Aiguamolls de L'Emporda Spain
One of the best wetland areas in northeast coastal Spain, these marshes on the Bay of Roses are second only to the Ebro Delta. This site covers coastal marshlands around the mouths of the Muga and Fluvia rivers in Catalonia and includes freshwater pools, brackish lagoons and saltmarshes, sandy coastal areas, wet grassland, cultivated land and some riverine woodland. This range of habitats attracts a wide range of birds and about 300 species have been recorded here with nearly a hundred of these breeding. The area is now a Natural Park and Ramsar Site.
Regular here in small numbers is Great Bittern, a very rare breeding bird in Spain. Other members of the heron family to be seen here include Little Bittern, Cattle and Little Egrets, and Grey and Purple Herons. Greater Flamingo occurs on passage and there is a thriving and easily-seen reintroduced population of Purple Swamphen. White Stork has also been reintroduced. Garganey is a regular summer visitor and Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt and Stone-curlew breed. Common Kingfisher, European Bee-eater, European Roller and Hoopoe add colour and passerine breeders include Zitting Cisticola, Cetti’s, Savi's, Great Reed and Moustached Warblers and Penduline Tit. Lesser Grey and Woodchat Shrikes breed here with Red-backed on passage and Southern Grey in winter.
In winter Black-throated Diver can be seen on the sea close by as well as Common and Velvet Scoters and Razorbill. Ducks of a variety of species occur in large numbers on the open water and marshes and Glossy Ibis is regular. Hen Harrier and Short-eared Owl quarter the marshes in winter.
Recent rarities have included Paddyfield Warbler in April 2001 and Pallid Harrier in April 2003.
Mammals are few at Aiguamolls de L'Emporda but Polecat Mustela putorius and Water Vole Arvicola terrestris are common and Otter Lutra lutra and Fallow Deer Cervus dama have been reintroduced. Semi-wild Camargue horses can also be seen here. Reptiles are well-represented with notable species being Montpellier Snake Malpolon monspessulanus in the scrub, Three-toed Skink Chalcides chalcides on the sand-dunes and Spiny-footed Lizards Acanthodactylus erythrurus in rocky areas. Chelonians are also present with Hermann's Tortoise Testudo hermanni on scrub-covered slopes and Stripe-necked Terrapin Mauremys caspica in streams and ponds. Stripeless Treefrog Hyla meridionalis and Marsh Frog Rana ridibunda are abundant
and highly vocal in the wetter areas.
The drier limestone areas are of great botanical interest with colourful species such as Orchis lactea, Tassel Hyacinth Muscari comosum and Yellow Corn Marigold Chrysanthemum segetum as well as the poisonous Henbane Hyoscyamus niger. The brackish marshes have the purple Iris spuria while the yellow Iris pseudacorus grows in freshwater areas.
The Aiguamolls de L'Emporda area lies on the Costa Brava and has been a Natural Park since 1983. It can be reached from the A7 or NII which both run between Barcelona and La Jonquera. Turn off on the Figuera exit and take the C260 to Rosas turning left between Castello d'Empuries and Sant Pedro Pescador to the signposted information centre. The Costa Brava coast has a vast number of hotels, hostels and guesthouses, apartments, villas and campsites for virtually its entire length and the most convenient for this site are in Castello d'Empuries or Sant Pere Pescador. Many resorts along this coast offer package deals, an easy and inexpensive way to visit the area. In addition there are campsites within the reserve.
There are several areas of particular interest that can be reached on foot from the information centre where detailed maps are available. Hides overlook El Cortalet, a freshwater lagoon and there is a raised hide known as El Palleja which gives views over brackish lagoons. To the west of the main lagoons there is a drainage channel which a bridge from which the extensive reedbeds can be viewed. Laguna de Rogera is a salt lagoon close to the sea where flamingos gather and the sea is well worth checking, especially after stormy weather. Parts of this stretch and the lagoon are closed to the public from April 1 to June 15 to minimise disturbance to breeding birds. From Sant Pere Pescador the River Fluvia flows to the sea and this also forms an interesting part of the reserve. To the north is a series of pools with extensive reedbeds that can be reached from the road between Castello d'Empuries and Palau-Saverdera. Estany de Vilaut is one of the best of these pools and can be reached by turning right onto a marked track shortly after the Restaurant Aiguamolls. This pool has a hide and the riverine woodland in the surrounding area is worthy of thorough exploration.
BIRDS INCLUDE Black-throated Diver (W), Cory's Shearwater (PM), Balearic Shearwater (PM,W), Yelkouan Shearwater (PM,W), Northern Gannet (W), Great Cormorant (W), Great Bittern (rare), Little Bittern (Su), Black-crowned Night Heron (Su), Squacco Heron (Su), Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Great White Egret (PM), Grey Heron (Su), Purple Heron (Su), White Stork (reintroduced), Glossy Ibis (PM,W), Eurasian Spoonbill (PM), Greater Flamingo (PM), Eurasian Wigeon (W), Gadwall (PM,W), Common Teal (W), Mallard (W), Garganey (Su), Northern Shoveler (PM,W), Common Pochard (W), Common Scoter (W), Velvet Scoter (W), Common Eider (W), Western Honey-Buzzard (PM), Black Kite (Su), Short-toed Eagle (Su), Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier (W), Montagu's Harrier (Su), Osprey (PM), Eleonora's Falcon (Su,PM), Water Rail, Little Crake (Su), Moorhen, Purple Swamphen, Eurasian Coot (W), Black-winged Stilt (Su), Pied Avocet, Stone-curlew, Collared Pratincole (Su), Kentish Plover (Su), Eurasian Dotterel (PM), Golden Plover (W), Northern Lapwing (W), Dunlin (PM,W), Ruff (PM), Common Snipe (W), Black-tailed Godwit (PM), Whimbrel (PM), Eurasian Curlew (W), Spotted Redshank (PM), Common Redshank (PM,W), Marsh Sandpiper (rare PM), Greenshank (PM), Green Sandpiper (PM), Wood Sandpiper (PM), Common Sandpiper (PM), Little Gull (PM), Yellow-legged Gull, Gull-billed Tern (PM), Little Tern (Su), Whiskered Tern (PM), Black Tern (PM), White-winged Tern (scarce PM), Razorbill (W), Woodpigeon, Stock Dove, Collared Dove, Great Spotted Cuckoo (Su), Common Cuckoo (Su), Eurasian Scops Owl (Su), Short-eared Owl (W), European Nightjar (Su), Common Kingfisher, European Bee-eater (Su), European Roller (Su), Hoopoe, Wryneck (PM), Green Woodpecker,
Greater Short-toed Lark (Su), Water Pipit (PM), Meadow Pipit (W), Red-throated Pipit (rare Sp), Nightingale (Su), Bluethroat (scarce W), Stonechat, Cetti's Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Savi's Warbler (Su), Moustached Warbler, Great Reed Warbler (Su), Melodious Warbler (Su), Subalpine Warbler (Su), Sardinian Warbler, Orphean Warbler (Su), Blackcap, Penduline Tit, Golden Oriole, Red-backed Shrike (Su), Lesser Grey Shrike (Su), Southern Grey Shrike (W), Woodchat Shrike (Su), Corn Bunting