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The best time for birdwatching is between August and October, as these are the migration seasons; consequently, the three friends enjoyed a wonderful day in the company of thousands of birds that make the Aiguamolls their seasonal or permanent home.
After the rocky landscapes of Cap de Creus, the Mediterranean cliffs and the underwater world beneath the surface, there is another way of discovering the Empordà. You simply have to follow the water inland.
At the eastern end of Catalunya, where the rivers Muga and Fluvià reach the Bay of Roses, lies one of the most extraordinary wetlands in the Mediterranean: Els Aiguamolls de l'Empordà.
At first sight, it may seem like a completely different world from Cap de Creus. There are no spectacular cliffs here. No mountains plunge into the sea. There is no geological drama of folded rocks or submarine canyons. Instead, there are lagoons, reed beds, flooded meadows, rivers, canals, dunes and shallow waters. And birds. Thousands of them. Some live here permanently. Others arrive from northern Europe to spend the winter. Others stop here for a few days during their enormous migrations between Europe and Africa.
Els Aiguamolls are not simply a place where birds can be seen. They are a place where birds need to be. They are the remains of a much larger landscape.
In the past, extensive wetlands and lagoons occupied much of the plain around the Bay of Roses. The Muga and Fluvià transported sediments towards the coast, gradually contributing to the formation of the present-day plain. Sand barriers separated many of these wetlands from the sea.
Over the centuries, however, humans transformed the landscape. Wetlands were drained. Rivers and channels were modified. Land was converted into agricultural fields and pastures.
From the eighteenth century onwards, the process of draining lagoons and wetlands intensified as more land was required for farming and livestock. Later, tourism and urban development created further pressure on the remaining wetlands.
What survives today is therefore only part of a much larger ecosystem. And that makes its survival even more remarkable. The protected area preserves a mosaic of habitats: freshwater and brackish lagoons, coastal wetlands, reed beds, rivers, riparian forests, flooded meadows, dunes and agricultural landscapes.
This diversity is one of the secrets of els Aiguamolls. Different birds need different habitats. And here, within a relatively small area, they can find an extraordinary variety of them.
The numbers tell part of the story. 338 bird species have been recorded in the park, with 82 species regularly breeding there. But numbers alone cannot explain what it feels like to stand beside a lagoon at dawn. The first thing you notice may be silence. Then movement. A splash. A distant call. A bird crossing the sky. A group of ducks suddenly taking flight. A heron standing perfectly still at the edge of the water. And then you realise that the apparently quiet landscape is full of life.
The Aiguamolls are particularly important because they lie on one of the great migratory routes connecting Europe and Africa.
Twice a year, birds cross enormous distances in search of suitable places to feed, rest and reproduce. For many of them, els Aiguamolls are not optional. They are stations along a continental journey. Without places like els Aiguamolls, migration becomes much more difficult.
One of the most spectacular birds you can encounter here is the white stork, Ciconia ciconia. Its long legs, enormous wings and unmistakable silhouette make it impossible to confuse with most other birds. But the story of the white stork in els Aiguamolls is also a story of conservation. The species was reintroduced to the park and has been breeding there since 1987. Today it is one of the birds most strongly associated with the landscape.
Watching a stork walking slowly through a wet meadow, searching for food, seems almost effortless. But behind that elegant appearance lies an extraordinary traveller. White storks migrate between Europe and Africa, crossing vast distances twice a year. For them, els Aiguamolls can provide something absolutely essential: food and rest. And sometimes, a place to raise the next generation.
If there is a bird that seems to understand the philosophy of a wetland, it is the heron. The grey heron, Ardea cinerea, can stand motionless at the water's edge for what seems like an eternity. Then, in a fraction of a second, everything changes. Its neck extends. Its bill becomes a spear. And the fish has almost no chance.
