MARO-CERRO GORDO CLIFFS - Andalucia Bird Society

Facing west and overlooking the sharp Malaga coastline on the

limit with the Granada province, the viewpoint on the Cerro

Gordo Hill brow offers a picturesque panoramic over the

breathtaking cliff surrounding Cala Manzano (Manzano

Creek). A spectacular alternation of craggy slopes and small

beaches located in very difficult to access creeks can be enjoyed

from this natural balcony. Just in front of us, on the opposite

mountain-side and keeping to the steeply sloped surface above

the vertical cliff face, we can see the farmed terraces with avo-

cado (Persea americana) and cherimoya (Anona cherimola)

trees.

© David Ríos Aguilar · [email protected]

Besides to be delighted with the spectacular flight of the pere-

grine falcon swooping down over the coastline, one of the major

incentives that this route can provide us is the chance of to pho-

tograph the Southeastern Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica his-

panica) against the amazing backdrop of the Mediterranean

Sea. Even though it was an eminently alpine species ,some wild

goats as the photographed one -coming from nearby Sierras de

Tejeda, La Almijara y Alhama Mountains Natural Park- have

found on needles and pinnacles of the rocky cliff coastline an

ideal place for living in.

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MARO-CERRO GORDO CLIFFSWalking around Mediterranean dominions of peregrine falcon and Southeastern Spanish ibex


Maltese falcon or Mediterranean peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus

brookei) may be often watching resting on the vertical walls of Las

Calderas Cliff, where this bird-killing falcon spends much of its time

perched on any innaccesible rock ledge over the upper part of the

crag.

From this privileged watchtower, apart of resting, the peregrine

keeps an eye on gulls, pigeons and birds in general overflying the

shoreline. This will occur so as long as the moment when it fixes its

big, black, yellow-rimmed eyes upon a specific point on the hori-

zon. The raptor will be converted then itself into a perfect ma-

chine which will fall relentlessly over the potential prey with

lighting speed.

Maro-Cerro Gordo Cliffs Natural Site is located at the southern

edge of the province of Granada, next to its border with the

Málaga province, in the hearth of the Andalusian Mediter-

ranean coast.

The small parking proposed as the beginning of the walking

route has a grid reference of 36º 44' 03.74'' N, 3º 46' 03.63'' W.

Alarge Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) marks thestarting point of the proposed stroll, a short routewhich allows us to enjoy with one of the last virgin

landscapes of the Granada's Mediterranean coast.The entire route we are going to walk crosses an area

protected by the Junta de Andalucía (Regional Govern-ment of Andalusia) under the former denomination of"Paraje Natural de Acantilados de Maro-Cerro Gordo"(Maro -Cerro Gordo Cliffs Natural Site) since July 1989.In addition to this, the area is considered as "Zona de Es-pecial Protección para las Aves (ZEPA) "- translating intoEnglish, Special Protection Areas for Birds (SPAB)-, beingalso included within the select group of "Zonas Especial-mente Protegidas de Importancia para el Mediterráneo(ZEPIM)" (Specially Protected Areas of MediterraneanImportance).

The whole protected area extends from Maro watch-tower to Calaiza Creek including also a marine strip of onemile in width alongside the coastline. It is a restricted areawith a high ecological value as reveals the rich marinefauna diversity, with a great number of interesting specieslike the attractively coloured fishes belonging to the Po-

mancentridae family - commonly known in Spain as

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Drivable route onto Paraje Natural Acantilados de Maro-Cerro Gordo (Maro -Cerro Gordo Cliffs Natural Site) by N340 road and A7 highway.

After approximately 1.4 km (3/4 mile) from the roundabout by

means of which we return to the N340 road once the A7 high-

way is left behind, we reach the turning off the N340 road sign-

posted "CERRO GORDO". The turning is just before the km 305

on this road, leading us in about 1.6 km (1 mile) to the starting

point of the walking route.

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How to reach it

Detailed access to Cerro Gordo crest from the old N340 road.

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Coming from Granada by the A7 high-

way we must leave this high speed road taking the

305 exit - singposted " La Herradura/ Almuñécar

(oeste)"- towards the western part of La Herradura

and Almuñécar towns.

If we were trying to access from the opposite direc-

tion, driving from Málaga instead of Granada, the

respective turning off would be also the 305, located

500 metres approximately after crossing the

Marchante Tunnel.

Once taken the pointed exit and passing under the

A7 highway, the branch heading steadily downhill

to lead finally to the roundabout from where we turn

to the right for rejoining the N340 road, the old

Mediterranean route.

A few hundred metres beyond the 306-kilometre

stone of this secondary road, in a distance of about

1,4 km from the previous roundabout and just before

reaching the entry to the Cerro Gordo Tunnel , a

branch trending upward to the right guides us to

the commencing point of the walking route.

In just 1,6km from this latter junction and after

climbing through a pleasant pine wood, the tarmac

track we are following along encounters a wide

right-hand curve depicting the Cerro Gordo saddle.

At this point there is a small roadside parking area,

next to a cosy restaurant, where we can park quite

easily our vehicle.

