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Pylos Bay

pylos bay peloponneseAt one end of this bay on the west coast of the Peloponnese is the Dinari Lagoon and a large sandbar, a salt marsh area,dune, scrub, and Neptune grass bed offshore, all together covering a very large area, with the lagoon and sandbar protected and managed as an EU Natura 2000 site.

Known mostly as a bird site, many species breed here in spring, including marsh harriers, black-winged stilts, kingfishers, and many other birds. Short-toed eagles may breed on the headland nearby, or on the little offshore island, as they are seen here.

Great flamingos winter here and there are many waders passing through, and many other birds, such as grey herons, great white egrets, hoopoes, cormorants.

The sandbar has some nice flowers and many chameleons, which are quite rare in Europe, though the ones here resemble the north African species more than the European one. The eggs develop for almost a year in their nests in the sand, with more of them surviving now that camping and parking on the beach have been brought under control. There are also tortoise (two species), frogs, toads, and grass snakes breeding here in the lagoon. Access is from near Yialova.