Laguna de Manjavacas

Spain

Overview

Included in the Eastern Mancha wetlands, a large cluster of shallow wetlands associated to the Eastern Mancha aquifer located in the corner formed by the provinces of Ciudad Real, Cuenca and Toledo, about 150 km SW from Madrid.

Manjavacas complex is made up of four endorheic shallow lakes or lagunas (laguna in Spanish stands for a shallow inland lake, has different meaning than English “lagoon”, which indicates a coastal one): Laguna de Manjavacas itself, the biggest one (around 150 Has), Laguna de Sánchez-Gómez and Laguna de la Dehesilla, side by side, and the isolated Laguna de Alcahozo. In an average year you can expect to find them dry from late July until October. This steppe-like conditions develope hypersaline ecosystems with adjacent prairies of Salicornia ramosissima, Salsola soda, Suaeda sp and several Limonium sp. The income of the untreated sewage of the nearby village of Mota del Cuervo has modified this character, with the development of fringe of Phragmites reeds around the inflow, which makes Laguna de Manjavacas more permanent, less saline and more eutrophic. Plans to install a sewage plant are not yet concluded.

The whole area is included in Natura 2000 network. Manjavacas is also RAMSAR site as a stronghold for Gull-billed Tern reproduction (only wet years), also for Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Black-necked Grebe and Red-crested Pochard reproduction, although the presence of these last two species has declined significantly since then.

Birds

Notable Species

Adding on early summer presence of a nesting colony of Gull-billed Tern, several hundreds of Greater Flamingo move all year round -if the water levels allow- between Manjavacas and the nearby wetlands of Lagunas de Alcázar and Laguna de Pedro Muñoz. Sometimes an odd Lesser Flamingo joins the flocks. White-headed Duck, Red-crested Pochard and Black-necked Grebe are other typical specialties that can be seen, mainly during spring. In winter as many as five thousand Common Crane roost at Manjavacas.

The reedbeds hold among other warblers Savi's Warbler and Cetti's Warbler, as well as a good population of Bearded Tit. Penduline Tit and Reed Bunting are also present, as does Bluethroat during winter. Spanish Sparrow roosts in the reeds.

During winter good numbers of Gadwall, Mallard, Common Teal, Common Shelduck, Northern Shoveler, Common Pochard and Eurasian Coot and, to a lesser extent Greylag Goose arrive. Eurasian Wigeon and Northern Pintail are scarcer but common visitors. Little Grebe is another common species.

It is a good place for waders on passage including Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Little Stint and Common Redshank and also some Curlew Sandpiper or Sanderling, and the occasional Temminck's Stint. Plovers are also common: both Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover and Kentish Plover. Small numbers of Garganey can be seen at that time. In early summer both Black Tern and Whiskered Tern can be seen.

Raptors include a healthy population of Marsh Harrier, with of over one hundred individuals roosting and breeding, mixed in winter with smaller numbers of Hen Harrier. Summer visitors frequently seen include Montagu's Harrier, Black Kite, Booted Eagle and Lesser Kestrel (with several colonies nearby).

The surroundings vineyards and drier steppe-like terrains hold Little Bustard, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Stone-curlew, Calandra Lark as well as the ubiquitous Red-legged Partridge.

Check-list

Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Great Cormorant, Little Bittern, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Purple Heron, Grey Heron, White Stork, Greylag Goose, Common Shelduck, Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Common Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Red-crested Pochard, Common Pochard, Ferruginous Duck, Tufted Duck, White-headed Duck, Western Honey-Buzzard, Black Kite, Short-toed Eagle, Western Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Montagu's Harrier, Common Buzzard, Booted Eagle, Lesser Kestrel, Common Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine Falcon, Red-legged Partridge, Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Western Swamphen, Greater Flamingo, Lesser Flamingo, Eurasian Coot, Little Bustard, Common Crane, Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Stone-curlew, Collared Pratincole, Common Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, European Golden Plover, Northern Lapwing, Dunlin, Ruff, Red Knot, Sanderling, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Temminck's Stint, Common Snipe, Jack Snipe, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper Common Sandpiper Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Curlew, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Spotted Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Whiskered Tern, Black Tern, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, European Turtle Dove, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Common Cuckoo, Eurasian Scops Owl, Little Owl, Long-eared Owl, European Bee-eater, Eurasian Hoopoe, Calandra Lark, Crested Lark, Barn Swallow, Water Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Bluethroat, Black-eared Wheatear, Cetti's Warbler, Savi's Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Willow Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Bearded Tit, Penduline Tit, Southern Grey Shrike, Common Starling, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow,European Greenfinch,European Serin, Common Linnet, Corn Bunting, Reed Bunting

