Region covered by this guide
The Crossbill Guide Western Andalucia covers Andalucia west of the line Malaga – Cordoba. Western Andalucia contains some of the most famous nature reserves of Spain: Doñana National Park and its marshes, The Strait of Gibraltar and Tarifa, the Alcornocales, Sierra de Grazalema, Sierra de las Nieves. In the north lies the Sierra Morena, which is also included in the Crossbill Guide Western Andalucia. The nature reserves of eastern Andalucia are covered in the Crossbill Guide Eastern Andalucia.
Some key sites described in the Crossbill Guides Western Andalucia
- Doñana National Park
- Strait of Gibraltar
- Tarifa
- Sierra de Grazalema
- Sierra de las Nieves
- Los Alcornocales
- Sierra Morena
- Laguna de Medina
- Bahía de Cádiz
- El Torcal de Antequera
Why visit Western Andalucia for wildlife and birdwatching?
Besides its scenery, cities and culture, Western Andalucia is an excellent destination for naturalists, birdwatchers and nature lovers in general. Andalucia is widely regarded as the most biodiverse region of Spain. It combines spectacular limestone mountains, cork oak forests, Mediterranean scrubland, Atlantic marshes and one of Europe’s richest coastlines for migrating birds.
Western Andalucia is particularly rich in birds. The Strait of Gibraltar is one of the world’s greatest bird migration bottlenecks, where hundreds of thousands of raptors, storks and other soaring birds cross between Europe and Africa every spring and autumn. A second major attraction for birdwatchers is Doñana National Park and the many wetlands of Cádiz province, which hold exceptional numbers of birds. Among them are quite a few ‘African’ species – rare in Europe, often with only a few populations in Andalucia.
Additionally, Western Andalucia is rich in orchids, reptiles, dragonflies and butterflies, making it just as rewarding for botanists and insect enthusiasts as for birdwatchers. For more information on the wildlife of Andalucia, visit our Wildlife Site Pages on Andalucia.
About the Crossbill Western Andalucia
The Crossbill Guide to Western Andalucia is a thorough and practical guide for birdwatchers, naturalists and nature lovers. It offers background information, routes and site descriptions, plus tips on finding and watching all kinds of wildlife. Each route offers detailed descriptions of where to find wildlife and wildflowers. The book offers a mix of walking routes and car itineraries with stops and short walks. Although some are challenging, all the walks in this book are designed to explore the landscape and find birds and wildlife rather than simply covering ground.
Some key species you may find with the Crossbill Guide Western Andalucia
- Marbled Duck
- Red-knobbed Coot
- Spanish Imperial Eagle
- Bonelli’s Eagle
- Bald Ibis
- Glossy Ibis
- Little Swift
- White-rumped Swift
- White-headed Duck
- Iberian Ibex
- Iberian Lynx
- European Chameleon
- Mirror Orchid
- Ringed Cascader
- Spanish Fritillary
- Spanish Festoon
About the authors
Dirk Hilbers (NL, 1976), set up the Crossbill Guides Foundation and travels Europe to research the guidebooks. Dirk wrote the predecessors to this guide (Crossbill Guide Coto Doñana and Crossbill Guide Andalusian Sierras) and wrote the current book together with John Cantelo. Dirk is an ecologist and also works in the field of environmental and animal ethics.
John Cantelo UK 1950) taught History and Social Studies before semi-retirement allowed him to focus on his other enthusiasm, birds and wildlife, by field teaching for the UK nature conservation organization the RSPB. For the past ten years he has helped edit the Crossbill Guides and for rather longer has been a regular visitor to southern Spain. He is an active member of the Andalucia Bird Society and Vice-President of Kent Ornithological Society!
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