Gourmet Birds Destinations, Dates and Details, 2009

Spring in northern GREECE 24 to 31 May- £925.
Our visit to Lake Kerkini in 2008 was a great success, with a delightful hotel and outstanding birdwatching within a short distance of our base. For 2008 I'm running a holiday there for the Hawk & Owl Trust, but there's certain to be spaces available. This holiday has now been extended to seven nights rather than five. Flights to Thessalonica with either Easy Jet or British Airways (both from Gatwick).

The attractions of the lake and its immediate area include big colonies of pelicans and herons, a wide variety of birds of prey, four species of shrikes, numerous bee-eaters, plus such Balkan specialities as rock partridge, rock nuthatch and olive-tree warbler. The butterflies will be interesting (we saw large copper this year), and we will also find tortoises and a variety of reptiles and amphibians.

Notes

Booking flights
None of these holidays include flights: where possible, the best thing is to book them yourself over the Internet. (Check with me beforehand to get the precise details you need). When to book is debatable. Many flights get more expensive as the departure date gets closer, but sometimes (if the flight is still quite empty) the price drops. British Airways invariably has a sale in January, so this can be a good time to book BA flights; while I'm sure that next year's market will be very competitive, with some good deals available, even at the last minute.

Single rooms
No one hates single-room supplements more than me. In recent years I have tried to absorb them into the price of the holiday and not charged extra for them, but the flexibility to do this does depend on the destination. I always charge the minimum amount possible for the SRS; for Cyprus there is no SRS.

What the price does include
As is usual with GB trips, wine is included with both lunch and dinner. Lunch is usually a picnic with local produce.

Travel
We normally travel in self-drive minibuses that give us the flexibility needed for a good birdwatching holiday. In Cyprus it's impossible to hire minibuses, so we use two large 4x4s.

Insurance
Is not included: we expect you to have your own.

If you would like a detailed programme for any of these holidays, plus a more extensive species list, then please ask.