In the past I’ve stopped a few times along the coastal Barbate – Zahara road (A 2231) and have seen a few interesting gulls, the odd wader, a few Spoonbill and the local introduced Bald Ibis. However, I have always found the saltmarsh there a little bleak and unattractive. So, although it’s only about 40km from my base in Alcala, the Barbate estuary and marshes remain one area I’ve yet to explore thoroughly.
Having a closer look was one of the objectives I set myself this spring and, since the lower marshes didn’t appeal, it was time to have a look at the upper marshes. A sendero snakes through the upper marshes near the village of La Oliva, but I’ve never been quite sure where it started.
Having a closer look was one of the objectives I set myself this spring and, since the lower marshes didn’t appeal, it was time to have a look at the upper marshes. A sendero snakes through the upper marshes near the village of La Oliva, but I’ve never been quite sure where it started.
Map of the upper marshes
As chance would have it, the friendly Dutch birders I’d chanced upon at the start of my break in Spain a few days previously were planning a visit to the place. So one morning we met up in the Molinos valley and, after a successful detour to see Little Bustards, soon found ourselves turning off the E5/N340 towards Barbate. Unlike on previous visits, the footpath is now well signposted off the A314 to the left (just past the CA 5203 up to Vejer. The short track here runs down to a sewage farm outside of which there’s parking for 5-6 cars (P on map) and a sign showing the route of the sendero.
Start of the sendero
As you pass through the gate the wet meadows to your left come immediately into view. This spring these meadows played host to several small flocks of Glossy Ibis plus the odd Purple Gallinule. The footpath is, it would seem, often flooded here, but a series of large stone slabs act both as stepping stones and a helpful way to gain a little more elevation. The muddy pools inevitably attract a small colony of Black-winged Stilt which, as always, tend to be aggressively territorial. On the downside this means that they can chase off other species, but equally they have a habit of flushing out birds otherwise hidden from view. The shallow freshwater lagoons here attract waders that aren’t always that easy to find in the area such as Green and Wood Sandpipers in addition to the more usual ‘suspects’ such as Dunlin, Greenshank and the like.
Pools along the sendero - April 2012
Some 100 metres from the start of the footpath (b) it bifurcates with the path to the left heading out across the valley and that to the right continuing south along the side of the valley. There’s a good small pool at the junction that probably deserves more attention than I’ve yet given it. Above the grassy meadows in the middle of the flood plain there may be numerous hawking Collared Pratincoles. The reed fringed Rio Barbate has, as one might expect a good population of Great Reed Warblers. Unfortunately, this is the limit of my explorations, but seen from Vejer the whole area looks as if it is regularly flooded. As you head south the pools clearly become increasingly saline which, presumably, is reflected in a changed bird population. As you approach La Oliva a track (c), which may provide an alternative access point, runs out from the village which seems to continue towards a wetter area. Further along the sendero there seems to be more pools (d) which beg further exploration. Between these two points you can cut across back to the river to make a shorter circular walk. If you’re more energetic you can continue south to cut across to (e) seemingly looking across more saltmarsh like habitats. Obviously, I need to do more exploration here, but I don’t mind if others do so first …… as long as they let me know what they see!
Barbate Marshes from Vejer
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