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With Manu Mojarro, CEO and Senior Guide, Wild Doñana
Pine woods, cork oak forests, marshes, lagoons and rice fields, home to Iberian Lynx and Spanish Imperial Eagle.
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We are on the coast of Andalusia, in Spain, the home to the Parque Nacional de Doñana, one of Europe's most important wetland reserves and a critically important site for some of Europe's rarest birds and other migratory species. It is an immense area, at the mouth of the Guadalquivir river, covering more than 1,300 square kilometres.
Recognised internationally as a region of great ecological importance, Doñana is justifiably one of the world's most famous reserves and has become a defining symbol for wetland conservation.
It is late August and I am met by Manu Mojarro, from Wild Doñana. We are on a quest - to see two of Doñana's most iconic species - the Spanish Imperial Eagle and the Iberian Lynx. Manu is founder, CEO and a senior guide at Wild Donana and knows this part of Andalucia better than anyone.
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Iberian Lynx, copyright Manu Mojarro, from the surfbirds galleries
Doñana is not only home to hundreds of species of bird, it is also home to the rarest cat on earth.
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For centuries, nobles and kings hunted the forests and marshes surrounding the Guadalquivir river, helping to preserve the fragile ecosystems.
But in the last hundred years, the marshes have experienced unprecedented degradation as large swathes have been turned over to farmland, with today just one quarter of the original marshes remaining in their natural condition.
Thankfully, a handful of scientists and naturalists in the late 1960's worked tirelessly to achieve international recognition and protection for what remained, creating one of the most important nature reserves in Europe.
But like all wetlands, Doñana's ecosystems remain under strain - seventy per cent of Spain's strawberries are now grown here. Rice fields and other agricultural intensification has led to thousands of boreholes, many illegal, that are quite literally 'draining the life' out of this fragile ecosystem, whilst mining activity is bringing new threats to these once pristine wetlands.
Doñana, located in southwestern Spain, is the largest wetland in Western Europe and an area with unparalleled diversity of wildlife and landscapes.
The Guadalquivir River and the Atlantic Ocean have together shaped this region. The sediments carried by the river and the sands pushed inland by the sea, have created an environment of sands and clays and the formation of the salt marshes.
Surrounding the marshes, dense scrubland of heather, gorse, myrtle and blackberry bushes create impenetrable barriers whilst on more sandy soils old cork oak forests and wild olive trees support a diverse community of raptors and mammals, including the Spanish Imperial Eagle and the Iberian Lynx.
Along the coast is a narrow strip of shifting dunes, where little vegetation survives. And between these dunes and the marshland is a thin strip of land where the famous 'Pajareras' are located, a group of large cork oaks with breeding colonies of herons and spoonbills.
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Short-toed Eagle, copyright Stephen Daly, from the surfbirds galleries
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Doñana's complex mosaic of ecosystems and landscapes is also very much shaped by the different climatic conditions that occur throughout the year.
From October onwards and with the arrival of the first rains, Doñana is largely marshland. Large flocks of geese arrive from the north. As winter progresses, the marsh becomes a great lake with huge flocks of ducks, geese, waders and other waterfowl. With the onset of spring, the water level drops and a carpet of bullrushes and reeds provide cover for breeding egrets, herons, flamingos, coots and grebes. By late-summer the high temperatures and the lack of rain turn the marshland into a large dry and cracked desert where only a few species survive.
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In spring, the marshes of the Coto Doñana attract an amazing variety of birds and offer one of the greatest ornithological spectacles in Europe. El Rocío, a delightful village with sandy streets that overlooks the lagoon, river and marshlands of the Doñana, provides a fine base from which to explore the wide range of habitats.
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Autumn is the beginning of a new calendar year in Doñana. It is the October rains that will determine whether a good breeding season follows. It is also the start of the migration season with hundreds of thousands of birds, from small passerines to large raptors and storks, commencing their journey from their breeding grounds in Europe to sub-Saharan Africa. Wheatears begin to cross the marshlands by the hundreds every day. Whinchats, Spotted and Pied Flycatchers, Willow Warblers, Spectacled Warblers and other small birds go along with them. And thousands of geese arrive for the winter.
In the winter months, the marshes are at their optimum, offering shelter and feeding for hundreds of thousands of wading birds. Flocks of flamingos concentrate in the waters of Caño Guadiamar or lagoons surrounding the José Antonio Valverde Visitor Center, accompanied by Spoonbills, Great Egrets, Black-necked Grebes and Red-crested Pochards.
