Bird watching Albania

The Albanian Setting

Albania consists of almost 30,000 square kilometers, with a coastline stretching 450km adjoining the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. Albania’s territory encompasses the 3 largest tectonic lakes of the Balkan Peninsula, with the second largest, Lake Ohrid, reaching a maximum depth of 289m and harboring many endemic species. Away from the coast, 70% of Albania’s territory is classified as hilly or mountainous and was until very recently inaccessible, certainly by car. The average altitude in Albania is 708m, twice that of the European norm. The highest mountains in Albania (Jezerces near the Montenegrin border and Korabi on the Macedonian) reach up to 2700m.
These characteristics combine to create a unique diversity of ecosystems and habitats. Add to this the country’s historic isolation during the latter half of the 20th century and its attendant lag in industrial development, and Albania offers a unique richness of nature and wildlife for visitors to enjoy. A few hours walking are sufficient to experience both classic Mediterranean habitat at lower altitudes as well as the Alpine meadows and peaks of higher elevations, where it is not uncommon to find the southernmost distribution of Arctic Alpine flora. Albania has over 3200 naturally occurring species of plants (almost 200 endemic or sub-endemic), 756 vertebrate species (including healthy populations of wolves, brown bears and wild boar) and over 350 recorded bird species, including 91 globally threatened species.
At least, this is what we know. There were a handful of Albanian biologists active in the 20th century whose work (including an extensive taxidermic collection) was ensconced in 1949 at the Museum of Natural Sciences in Tirana – a structure and collection currently facing a very doubtful future due to lack of maintenance. In the past 20 years, environmental research has been the passionate work of a few devoted individuals, and the fact is that large areas of Albania remain unexplored ecologically speaking, and nowhere is this more true than in the wild highlands of the Northern Albanian Alps.
Birding in Northern Albania

Modern Albanian bird research has been carried out under the devoted auspices of one man, Dr. Taulant Bino of Tirana University. His research to date focuses on coastal wetlands, and thus we have good data regarding bird populations of the coast, particularly around the protected areas of Lake Shkoder, Divjake-Karavasta, Karaburuni and Potok. Lake Prespa on the South-Western border with Greece and Macedonia has likewise benefited from an alliance of international ornithologists.
What You Might See, and When You Could See It
Excluding the wildfowl of Shkoder lake which are well-documented, the challenge is to predict what might be seen further inland, in the valleys and on the peaks of Albania’s Dinaric Alps.
When are they here? 83 species should be year-round residents with an additional 38 breeding species for a total of 121 species predicted between spring and autumn. An additional 17 wintering and 7 migratory species might be encountered at the beginning or end of the season.
Where are they? The majority of species are classed as inhabiting Forest (74) or Rocky environments (27). Runners up included Scrubland (15), Urban/Human (12), Aquatic/Riverine (9) and Grassland (8).
What will you actually see? Well, therein lies the excitement – who knows!? One life-long, professional birder who visited last year had a White-Backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos) fly past her head next to the Valbona River. This was the first time she’d seen one, despite years of looking. However, it is worthwhile (if sobering) to note that 1/3 of the birds listed have “vulnerable” – or worse – status within Albania.
Where to Go: Lake Shkoder (Best for: Waterfowl and Migration Paths);Valbona & Thethi National Parks(Best for: Rocky, Forest & Grassland habitat);Gashi Nature Reserve:( Best for Forest, Riverine, Grassland habitats);Curraj i Eperm (Best for Forest and Rocky habitats);Korab-Koritnik