From Berat to the Karavasta Lagoon, 29 March 2013

Goodbye to Berat - the streets are so narrow and step that cement for building has to transported by donkey Hello to the Karavasta Lagoon. Water buffaloes have been imported, and this one looks rather angry, so we were advised to keep distance. Karavasta lagoon is the largest offshore wetland in Albania. The lagoon is declared a National Park and it is the only official Ramsar site in Albania The lagoon is composed of an inner lagoon and a small outer lagoon. Three channels link the lagoon with Adriatic Sea. The site is important for wintering waterbirds and for breeding colonial waterbirds, including the Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus). The huge Dalmatian Pelican is the largest of the pelicans and one of the largest living bird species. It measures 160 to 183 cm in length, 9–15 kg in weight and 290–351 cm in wingspan. The mean weight of around 11.5 kg of the Dalmatian Pelican makes it the world's heaviest flying bird species.