One of my favourite spots when I first visited Cadiz province were the Lagunas de Espera (north of Arcos de la Frontera) and they remain a favourite today. I first read about them in the "Travellers' Nature Guide: Spain" (Farino & Lockwood) a neglected classic, sadly now out of print. Oddly, for such an attractive site, most guides ignored the lagunas and even the magisterial “Where to Watch Birds in Southern & Western Spain” omitted them until the recent 3rd edition. But this post isn’t about the Lagunas de Espera which are now increasingly well know amongst visiting birders. Instead it concerns the Lagunas de Lebrija which remain virtually unknown since they feature in none of the ‘standard’ guides.
Confusingly, like Laguna de Medina, these lagunas aren’t that close to the settlements after which they are named, Lebrija. Perhaps they’re ignored too because they’re just over the border from Cadiz in Seville Province and thus well away from all the well known sites in the latter province. In fact, they’re just a few km further along the track from northern exit from the Lagunas de Espera where it crosses the Gibalbin-Cabezas road.
Confusingly, like Laguna de Medina, these lagunas aren’t that close to the settlements after which they are named, Lebrija. Perhaps they’re ignored too because they’re just over the border from Cadiz in Seville Province and thus well away from all the well known sites in the latter province. In fact, they’re just a few km further along the track from northern exit from the Lagunas de Espera where it crosses the Gibalbin-Cabezas road.
Their existence is even indicated by an old weathered signpost. However, when I spotted the signpost that ‘Lebrija’ tag made me think they must be a good few km along what seemed a very poor corrugated track. In April 2009 I even drove a few hundred metres along the track to take a look, but with time pressing and other sites to see, I turned back. In fact there was a good chance that the lagunas actually no longer existed. The Lebrija-wetland complex consists of six lagunas - Pilón, Taraje*, Cigarrera, Peña, Galiana and Charroao. [*Note – there’s a second Laguna Taraje just east of Puerto Real]. Sadly, Laguna del Charroao now seems to be no more than a damp hollow reflecting a trend where many small lagunas have been drained and lost to farmland (e.g. Lagunas de Bartholome, de Arrecife and de Santa Ana). Unfortunately, Laguna de Taraje, the least prone to drying out is strictly private; a pity since it has Crested Coot. In contrast Laguna de Pilón is conveniently next to the road, but is often bone dry. So the Lagunas Galiana. Cigarrera & Peña seemed the best chance of providing an accessible birding site. But where were they?
It wasn’t until, now back home, I looked on ‘GoogleEarth’ that I realised that they barely more than 2 km along the track from the Gibalbin-Cabezas road . Hence when I was back out in Spain in April 2009 I managed to finally locate the site – and what a little gem it was! It looked even better when I returned again in June 2010 after an exceptionally wet winter. The first laguna along the track is Laguna de la Galiana. In 2009 this was no more than a small reed clogged pool, but in 2010 it was a decent sized reed fringed pool hosting Flamingo, Red-crested Pochard and Black-necked Grebe. Beyond it, previously almost made invisible by drought, Laguna de Peña looked interesting; a pity I couldn’t find a clear route across to it!
Laguna de la Cigarrera
However, Laguna de la Cigarrera, the biggest of the bunch, seems worth a look in all but the driest years. Even before you get there you have a chance of Black-winged Kite which I’ve seen over the surrounding farmland.
Despite the tamarisk and reed clogged margins, with care you can get a reasonable view over the pool. Here I’ve had decent views of White-headed Duck, Red-crested Pochard and Black-necked Grebe, Whiskered Tern and Purple Heron. The presence of numerous Coots suggest that Crested Coot may well be present too – it’s certainly worth the price of a short detour. However, arguably, it’s those tamarisks that should hold your attention. They often have a large flock of Spanish Sparrow which, if no longer as uncommon in the area as once they once seemed, remain a good bird to find. More interestingly, they also host a healthy population of Olivaceous Warblers. Most trip reports mention this species only in the context of a visit to Laguna de la Mejorada (aka - "Lago de Diego Puerta") which is near Los Palacios y Villafranca in Seville Province. To a point this is understandable as it is handy for Brazo de Este and has the bonus of also being a site for Rufous Bush Chat. However, this ‘blinkered’ approach has meant many other sites go unvisited and undervalued. In Seville Province and, to only a slightly lesser degree, I’ve found Olivaceous Warbler to be not uncommon in larger clumps of riverine or lacustrine tamarisks. It’s a matter of knowing where to look. Still more interestingly the recent Spanish Atlas suggests that there is a concentration of Rufous Bush Chat along the Seville-Cadiz border just around these lagoons.
So instead of following the crowd and going to Laguna de la Mejorada, why not try a little exploration and give the Lagunas de Lebrija a try? Better still do a little exploration before you leave home via GoogleEarth and find an entirely new site yourself!
Good birding,
John
Despite the tamarisk and reed clogged margins, with care you can get a reasonable view over the pool. Here I’ve had decent views of White-headed Duck, Red-crested Pochard and Black-necked Grebe, Whiskered Tern and Purple Heron. The presence of numerous Coots suggest that Crested Coot may well be present too – it’s certainly worth the price of a short detour. However, arguably, it’s those tamarisks that should hold your attention. They often have a large flock of Spanish Sparrow which, if no longer as uncommon in the area as once they once seemed, remain a good bird to find. More interestingly, they also host a healthy population of Olivaceous Warblers. Most trip reports mention this species only in the context of a visit to Laguna de la Mejorada (aka - "Lago de Diego Puerta") which is near Los Palacios y Villafranca in Seville Province. To a point this is understandable as it is handy for Brazo de Este and has the bonus of also being a site for Rufous Bush Chat. However, this ‘blinkered’ approach has meant many other sites go unvisited and undervalued. In Seville Province and, to only a slightly lesser degree, I’ve found Olivaceous Warbler to be not uncommon in larger clumps of riverine or lacustrine tamarisks. It’s a matter of knowing where to look. Still more interestingly the recent Spanish Atlas suggests that there is a concentration of Rufous Bush Chat along the Seville-Cadiz border just around these lagoons.
So instead of following the crowd and going to Laguna de la Mejorada, why not try a little exploration and give the Lagunas de Lebrija a try? Better still do a little exploration before you leave home via GoogleEarth and find an entirely new site yourself!
Good birding,
John
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