wildlife at gialova lagoon
On the early morning of New Years Day 2022 I visited Gialova Lagoon, located in the South East of the Greek mainland on the Peloponnese. Hundreds of Flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) were present. They stay here during winter time, wading in the water, stirring up the mud for food, or resting almost motionless on one leg. They looked to me like ballet dancers performing an ancient dance – gracefully and effortlessly.
The Gialova lagoon is one of the most important wetlands in Europe, as it constitutes the southernmost migratory station of migratory birds in the Balkans to and from Africa. The Lagoon is located 7 km north of Pylos, between the settlement Gialova and Voidokilia Cove, in an area of 6,000 acres. The Gialova lagoon is also known as Divari (from the Latin word vivarium, which means “fish hatchery”). Its greater depth does not exceed 4 meters. In Gialova lagoon, 254 types of birds such as herons, cormorants, kestrels, seagulls, flamingos, ospreys, imperial eagles and other wading birds find shelter.
A few weeks later I returned to Gialova. There were only a few flamingos left. But nature had created another sensual attraction – a wide variety of blossoming flowers on the hills and plains surrounding the lagoon and Voidokilia Beach.
