In January 2021 I did my first trip to Lake Kerkini, Greece. This was my first time in Kerkini as well as the first of (hopefully) 12 photography trips for 2021 - 1 per month - to the most important wetlands of Greece to photograph wildlife and landscapes.

Lake Kerkini is located in Northern Greece near Serres and Thessaloniki. According to the Ramsar Convention, the wetland of Kerkini has been declared a National Park in Greece. Kerkini is an artificial lake and was formed gradually after 1932 with the construction of the first dam to hold the waters of the river Strymon.

The lake is one of the best places in Europe for bird watching with around 300 rare and protected bird species living and breeding here. Every year many scientists and amateurs from all over the world visit the lake for research and observation. For more information visit the official webpage of LAKE KERKINI MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY, www.kerkini.gr

I hope you enjoy my photos and don't hesitate to leave your comments!

The first morning in the lake and while I was looking for a spot to hide and photograph, I had an unexpected meeting with a red fox. By the time I realized its presence the fox was already looking at me, I stood still, slowly picked up my camera, and started shooting. It was a first-time experience for me and it felt amazing!

The flooded land fields around the lake (east), a result of the heavy rains of the previous days, created a magic scenery of reflections that I love to photograph. In some cases, you couldn't say if it was the lake or the land field.

Selfportrait in **The Crying Meadow** (taken from the homonymous film of the Greek director Theodore Angelopoulos which was shot in the wet meadows of Kerkini)

Below is a Golden Jackal with an uncommon phenotype. This could happen in areas with high concentration and density of the species like the lowland livestock breeding areas (lake Kerkini, lake Taka Peloponnese so on). Hybrids and albinos have also been recorded in these areas.