Throughout the week, we shall be visiting the most highly representative ecosystems of a province characterized mainly by its biodiversity, travelling within barely an hour by car from the subtropical climate of the Mediterranean coast to the perpetual snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the second highest mountain chain in Europe.
Photoa 1 a/b. Water depicted in the ceramics on the walls and water brimming with life in the Partal Gardens pool. The symbol of Granada, the Alhambra, is a reflection of and home to the lush natural environment of these lands.
Photos 2 a/b. A herd of mountain goats sunning themselves, watching the hikers make their way from the vicinity of Veleta Peak (3398) in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Photo 3. When the thaw comes in June, the
highland pasturelands in the
Sierra Nevada Mountains are at their peak of splendour.
Photo 4. A wheatear, a specie perfectly
well-adapted to the harsh
weather conditions of Granada’s mountain peaks
Photo 5. Foothills of Las Builtreras Canyon
on the Dúrcal River with the slopes of the
Caballo Peak (3051 m) in the
background.
Photo 6. Wild, rugged landscape along the
stretch of the Durcal River
known as the "Dúrcal River Dams".
Photo 7. Riverbank forest skirting the course
of the Dúrcal River as it
flows into the Lecrín Valley.
Photo 8. Pingurchi Peak (1239 m) in Nigüelas
Photo 9.
Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) scanning its hunting grounds
Photo 10.
Red squirrel surprised in the early morning hours of dawn on
Cerro Alto
Mountain peak (1217m)
Photo 11. The Alhama Canyon and Cacin River make an ideal setting for watching
the
avifauna along the riverbanks and rocky cliffs.
Photo 12.
Little owls make their homes in the farm houses and old structures
mostly abandoned today in the El Temple region.
Photo 13.
The bee eater, an explosion of colour when springtime comes to Granada’s
fields.
Photo 14.
First gleams of sunlight over Tajo de los Vados Canyon.
Photo 15.
Kingfisher at the mouth of the Guadalfeo River.
Photo 16.
A purple gallinule looking for food along the edge of the pond at
twilight.