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WE ARE LUCKY TO HAVE A FANTASTIC VIEW OF THE MOUNTAIN FROM THE HOUSE FRONT. I WILL TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE VIEW EVERY 14 DAYS DURING AUTUMN, WINTER AND SPRING AND POST THEM ON THE WEBSITE. SEE THIS WEEKS PHOTO

MOUNT AINOS IS THE LARGEST MOUNTAIN ON KEFALONIA AND THE THIRD HIGHEST IN THE ISLANDS OF GREECE. THE HIGHEST PEAK, MEGA SOROS, IS 1628 METRES ABOVE SEA LEVEL. THE MOUNTAIN'S FOOTHILLS EXTEND AS FAR AS POROS IN THE SOUTH OF THE ISLAND.

THE HIGH SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAIN WHICH ARE SOMETIMES SNOW COVERED IN WINTER, ARE HOME TO THE FIR TREE ABIES CEPHALONICA, WHICH WAS UNIQUE TO THE

ISLAND UNTIL 1824, WHEN SAPLINGS WERE ALLOWED TO BE TRANSPLANTED AND TAKEN OFF THE ISLAND.

BECAUSE OF THE DARK GREEN FIRS THAT COVERED THE MOUNTAIN AT THE TIME,

VENETIAN SAILORS NAMED IT "MONTE NERO" (BLACK MOUNTAIN).

THE FORESTS HAVE SUPPLIED SHIPYARDS WITH LUMBER SINCE ANTIQUITY. YARDS ON THE MAINLAND, ON ITHACA, IN CORFU AND ITALY HAVE ALL BENEFITED IN THE PAST.

KEFALONIAN PINE WAS USED FOR THE BULWARKS AND DECKING. CYPRESS WAS IDEAL FOR SHIPS MASTS.

THE FOREST IS NOW MUCH REDUCED IN SIZE DUE TO A NUMBER OF DEVASTATING FIRES IN 1590, 1730, 1760 AND THE WORST OF ALL IN THE SPRING OF 1793. THAT FIRE STARTED AFTER PEASANTS, WANTING TO ILLEGALLY SOW WHEAT ON SOME FERTILE GROUND NEXT TO THE FOREST, STARTED A FIRE TO CLEAR THE LAND. UNFORTUNATELY, THE WIND WAS AGAINST THEM AND THE FIRE SPREAD OUT OF CONTROL. IT BURNED FOR THREE MONTHS AND IT IS SAID THAT DURING THAT PERIOD, IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NIGHT AND DAY.

SEVERAL DOZEN WILD HORSES STILL ROAM THE SOUTHERN EASTERN SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAIN. THEY ARE DESCENDANTS OF HORSES THAT WERE EITHER ABANDONED BY THEIR OWNERS OR SIMPLY BROKE LOOSE, AND HAVE EXISTED AS A HERD FOR OVER A CENTURY. THEY ARE A RARE BREED, UNIQUE TO NORTHERN GREECE. NARROW BODIED AND DEEP-CHESTED WITH THICKSET LEGS AND HARD HOOFED, THEY ARE IDEAL ANIMALS FOR THE DIFFICULT TERRAIN OF MOUNT AINOS. THEY ARE HOWEVER, EXTREMELY SHY AND DISAPPEAR INTO THE TREES AT THE SLIGHTEST EVIDENCE OF HUMAN MOVEMENT .

THEY BASE THEMSELVES IN A HANGING VALLEY ABOVE THE VILLAGE OF ARGINIA. THE VALLEY HAS THE ONLY YEAR ROUND WATER SPRING ON THE MOUNTAIN AND ALTHOUGH THE VILLAGERS HAVE PIPED THE SUPPLY FOR THEMSELVES, ENOUGH WATER USUALLY SEEPS INTO A TROUGH TO SATISFY THE HORSES NEEDS. HIGH SUMMER FOLLOWING A DRY WINTER CAN RESULT IN A LOSS OF WATER FLOW WHICH WOULD THREATEN THE HORSES SURVIVAL. THE VILLAGERS ALWAYS KNOW WHEN THE HORSES ARE IN ANY NEED BECAUSE THEY USUALLY MOVE DOWN TO THE VILLAGE WHEN THEY ARE HUNGRY OR THIRSTY.

YOU WILL FIND PHOTOS OF THE HORSES ON THE ANIMALS PAGE

THERE ARE NO NATURAL RIVERS ON THE MOUNTAIN AND THERE IS ONLY THAT ONE SPRING ON THE HIGH SLOPES.

THE INVALUABLE FOREST ON MOUNT AINOS WAS DECLARED A NATIONAL PARK IN 1962.

THE PARK IS ALSO HOME TO MANY MIGRATORY BIRDS AND MAGNIFICENT BIRDS OF PREY--GRIFFIN VULTURES, GOLDEN EAGLES, GOSHAWKS, ROUGH LEGGED BUZZARDS AND FALCONS TO NAME BUT A FEW.

HUNTING IS A VERY POPULAR PASTIME IN WINTER AND KEFALONIA HAS THE LARGEST GUN CLUB IN GREECE. EVERY WEEKEND FROM SEPTEMBER TO MARCH, THE MOUNTAIN ECHOES TO THE SOUND OF GUNFIRE.

LUCKILY THE MAGNIFICENT BIRDS OF PREY WHICH GRACE THE HIGH CLIFFS AND TREES OF THE MOUNTAIN ARE PROTECTED FROM HUNTING BY LAW BUT UNFORTUNATELY MANY OTHER BIRDS ARE CONSIDERED FAIR GAME AND KILLED FOR THE TABLE. THIS - DISTURBINGLY - INCLUDES MANY MIGRATORY BIRDS WHICH CALL HERE ON THEIR JOURNEY

BETWEEN EUROPE AND NORTH AFRICA. SPARROWS, CROWS AND MAGPIES REGULARLY COME UNDER THE GUN BUT THESE BIRDS ARE NEVER EATEN.

THANK GOODNESS THE HUNTING SEASON HAS FINISHED BEFORE THE SWALLOWS, FINCHES AND OTHER SPRING MIGRATORY BIRDS, ARRIVE FROM NORTH AFRICA.