Els Ports - Itinerary 1 -
From Horta Sant Joan

Starting point: the village of Horta de Sant Joan
Time: 4 -5 hours

From Horta de Sant Joan head southwards along the T-334, turning right at the junction with the T-330 and then immediately left, following the indication to “Els Ports”. The road passes through an attractive area of olive groves where a short stop could produce observations of Woodlark, Cirl Bunting, Short-toed Treecreeper, Serin and Hoopoe.

Once past the viewing area on the left look for a dirt track on the right. Here it is interesting to have a walk around the fields on the woodland edge, looking out for large raptors on the way , including Golden Eagle, Bonelli's Eagle, Griffon Vulture and Egyptian Vulture.

Return to the road, following on to a ridge with views of the Roques de Benet on the left and the Gronses on the right. From here a short excursion could be made to admire the scenery, as well as to encounter birds like Firecrest, Crested Tit, Melodious Warbler, Sardinian Warbler and Bonelli's Warbler in the wooded parts, or Black Redstart, Rock Sparrow, Blue Rock Thrush, Crag Martin and Alpine Swift in the rockier areas. The Gronses is also a very good place for spotting Spanish Ibex, especially early in the morning.

Return to the road and continue to the Mas de la Franqueta. From here it is possible to follow a track up to the Coll de Miralles, although a vehicle with high clearance is recommended as it is quite rough and bumpy, with many fallen rocks. This route offers attractive panoramas of the northern edge of the massif.

Red-billed Chough - Birding in els Ports