17 Feb 2021
November and December of 2020 saw some of the highest temperatures recorded in Greece in the last century, and pelicans across the country were lulled into a false sense of security! In Messolonghi, Karla and Prespa the first eggs hatched earlier than in any previous year. We have previously stressed that starting to nest so early in the year entails a great risk for the birds: winter isn’t over and a possible spell of seriously bad weather would place the survival of eggs, young and even the adult pelicans in grave danger. And now bad weather has well and truly arrived in the form of storm ‘Medea’, bringing snow, blizzards and polar temperatures. Will the newly hatched chicks survive? Will the parent birds be able to keep them warm and well fed? To answer these questions we continue to monitor the colonies by telescope from afar, despite the cold and snow. Soon we’ll make a drone flight to see what is happening more clearly and find out whether all is well or if some birds have perhaps already abandoned their nests.
