Birdwatching Route (Quesa)

This is a round trip route of approximately 3.4 km with a medium-low difficulty level, starting just at the end of San José street, northwest of the town of Quesa, just behind the parish church of San Antonio Abad.

At the beginning of the route, it is important to pay attention to the birds represented on the starting panel and take time to observe the small orchards bordering the urban area and try to locate them. This starting point is ideal for enjoying species such as the Hoopoe, the Common Starling, the Red-rumped Swallow, the Common Swift, or the Crag Martin. Always on the lookout on the power lines and poles to detect the presence of the Southern Grey Shrike or the colorful European Bee-eaters.

A few meters from the town, just to the left of the path towards the Escalona reservoir, we will see a cliff where the vigilant Black Redstart can be easily observed.

We continue along the path, which presents gentle undulations in the terrain, while to our right, we will have a mountainous slope covered by Mediterranean forest, and to our left, the depression of the ravine, which gradually presents marsh vegetation as we approach the water.

From this point of the route, it is also worth observing the rocky and arid slopes on the other side of the ravine, as it is an excellent point for observing birds of prey such as the Short-toed Snake Eagle, the Bonelli’s Eagle, the Booted Eagle, or the Common Kestrel, as they all use the thermal air currents that originate there. At this point, we find an interpretive panel with images of the most common birds in this part of the route.

We continue on the path towards the reservoir. Once we reach the bridge and cross it, we will have a view of the tail of the Escalona reservoir where we can observe birds such as the Grey Heron, the Little Egret, the Great Crested Grebe, the Eurasian Coot, the Great Cormorant, the Common Kingfisher, the Eurasian Reed Warbler, the Sedge Warbler, and many more.

To return, we will retrace our steps, intending to continue discovering new and more bird species in this wonderful environment.