With the onset of spring, the forests and marshes burst into a beautiful symphony of colour as temperatures begin to rise. The first Booted and Short-toed Eagles come through. Garganey, Purple and Squacco Herons arrive. Marbled Teal, Ferruginous Duck, Red-knobbed Coot and White-headed Duck may be found at sites such as Caño Guadiamar.
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Iberian Yellow Wagtail, copyright Stephen Daly, from the surfbirds galleries
By April, the spring migration is in full swing. This is a great month to visit Doñana. Booted Eagle, Black Kite, Montagu's Harrier, Collared Pratincole, Whiskered and Gull-billed terns, Golden Oriole, Bee-eater, Iberian Yellow Wagtail, Melodious Warbler, Black-eared Wheatears, Ortolan and Cirl buntings, are just a few of the species that can be seen most days passing through the marshes on migration. Towards the end of the month the first Rufous Bush Robins arrive and settle in the kitchen gardens around Bollullos and Almonte.
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But as spring progresses, large areas of the marshes dry out with the rising temperature. The many thousands of flamingos are accompanied by hundreds of Glossy Ibis, Purple Herons and Cattle Egrets. Black-winged Stilts and Collared Pratincoles feed along the muddy margins of the marsh. White-headed Duck, Red-knobbed Coot and Marbled Teal are common sights at Caño Guadiamar and Dehesa de Abajo lagoon. Other species such as Purple Swamphen, Great Reed Warbler, Savi's Warbler, Red-rumped Swallow and Short-toed Lark, are common.
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White-headed Duck, copyright Stephen Daly, from the surfbirds galleries
The White-headed Duck came back from the brink of extinction 20-30 years ago and is now flourishing. Up to thirty birds can be seen on the east bank of the Guadalquivir. The Red-knobbed Coot, one of the rarest breeding birds in Europe, is also present in small numbers.
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As the heat of the summer intensifies, living conditions in the park for animals and plants becomes even harder. By late summer, activity is concentrated into the first and last hours of the day. Pintail Sandgrouse search for water in the drainage channels, rice fields and the few pools remaining in the marshes. Iberian lynx sightings are more frequent; the cubs are fully grown and join their parents for hunting, which increases the chances to see them.
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Collared Pratincole, copyright Stephen Daly, from the surfbirds galleries
The marshes at El Rocio provide feeding grounds for thousands of birds. Collared Pratincoles breed here in good numbers, and are regularly seen flashing their chestnut underwings as they chase flying insects. Spoonbills, Greater Flamingos and White Storks are common. Terns feeding over the marshes include Whiskered and Black, with the occasional Gull-billed, Caspian and White-winged Black.
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Doñana is not only home to hundreds of species of bird, it is also home to the rarest cat on earth. The Iberian Lynx is considered to be the most endangered cat in the world by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). In fact, this cat lives only on the Iberian peninsula. And according to the latest census, there are only some 320 left. Heavily dependent upon a single food source - rabbits – and faced with habitat loss and human development, an EU LIFE Nature project is underway to save this beautiful animal.
Visiting Donana
There are five visitor centres located at the edge of the National Park: "La Rocina", "El Palacio del Acebrón" and "El Acebuche", arriving from Matalascañas (Huelva province); "José Antonio Valverde", arriving from Villamanrique de la Condesa (Seville province), and "Fábrica de Hielo", in Sanlúcar de Barrameda (Cadiz province). At the visitor centres, staff will help you organise your visit. They are open daily. There is also a network of sign-posted trails and observatories, self-guided hiking routes and bike paths.
However, access to the more sensitive parts of the Coto Donana is restricted to approved tour guides.
If you want to see Iberian Lynx we recommend Wild Donana. We travelled into the restricted area of the reserve and, despite the parched late-summer landscape, were treated to stunning views of herons, egrets, ibises and other waterfowl; we journeyed to the north of the park for an encounter with two Spanish Imperial Eagles and we tracked lynx in the late evening sun. But as is so often the case with this elusive cat, its appearances can be hit and miss and even the best guides can be left days without a sighting. Still, it provides a reason to return and to reconnect with Manu and the guides at Wild Donana.
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Azure-winged Magpie, copyright Stephen Daly, from the surfbirds galleries
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