From the forthcoming Friday 26th to Sunday 28th September 2014 a Birding Festival will be held in the Ebro Delta, offering a wide and attractive range of activities with conferences, courses, workshops and contests, and a big fair of products and services for the birder and any person interested in knowing and enjoying nature.
The winter census of water birds at the Ebro Delta, has reached 315,343 birds, an all time high since the register was started in 1972, and this is almost 30% more than the average for the last 10 years.
The Eurasian Eagle owl (Bubo bubo) is the biggest nocturnal bird of prey on the Iberian Peninsula. It has a wingspan of almost 1.80m and weighs more than 2kg, living in the mountains and river valleys of the smaller to medium-sized mountains in Catalonia. It is a highly territorial, sedentary species with a stable partner to whom it is faithful all year long.
One of the rarest birds in this country and also one of the most difficult to watch at a short distance is the Great Bittern (Botaurus stellaris). Due to their puzzling habits and the way they move through the dense reed beds, it is complicated to see them, even in the places they frequent most.
A project is underway in the Llaberia mountain range and other natural areas in Catalonia, to preserve yew trees and their habitat. The members of this project are the Technological Forestry Centre of Catalonia and in Terres de l’Ebre, the Llaberia Mountain Range Committee and Rasquera Town-hall, and it is being financed by the European Commission through the LIFE+ programme.
La serra de Godall és un dels espais naturals més desconeguts i alhora més interessants de les Terres de l’Ebre. Ubicada a la comarca del Montsià entre la serra de Montsià i el massís dels Ports, esdevé una magnífica talaia des de les que contemplar unes fantàstiques panoràmiques de la comarca i els seus principals espais naturals (el delta de l’Ebre, el Parc Natural dels Ports i la Foia d’Ulldecona).
As 2014 is the 60th anniversary of SEO/Birdlife in Spain and the 20th anniversary in Catalonia, perhaps now is the moment to stop, remember and reflect on certain key aspects of our history in this huge wet area and on the mark that our people have left in the sands of the Delta.
