13. Birdwatching. Birdwatching is a recreational activity in contact with the ACTIVE TOURISM

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1 ACTIVE TOURISM 13. Birdwatching Birdwatching is a recreational activity in contact with the environment easy to carry out. Although it is important to bear in mind some recommendations to fully enjoy this easy activity, which may present difficulties as birds move fast and are quite shy. A great amount and diversity of birds can be found in the Serranía de Ronda for two main reasons: the wide range of ecosystems available in a few square kilometres and migratory birds flying across the region in their migration to or from Europe and Africa. Therefore, it is considered as a Special Protection Area (SPA) by the Andalucian Regional Government and as an Important Bird Area by the Spanish Ornithological Society (SEO/Birdlife). It is essential to have a well chosen equipment and technology but especially you will need a bit of patient and stealth. Birdwatching. Miguel A. Mateos 150 GUÍA DE ACTIVE TOURISM DE LA SERRANÍA DE RONDA

2 Golden Oriole. Juan Oñate You can start going to the countryside with binoculars and an easy field guide to identify local birds, planning ahead the watch point as not every bird prefers the same location. You can find different types of habitats depending on the area: Pasture-rocky area Conifer area Lush area Fluvial area Agricultural area Other aspects important to consider are the season of the year; in springtime, a wide range of birds can be observed whereas in winter you can watch migratory birds. Generally, birds are more active at dawn and dusk. All this information and additional details can be found in the field guides and, if you prefer, there are some companies specialised in this kind of tourism in the Serranía de Ronda (see the section Specialised Companies). Kingfisher. Pedro A. Guerrero Chito GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA 151

3 If you drive through the road which links the villages Cortes de la Frontera with El Colmenar (or Estación de Gaucín), you will discover a feeding point for carrion birds where you could observe with the naked eye vultures, eagles, corvidae and Egyptian vultures. REQUIRED EQUIPMENT Binoculars Discreet clothes Bird guide Water and food Comfortable shoes Photographic equipment with zoom and tripod (if you intend to take photos of birds) TO FIND OUT MORE Facebook group called Comedero de Aves de Cortes, where all your doubts about the feeding point for carrion birds in the Serranía de Ronda will be sorted out. decortes?fref=ts BOOKS Las Aves de la Serranía de Ronda. Juan Oñate García (coordinador). Editorial La Serranía Sierra de las Nieves. Guía del observador de aves. Marta Oñate Gutiérrez y Juan Oñate García. Editorial La Serranía Aves del Parque Natural Sierra de Grazalema. Orni Tourl S.L Birds of the Serranía de Ronda. Peter S.D. Jones. 152 GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA

4 Hawfinch. Manolo Canto VIDEOS Fantastic video recorded from inside the hide settled in the feeding point in the village Cortes de la Frontera. j5nnbviydww You can easily observe vultures, Egyptian vultures and eagles from the observatory of carrion birds in Cortes de la Frontera. BUaQd3kHzBY SPECIALISED COMPANIES Observatorio de Aves Carroñeras de Cortes José Macías. Tel GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA 153

5 ATTENTION It is strictly forbidden to approach the nest and touch the birds eggs. You can normally find information about the nesting period in the field guides. Please, obey all warning signs. Take all litter home and respect nature. In summertime, there is a high risk of fire. Do not set any fire. Livestock farming is a vital economic activity in the Serranía de Ronda. Therefore, you are asked to take due care to close gates and respect livestock. 154 GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA

6 A C T II V E T O U R II S M Eagle Owl GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA 155

7 Booted Eagle. Juan Luis Muñoz 156 GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA

8 200 Most common birds of Serrania de Ronda English Alpine Accentor Alpine Swift Barn Owl Bee-eater Black Redstart Black Stork Black Tern Black Wheatear Black Woodpecker Blackbird Blackcap Black-eared Wheatear Black-headed Gull Black-necked Grebe Black-winged Kite Black-winged Stilt Blue Rock Thrush Blue Tit Bonelli s Eagle Bonelli s Warbler Booted Eagle Brambling Calandra Lark Carrion Crow Cattle Egret Cetti s Warbler Chiffchaff Cinereous Vulture Coal Tit Com. Grasshopper Warbler Latin Prunella collaris Apus melba Tyto alaba Merops apiaster Phoenicurus ochruros Ciconia nigra Chlidonias niger Oneanthe leucura Dryocopus martius Turdus merula Sylvia atricapilla Oenanthe hispanica Larus ridibundus Podiceps nigricollis Elanus caeruleus Himantopus himantopus Monticola solitarius Parus caeruleus Hieraaetus fasciatus Phylloscopus bonelli Hieraaetus pennatus Fringilla montifringilla Melanocorypha calandra Corvus corone Bubulcus ibis Cettia cetti Phylloscopus collybita Aegypius monachus Parus ater Locustella naevia GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA 157

