Marismas de Cetina
I didn’t manage to get to this site but am pleased to hear that, although vehicular access still requires a permit, a new sign states that pedestrian access to the hides etc is now permitted. Visiting the place will be a top priority on my next visit. Still little known by visiting birders, this site is only 20 minutes from the ever popular Laguna de Medina. As it includes marisma-loving species like Lesser Short-toed Lark and Spectacled Warbler along with Slender-billed Gull, terns, waders, etc it combined with a visit to the Laguna de Medina makes an excellent detour when heading south. (I am indebted to keen young Jerezano birder to Bruno Asencio Sevillano for this information)
Laguna Medina
Laguna de Medina remains one of the 'classic' Cadiz birding locations. Other sites may offer better views of White-headed Duck, easier to find Red-knobbed Coot, etc but it's iconic status is assured not least because it's a very quick detour off the A 381. Unlike most other lagunas in Cadiz it rarely dries out completely and when it does so it's usually after a long dry summer. However, the winter of 2021/2022 has been exceptionally dry and the laguna has shrunk to a fraction of its normal size in spring. Since I knew other lagunas in the area were bone-dry I was expecting it to be drier than usual. It's easy to over-react and see this as a disaster but it is part of a natural cycle that keeps the laguna fish-free. When fish, particularly carp, periodically colonise the laguna after floods they out-compete the waterfowl causing a drop in the number of birds. Naturally, as it dries the laguna retreats away from those areas easily viewed by the public so a 'scope becomes even more vital.
NB - within days of my return to the UK the heavens opened and there was heavy rainfall in parts of Cadiz Province. Whether this will fully compensate for the exceptionally dry winter remains to be seen but hopefully Laguna de Medina will be wetter than I feared.
I didn’t manage to get to this site but am pleased to hear that, although vehicular access still requires a permit, a new sign states that pedestrian access to the hides etc is now permitted. Visiting the place will be a top priority on my next visit. Still little known by visiting birders, this site is only 20 minutes from the ever popular Laguna de Medina. As it includes marisma-loving species like Lesser Short-toed Lark and Spectacled Warbler along with Slender-billed Gull, terns, waders, etc it combined with a visit to the Laguna de Medina makes an excellent detour when heading south. (I am indebted to keen young Jerezano birder to Bruno Asencio Sevillano for this information)
Laguna Medina
Laguna de Medina remains one of the 'classic' Cadiz birding locations. Other sites may offer better views of White-headed Duck, easier to find Red-knobbed Coot, etc but it's iconic status is assured not least because it's a very quick detour off the A 381. Unlike most other lagunas in Cadiz it rarely dries out completely and when it does so it's usually after a long dry summer. However, the winter of 2021/2022 has been exceptionally dry and the laguna has shrunk to a fraction of its normal size in spring. Since I knew other lagunas in the area were bone-dry I was expecting it to be drier than usual. It's easy to over-react and see this as a disaster but it is part of a natural cycle that keeps the laguna fish-free. When fish, particularly carp, periodically colonise the laguna after floods they out-compete the waterfowl causing a drop in the number of birds. Naturally, as it dries the laguna retreats away from those areas easily viewed by the public so a 'scope becomes even more vital.
NB - within days of my return to the UK the heavens opened and there was heavy rainfall in parts of Cadiz Province. Whether this will fully compensate for the exceptionally dry winter remains to be seen but hopefully Laguna de Medina will be wetter than I feared.
Two faces of Laguna de Medina - top when wet (April 2011) and bottom when dry (February 2022)
In the past I’ve seen Little Ringed Plover and Stone-curlew in an old quarry next to Exit 4 on the A 381 (i.e. immediately east of the laguna). Driving past in February, I noted that this area has now been remodelled and landscaped with paths and what seem to be observation screens. I hope to find out more on my next trip to Spain.
On the left you can see the new paths and small pools in the disused quarry next to Laguna de Medina
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