Autumn Getaway

In early December I had the chance to visit an area than has been on my to-do list for a while - Sierra Madrona. This mountain range is part of the Sierra Morena and lies just beyond the provincial limitis of Cordoba in Castile-La Mancha. This was the perfect time of year to visit as autumn had turned the landscape a mixure of ochre yellows, oranges and browns. 

Autumn in Sierra Madrona

Leaf litter

Song Thrushes prefer areas of leaf litter to look for invertebrates

One of the nicest walks we did was near the hamlet of Ventillas and which followed a path alongside the curiously named Arroyo de Nueve Veces.

Soon after leaving the car a juvenile Spanish Imperial Eagle circled above us for a few minutes before disappearing over a nearby hill. 

Spanish Imperial Eagle

A little further ahead a fox sat and watched us for some time before practicing its hunting technique with playful jumps. A group of Jays were busy collecting acorns for their winter stores. 

Jay

Another hoarder, the red squirrel, was also preparing for the colder months. We eventually came the Rio Montoro and the remoteness of this area meant there was nobody else around to disturb the silence. 

Red Squirrel

 

Acorns are buried by Jays for the winter months

In other parts of Sierra Madrona people were out picking mushrooms. The recent rain seemed to have led to an abundance of fungi of varying shapes and colours.

Cauliflower mushroom

Witch's Butter

Numerous rivers and streams wind through the landscpae, bringing life and colour to the area, before spilling their waters into the rivers Guadiana or Guadalquivir.

Shades of green

Ruins of a farm house

Sierra Madrona also has numerous Neolithic cave paintings dipicting scenes of ritual dance, hunts, and chasing bulls and goat.This area easily accesible, although in varying states of preservations.

Cave paintings at Peña Escrito

Despite being so close to Cordoba, Sierra Madrona offered something a bit different. The variety and colours of the landscapes felt a world away from the monotonous olive groves of Andalucia. It was rich in flora and fauna. And it felt remote without being desolate. However I felt I still have so much to see so it is definitely an area I'll return to.

Route of the Bridges

In late autumn 2023 we decided to walk one of the more well known walking routes in the Sierra of Cordoba: la ruta de los puentes. This short route runs along the banks of the Guadiato just 30 minutes from Cordoba city. Taking in four bridges along the way, it also offers views of some of the most beautiful parts of the sierra.

We start at Arenales bridge, where we can park the car. The bridge itself is a good vantage point to look for the electric blue flash of Kingfishers. If we follow the path from the bridge, with the river on our right, we come to the ruins of a bridge which was reportedly destroyed during the Civil War to slow the advance of Francist troops. Now not much remains, except for the pilars covered in graffitti and vegetation.

 

Rio Guadiato

 

Returning to the Aranales Bridge, we head in the opposite direction, this time keeping the river on our left at all times. As we descend to the river we can enjoy the shade provided by the elms, willows and alders. The silence here is only broken by the song of great tits, blue tits, robins and blackcaps.

Blue Tit

Blackcap

Normally my eyes are scanning the trees and the sky for the movement of birds, but here it paid to pay attention to the ground. After a period of rainfall, mushrooms of numerous types had sprouted.

Puffball

After about 30 minutes pine trees become more abundant and in the gaps between the trees we caught sight of Griffon Vultures riding the thermals above. And then a flash of silent movement between the trees. A goshhawk, appearing to have come from nowhere, stopped in front of us with its prey..Its piercing yellow eyes scanning the area before it began to pluck the breast feathers of its victim.

Goshawk

Goshawk plucking the feathers of its prey

Before long we arrive at the Roman bridge at the mouth of the Guadalnuño River. This remarkably well conserved bridge was built in the 1st Century, and was an important passing point of goods and armies in Arab times, uniting Cordoba with Badajoz.

Roman bridge over the Guadalnuño River

From here we can cross the bridge and follow the path for about another 400 metres until we come to Puente de la Tejera. This bridge built in the 9th century and was used until the late 19th century as part of the main road between Córdoba and Villaviciosa. Originally composed of 9 arches, it now lies partially in ruins, with three of the arches having collapsed. However it is still possible to walk across the remaining section of the bridge for views of the river below.

View from the Puente de la Tejera

From here the path becomes much narrower and more difficult to follow, so we decided to retrace our steps and head back to Cordoba. This exercusion reminded me of both the beauty of nature and the wealth of history which lie on my doorstep.

Los Villares

In the Sierra Morena just 8 kilometres from Cordoba is Los Villares Park. It is a popular site for people from the city to go for a barbecue, a walk along one of the marked paths or a weekend of camping. And at just under 500 hectares, it supports a wide range of flora and fauna.