9 Common Buzzard Common Chaffinch Common Crossbill Common Greenshank Common Pheasant Common Redshank Common Reed Bunting Common Ringed Plover Common Sandpiper Common Snipe Common Starling Common Whitethroat Coot Cormorant Corn Bunting Crag Martin Crested Lark Crested Tit Cuckoo Dartford Warbler Dipper Dunnock Eagle Owl Egyptian Vulture Eurasian Bullfinch Eurasian Collared Dove Eurasian Dotterel Eurasian Hobby Eurasian Reed Warbler Eurasian Skylark Eurasian Stone-curlew Eurasian Teal Eurasian Tree Sparrow Eurasian Woodcock European Nightjar Buteo buteo Fringilla coelebs Loxia curvirostra Tringa nebularia Phasianus colchicus Tringa totanus Emberiza schoeniclus Charadrius hiaticula Actitis hypoleucos Gallinago gallinago Sturnus vulgaris Sylvia communis Fulica atra Phalacrocorax carbo Miliaria calandra Ptyonoprogne rupestris Galerida cristata Parus cristatus Cuculus canorus Sylvia undata Cinclus cinclus Prunella modularis Bubo bubo Neophron percnopterus Pyrrhula pyrrhula Streptopelia decaocto Charadrius morinellus Falco subbuteo Acrocephalus scirpaceus Alauda arvensis Burhinus oedicnemus Anas crecca Passer montanus Scolopax rusticola Caprimulgus europaeus 158 GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA

10 European Turtle Dove Fan-tailed Warbler Fieldfare Firecrest Garden Warbler Goldcrest Golden Eagle Golden Oriole Goldfinch Goshawk Great Crested Grebe Great Reed Warbler Great Spotted Cuckoo Great Spotted Woodpecker Great Tit Greater Flamingo Greater Short-toed Lark Green Sandpiper Green Woodpecker Greenfinch Grey heron Grey Wagtail Griffon Vulture Gull-billed Tern Hawfinch Hen Harrier Honey Buzzard Hoopoe House Martin House Sparrow Iberian Earbler Jackdaw Jay Kentish Plover Streptopelia turtur Cisticola juncidis Turdus pilaris Regulus ignicapillus Sylvia borin Regulus regulus Aquila chrysaetos Oriolus oriolus Carduelis carduelis Accipiter gentilis Podiceps cristatus Acrocephalus arundinaceus Clamator glandarius Dendrocopos major Parus major Phoenicopterus roseus Calandrella brachydactyla Tringa ochropus Picus viridis Carduelis chloris Ardea cinerea Motacilla cinerea Gyps fulvus Gelochelidon nilotica Coccothraustes coccothraustes Circus cyaneus Pernis apivorus Upupa epops Delichon urbica Passer domesticus Phylloscopus brehmii Corvus monedula Garrulus glandarius Charadrius alexandrinus GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA 159

11 Kestrel Kingfisher Lapwing Lesser Black-backed Gull Lesser Kestrel Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Lesser Whitethroat Linnet Little Bittern Little Bustard Little Egret Little Grebe Little Owl Little Ringed Plover Long-eared Owl Long-legged Buzzard Long-tailed Tit Mallard Meadow Pipit Mediterranean Gull Merlin Mistle Thrush Montagu s Harrier Moorhen Night heron Nightingale Northern Pintail Northern Shoveler Northern Wheatear Nuthatch Olivaceous Warbler Orphean Warbler Ortolan Bunting Osprey Pallid Swift Falco tinnunculus Alcedo atthis Vanellus vanellus Larus fuscus Falco naumanni Dendrocopos minor Sylvia curruca Carduelis cannabina Ixobrychus minutus Tetrax tetrax Egretta garcetta Tachybaptus ruficollis Athene noctua Charadrius dubius Asio otus Buteo rufinus Aegithalos caudatus Anas platyrhynchos Anthus pratensis Larus melanocephalus Falco columbarius Turdus viscivorus Circus pygargus Gallinula chloropus Nyctycorax nyctycorax Luscinia megarhynchos Anas acuta Anas clypeata Oenanthe oenanthe Sitta europaea Hippolais pallida Sylvia hortensis Emberiza hortulana Pandion haliaetus Apus pallidus 160 GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA

