Nine birds of prey were released into the wild last Monday in Los Alcornocales natural park in the Cadiz province municipality of Alcalá de los Gazules The group consisted of seven griffon vultures an eagle owl and a goshawk and they were released in the area of El Picacho As part of the release event the regional government's provincial representative for the environment in Cadiz mentioned "the efforts made by the Andalusian government through the regional ministry for sustainability and environment aimed at recovering protected species and supporting their reintroduction into the natural environment based on a firm commitment to the conservation of fauna." Curtido also referred to "the extraordinary richness of the protected natural areas of our province which serve as habitat for a diverse avifauna in a land in which we are committed to the protection of biodiversity." Of the birds released the seven griffon vultures are juveniles that were admitted to the Centro de Recuperación de Especies Amenazadas (CREA) Dunas de San Antón based in El Puerto de Santa María during the months of July and August All of them were suffering from malnutrition from which they recovered well during their stay in these facilities This was an intake of young and inexperienced vultures which is a fairly common occurrence during these birds' migratory passage through Cadiz province The vultures were found by members of the public in the Sierra de Cádiz and Campo de Gibraltar and reported to the Junta's environmental officers so they could be rescued and later transferred to CREA's rescue centre Following this release of seven griffon vultures that makes a total of 56 griffon vultures that have been brought alive to CREA Dunas de San Antón so far this year These 34 have now been returned to their natural environment while the rest remain at the centre pending a full recovery and As to the eagle owl also released on Monday this bird of prey came from Sanlúcar de Barrameda When it was admitted to CREA in August it was also malnourished The goshawk arrived at these facilities only in September from Arcos de la Frontera having suffered an eye injury All the released birds have been ringed for scientific purposes In addition to this metal ring the vultures have also been tagged with a PVC ring that can be read from a distance which will help to track the movements of these protected birds CREA Dunas de San Antón is part of a network of centres created by the regional government to recover the region's endangered species Here veterinary care is provided to the protected wildlife that enters these facilities Special attention is given to any endangered species in order to rehabilitate as many as possible for release back into the wild without lessening their chances of thriving Currently the total number of animals admitted is around 970 and if the carers continue at the estimated rate the total number of animals cared for could reach 1,200 by the end of the year The pattern of animal arrivals at CREA is clearly seasonal depending on the movements and ecological processes of each species The time for the greatest number of admissions is in spring into summer coinciding with the breeding period and greater feeding activity CREA also plays an important role in the good progress made in the ongoing campaign to protect and conserve the rare bird of prey known as Montagu's Harrier as part of the Steppe Bird Conservation Programme locating nests and colonies and mediating with the agricultural sector with a view to the harvest to minimise harm to wildlife CREA is currently caring for two Egyptian vultures and an osprey the former classed as endangered and the latter as vulnerable There are also examples of several other protected species such as tawny owls Comentar es una ventaja exclusiva para registrados You can register a free account and get 10 FREE premium articles a month please enter your email address in the box below and we will send you an email with a few steps to reset your password and get you back onto your account Firefighters from the province of Cadiz are pictured helping rescue efforts in Valencia The scenes of storm-driven destruction being televised from Valencia have sparked a strong feeling of solidarity amongst the people of the Campo de Gibraltar as emergency services redeployed resources to the stricken region and municipalities marked by the tragedy 24 members of the Cádiz fire brigade and Cádiz rescue teams left for Valencia with eight vehicles and a boat to carry out search tracing and clean-up work in the main affected areas while minutes of silence have been observed and Halloween festivities suspended as a sign of respect the organisations and people of the Campo area have begun to arrange collections of food and basic necessities for those who have lost everything but their lives the torrential rains and subsequent flooding have caused 202 deaths The country is in a state of official mourning but the unprecedented storm has left some of the victims on the ground reeling and helpless due to a lack of food supplies fresh water and the resources necessary to remove vehicles the Spanish Government has deployed the Army to reopen roads support residents and rebuild the roads that Cádiz was not slow in mobilising in support of relief and rescue efforts with a team of firefighters sent into the disaster zone The team was composed of officers from seven of the province’s fire stations (four from the city of Cádiz and one each from Ubrique and Villamartín) and four members of the search and rescue team The convoy from Cádiz arrived yesterday at the Requena fire station in Valencia and immediately began coordinating with the province of Valencia’s fire brigade had spoken personally with the president of the Valencia fire brigade to offer him Cadiz's help “We had no doubt that it was necessary for our personnel to be