Region covered by this guide
This guidebook covers the Eastern Rhodopes in the southeast of Bulgaria and neighbouring northeastern Greece. The Bulgarian part centres on the low mountains around the Arda River and the towns of Kardzhali and Madzharovo. On the Greek side the book covers the province of Thrace, the mainland area east of the Nestos River. Among the many natural areas, the Nestos and Evros Valleys and the extensive Dadia forest are the most important.
The Crossbill Guide is a thorough and practical guide for naturalists and nature lovers. It offers background information, routes and site descriptions, plus tips on finding and watching all kinds of wildlife. Each route offers detailed descriptions of where to find wildlife and wildflowers. The book offers a mix of walking routes and car itineraries with stops and short walks. Although some are challenging, all the walks in this book are designed to explore the landscape and find birds and wildlife rather than simply covering ground.
About the region
In the border area of southeast Bulgaria and northeast Greece lie the remote mountains of the Eastern Rhodopes. This beautifully wild and unspoiled region is home to an extraordinary array of rare species and exciting habitats. Together with the adjacent Dadia National Park, the Evros Delta and the Nestos Delta in Greece, this guide covers a whole range habitats from salt and freshwater marshes to steep rock cliffs and from Mediterranean scrubland to cool beech forests.
For more information on the Bulgarian part covered in the book, visit our Wildlife Site Pages on the Eastern Rhodopes and North-east Greece.
About the authors
Dirk Hilbers (NL, 1976), set up the Crossbill Guides Foundation and travels Europe to research the guidebooks. This is the 8th guide on which he has worked. As a biologist, when not in the field, Dirk Hilbers is a free-lance writer and lecturer in the field of environmental ethics.
Alex Tabak (NL, 1976) is an ecologist specialised in field surveys of flora, vegetation, reptiles/amphibians and butterflies. He works partly in the Netherlands, and partly in Greece.
Albert Vliegenthart (NL, 1975) works at de Vlinderstichting – the dutch butterfly conservancy, and is specialised in butterflies and dragonflies, in addition to being a keen birdwatcher.
Herman Dierickx (BE, 1958) is an author who has specialised in writing articles on environmental issues, nature and nature conservation in Belgium.
Assen Ignatov –
I am an ornithologist and very often guiding birdwatching and natural history tours mostly in Bulgaria. Last spring I have been with Dutch birdwatchers in Southern Bulgaria. Last day in the end of the tour they gave me like a present your book “Eastern Rhodopes – Nestos, Evros and Dadia – Bulgaria and Greece”. To be honest that is very good and well done!
Assen Ignatov, zoologist, wildlife artist & photographer, National Museum of Natural History, Sofia, Bulgaria