"peces doncella" (damselfishes)- or the enigmaticand spectacular Oceansunfish (Mola mola) ap-proaching the shore overSpring and Summer for bedewormed by othersmaller fish species.

As regards as thesunken plant community,it is worthy of remark thewidely spread meadows ofPosidonia oceanica ma-

rine across the seabed.Sheltering in this pro-tected area, anemones,sponges and many othersorts of sessile creaturesfill of life and colour theMediterranean Sea floor.

Certain parts on sub-merged cliff faces and un-derwater cave sides arecompletely covered in As-troides calycularis orangecoral, being this naturalsetting one of its latest re-doubts in the Mediter-ranean Sea.

A threatened limpetspecies, the ribbedMediterranean limpet(Patella ferruginea), maybe easily found here keep-ing stuck to the coastal

rock surface at toe of im-pressive walls.

Going on with the itine-rary description, a few me-tres past the restaurant aless obvious path branchespurposefully uphill on theright. We can reach thebrow of Cerro Gordo Hillclimbing up on this tracktowards the northwest,

after a short but demand-ing ascent.

On this direct assault tothe brow we pass throughan area of typical Mediter-ranean scrub and Aleppopine (Pinus halepensis)grove.

Nearby the hill brow,flowering white asphodel(Asphodelus albus) and

wild daffodil (Narcissus

pseudonarcissus) may bespotted in springtime. Se -veral orchid species as fan-lipped orchid collina(Orchis collina) dress intheir best when goodweather arrives.

Three species of laven-der grow on the hill slopestoo: Spanish lavender or


A poorly maintained tarmac road

branches uphill on the right from the

N340 road, climbing through pleasant

pine woods and maintaining an easy gra-

dient for its ascent up to arrive on the

crest of Cerro Gordo Hill. A small road-

side parking area is just located next to

the restaurant facade.

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Although the initial impression of blue rock thrush (Monticola solitarius) watched

from a distance might seem like a bird with dark and dull tones, the male specimens

show an intensely blue colour at close range. When the sun catches them, their

plumage looks especially iridescent standing out its rich and bright bluish head from

the rest of the dark blue-coloured body.


The Cerro Gordo watchtower is a typical nasrid construction from the middle of the 14th Century being part of the

Almuñécar area's defence system. This tower was visually connected to other ones strategically distributed along the

shoreline overlooking the Mediterranean Sea coastal strip. As is the case with most of this kind of constructions, it

has a hollow top third and two solid lower thirds.

topped lavender (Lavan-

dula stoechas), FrenchLavender (Lavandula den-

tata) and lavender or Eng-lish lavender (Lavandula

angustifolia).After running the eye

over the wonderfulpanorama from thewooden viewpoint built atthe hill top, the ride followsskirting downhill in asouth-easterly direction upto pick up again the lanewe came before climbingthe Cerro Gordo Hill top.

We arrive at the watch-tower soon after, an an-cient defensive structurefrom muslim times. Nextto this tower starts awooden rail followingstraigthline the ridge ortermed hill direction.

House martins (Deli-

chon urbica) and alpine

swifts (Apus melba) fill theair with their gracefullyand light flights.

And bellow, into sea,we may be able to see hort-beaked common dolphins(Delphinus delphis), com-mon bottlenose dolphins(Tursiops truncatus) andstriped dolphins (Stenella

coeruleoalba) cavortingup and down the watersurface, getting closer tothe shore during their sea-sonal movements to orfrom the Strait of Gibral-tar.

The footpath runs nowparallel to a well-con-served wooden rail, con-tinuing gently downhill asfar as it encounters the topedge of Acantilado de lasCalderas (Las CalderasCliff). Perched on lime-stone rocky ledges and

overflying the creek, se veralsort of gulls like Audouin'sgull (Ichthyaetus au-

douinii), yellow-leggedgull (Larus michahellis),lesser black-backed gull(Larus fuscus) and black-headed gull (Chroico-

cephalus ridibundus) maybe watched.

Next to the cliff edge,the final route stretchpasses bordering a smallpine grove. The pathmaintains there a highgradient, dropping quicklyand steeply with zig-zagsto help ease the descent.On reaching the last curveturning sharp left, a rightbranch -much more indis-tinct than the main path,looking like a transversalgoat-track- heads slightlydownhill leading us to theend of the route. A rocky

steeple conforming a natu -ral balcony overlookingthe impressive verticalwalls of Las Calderas andthe wide and brightMediterranean horizon.

During the proposeditinerary we might be sur-prised by the presence ofsome species of amphi -bians and reptiles speciessuch as common toad(Bufo bufo), natterjacktoad (Bufo calamita),Mediterranean houseGecko (Hemidactylusu-

uttg turcicus), ocellatedlizard (Lacerta lepida

/Timon lepidus), Mont-pellier snake (Malpolon

monspessulanus), the sci-entifically named Podarcis

hispanica small endemiclizard or even the quitescarce Lataste's viper(Vipera latasti).


Aerial view showing the initial stretch of

the walking route, from the parking area

at 208 metres (682 ft) above sea level to

the watchtower founded on the sharp-

ridge of the hill at 221 metres (724 ft)

above sea level. A few steps passing the

restaurant, near the beginning of the

route, a little branch track leads to the

232-metre- high (761 ft) Cerro Gordo Hill

brow.

