7 September 2024: Day 1, East bank of the Guadalquivir River and birding en route to Chipiona, WINGS Spain in Autumn
Click here to see my evening destination today
Today we follow the Guadalquivir River from Seville to the the ocean at Chipiona, birding along the way. This 51 mile stretch of river used to be an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, but by the time of the Romans it was Lacus Ligustinus, a salty lake. Since then the lake has silted up and become a big marsh with a river running through it.
The Guadalquivir River has many twists and turns and some oxbow lakes but the downriver section (highlighted on map) has been straightened and channelized for navigation to Seville.
Meanwhile the marsh on both sides of the river is crisscrossed with canals to drain it for agriculture. The former eastern branch of the Guadalquivir River (Brazo del Este del Guadalquivir) is cut off from the main channel. In 1989 4,000 acres of it, mainly following the old river, were protected as a natural area.
embedded Goggle map of Brazo del Estes del Gualdalquivir
eBird and our tour description both indicate we’ll find marbled duck, white-faced duck, red-knobbed coot, Spanish eagle, greater flamingo and white stork at the marsh.
Marbled duck
… plus the hoped-for star of the show, the collared pratincole. I saw this species loafing on river banks in Botswana but I have never seen it fly.
I’m also hoping to see Eurasian spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia). Here’s a pair in Portugal discussing their next move.