Els Aiguamolls also provide habitat for the little egret, Egretta garzetta, a much smaller and more delicate relative with brilliant white plumage. And among the breeding species is the purple heron, Ardea purpurea, a particularly elegant bird associated with reed beds and wetlands. The purple heron is perfectly adapted to its environment. Its long body and muted colours allow it to disappear among the reeds. Sometimes you are looking directly at one without actually seeing it. Until it moves.
The reed beds are among the most mysterious parts of els Aiguamolls. From outside, a reed bed can look like a wall of vegetation. Inside, however, there is another universe. Small birds move through the stems. Calls come from places you cannot see. Something rustles in the vegetation. Then disappears. Among the breeding species is the little bittern, Ixobrychus minutus, a tiny heron that can be remarkably difficult to spot.
There is also the much rarer great bittern, Botaurus stellaris. The great bittern is one of those birds that seems almost designed to remain hidden. It lives among dense reed beds and uses camouflage so effectively that even an experienced observer may struggle to find it. This is one of the pleasures of birdwatching in wetlands. Sometimes the most exciting observation is not the bird you see immediately. It is the bird you spend twenty minutes trying to find.
If the herons are the specialists of patience, ducks are among the great inhabitants of the open water. The Aiguamolls support large numbers of waterfowl, particularly during winter. The mallard, Anas platyrhynchos, is one of the most abundant species. It breeds regularly in the park and can occur in very large numbers. Other ducks include the Eurasian teal, Anas crecca, the Eurasian wigeon, Anas penelope, the Northern shoveler, Anas clypeata and the gadwall, Anas strepera.
Winter changes the character of the wetlands. Birds arrive from northern and central Europe. The landscape becomes busier. More movement. More calls. More wings. The official park information notes that wintering waterfowl can reach very significant numbers, making Els Aiguamolls one of the most important wintering areas for aquatic birds in Catalunya.
And then, occasionally, a splash of pink appears. Flamingos. The greater flamingo, Phoenicopterus roseus, uses the wetlands as a wintering or migratory stopover site, although numbers can be relatively small compared with some other Mediterranean wetlands. There is something almost surreal about seeing flamingos in the Empordà. Their long legs. Their curved necks. Their extraordinary colour. The reflection of their bodies in shallow water. For a moment, the landscape seems to belong somewhere much farther south. But this is precisely what migration does. It connects places that appear geographically distant. Africa and Europe. North and south. Summer and winter. One ecosystem becomes part of another.
Among the most fascinating birds associated with els Aiguamolls is the purple gallinule, Porphyrio porphyrio. It is an extraordinary bird. Its plumage combines deep blue and violet tones with flashes of red and yellow. It looks almost tropical. Yet it is a Mediterranean wetland bird.
Its presence in els Aiguamolls is also connected with conservation work: the species was reintroduced after disappearing from the area in the middle of the twentieth century. This is another reminder that protected areas are not simply places where nature is left untouched. Sometimes conservation means repairing what humans have damaged. Sometimes it means giving a species another opportunity.
And then there is one of the most magical encounters a birdwatcher can have. The common kingfisher, Alcedo atthis. You may be standing quietly beside a river or lagoon when something bright blue suddenly shoots across your field of vision. It is there. And then it is gone.
The kingfisher's colours are extraordinary, but its hunting technique is even more impressive. It watches from a perch and then dives into the water with astonishing precision.
Els Aiguamolls provide suitable habitat for breeding pairs of kingfishers, particularly around watercourses and wetlands. Seeing one is often less like watching a bird and more like witnessing a piece of blue light passing through the landscape.
Perhaps no group illustrates the importance of els Aiguamolls better than the waders. These birds live at the boundary between land and water. They walk through mud. They search among shallow pools. They probe the sediment with their bills. They exploit the tiny organisms hidden beneath the surface.
Els Aiguamolls regularly host a remarkable diversity of waders -up to 32 species are mentioned in the park's documentation. Among them are the little ringed plover, Charadrius dubius, little stint, Calidris minuta, redshank, Tringa totanus and wood sandpiper, Tringa glareola.
