Destinations
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We have a group booking for this holiday for 2010 from a natural history society, made after the brochure came out. We could take an additional two more people; if you're keen, please phone the Honeyguide office.
Eastern Greece 23 April – 1 May 2010
Dadia Forest reserve and the Evros Delta
The district of Evros in the north-eastern region of Thrace, overlooking the border with Turkey, is one of the least developed areas of Greece. A mixture of cultures, charming villages, and both farmed and wild landscapes are all set against the nearby expanse of the Evros Delta, one of Europe’s most outstanding wetlands. The area is renowned for its variety of wetland birds and raptors, and regional specialities include pygmy cormorant, Dalmatian pelican, isabelline wheatear and masked shrike
Based outside the village of Dadia, we stay at the ecotourism centre managed by the local community co-operative in collaboration with WWF Greece. Nearby is Dadia Forest Reserve, an Important Bird Area and candidate World Heritage Site. It lies over rugged, limestone hills dominated by pine and oak, with a relatively undisturbed ‘core’ area that still supports wolf and wild boar.
This is one of the best sites in Europe to see raptors and 36 species have been recorded with over 20 species breeding. Dadia holds the last remaining black vulture colony in southeast Europe and both griffon and Egyptian vulture also breed. These can be seen from the comfort of a hide overlooking carcasses left as supplementary food on a feeding station. Short-toed, booted, lesser spotted and imperial eagle can all be seen as well as honey and long-legged buzzard.
Shrikes are a great feature of local farmland with red-backed, lesser grey, woodchat and masked, the last here on the edge of its range. White storks breed in the village squares, the underside of their huge nests busy with breeding Spanish sparrows, and black storks can be seen almost daily in the area.
The Evros Delta is an immense wetland complex, internationally renowned for its wealth of resident and migrant birds. The delta is a mosaic of farmland, freshwater and brackish lagoons, reedy canals and tamarisk scrub. It is one of the few known stopovers of the enigmatic slender-billed curlew, but this is the least likely of all the many migrant waders we may see. Searching out the wettest lagoons there is a chance of seeing pelicans, pygmy cormorant, glossy ibis, herons and egrets, white-winged black and gull-billed terns. Raptors hunt over the delta, including white-tailed eagle, migrant red-footed falcons and an abundance of marsh harriers.
More information on the Evros Delta
More information on Dadia Ecotourism Centre
Glossy ibis
Dadia church (Ivan Nethercoat)
Griffon vultures at feeding station
(Mika Selin www.birdnet.fi)
Spur-thighed tortoise (Ivan Nethercoat)
