Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria is the third largest and second most populous island of the Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago off the Atlantic coast of northwest Africa and southeast of Tenerife, west of Fuerteventura. It There’s an overall area of 1,560.11 km2 (602.36 square miles). It has a population of almost 900,000 people and the capital of the island is Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the largest city of the Canary Islands.

The island is of volcanic origin, mostly made up of fissure vents and has a round shape with a diameter of approximately 50 kilometres and the highest elevation is just over 6,400 feet. Overall, the coastline is 236 kilometres long.

The climate is considered to be ‘hot desert’ °C due to its severe lack of precipitation. It has consistent warm temperatures in spring, summer and autumn and has very mild winters. It’s noted for its rich variety of microclimates, although on average the daytime temperatures range from 20 °C in winter to 26 °C in summer. Some cool nights occur in winter, but lows below 10 degrees centigrade are unknown near the coast. Inland the climate is still mild, but mountainous areas see the occasional frost or snow. Annual rainfall is only 9 inches, most of it falling in the cooler months, with July, August and September normally completely rainless. The rainfall is very unevenly distributed, making some areas much drier than others.

Presa de Las Niñas – ©Markus G. Klötzer CC-BY-SA-4.0  via Wikimedia Commons

Grand Canaria once had extensive forests, but they suffered extensive felling and land division, creating other intensive uses. Only around 56,000 hectares (140,000 acres) remain, making it the most deforested in the whole of the Canaries. Some reforestation of the ridge of the island was begun, recovering some of the total lost mass of forest. Much of the summit is now forested, mostly due to this reforestation programme. Agriculture is traditionally dominated by plantations with sugarcane and some grains rather than used by stock.

Birding Gran Canaria

Nearly half of the island is under protection from the Canary Island Network for Protected Natural Areas. 33 are located in Gran Canaria, the second most protected island. This includes six nature reserves, two integral nature reserves, two natural parks, two rural parks, ten national monuments, seven protected landscapes, and four SSIs.

Güigüi – ©Lexthoonen CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The reserves are at El Brezal, Azuaje, Los Tilos de Moya, Los Marteles, Las Dunas de Maspalomas, Güigüi, Inagua and Barranco. The two natural parks are at Tamadaba and Pilancones. The pine forests of the latter are well preserved and are abundant with avian life. The park’s role is soil protection in order to replenish an aquifer, and the park takes its names from natural pools which remain after the runoff of water.

Pilancones Natural Park – ©Malc.kan CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Gran Canaria is perhaps the most interesting island from an overall ecological point of view, it has just one endemic of its own – Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch Fringilla polatzeki – but it is a good place for the semi-endemic Berthelot’s Pipit, Canary and the ever-present Canary Island Chiffchaff. Its most spectacular inhabitant is the Gran Canary Lizard, actually the largest of the six endemic Gallotia lizards on the islands. It is exceptionally common almost everywhere and is particularly fond of tomatoes. The endemic skink is also well worth watching out for, especially in the south of Gran Canaria where it sports a bright, electric-blue tail.

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