbeds at which this rare duck often appears. There are many beautiful routes and sites in or around the town (3) that combine hiking, recreation and birdwatching. In the town, next to the lake, there are many cafeterias with outdoor seating (if it is not cold) just after the central parking lot. At the parking lot there is an automatic vending machine where you can buy food for Mute Swans, Coots, gulls, even for Pochards that can be, literally, hand-fed! At Mavriotissa (4), where you will find traditional coffee shops, a tavern and an old Byzantine church, depending on the season you can look for wintering Goosand-