12 Pied Avocet Pied Flycatcher Purple Heron Raven Red Kite Red-billed Chough Red-footed Falcon Red-necked Nightja Red-rumped Swalow Redstart Redwing Richard s Pipit Ring Ouzel Robbin Rock Bunting Rock Dove Rock Sparrow Rock Thrush Rose-ringed Parakeet Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin Rüppell s Vulture Sand Martin Sardinian Warbler Scops Owl Sedge Warbler Serin Short-eared Owl Short-toed Eagle Short-toed Treecreeper Siskin Southern Grey Shrike Spanish Imperial Eagle Spanish Sparrow Sparrowhawk Spectacled Warbler Recurvirostra avosetta Ficedula hypoleuca Ardea purpurea Corvus corax Milvus milvus Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax Falco vespertinus Caprimulgus rufucollis Hirundo daurica Phoenicurus phoenicurus Turdus iliacus Anthus richardi Turdus torquatus Erithacus rubecula Emberiza cia Columba livia Petronia petronia Monticola saxatis Psittacula krameri Cercotrichas galactotes Gyps rueppellii Riparia riparia Sylvia melanocephala Otus scops Acrocephalus schoenobaenus Serinus serinus Asio flammeus Circaetus gallicus Certhia brachydactyla Carduelis spinus Lanius meridionalis Aquila adalberti Passer hispaniolensis Accipiter nisus Sylvia conspicillata GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA 161

13 Spotless Starling Spotted Flycatcher Squacco Heron Stock Dove Stonechat Subalpine Warbler Swallow Swift Tawny Owl Tawny Pipit Thekla Lark Tree Pipit Water Pipit Water Rail Western Marsh-harrier Whimbrel Whinchat White Stork White Wagtail White-rumped Swift Wilow Warbler Winter Wren Wood Sandpiper Woodchat Shrike Woodlark Woodpigeon Wryneck Yellow Wagtail Yellowhammer Yelow-legged Gull Sturnus unicolor Musicapa striata Ardeola ralloides Columba oenas Saxicola torquata Sylvia cantillans Hirundo rustica Apus apus Strix aluco Anthus campestris Galerida theklae Anthus trivialis Anthus spinoletta Rallus aquaticus Circus aeruginosus Numenius phaeopus Saxicola rubertra Ciconia ciconia Motacilla alba Apus caffer Phylloscopus trochilus Troglodytes troglodytes Tringa glareola Lanius senator Lullula arborea Columba palumbus Jynx torquilla Motacilla flava Emberiza citrinella Larus cachinnans 162 GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA

14 Short-Toed Eagle. Juan Luis Muñoz GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA 163

15 HOW TO USE THE GUIDE 24 GUIDE: Long-distance ACTIVE trail (GR) TOURISM Ronda Cartográfica IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA

16 How to use the guide David Barrera HOW TO USE THE GUIDE The Serranía de Ronda is a great place for active tourism with a wealth of possibilities within your reach. This guide delves into fourteen of the main activities and each of them has a different icon and colour to make searching easier. Each pursuit is divided into different sections to organise the wide range of information offered. These sections are: DEFINITION. It consists of a general description of the activity as well as the most interesting tourist attractions and resources available in the Serranía de Ronda to practise it. It is been considered convenient to include an information sheet GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA 25

17 for some activities such as Iron Way, climbing, canyoning and the network of viewpoints with extra details. All the other pursuits have been considered as a whole. REQUIRED EQUIPMENT. It has been specified compulsory equipment for a personal protection and technical requirements to practise the activity. If you decided to rely on a specialised company, it will provide the necessary equipment. TO FIND OUT MORE. It is a section with a wide variety of essential bibliography about the activity in the Serranía de Ronda as well as with links to specialised web pages to find out more information. HOW TO USE THE GUIDE VIDEOS. It is a collection of links to check out institutional and private videos which will show you the different experiences you can live in the Serranía de Ronda before plunging into it. SPECIALISED COMPANIES. It is a full list of specialised companies focused in active tourism. ATENTION. It is a summary of rules and advices which need to be taken. They could be general rules, like litter collection, or more specific advices, as checking on the weather forecast before practising canyoning. Cherry Blossom. Felipe Crespo 26 GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA

18 HOW TO USE THE GUIDE Stairs in Puente de los Alemanes. Miguel A. Mateos GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA 27