ITINERARY: 
Day 1 – Arrival in Thessaloniki, Greece – 01 Dec
Your winter birding experience begins almost as soon as you land. After meeting at Thessaloniki Airport, we leave the city behind and make our first birding stop at a nearby quarry—a stark, rocky landscape that becomes unexpectedly alive in winter. Here, among pale cliffs and broken ledges, we will search for one of Europe’s most enchanting birds: the Wallcreeper. In winter, this extraordinary bird descends to lower rocky sites, where it creeps quietly across vertical faces before suddenly opening its crimson-and-black wings in a flash of colour. Seeing a Wallcreeper on the very first day would be a magical beginning to our journey. The quarry may also reveal other birds of rocky habitats, including Western Rock Nuthatch and Rock Sparrow. From here, we continue towards Lake Kerkini along a scenic route through the winter landscapes of Northern Greece. Rather than rushing directly to our hotel, we will make birding stops at a small reservoir and at a lake close to the border with North Macedonia. These open waters and surrounding fields provide our first chance to enter the rhythm of winter birding: watching the sky for the graceful flight of a Hen Harrier, scanning the water for Goosander, and perhaps meeting our first magnificent Dalmatian Pelicans of the trip. By late afternoon, as the winter light begins to fade behind the Belasitsa Mountains, we arrive at our comfortable base for the tour. From this point onwards, there is no need to pack and move each day. We will stay in one hotel throughout the trip, allowing us to enjoy the area slowly, respond to the birds and the weather, and spend our time in the field rather than on long transfers.
Overnight in northern Kerkini – our one base hotel for the entire tour.  D.

Days 2 – 4  The Winter Heart of Lake Kerkini – 02nd – 04th Dec
For the next three days, Lake Kerkini and its surrounding habitats become our world. Each morning may begin differently: a cold, still lakeshore under soft winter light; the sound of cranes carrying across the wetlands; a flock of geese dropping into fields; or the great shape of a pelican gliding low over the water. Rather than following a rigid schedule, we will explore at a relaxed pace, choosing the best sites according to the conditions and recent bird activity. We will walk along the shores of the lake, visit nearby quarries and rocky areas, search mature woodland and mountain foothills, and take a boat trip onto the lake itself. The aim is not simply to rush from one target bird to another, but to create opportunities for quiet, memorable encounters with the wildlife and landscapes of Kerkini in winter. One of the great experiences of the trip will be spending time with Dalmatian Pelicans. In December, these enormous birds are especially impressive, their silver-grey plumage and powerful presence perfectly suited to the quiet winter atmosphere of the lake. From the boat, we will also have the opportunity to approach large concentrations of diving ducks and search the open water for less frequent winter visitors, potentially including Pallas’s Gull, which has been appearing increasingly often in the area during the colder months. The wetlands and surrounding agricultural areas will offer the chance to search for some of the most exciting winter birds of Northern Greece. Among flocks of geese, we will hope to find the globally threatened Lesser White-fronted Goose, one of the most meaningful birds of the tour. There is also the exciting possibility of a Red-breasted Goose, a rare and striking visitor that can turn an already special morning into an unforgettable one. Above the marshes, we will scan for wintering Greater Spotted Eagle, while the sound and sight of Common Cranes may accompany us throughout our days around the lake. Away from the open water, the surrounding forests hold another side of the Kerkini experience. Here, among quiet oak and beech woodland, we will look for an exceptional variety of woodpeckers. Our main target will be the highly sought-after White-backed Woodpecker, but we will also search for Syrian, Black, Grey-headed, Lesser Spotted and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers. A slow walk through these winter woods may also bring encounters with Sombre Tit and flocks of powerful-billed Hawfinches. There will also be opportunities to return to rocky habitats for another search for Wallcreeper. Few moments in European birding compare with watching this delicate mountain bird flutter across a sheer winter cliff, its bright red wings appearing and disappearing against the stone. These three days are designed to allow space for such moments: waiting quietly beside a lake as pelicans move through the mist, listening for woodpeckers in a silent forest, watching eagles patrol the wetlands, or simply standing beneath a winter sky filled with the calls of cranes. Lake Kerkini is rich in rare birds, but it is the atmosphere of the place that makes winter birding here so memorable.
Night in Northern Kerkini – our one base hotel. B,L,D

Day 5 – Final Birding and Departure – 05th Dec
Our final morning will be shaped around the departure flight times. Where possible, we will return to the field for one last birding session, revisiting the most productive locations or searching for species that may have escaped us earlier in the trip. Perhaps we will have a final encounter with the pelicans on calm water, watch cranes moving across the sky, search once more for geese in the fields, or make one last careful scan of the cliffs and woodland. Winter birding has a special way of making departures difficult: after several days immersed in the quiet rhythm of Kerkini, even a final roadside stop can produce a lasting memory. Eventually, we leave the lake and travel back to Thessaloniki Airport, carrying with us not only a list of remarkable birds, but also the images and sounds of winter in Northern Greece: crimson wings against a cliff, pelicans in pale morning light, woodpeckers in silent forests, eagles over the marshes and the distant calls of cranes across the lake. This tour is simply an avian spectacle. We will arrive at Thessaloniki Airport (code SKG), by early afternoon, so please arrange your departing flight no earlier than 15.00pm. Most flights go via Athens unless you get the direct flights to/from London. B,L,D