There are also species such as the black-winged stilt, Himantopus himantopus and the elegant avocet, Recurvirostra avosetta. The avocet is particularly beautiful. Its long, upward-curving bill sweeps through shallow water as it searches for food. Its black-and-white plumage makes it look almost unreal. It is another example of how specialised these birds have become for life at the edge of water.
Migration is perhaps the most extraordinary spectacle of els Aiguamolls. During spring and autumn, thousands of birds use els Aiguamolls as a place to stop, feed and recover. They may have travelled hundreds or thousands of kilometres. Some will continue north. Others will continue south. Some will remain for the winter. Els Aiguamolls are therefore not simply a destination. They are a refuelling station on one of nature's greatest journeys. And timing matters.
Weather conditions can transform the number and variety of birds present from one day to another. A favourable wind can bring migrants into els Aiguamolls. Suddenly, a landscape that seemed quiet can become full of unfamiliar species. Among the migrants recorded in the park are glossy ibis, spoonbill, osprey and numerous waders and waterfowl.
It is a specialist fish hunter, capable of hovering and then plunging into the water to catch its prey. Seeing an osprey above a Mediterranean wetland is a wonderful reminder that migration connects ecosystems separated by enormous distances.
Els Aiguamolls are not only a refuge for small birds and waterfowl. They also attract predators. The marsh harrier, Circus aeruginosus is one of the most characteristic birds of els Aiguamolls. It flies low over the reeds and open areas, searching for prey. Unlike an eagle soaring high above a mountain, the marsh harrier belongs intimately to els Aiguamolls landscape. It follows the contours of the reeds. It moves slowly. And then suddenly accelerates.
Other birds of prey can also be seen, including the buzzard, Buteo buteo, sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus, kestrel, Falco tinnunculus and peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus. Even the sky above els Aiguamolls has its own food web.
The landscape is constantly changing. Perhaps that is the greatest attraction of Els Aiguamolls de l'Empordà. The water level changes. The light changes. The vegetation changes. The seasons change. And, above all, the birds change. A place that looks completely different in August may be almost unrecognisable in January. A species that is common in winter may disappear in spring. Another species may arrive from Africa. A bird that was only passing through may decide to breed. The wetlands are never quite the same twice.
There is a beautiful connection between this landscape and Cap de Creus. At Cap de Creus, the Mediterranean meets ancient rocks. Here, it meets the rivers. At Cap de Creus, the wind has sculpted cliffs. Here, water has created wetlands. At Cap de Creus, life clings to the rocks beneath the sea. Here, life moves through reeds, lagoons and flooded meadows. But both landscapes tell the same story. Water creates life. And wherever water creates a place to rest, feed and reproduce, animals will find it.
Els Aiguamolls are therefore much more than a collection of lagoons. They are part of a continental network of wetlands that birds have been using for generations. A place where a bird flying between Africa and Europe can stop. A place where a stork can build its nest. Where a kingfisher can hunt. Where a heron can wait. Where ducks can gather by the thousands. Where a flamingo can briefly turn a Mediterranean lagoon pink. Where a marsh harrier can patrol the reeds. And where, if you stand quietly enough, the entire landscape begins to speak.
Perhaps the most beautiful lesson of els Aiguamolls is not about birds. It is about stopping. We live in a world obsessed with movement. Faster journeys. Longer distances. More destinations. But migratory birds know something different. Even the greatest travellers need somewhere to rest. They need water. They need food. They need shelter. They need safe places between one destination and another. Els Aiguamolls de l'Empordà are one of those places. A small but essential pause in an enormous journey. And perhaps that is why standing beside one of its lagoons can feel strangely peaceful. Because while we are watching the birds resting, we are also witnessing one of nature's most extraordinary achievements: the ability to cross continents -and still know where to stop.
More information: Turisme de Catalunya
Like a clear smile, a resting place for birds,
Maria Àngels Anglada
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