present in Valencia to support the work following the terrible effects of the storm,” Mr Ortiz said Mr Ortiz thanked the volunteer firefighters and those taking part in the mission for “the effort and dedication we know they will put in as they demonstrate every day with their work and professionalism.” officers of San Roque’s emergency services will be collecting donations for the victims of the Valencia storms at shopping centres across the Campo de Gibraltar the Plataforma de Pensionistas de San Roque is also opening its doors in the Alameda de San Roque to from noon religious organisations such as the Hermandad de Jesús del Gran Poder have started an urgent collection of non-perishable food and basic hygiene products to be sent on to the victims with the collection point being Calle Méndez Núñez 7 the Banco de Alimentos food bank and the Red Cross are also receiving help from citizens wishing to remain anonymous and have their usual lines open for those who wish to collaborate Algeciras city council has organised a campaign to collect non-perishable foodstuffs with those who wish to contribute invited to make deposits at the old Military Hospital building in Calle Alfonso XI or the municipal building in Calle Regino Martínez from 8am next Monday Both collection points will be open until 3pm each day with the old Military Hospital reopening between 5-7pm Those wishing to donate outside those hours can call 647-402888 to arrange a vehicle to pick up goods from their location Financial donations will not be accepted and all the products collected will be sent on to Generalitat Valenciana depots the traditional celebration of Tosantos was suspended due to the official days of mourning observed across Spain Halloween events have been postponed to Sunday All the municipalities in the district have also observed minutes of silence as a gesture of respect for the victims of this tragedy La Línea held the minute's silence on Wednesday while there were gatherings of councillors and municipal workers on Thursday morning at the respective town halls called for “better and greater coordination” to avoid with the technological advances that we have we can give enough advance warning to avoid these catastrophes,” he said “We are used to seeing these tragedies in other parts of the world this time it has happened in our country.” reminded citizens about the need to take extreme precautions though he pointed out that the forecasts do not go beyond heavy rain for Algeciras “that does not mean that we should lower our guard.” which has also been on Orange alert for flooding over the last week the 'Campiña' region has been the worst hit specifically Jerez de la Frontera where houses and garages were flooded though no personal injuries have been reported Firefighters from the Medina Sidonia fire station had to rescue 12 people trapped in a house in Finca Las Poquerisas firefighters were called on to remove two fallen trees one in Los Barrios and the other in Algeciras and to assist in the rescue of a person in a vehicle at a ford The driver had escaped the car and was found uninjured when the rescue services arrived The only positive aspect of the rains for the Campo area is the significant rise in reservoir levels bearing in mind the severe drought that the Campo de Gibraltar has been facing for more than a year The Charco Redondo reservoir has risen from 18.34% capacity on October 30 to 26.01% on November 1 Read our latest newspaper by downloading our app from the link below The Gibraltar Chronicle is a daily newspaper published in Gibraltar since 1801 It is one of the world's oldest English language newspapers to have been in print continuously Our print edition and e-paper is published daily except Sundays The Gibraltar Chronicle (Newspaper) Ltd is licensed by the Gibraltar Government's Office of Fair Trading This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website These cookies do not store any personal information Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website You do not have to leave Andalucía in the south of Spain to enjoy a lush The region is large enough to hide many little-known treasures They call this one the 'Amazon' of Andalucía It is located in the province of Cadiz and part of Malaga province and stretches from the main sierra mountain ranges to what is now the Natural Park of the Strait (El Estrecho) presenting a great diversity of landscapes and geomorphic features This richness is reflected in all areas: flora making it an ideal place to visit and enjoy activities as diverse as mushroom-hunting and sports activities in the heart of nature It is the largest preserved and productive mass of cork oak forest on the Iberian Peninsula - Los Alcornocales Natural Park The main reason for this wealth is the water present in its numerous rivers are suitable for fishing and recreational activities it is the humidity from the coast that accumulates to form cloud forests in deep In these conditions a unique flora is preserved belonging to the Tertiary Period (from mass extinction of the dinosaurs to the start of the ice ages) This subtropical forest feature is characterised by broadleaf tree species with smooth The trees bordering the canutos scarcely let through the sunlight so the humidity and relatively stable temperature really favour this type of forest This 'jungle' can be walked through and you can experience the scent of laurel and the beauty of the flowering ojaranzo (common rhododendron) wild honeysuckle (viburnum tinus or laurustinus) and holly warblers or finches that hide among the ferns According to the Consejería de Medio Ambiente - the department that looks out for the natural environment of Andalucía - the sandstone soils that have favoured the dense clusters of cork oak are also home to evergreen oaks (quercus ilex the most common subspecies here being the holm oak (quercus