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| The Sierra Nevada was designated a national park in 1998 |
Sierra Nevada National Park - Fauna
Fauna
The park's main draw for fauna is its rich birdlife, with over 60 species inhabiting the Sierra. Nesting birds of prey include golden eagles, Bonelli's eagles, peregrine falcons, griffon vultures and kestrels. On the higher slopes are Alpine accentors, black redstarts, northern wheateaters, rock thrushes, rock buntings, red-billed choughs and skylarks. In the woodland areas are hoopoes, short-toed treecreepers, green woodpeckers, coal tits, great tits, goldfinches and golden orioles.
The most commonly seen mammal by far is the Spanish ibex, a type of mountain goat with distinctive curling horns. Mediterranean pine voles and weasels are among the mammals inhabiting the higher slopes, while lower down are wild cats, wild boars, foxes, badgers, beech martens, genets, field mice and garden dormice.
The Sierra Nevada has 78 endemic vertebrate species, most of which are butterflies and beetles. The park is renowned for its outstanding variety of butterflies with 120 species recorded here, like the apollo butterfly. Other important invertebrate species are the 37 native species of beetle, including the rare endemic rhinoceros beetle and the grasshopper chorthippus nevadensis.
Reptiles and amphibians include ladder snakes, southern smooth snakes, ocellated lizards and natterkack toads.
"Walking and Trekking in the Sierra Nevada" by Richard Hartley
This guidebook presents 33 graded walks and 5 high mountain scrambles in the striking Sierra Nevada, the highest mountain range in mainland Spain and in western Europe outside the Alps. Easily accessible from Granada and Málaga, it is a world of soaring, snow-clad peaks and deep valleys, far removed from the crowded beaches of the Costa del Sol just two hours away. The routes are spread across the national park, with attractive towns and villages such as Trevélez, Lanjarón, Hoya de la Mora and Cumbres Verdes serving as potential bases for a walking holiday
The guide also includes advice on transport, bases and safety, a tick-list of the 3000m peaks and a Spanish-English glossary. There is the option to buy a printed book, an eBook, or both as one deal.
Buy a copy online of Walking in the Sierra Nevada
