Access

From Colungo, take the road A-2205 towards Arcusa until you reach parking of the “Barranco de la Portiacha” (13 km) where you should leave the car and continue on foot along a pathway that leads to the Mallata hillock (shelter with cave paintings).

Route description

From the village of Colungo, we take road A-2205 towards Arcusa until we reach the Barranco de Portiacha parking (13 km) where we leave the car. Beside the parking is the balcony on the Vero River , of extraordinariry scenic beauty with its rocky atmosphere, from which we can observe sandstones and fluvial conglomerates. From here we can access the second viewpoint (Tozal de Mallata, shelter with cave paintings), by taking a small 1,1 km footpath, through mountain scrublands.

Main Species

Representative bird: Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)

Residents: Red-legged Partridge, Red Kite, Lammergeyer, Griffon Vulture, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Golden Eagle, Rock Dove, Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, Eagle Owl (rare), Little Owl, Long-eared Owl, Hoopoe, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Crested Lark, Thekla Lark, Wood Lark, Crag Martin, Pied Wagtail, Wren, European Robin, Black Redstart, Blue Rock Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Blackbird, Dartford Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Common Firecrest, Long-tailed Tit, Crested Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit,  Eurasian Jay, Magpie, Alpine Chough, Eurasian Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Common Raven, Spotless Starling, Common Starling, House Sparrow, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Rock Sparrow, Chaffinch, European Serin, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Linnet, Red Crossbill (irruptive), Cirl Bunting, Rock Bunting.

Summer migrants: Black Kite, Egyptian Vulture, Short-toed Snake Eagle, Booted Eagle, European Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo, Red-necked Nightjar, Common Swift, Alpine Swift, European Bee-eater, Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, House Martin, Common Nightingale, Black-eared Wheatear, Common Rock Thrush, Melodious Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, Western Orphean Warbler, Bonelli’s Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Woodchat Shrike.

Winter visitors: Northern Goshawk, Merlin, Eurasian Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Alpine Accentor, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Eurasian Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, wallcreeper, White-winged Snowfinch (rare), Brambling (rare), Eurasian Siskin (irruptive), Hawfinch, Yellowhammer.

Passage migrants: European Honey-buzzard, Harriers, Black Stork (rare), Common Crane, Eurasian Woodcock (rare), Tree Pipit, Water Pipit, Common Redstart, Northern Wheatear, Redwing, Willow Warbler, Garden Warbler, Common Whitethroat,  Pied Flycatcher.

Photo gallery

Map