rotundiflora)) and Andalusian oak (quercus canariensis) in the wetter areas sparrowhawk and tawny owl hunt in these woods In the higher areas more rocks show up and stunted thicket of different plant species adapted to soils rich in metals such as aluminium - a place where aromatic plants abound This area is home to the mountain goat and numerous birds of prey where the soil is compacted and cloggy with clay the wild olive groves have been kept cleared since time immemorial to make way for the pasture that feeds the typical livestock of the area a native species of Andalucía and emblematic of the big game that inhabits this region as well as fallow deer and red deer can be spotted especially during the 'berrea' (rutting season) mongoose (largest population in the peninsula) roam through these forests In such a complete and diverse parkland there is room for other activities ranging from mountaineering in the Aljibe or Picacho peaks one of the few areas prepared for this risky sport and which has been declared a natural monument due to its uniqueness For those seeking a more traditional activity we recommend booking a horse-riding trail A visit to Los Alcornocales should be rounded off with a stroll through the whitewashed villages that make up the park: Jimena de la Frontera Alcalá de los Gazules or Castellar de la Frontera are just some of the possibilities Its rich cultural and gastronomic heritage are two further attractions in the area 75 kph winds sparks fears in the peloton as Pogacar's winning streak ends The Belgian was part of a group of 21 riders that forged clear early on and he adapted well to the new configuration in the finale pressing clear of his companions on what would have been the penultimate climb with 1.3km remaining to win by 14 seconds and claim his team’s third stage win in as many days Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) took second place ahead of Samuele Battistella (Astana-Qazaqstan) and Connor Swift (Ineos) while Laurenz Rex (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert) – the most aggressive of the escapees in the finale – had to settle for fifth sharp climb of the Alto de Alcalá de los Gazules stricken from the route beforehand race leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) seemed content to take a break from hoovering up victories and grant the early escapees their freedom that his new teammate Wellens was a firm favourite to land the fifth Ruta del Sol stage win of his career Three minutes or so after Wellens came home Pogačar couldn’t resist delivering another show of force at the last by leading the peloton up the gentle rise towards the finish to retain his grip on the yellow jersey Pogačar carries a lead of 48 seconds over Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) into the weekend with Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious) and Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos) both a further four seconds behind the Vuelta a Andalucía organisation took the sage decision to excise the exposed final climb to Alto de Alcalá de los Gazules from the route a decision that immediately heightened the odds of the day’s early break going the distance Díaz and Barthe were joined in the move by Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain-Victorious) Stefano Oldani (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Geoffrey Soupe (TotalEnergies) The escapees found common cause for most of the day building a lead of four minutes over the UAE-led peloton though the group was in perpetual risk of splitting into shards whenever it swung into a crosswind section The escapees faced into a stiff headwind after the day’s lone classified climb to Medina Sidonia while the unfortunate Cyril Barthe (Burgos-BH) suffered the indignity of being blown off the road with 12km or so remaining Yet even though it must have seemed like riding through treacle at times He first went on the offensive with 11km remaining drawing interest from gravel World Champion Dries De Bondt (Alpecin-Deceuninck) They were swept up soon afterwards but that didn’t dissuade them from another Wellens knew he had the freedom to chase stage victory and he worked to reel in De Bondt and Rex with 3km to go José Manuel Díaz (Burgos-BH) and Hugo Houle (Israel-Premier Tech) jumped clear and as they approached the outskirts of Alcalá de los Gazules it looked as though the winning move might have ghosted clear was simply bided his time for the short but stiff ascent that led the race into the final kilometre The incline was supposed to have been the preamble to the final kick to planned finish on the Alto de Alcalá de los Gazules but now it was the last available springboard Wellens wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass him by and his forcing splintered the chasing group and pinned back the leading trio The Belgian caught them with 1.3km to go and immediately pressed on reaching the flamme rouge with a winning gap and maintaining that advantage to the line Results powered by FirstCycling There's an undeniable allure to sites like Iceland's Blue Lagoon and the lavender fields of Provence But there's also something to be said for the stark non-technicolor architecture and landscapes around the world we'd argue that these achromatic jet black beaches and blindingly white salt flat are just as dazzling as their ROYGBIV counterparts So grab your camera and get moving: Those Instagram feeds aren't going to desaturate themselves SpainLocated in southern Spain (about an hour north of Gibraltar) Alcalá de los Gazules is a beautiful Andalusian town with steep streets lined with whitewashed buildings Visit one of the city's open squares to get wide panoramas of the alabaster skyline Make a beeline for Torres del Paine National Park for Andean views and massive Its can't-miss attraction is the tenth-century abbey church in the