These days you need to have a careful look at the weather forecast before going out on a hiking trip, especially near an area that is known to be the wettest place of Spain, Grazalema. Today I decided to visit Sierra de Líjar, a mountain range between Olvera and Algodonales, with hopes of spotting some new species.
It's not necessary to set off very early in the morning in this time of year, as the temperatures now stay well below thirty degrees. The ideal weather to go on a long hike. I had visited the area of Sierra de Líjar a couple of times before, but now I wanted to see some rarer species that are likely to be found in rocky areas at a higher altitude, like Hawfinch, Crossbill or Ring Ouzel.
I started the trail at a camping site, a suitable place to have a barbecue in summer. I felt sorry for the pigs I found there, kept at some sort of farm. Don't exactly know what they are being kept for, and they aren't exactly clean animals, but they provoked a pitiful feeling. Between the trees at the starting point I spotted House Sparrow, Great and Blue Tit. I had the feeling that I was not going to see these species any more during the rest of the hike. And I guessed right.
The species I heard the most today were Sardinian Warbler and Robin, but I wasn't able to take a decent photo of either of them. I did catch a Blackcap.
Although the track was leading me over a quite steep path, I was soon impressed by the spectacular views over the far away mountains. Being quite prone to vertigo, I didn't experience any particular problems walking over the trail with a sometimes steep precipice next to it.
The path kept on climbing and climbing, until I reached the Orihuela watchpoint, where I had a really spectacular view over the mountains, enabling me to see the Peñon de Zaframagón.
Up to that point I had been climbing 2.5 kilometres, pausing every ten steps to enjoy the views and try to detect some birds. I was clearly more impressed by the surrounding nature than by the bird species in this area. After a short break during which I relished the breath-taking sights, I decided to continue my trail. I got a bit confused when I reached a sign indicating the distance to la Muela (6.5 km) as there was another path leading upwards the mountain, which seemed to correspend more with the route I had in mind originally. I was tempted to go along this rocky track, trusting the footsteps I noticed in the mud. After an uncomfortable climb I reached a metal fence where I spotted a mountain goat, but I soon realised it was better to descend again and continue to La Muela. I had lost almost an hour but the encounter with the goat had somehow made it worthwhile.
At that moment it was about 2 PM and I started to realise I'd better make a move on if I didn't want to end up being caught by the darkness, as I didn't really know how many kilometres there were still left. Little did I realise that I had only completed a small part of the route, after over three hours walking!
In the next part of the track I got plenty of opportunities to photograph members of the Griffon Vulture colony, some of them flying relatively close.
During the rest of this everlasting hike I barely saw any other different species, which was a bit of a disappointment. I ran out of mobile phone battery, which made me rely on instinct rather than GPS. The cable to connect the spare batteries to my mobile phone didn't do their job and the sky was turning darker as clouds rolled in. I felt a big relief when I came to a point where a road sign indicated 6.5 kilometres back to my starting point. Now I only had to find the way. In the meantime I tried to relax and enjoy the views and the still nice autumn temperatures.
I spotted some small and large water supplies near the track, which could be interesting to observe thirsty birds in summer, but then visiting this place by car.
The only visible birds accompanying me on the long way back were not surprisingly some Griffon Vultures.
More than eight hours after commencing this hike I reached the starting point at the Los Nacimientos camping. Going along such an exhausting trail carrying heavy gear is maybe not a good idea, but I will remember the spectacular views for a long time!
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