Sierra de Hornachuelos

Fifty kilometres west of Cordoba lies Hornacuelos National Park in the Sierra Morena. The vast unpopulated area of scrubland, Mediterranean woodland and Holm Oak woods make it a great location for seeing some of the region's more secretive fauna.

It is a large area to explore but a good starting point is the visitor centre just outside the village of Hornacuelos. There are various walks which can be done from here, some of which require permission, but the simplest is La Rabilarga trail. Despite only being about 2km long it offers the chance to see a wide range of species and follows La Rabilarga stream. In February we saw a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, the star attraction, just metres from the visitor centre. We also saw many members of the tit family, including Blue Tits, Great Tits, Crested Tits and Long-tailed Tits.

Long-tailed Tit

The thickets along the river are also home to Blackcaps, Sardinian Warblers, Robins, Nightingales, Cetti's Warbler, Serins, Hawfinches, Goldfinches and Chaffinches. A recent trip in August also revealed that this area is popular with Golden Orioles. 

Female Blackcap

In the Cork Oaks see saw Short-Toed Treecreepers, Nuthaches, Bonelli's Warblers, Spotless Starlings, Hoopoes and Azure-Winged Magpies, which the stream is named after.  

Other areas of the park can be explored by car. While there are not many places to pull in off the road the lack of traffic makes it relatively easy to stop. The A-3151 from the village of Hornacuelos to San Calixto and beyond is a drive which offers spectacular views of the wild landscape and the chance to see some of the more secretive birds that live here as well as Red Deer, Wild Boar and butterflies. 

Cardenillo (Tomares ballus)

We have seen Griffon and Black Vultures soaring overhead as well as Red Kites, Booted Eagles, Buzzards and Black Storks. There is also a local population of Spanish Imperial Eagles. 

Spanish Imperial Eagle

The remoteness of the park makes it a great place for star watching and there are now regular activities throughout the year to promote this. 

The Milky Way

The area is also one of the key beekeeping regions in Andalucia and the fantastic honey can be bought in a small shop in the village. 

Bee feeding on the nectar