By vehicle and on foot
asphalt, dirt tracks and paths
Habitats de aves que encontrarás en esta zona:
We start at the Alange dam (o.p. 01) which has the largest colony of Alpine Swifts in Extremadura. From the car park we walk along the path below the outcrop to look for Black Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, White-rumped Swift, a Griffon Vulture colony and Egyptian Vultures, that breed here. We continue to Alange to visit the spectacular colony of Pallid Swift at the church of Nuestra Señora de los Milagros (o.p. 02). From here we can continue to the end of Mesilla Street to take the round trip route on foot to the Jabata Valley and the Peñas Blancas mountain range, where we can see Golden Eagle, Golden Oriole, Iberian Magpie and Black Wheatear among other species. Another of its attractions is a small orchid reserve (o.p. 03) which is well-signposted.
Returning to Alange we will continue along the Palomas road and after crossing the San Juan River bridge, we will take a track to the right that takes us directly to the Alange reservoir (o.p. 04), where we can observe water birds such as Red-crested Pochard, Great Crested Grebe, Common Sandpiper, Little Ringed and Kentish Plovers and important winter roosts for Black-headed, Lesser Black-backed and Yellow-legged Gulls, and Common Cranes. We continue along the Palomas road heading towards the Sierra Grande, but before reaching the town of Hornachos we make a stop to take a short walk in the lower area of the Sierra de los Pinos (o.p. 05), a good place to see birds of prey such as Bonelli’s and Short-toed Eagles, and in the dehesas to see and hear European Turtle Dove.
At Hornachos we go to the Plaza de España, where the town hall and its House Martin colony are located, which in some years has remained active in the middle of winter. From there, we can start a circular route going up the valley of the Moors, where the Palomas pillar is located in the lower part and further on the laundry and the spring of the Moors (o.p. 06) where we can see Rock Bunting, Hawfinch as well as Golden Eagle overhead. We continue along the Carrascal path and return through the Christians valley, to access Hornachos castle (o.p. 07) to find species like Thekla Lark, Black Wheatear and Bonelli’s Eagle.
Alange Roman Spa and Baths: declared a World Heritage Site and administering pleasure, health and well-being for more than two thousand years.
Castillo de la Culebra: spectacular watchtower in Alange with the remains of the 9th century Muslim fortress.
Celestial viewpoint: in the Hornachos mountain range, very close to the town, a viewpoint with night communication support that interprets the night sky.
Church of the Purísima Concepción: in Hornachos, this masterpiece of the Mudejar is declared an asset of cultural interest with the category of monument.
Aves que están en el territorio todo el año.
Aves reproductoras que estarán en el territorio durante la primavera y el verano, realizando la migración a sus cuarteles invernales a final del estío.
Aves que no crían en Extremadura, pero que pasan aquí los meses otoñales e invernales.
Aves que utilizan la región como área de paso, desde sus zonas de cría al norte de Extremadura, hasta sus áreas de invernada más al sur.
Consejería de Cultura, Turismo, Jóvenes y Deportes 2025©
