The Butrint Bay Trail

The heavily wooded bluff of land that forms the core of the archaeological park forms a rich habitat for over 90 species of birds, as well as a wide range of amphibians, reptiles, mammals and insects that live among the trees and along the shore of the Vivari Channel.

The woodland is dominated by trees such as elm, ash, valonian oak, white poplar and holm oak. Golden orioles, common buzzards, scops owls and lesser kestrels can be seen here along with Balkan green lizards, agile frogs, common terrapins and the globally endangered Hermann’s and marginated tortoises. In the spring and summer butterflies, including swallowtails, hairstreaks and cleopatras, feed on the flowers – orchids, violets and geraniums are all found here.

The Vivari Channel is the saltwater channel running alongside the bluff that links Lake Butrint with the Straits of Corfu. Along with the Vrina Plain, it forms the heart of the wetland site. The Channel was originally the mouth of the river Bistrice, which used to run into the north of Lake Butrint. The channel reaches depths of 6 m and has strong tidal currents.

Along the north shore of the channel and the mouth, the salt marches are very important feeding grounds for birds. During the winter mixed flocks of wading birds can be seen in the shallow waters while spoonbills, great white egret and a variety of ducks – such as red-breasted merganser, mallard and shoveler – feed in the deeper waters. There have been occasional sightings of the endangered loggerhead turtle in the channel, and otters, living and fishing along the riverbank, are relatively common.

The southern shore of the Vivari Channel is an artificial mud bank created in the 1960s as part of the land reclamation programme. The bank prevents flooding onto the low-lying area of the Vrina Plain. A pump station located on the south bank removed ground water from the plain.

The Vivari Channel has a rich fish population and has long been famous for its fish traps (the name Vivari coming from the Latin vivarium – fish tank). Venetian maps of Butrint record the location of fish traps in the 18th and 19th centuries and traps are still to be seen opposite the main archaeological site of Butrint.

The traps are left open during the winter and spring seasons to allow fish to enter Lake Butrint and Alinura Bay to breed and then closed in the summer and autumn to catch the fish as they return to sea. Sea bream, sea bass, flathead grey mullet and eels are common.

 

• Beyond Butrint and the environment
• Marked walks around Butrint
• The Kalivo Trail
• QTVR from Kalivo
• The Butrint Bay trail
• The Lake Bufi trail
• The Mount Sotirës trail
• QTVR of the ferry crossing
• Download: Walking Trails leaflet

Otter (Lutra lutra)

• Otters live mainly in rivers but also canals, marches and coastal area.
• They have short legs, webbed feet and claws, long stream-lined body, small ears and a broad muzzle and sensitive whiskers around the snout to help detect prey.
• Otters eat mainly fish, but also birds, small mammals, amphibians, crustacean and molluscs.
• The breed only once every two years as the cubs remain dependent on their mother for a year. An otter can live 8-12 years.
• They can swim at speeds of 12 km/hr under water, travelling for up to 400 m before surfacing for air.
• Otters are endangered globally and are threatened by habitat loss, pollution, vehicles and hunting.