Sotos de la Albolafia

This nature area is located where the Guadalquivir River flows through Córdoba, in the heart of the city. Prolonged absence of human intervention allowed river sedimentation to produce the area's characteristics copses, islets of mud and sand, and varied flora and fauna.

Pockets of riverine forest, duckweed, reeds, rushes and eucalyptus trees. Beneath poplars and willows there is yellow iris and water mint, along with an abundance of tamarisk and florid oleander.

Running down from the San Rafael Roman Bridge, the pockets of riverine forest, once abundant, now form a small area with varied birdlife, featuring some 120 species. The majority are protected species. Some use it as a wintering ground, others seasonally or to rest on migratory routes.

Mention should be made of the abundance of cattle egrets, little egrets and grey herons to be found feeding close to the water, and others such as the heron and white stork. If you head down the steps to the water, or visit by boat, you can often see mallards and gadwalls, moorhens and pochards, that feed on floating plants such as duckweed. Swamphens and plovers can be seen amidst the reeds and rushes.

There are also marine birds such as gulls and cormorants that sleep on the eucalyptus trees. With a bit of luck you will see the colourful kingfisher diving sharply down and doing justice to its name.