Greece · Central Macedonia

Kitros Lagoon

Directions

Αλυκές Κίτρους

A shallow lagoon on the coast of Pieria, near Alyki Kitrous. Part of it is still worked for salt. It is protected as a Natura 2000 site and an Important Bird Area, and flamingos stay there all year, most numerous in winter. The area is best watched from outside the working salt pans.

History

The salt works are still in use, and abandoned buildings from earlier production stand along the fields. Nearby, at Atherada, is thought to have been the ancient port of Pydna.

Nature

Large numbers of waterbirds feed and rest here, on passage and in winter. Besides the flamingos, which like the shallow, quiet water, look for black-winged stilts, Dalmatian pelicans, collared pratincoles and Kentish plovers, and for calandra and short-toed larks on the drier ground. An attempt by flamingos to breed here in the early 2000s came to nothing. Some areas are closed so that birds can nest.

Visit

Swimming

No reliable information

Tips

Turn east off the E75 at Alyki or Korinos. From the north entrance you can follow the shore, and a telescope helps. The west gate is always locked, but pratincoles can be seen from it. The south side is not fenced, but do not go far in, as entry beyond a certain point is not allowed. There is no hide, and spring and autumn migration and summer are the best times for birds.

The lagoon also has mud baths, with mid-June a favourite time, and the water is so salty that you float. Mount Olympus rises behind the fields, and the beach at Kitros is next door.