One of the most surprising animals to be found here is the Egyptian Mongoose. They are diurnal animals and opportunistic hunters, feeding on birds, insects, reptiles and fish. They are rarely seen as they sulk silently through the undergrowth but the best opportunity to spot them is often when they come to water sources to drink in the hotter summer months. 

Egyptian Mongoose enjoying a drink on a hot summer day

 

Siesta time

Similarly stealthy and wily are foxes, which can be seen in this part of the Sierra Morena often in the early morning or late evening.

Fox

Water will attract all sorts of wildlife and the streams that run through the park are vital to a whole array of animals in the summer. Iberian Hares will come to drink and if you wait patiently near a water source you will have a good catch to see the shyer bird species that live here, such as the Cirl Bunting. 

Iberian Hare

Cirl Bunting

The Iberian Green Woodpecker will make use of its extraordinarily long tongue to reach the water in a pond. Measuring about 10cm long, it is normally used to reach into ant nests to get to one of its favourite foods. Its tongue in fact is so long that it coils behind the skull, over the eyes and into its nostril

Long tongue of the Green Woodpecker

And of course where there is water you will find insect life, such as this Epaulet Skimmer dragonfly.

Epaulet Skimmer

In the carpark in Los Villares you are sure to see and hear the resident band of Azure-Winged Magpies with their powder blue wings and tail. I have counted over 60 birds together here on one occasion. 

Azure.winged Magpie

One of the nicest walks in the park is the Botanical Path, which loops through Oak and then Pine forest. Here we can see typical woodland species such as Blue Tits, Great Tits, Long-tailed Tits, Robins, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Jays and Sparrowhawks. And when the trees open up and we look up it is not uncommon to spot a passing Griffon Vulture .

Great Tit

 

Long-tailed Tit

As the seasons change, so too do the species we can fid. In spring and early summer we can see Golden Oriels, which despite their bright yellow plumage blend in incredibly well in the foliage. Bonelli's and Subalpine Warblers breed here as does the increasingly endangered Turtle Dove. 

Bonelli's Warbler

Subalpine Warbler

Turtle Dove

As summer draws to a close Honey Buzzards often pass through this part of the Sierra Morena on their migration south. September and October sees large numbers of Spotted Flycatchers stopping off to feed here before making the trip to southern Africa.

Spotted Flycatcher

The Roof of Cordoba

In the Sierra Subbética lies La Tiñosa, the highest peak in the province at 1568 metre above sea level. While the peaks are not home to a wide variety of birds they do hold some of the harder to find species in Coroba. 

Starting at the village of Las Lagunillas we followed the dirt road that leads to Cortijo Alto. Along the way we saw a Green Woodpecker searching for food on the ground among the olive trees. We passed through the farm, but were advised by the farmer that there is a newer path, which avoids having to cut through the farmyard and dodging the dogs. 

Iberian Green Woodpecker

The mountain loomed above, although the peak remained out of sight at this point. The path started with a gentle climb and we passed the ruins of Cortijo Cañatienda. Here Thekla Larks were seen on the path, darting away to safety as we approached. 

Ruins of Cortijo Cañatienda

Thekla Lark

After a while we came to a fence which we crossed and then turned right following the path towards the mountain. Stonechats sang from their high perches, marking their territory. 

Stonechat

We also saw a pair of Rock Buntings in this area. The males are a fantastic looking bird, with their chestnut chest and humbug heads.

Rock Bunting

As we arrived at the rock face, the climb got a little more challenging and at times we were reduced to scrambling up boulders on our hands and knees. We were rewarded for our effort with the sight of Alpine Accentors. These birds love high altitudes and I believe this is the only place you can find them in the province. Black Wheatears also hold territory in this land of rocks and scrubs. We watched as the flew from rock to rock, occasionally ducking into the shrub to find an insect to eat.

Black Wheatear

We skirted round the side of the mountain and reached the Morrión Cave which offered spectacular views of the area we had just climbed. 

View from Morrión Cave

As we climbed further the birdlife declined as the top of the mountain is quite exposed. However, while enjoying the views from the top another Alpine Accentor appeared within metres of us hopping around the ground looking for insects. However, after a few minutes the sharp wind forced to retreat back down the mountain. 

The nearby area has various other trails worth exploring. Fuente del Puerto del Cerezo is a gentler walk but offers sublime views of the Subbética nonetheless. The peak here is home to a colony of Griffon Vultures which glided effortlessly over our heads. A pair of Golden Eagles appeared to be nesting here as well and didn’t seem too bothered by the presence of so many vultures, often riding the same thermals together. 

Puerto del Cerezo