Tag: Shkodra Lake

“Look up! Pelicans! Dead Ahead...” "Oh yeah? Wow!" Catching a glimpse of these extraordinary birds is a highlight for so many guests on our kayaking trips at Lake Skadar, but did you know that holidaying with us has helped fund urgent Dalmatian Pelican conservation work? Thanks to our Book to Give Back scheme, we have been able to make the biggest donation in our company’s history to help one of the world’s most threatened waterbirds continue to thrive in Montenegro at a time of crisis. We donated €3,000 to our charity partner CZIP, Montenegro’s equivalent of the RSPB, in April last year, and as a direct result, works completed in December to give vital new protection to the colony at Lake Skadar. A new nesting site they adopted last year is now safeguarded with buoys and signs to keep people at a safe distance and help these magnificent birds to breed undisturbed. The protection measures come just in time for winter breeding season — ornithologists counted 49 nests on the island in last week's winter count — and we’re all hoping to see lots of healthy chicks come March. On the brink The Dalmatian Pelican is the world’s largest pelican and heaviest flying freshwater bird, weighing in at 9.5kg respectively with a wingspan of up to 3 metres. They can be found in wetlands across southeast Europe, including a population of 71 breeding pairs at Lake Skadar, which is shared by Montenegro and Albania (Albanian name, Shkodra Lake). Sizeable colonies are also at Romania's Danube-Delta, Albania's Divjakë-Karavasta, and on Lake Prespa, shared by Albania and Greece. Sadly, the species is endangered. Irresponsible tourism and poaching near nesting sites are two of the greatest human threats, next to construction near their habitats and natural threats such as bird flu and extreme