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Fascinating birds |
Birdwatching itineraries |
BIRDWATCHING ITINERARY South of the Ebre River
Starting point: the village of Poblenou del Delta / Length: 1 day.Take the road going north from the village to the observation tower on the right. On the way look out for the Squacco Heron in the rice fields. The observation tower has views of l'Encanyissada lagoon and the chance of seeing the Little Bittern, Purple Swamp-hen, Red-crested Pochard, Caspian Tern, Black-winged Stilt, Marsh Harrier, Flamingo, Zitting and Great Reed Warbler.
It is also a good idea to walk along the road between the reeds, where you might see and hear Savi's Warbler and the Reed Bunting (endemic witherbyi race).
You should stop at the second observation tower, where you are likely to see those birds already mentioned, as well as the Great Egret, Gull-billed Tern and Bluethroat (the last one during migration or winter). Continue along the coast, stopping at Sant Antoni salt works. This is usually an intereting place for gulls, terns and waders. During the nesting season there are lots of Sandwich Tern, Common Tern and Little Tern, while small groups of Caspian Tern can be found all year round. The Slender-billed Gull, Audouin's Gull and the Yellow-legged Gull are almost always present, and the most frequent waders to be found are the Pied Avocet, Grey Plover, Godwit, Little Stint, Culew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Common Greenshank, Redshank, Spotted Redshank, Rufff, Kentish Plover and the Ringed Plover. The Red Knot and the Shearwater can be seen during migration, while the Iberian Yellow Wagtail nests right here in the middle of the scrubland.
Go towards the beach and follow the sandy path past Trabucador until you reach the Trinitat salt works, they are private property and are not open to the public; please respect the signs. The length of your visit is optional, but if you want you can look for some very interesting migratory birds among the sparse vegetation. Around the bay, you will be able to see lots of different waders, gulls and terns, including the Ruddy Turnstone, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Sanderling, Slender-billed Gull and others. During the winter months the water in the bay is a priveleged place for Loons, the Red-breasted Merganser, Great Crested Grebe Black-necked Grebe and sometimes the Common Scoter and the Velvet Scoter.
Now, turn round and go back the way you came on the east side of Tancada lagoon. Here you can look for waders in the water to your left, and the Lesser Short-toed Lark in the salt marshes on the right, before arriving at the observation point at La Tancada. This is an interesting place for anatidae like the Red-crested Pochard and Garganey. The Osprey regularly flies over this area.
Between here and Eucaliptus Beach is Els Erms de la Tancada: an area of salt marshes and pastures with bushes and canals which is an excellent combination for birds migrating during the spring and autumn and you can often be pleasantly surprised. Birds nesting here include the Skylark, Great Short-toed Lark and the Collared Pratincole, while the Pipit has almost become a regular hibernating species here in recent years.
Near the road to Amposta is the Riet Vell Nature Reserve, here ecological rice is grown in areas of nature which have been reguvenated. There is a wooden building which serves as an information centre for visitors and has two observation points right next to the lagoon, and from them you can see Herons, Anatidae, Purple Swamp-hen, Little Bittern, Whiskered Tern, Great Egret, Water Rail and occasionally the Spot-flanked Gallinule and Baillon's Crake. These ecological rice fields are home to species like the Squacco Heron, Purple Heron, waders like the Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Godwit and the Flamingo. Birds visiting for the season include the Collared Pratincole and Audouin's Gull which only visits sporadically between harvest time and the winter. The Eurasian Tree Sparrow and Common Kestrel breed here, making their nests in the holes in trees.
From
Information from GPS Latitude: N40.64º Longitude : E0.68º
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