From Opus

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[edit] Overview

This national park in the eastern part of the Olympus Mts of northern Thessaly includes some of the most dramatic scenery in the whole of Greece and is popular with hikers, climbers and skiers as well as birders.

Reaching from the Aegean to over 2,900m this area has a range of habitats from typical Mediterranean maquis on the lower slopes through forests of beech, Greek Fir and Black Pine and Balkan Pine in the higher parts and up to the treeline which can be 2,500m in places.

[edit] Birds

[edit] Notable Species

Like other mountainous areas of Greece, Mt Olympus has a fine selection of raptors and these include Black Vulture and Griffon Vulture, Short-toed Eagle, Golden Eagle and Booted Eagle, Levant Sparrowhawk, and Lanner Falcon and Eleonora's Falcon. Lammergeier was regularly seen until recently and may no longer be permanently resident in the area.

Other sought-after species include mountain-dwellers such as Wallcreeper, Alpine Accentor and Horned Lark with Grey Wagtail and Eurasian Crag Martin in the gorges.

The forest has Grey-headed Woodpecker, White-backed Woodpecker and Three-toed Woodpecker and Tengmalm's Owl, Crested Tit, Firecrest and Common Crossbill. Lower down the slopes in the maquis Nightingale and Sylvia warblers are numerous.

[edit] Check-list

Birds you can see here include:

Black Stork, Western Honey-Buzzard, Black Kite, Lammergeier, Griffon Vulture, Black Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Short-toed Eagle, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Levant Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Golden Eagle, Booted Eagle, Common Kestrel, Eleonora's Falcon, Lanner Falcon, Peregrine Falcon, Rock Partridge, Common Woodpigeon, European Turtle Dove, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Cuckoo, Great Eagle Owl, Tawny Owl, Tengmalm's Owl, Common Swift, Pallid Swift, Alpine Swift, European Bee-eater, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Black Woodpecker, White-backed Woodpecker, Three-toed Woodpecker, Wood Lark, Horned Lark, Eurasian Crag Martin, Grey Wagtail, Common Wren, Dunnock, Alpine Accentor, Common Nightingale, Eurasian Robin, Black Redstart, Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, Blue Rock Thrush, Eurasian Blackbird, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Common Chiffchaff, Firecrest, Semi-collared Flycatcher, Crested Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Nuthatch, Wallcreeper, Short-toed Treecreeper, Common Jay, Common Magpie, Alpine Chough, Eurasian Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, Northern Raven, House Sparrow, White-winged Snow Finch, Chaffinch, European Serin, European Greenfinch, Eurasian Linnet, Common Crossbill, Common Bullfinch, Cirl Bunting, Rock Bunting, Ortolan Bunting

[edit] Other Wildlife

The rare Mt Olympus endemic Jankaea heldreichii can be seen at the waterfall near Prionia. Mammals include Roe Deer and Wild Boar and there are surviving populations of Grey Wolf and Golden Jackal.

A botanist's paradise, Mt Olympus has nearly twenty endemic plant species growing on its slopes and many others are found only in the Balkan Peninsula.

[edit] Site Information

The high tops are snow-covered for most of the year and the best time to visit is June to October when the higher areas can be reached fairly easily.

[edit] Areas of Interest

Continuing south on the N1 for a further 30km leads to the Tembi Valley, another area rich in raptors and other species found on Mt Olympus but with the addition of Black Stork and Lesser Spotted Eagle.

[edit] Access and Facilities

The park is located 120km south of Thessaloniki on the N1 Larissa road and up a minor road to the village of Litochori. Accommodation can be found here and the park is a short distance higher up this road.

Seeing the birds requires a good deal of walking and so visitors should come properly equipped. Birding visitors usually head for the Spilios Agapitos refuge (open May-October) where food and accommodation is available although it must be booked well in advance. This trail leads through dense forest areas and up to the peak of Skolio.

[edit] Contact Details

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[edit] External Links

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Content and images originally posted by Steve