town center is a work of architectural art: an angular polished black marble structure right on the waterfront The Icefjord covers 155 square miles (that's about 66,000 football fields) and contains Sermeq Kujalleq one of the fastest-moving and most active glaciers on the planet Singapore's aptly named monochrome hotel and shades of gray (with the occasional single green leaf) It's a minimalist's dream come true The town's historic center is known its half-timbered houses which give the entire site a charming black-and-white facade the striking black building is equal parts charming and creepy which often resemble giant mushroom clouds frozen in time The main attraction—a five-story reading room shaped like an upside-down pyramid—looks more like an M.C Escher drawing than a library...until you notice the hundreds of thousands of neatly stacked books you'll find an extraordinary black sand beach with rugged beauty rivaling Iceland and everyone begins their trip to Muscat at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque The glittery white mosque is a place of superlatives including the world’s second-largest carpet (45,208 square feet) and second-largest chandelier (46 feet high) FranceBuilt in 2013 as the world's first museum dedicated to Mediterranean culture Marseille's Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations (MuCEM) is as famous for its black exterior as its exhibits sun-soaked latticework façade of Rudy Ricciotti's creation still impresses Join the throngs of tourists and PATH commuters to snap a selfie under the impressive steel ribs converging 160-feet above a white marble floor up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse We understand that time is the greatest luxury which is why Condé Nast Traveler mines its network of experts and influencers so that you never waste a meal or a hotel stay wherever you are in the world Agones SFC rider Adam Darmanin successfully completed the Vuelta Andalucia mountain bike race The Vuelta is a demanding four-day stage XC marathon that includes prolonged climbs in Andalusian mountains The first stage was held in Yunquera in the Malaga province a short 47 km route with 2,051m elevation gain with climbs of more than 11 per cent and some steep technical single tracks along with climbs and descends using the stairs leading from the start of the village to the main square of Yunquera The second stage was held in Huetor Tajar in Granada 60km in length and 2,016m in altitude gain A very hot stage with temperatures soaring in the excess of 34 degrees San Pedro Alcantara hosted the third stage The main feature was a continuous 13km climb of an average 6 per cent gradient up to the Sierra de las Nieves leading to a fast descent down gravelly switchbacks and rocky mountain paths The final stage took place in Alcala De Los Gazules in the province of Cadiz a 74.1km marathon and 2,116m of altitude gain This stage was characterised by the challenging 14km climb with gradients of over 10 per cent to the Montero mountains The last part of the stage had one of the most technically challenging single tracks with only a brave few doing it on their bikes “I’m really pleased with my performance here,” Darmanin said “The Vuelta Andalucia was certainly a good preparation ahead of my participation in the Sudety race in Poland and the Czech Republic  at the start of July.” please register for free or log in to your account What we can tell you now for free is that it’s a long drive to Ubrique — but it’s worth it Leaving Gibraltar after work one Thursday evening armed with Google Maps it was supposed to take us just over two hours we were somewhat deflated to discover the next 35kms of winding mountain roads were in need of repair and at times were only wide enough for one car it was a picturesque drive and one that is no doubt popular with cyclists as it cuts through the Parque Natural Sierra de Grazalema we arrived a little later than expected and our first impressions of Ubrique was that it was a beautiful clean little town surrounded by imposing mountains We rented an apartment called Loft Casa del Agua on Booking.com for three nights dreamy balcony views of the town and was built into the side of a rock And I fell a little bit in love with Ubrique’s old town It reminded me a little of the Albaicín in Granada cobble stoned paths that lead everywhere and nowhere — with the occasional proudly decorated residential street cosy bar or look-out point for good measure the old town probably wasn’t the best place to stay with a four-month-old baby in a pram as there were a lot of hills and steps to negotiate We struggled to find anywhere to eat on our first evening and after passing five restaurants where each kitchen was closed we found Bar Torre del Oro on Avenida de Espana It was typical Spanish tapas and saved us from ordering dinner from the kebab shop What we found strange though was that the town was almost empty after exploring the town on foot (we ditched the buggy and experimented with the baby harness) we made a dinner reservation at Bar La Herradura which is rated the second-best restaurant in Ubrique The barman said there was no need to reserve and that if we turned up at 8pm Walking along Avenida de Espana later that evening it was absolutely heaving with people on the streets and the bars and restaurants were rammed – a complete change to the previous night Bar La Herradura was off the beaten track on a quiet street and looked a bit tired to be honest the food was the highlight of our entire trip — so much so that we debated returning Saturday night for an encore spinach croquetas and a steak to share on a sizzling stone — leaving us delightfully heavy ahead of our climb back up into the old town we left the flat before sunrise to beat the midday sun (the weekend saw highs of 32c!) with our daughter fastened to my chest in a body harness so