Other Wildlife

Wild Boar and Fox inhabit the reedbeds and are seen eventually crossing the lake. Both Rabbit and Iberian Hare (Lepus granatensis) are plentiful in the surrounding area.

Site Information

Laguna de Manjavacas is best reached from road CUV-1001 from Mota del Cuervo to Las Mesas, although there is also a more tricky access by tracks in the road from Pedro Muñoz to Las Mesas (CRV-1226). Look for the small signpost to “Las Mesas” just before reaching the roundabout of N-420 when exiting Mota del Cuervo. After 6 km you’ll reach the small sanctuary of Manjavacas on your right, leave the road to its side into a small pine stand and take a dirt-track that contours the lake (8 km). There is a large white concrete hide in the southern end. There is also a tower in the SW end, but is frequently useless. Unauthorized access to the inner tower and ringing station in the eastern beaches is forbidden. In the east side a short wooden foot-path leads from a small car park through the reedbeds to the ringing station: the twenty minute walk is interesting for locating Bearded Tit and other reed inhabitants. In the winter evenings Western Marsh Harrier and Hen Harrier fly very low over it. If you follow the CUV-1001 for 2’2 km further south after the sanctuary you’ll met the track that surrounds the lake, making an easier access to the reedbeds area.

The smaller lakes of La Dehesilla and Sánchez Gómez, on the other side of Las Mesas road are worth a look during spring and early summer, with the bonus of Lesser Kestrel and Gull-billed Tern hunting over the adjacent fields. You can reach them either by the Casa de la Dehesilla: just take the track to your left a bare 200 m after the already mentioned access to the reedbeds area, or from its north side, taking the track just opposite to the sanctuary. Be careful when driving the tracks around them after rain. The fourth one, Laguna de Alcahozo, keeps most of its steppe-like character, being a good place to check for unusual waders. Usually holds also numbers of Common Shelduck and gulls. Access to it is self-evident from the road between Pedro Muñoz and Las Mesas.

A scope is strongly recommended for birding in this area.

History and Use

To do

Areas of Interest

You can see the famous “giants” against whom D. Quixote battled in thoughts, that is, the windmills dominating the landscape of Mota del Cuervo or Campo de Criptana.

You shouldn’t be there in August because the area has dried out, but just in case, the first and third Sunday they carry running without stop the image of the virgin for 6 km to and from the sanctuary to the village of Mota del Cuervo. By the way, “Cuervo” stands for Raven in Spanish, and the shield of the town depicts this bird.

Access and Facilities

The whole Eastern La Mancha wetlands area is roughly encompassed between three highways: A-4, A-42 and AP-36 (toll), and a national road, N-420, making access easy by car from Madrid in about 1h 30 min. The roads in between are well paved and signposted. Alcázar de San Juan is the bigger town in the area (pop. 35.000), and is also linked by railway to Madrid, Albacete, Ciudad Real and Jaén.

It is highly recommended to combine in the same day the visit to Manjavacas with Laguna de Pedro Muñoz and perhaps Lagunas de Alcázar, or in a weekend including also other areas at the Eastern La Mancha wetlands, or even the not so far Laguna de Navaseca and Tablas de Daimiel National Park.

Accommodation is available in Mota del Cuervo, Belmonte and Pedro Muñoz and there are hotels in surrounding towns.

External Links

[1]

Content and images originally posted by Fernando Alonso (fdokykcu)