Malaga in spring’s wildlife tour

We will meet at Malaga international airport and quickly move to visit the nº1 birdwatching site in the area at the Guadalhorce River estuary, with high diversity of waders and waterfowls (e.g. White-headed duck). We will walk along the sea side at a wild beach and check for marine birds. Lagoons are also home to southern mediterranean species of dragonflies. We will then travel and be hosted near Antequera for three nights.

Morning dedicated to the most famous Iberian limestone landscape: the Torcal de Antequera, a maze of cliffs and eroded rocks scattered with small trees. This karst is perfect for Spanish ibex, Blue Rock-Thrush and Black Wheatear. Various Mediterranean orchids and butterflies are found among the species-rich chalk grassland.

We will then move towards a nearby farmland range in Seville province, where we will mostly search for steppe birds: Calandra Lark, Lesser Kestrel and so on. We will finish our day at Fuente de Piedra, a truly classic site hosting the largest colony of Greater Flamingo in the Mediterranean Basin.

A big colony of Griffon Vulture is thriving at El Chorro Gorge, alongside with many other raptors. Mountainous landscapes are breath-taking. The shy Bonelli’s Eagle is a (uneasy) target for the day. We will walk the Caminito del Rey, a must-see and very popular path located on a cliff side (tickets are not allways easy to reserve). Later, we will move to the lovely town of Ronda and walk a short hike which allow to look at common crops and fruit trees and their many associated insects. El Tajo gorge and Ronda surrounding landscapes are unforgettable sceneries. We will then be hosted in Serranía de Ronda at the scenic white village of Benarrabá for four nights.

A circular journey within the province of Cadiz where moisture is higher and vegetation lusher. We will discover the largest European forest of Cork Oak Los Alcornocales and its surrounding area. Various short stops will allow to search for plenty of insects, birds and flowers. Visited habitats include forests, dehesas, grasslands, carrion site and rivers. The Mirador de Africa will allow us to gaze over another continent (!) and to observe (with a bit of luck) hill-topping butterflies. Night trapping will allow to look at nocturnal invertebrates (moths, mantis).

The Serranía de Ronda has been celebrated since the Romantic travelers, for the beauty of its town, the folk and above all nature. We will explore the spectacular high plateau of “Llanos de Libár” in Sierra de Grazalema, a large Portuguese Oak dehesa, surrounded by cliffs and grazed by sheep and goats. Little known, yet full of wildlife and flowers. We will have plenty of opportunities to search for mountain birds. Later in the afternoon, on our way, we will cross the River Guadiaro (good site for dragonflies) and move towards the Genal River valley.

We will cross the Genal Valley, quite unique for retaining the Mediterranean tradition of polyculture within the forest and visit Sierra Bermeja, a red mountain made of the rare peridotite rock and home to the endemic Spanish fir (Abies pinsapo). Nice panorama over the coast. Our last site is a little-known river located in Costa del Sol, near Marbella, part of Sierra de Las Nieves National Park, which host the highest diversity of aquatic life (dragonflies, fishes), etc. in the region. A variety of habitats will allow for very nice species. Farewell party

Transfer in the morning in order to be back early and safe. We will stop en route at various view points.