that we could climb to the Ermita del Calvario modest chapel can be seen from miles around and was well worth the steep Having ticked one tourist attraction off the list and devoured a breakfast with two coffees (it was a hard climb!) we headed to the tourist office to see what else there was to do in Ubrique — but it was closed We read that Ubrique is the home of a famous bull fighter called Jesulin de Ubrique and for this reason the Bull Fighting Museum and Bull Ring were next on our list But after a 15-minute walk to the edge of the town we weren’t surprised to find that both were also closed we posed for a photo outside the bull ring and cleared off pronto The saving grace was that locals were friendly and helpful with directions and that nothing seemed to be further than a 20-minute walk away in town We ate a disappointing lunch at Las Cuatro Esquinas in the Old Town which was rated third best restaurant on Trip Advisor somehow It appears the owners or kitchen staff have changed since its glory days – but the location is nice for a drink and there are nice views But we ended on a high — Saturday night we stumbled upon a cute little square just a short stroll from our apartment called La Plaza de la Verdura where we found a typical old town Spanish bar called Bar Carriles tapas and watched the world go by before retreating to the apartment we loved Ubrique and plan to return in the winter when snow falls here – and it was definitely worth the long drive as well as in the Spanish regions of Catalonia and Aragon where St George is considered the patron saint In Andalucía there are several places dedicated to San Jorge and a town that celebrates 23 April with a bang The search for something English in Andalucia often leads to Huelva province one of the most English-influenced areas of Spain The town of Palos de la Frontera has the parish church of San Jorge Martir (St George the Martyr) It is thought that the dedication of the church to St George the Martyr may be due to English influence the English royal house venerated St George both through the trading relationships of its sailors and through the Crusades it is known that after the discovery of America the seafarers of Huelva maintained commercial relations with the various European ports of the time Historians emphasise that the Iglesia de San Jorge in Gothic-Mudejar style does not seem to be the result of a project in general but perhaps an evolution resulting from chance It is believed that the building retains the body of an ancient temple built on a hill The church consists of three Mudejar naves and a Gothic altar The main door of the church is made entirely of stone and framed by two abutments It is known as the 'Puerta de Américas' because much of the preparation and negotiation for the departure of the expedition that discovered the Americas took place in front of this doorway of the church the town council and neighbours gathered to read the Royal Pragmatic Decree ordering certain residents of Palos de la Frontera to deliver two caravels to Christopher Columbus is one of the most beautiful spots of the parish church This doorway is known as the 'Puerta de los Novios' (Bride and Groom Door) because of the custom of couples to enter through it while they are still engaged and exit through the main door when they are married this door is also associated with discoveries If Columbus is said to have opened the gateway to the New World The door was a direct access to the descent leading to the Palos Canal led by the Pinzón family and Christopher Columbus after praying and receiving the sacraments passed through this door to set out on their voyage of discovery in the early morning hours of 3 August 1492 Next to this door is a commemorative tile with the names of various evangelisers from Palos de la Frontera who carried out their mission in the New World in 1931 the building of San Jorge Church was declared a national monument and is a part of the so-called Lugares Colombinos ('Columbian places') tourist route Seville has a castle named after Saint George a site with ruins where a medieval fortress was once built on the west bank of the Guadalquivir River the first fortifications here were built by the Visigoths a defence complex called Castillo de Gabir was erected here The castle was a key position for the conquest of Seville by Ferdinand III of Castile in 1248 the castle belonged to the military order of St George Then the castle was named in honour of St George It is reported that the Order of St George of Alfama disappeared in 1400 the defensive importance of the castle diminished and in 1481 it became the headquarters of the Spanish Inquisition and its prison It is believed that Beethoven's opera Fidelio about Seville prison where prisoners of conscience were kept at the end of the 18th century The buildings were demolished due to the constant destruction of the walls as a result of heavy river floods and in the 19th century a food market was established there Seville city hall inaugurated the Castillo de San Jorge project which created a visitor centre that tells the story of the ruins and religious repression of the Spanish Inquisition This St George-themed tour in western Andalucía might end in Alcalá de los Gazules this small town with white-washed houses located in the Los Arcornocales natural park is immersed in a special festive atmosphere for a week This is one of the few towns in Andalucía where San Jorge is the patron saint and 23 April is a feast day and the climax of the activities The main scene is the church (Iglesia Parroquial de San Jorge) The church is celebrating a jubilee this year It is 500 years since three hermitages merged into the current parish church of San Jorge which was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest (Bien de Interés Cultural) in 2006 You can stay in a hotel with the name of San Jorge