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Superb Horse Riding, Photography and Birding Vacations on the Costa de la Luz in Andalusia, Spain.
Doņana National Park
Parque Nacional de Doņana
The Doņana National Park is situated on the norhern bank of the Guadalquivir river at its estuary entering into the Atlantic Ocean. It is notable for the great diversity of its biotopes, especially lagoons, marshlands, fixed and mobile dunes, scrub woodland and maquis. It is home to five threatened bird species and is one of the largest heronries in the Mediterranean region. The Doņana is not important just for the rare species which it supports, such as the Iberian Lynx or the Spanish Imperial Eagle. It is also important for its immense diversity of species. More than half of Europe's bird species are recorded in the Doņana, many of them in huge numbers. The Doņana is of great importance for the avifauna of the whole of Europe and is also the wintering site for more than 500,000 water fowl each year.
Parque Natural de la Alcornocales
This vast nature park is named for its handsome, and beautifully kept cork tree grove, one of the world's largest. It is also home to wild olive trees, gall oak and holm oak. The far south of the region is crossed by very humid, narrow valleys called canutos, which provide an ideal habitat for sub-tropical forests of great ecological value, as well as animals such as the otter, Egyptian mongoose, imperial and royal eagle and royal owl. The area is rich in game, including boar, roebuck and deer.
The park is a paradise for birds, having some of Europe's greatest concentrations of lion buzzards, eagle owls and various eagles. Roe deer have been successfully introduced and are thriving.
Alcornocales Nature Reserve
Strait of Gibraltar
Strait of Gibraltar
Gibraltar has long been known as a key location for observing the migration of birds. Gilbert White, in his Natural History of Selbourne 1788) referred to his brother John's observations of passage from his outpost on the Rock. In more recent times, the location of the Rock of Gibraltar has been used to count and sample migration of raptors, seabirds and passerines and near-passerines. Observations from the area of the Strait have contributed to a long list of publications on bird migration in the area (e.g. Bernis, 1980, Telleria, 1981, Finlayson & Cortes 1987, Finlayson 1991, Cortes, 1996, Alectoris, Reports of the Strait of Gibraltar Bird Observatory).
Zahara de los Atunes
The base for Birding Holidays is the small fishing village of Zahara de los Atunes 11km from Barbate on the Atlantic coast. Zahara has an interesting atmosphere, on a quiet day, it is like going back in time. By contrast, on a summer's day, it's the trendy place to be. The village boasts a stunning wilderness of 20 km of unspoilt white sandy beaches stretching as far as Cape Gracia. In the village itself there are the ruins of the Castillo de las Amadrabas built in the fifteenth century by the Dukes of Medina Sidonia for protection against pirates and later used by local fishermen to store their tuna fishing equipment.
Zahara de los Atunes
Andalusia weather
During summer it is possible to sunbathe almost every day from May through to October. There is virtually no rain with daily highs ranging from 25°C to 35°C and nightly lows about 15°C. Winter is mild with a mixture of clear, sunny days with sometimes overcast but warm days. Evenings are noticeably cooler. The first rains are late September or early October and can be heavy but rarely last more than a day or two. Daily highs range from 15°C to 20°C and nightly lows rarely below 10°C.
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Copyright Š 2007, Fantasia Adventure Holidays, S.L.
Photos Š Stephen Daly