Valley Viewpoint and Stork Colony
Ávila
At this point, we leave the path slightly to approach a natural balcony that allows us to contemplate the dehesas of Gansino and Aldeagordillo and the rest of the valley. In the area closest to us, almost at our feet, we see how the holm oak forest covers the slope with a much greater density than what we had observed at the beginning of the route. As the slope softens, beyond the railway line that cuts through the area from east to west, appear fields transformed by human activity for both crops and livestock, with the Las Carretas stream and the Chico River crossing this space and creating a striking riparian forest with numerous tall poplars.
Standing out, almost at our feet, is a stand of large stone pines, once used by estate owners for pine nut harvesting, but today occupied by an interesting mixed colony of storks and grey herons that have built their nests in the open crowns of the pines and thrive by feeding in the meadows surrounding the colony. This vantage point where we now stand is also an excellent observation point for birds of prey that hunt in the spaces stretching out before us.