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The downstream stretch takes up again

the main footpath a short distance before

the watchtower. It continues falling gen-

tly with the same direction of the wooden

rail, on the east ridge of the hill, as far as

the path arrives at the end of the pointed

rail. The route reaches here a height of

some 200 metres (656ft) above sea level.

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Final stretch from the tip of the wooden

rail to the end of the route, along which

the path descends purposefully in short

zig-zags next to the edge of Las Calderas

Cliff. Besides to offer us amazing views

over the lower part of the limestone cliff

and the shoreline, the last part of the

route is itself a privileged place for bird-

watching.

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As spring arrives, the verti-

cal walls of the marine cliffs

appear partially covered

with yellowish spots of yel-

low sea aster (Asteriscus

maritimus) making up the

perfect counterpoint to the

vibrant blue of the Mediter-

ranean Sea.

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Another type of plant worthy of being taken into account is a

species of rosemary, the Rosmarinus tomentosus, which is na-

tive to the Mediterranean coastal strip of Málaga and Granada

provinces. This plant may be easily identified as integral part of

srcublands developing on calcareous rocky walls, up to a maxi -

mum height about 400 metres (1,312ft) above sea level.

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Coming from the sub-tropical croplands of avo-cado (Persea americana)and cherimoya (Anona

cherimola) trees which sur-round this natural site andmoving slowly along thepine branches, it is impor-tant to note the presence ofcommon chameleon orMediterranean chameleon(Chamaleo chamaleon)too.

Much more difficultfor watching, hidden be-hind the scrubland andthe fa cing east Aleppo pine(Pinus halepensis) grovesover the daytime, mam-mals like hedgehog (Eri-

naceus europaeus), wildcat (Felis silvestris), stonemarten (Martes foina),badger (Meles meles), wildboar (Sus scrofa) weasel(Mustela nivalis), Iberianmole (Talpa occidentalis)and red fox (Vulpes

vulpes), begin their every-day food searching at twi-light.

But the real interest thisnatural enclave displays forbirdwatchers and wilder-ness enthusiast in general ,one of the main reasonswhy Maro and Cerro GordoCliffs was conside red asspecial protection area forbirds, lies in the possibility

of sighting a large diversityof seabirds.

From among theabove-mentioned sort s ofgulls being possible tooccur here yellow-leggedgull is the only residentspecies, forming densecolonies in highly inacces-sible areas of Manzanoand Las Calderas Cliffs.

Lesser black-backedgull and black-headed gullare mainly winter visitors.Immature birds and adultones are certainly easier tofind around these latitudeswith the arrival of the mildwinter weather. In sum-mertime can be also ob-

servable some subadultbirds or not yet reproduc-tive specimens too.

The endangered andgrowing scarce Audouin'sgull offers along the coastof the province ofGranada, at the moment,good chances for to bespotted in winter.

During this period, atdusk, with the falling sunlighting the coastline, birdlovers may be surprised byhuge flocks containing awide variety of gullspecies. They seem to bethen really enjoying withthe stunning sunset thancan be viewed from some


When stormy weather churns up the sea during the winter period, this area offers us the possibility

to enjoy with sporadic presence of specimens of razorbill (Alca torda) seeking shelter in hidden and

inaccessible crevices protected from wind and rain. Looking at the two photographed specimens any-

one can find out how much appropriate the British name given to this seabird is, with a very sharp

and heavy bill well suited to grasping the fish and marine invertebrates that make up its diet.

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of the almost virgin shoresof Maro-Cerro Gordo CliffsNatural Site such asCalaiza Beach or, espe-cially, Manzano Creek.

Besides members of thegull family, other larger ma-rine birds like great cor-morant (Phalacrocorax

carbo) or Northern gannet(Morus bassanus) en-counter in this place an idealplace for wintering, takingrefuge on cliffs during theheavy storms coming fromthe Atlantic Ocean.

Cory’s shearwater(Calonectris diomedea) isquite common over sum-mer months with birds ar-


riving here from the Cha-farinas Islands, looking forfood in these fish-richcoastal waters.

Finally, it is worth high-lighting the presence of up

to three different kinds ofterns. Common tern(Sterna hirundo) andSandwich tern (Thalasseus

sandvicensis) are oftenseen here in their migratory

passages flying along theshoreline. Much more diffi-cult to be observed, the lit-tle tern (Sternula albifrons)– also known in Spain as“pinico” or “golondrina de

mar” (marine swallow) – ispossible to be occasionallylocalized in summer whenthis quick, nervous and tinytern comes close to thecoast for fishing.

Enhanced by the light of a spectacular full moon, a not very old specimen of mountain goat overlooks the noctur-

nal calm of the Mediterranean Sea. Although it is relatively easy to see small herds of this sort of ibex -usually con-

sisting of the female accompanied by one or two kids- during the day, males with bigger horns show here a much

more elusive behaviour which makes them be more easily observable between dusk and dawn.

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MARO-CERRO GORDO CLIFFS - Andalucia Bird Society