Delta del Ebro
A parc natural at the
mouth of the Ebro near Tortosa; tens of thousands of birds are attracted to
these vast wetlands
The
Ebro — the ancient River Iberus that gave its name to the entire peninsula —
is the only one of the five great rivers of Spain that flows into the
Mediterranean. Draining a vast watershed, it reaches the sea near the southern
boundary of Catalunya, where its delta forms a conspicuous projection in an
otherwise regular coastline: from the air it resembles a giant green-and-brown
arrowhead jutting 30 kilometres (19 miles) out to sea.
It
is an area of rice fields and wetlands that attracts birds by the tens of
thousands. An ornithological census conducted in 1980-81 determined that the
autumn population included some 53,000 ducks and 13,000 coots, with, in each
case, a little less than half that number wintering in the region. Among the
delta’s most closely watched and carefully protected species is the
red-crested pochard, which is on the endangered list. The drakes are truly
spectacular: large birds with bright crimson bill, eyes and legs, contrasting
strongly with the vermilion-orange head and black breast. The flamingo
gatherings in the Salinas (Salines) and the Punta de la Banya are one of the
major attractions of the Parc Natural del Delta de l’Ebre, as the park is
locally known.
Waders
such as sandpipers, plovers, snipe, curlew and lapwing also find this a
congenial habitat. Thousands of them migrate here from the Baltic and other
northern regions, while others remain throughout the year. At any given time the
number of birds in residence varies from 50,000 to 100,000, drawn from about 250
species — which is all the more remarkable considering that the delta has an
area of only 32,000 hectares (79,000 acres).
The
Delta del Ebro reminds me of Holland, not only on account of its wind-swept
expanses of flat fields but by virtue of its tidy houses and villages, its
canals and river boats. Everything here seems to move as slowly as the water in
the ditches and canals. Along the narrow tracks leading past canals and rice
fields you still see carts pulled by marsh ponies, bells jingling on their
harnesses. The whole landscape has a handmade look, and indeed, although
tractors have taken over much of the heavy work, many farmers still perform
stoop labour of the kind more often seen in Asia than in Europe. Often there are
patches of cane between the fields and shallow ponds in which stilt-legged birds
are busy looking for a midday snack.
The
rice paddies change dramatically with the seasons. In winter the fields are dry
and covered with stubble and weeds; in spring they plough up the fields and the
whole delta smells of newly turned earth. Once the rice is sown, the fields are
flooded and transformed into shallow lagoons. When the rice shoots up, they turn
bright green and finally to reddish gold.
Whatever
it might lack as a wilderness, the birds certainly find the delta a good
environment in which to nest and raise their young. And although only a few
areas of the delta have been set aside as a parc natural, all of it strikes me
as an exceedingly restful place to visit if you want to get away from it all.
Except during the hunting season, when an average of 34,000 ducks are shot.
The
hunting season aside, among the memorable delta experiences, though only for
early risers, are the huge flights of duck that pass noisily overhead just after
the sun comes up; often, thousands spend the night in the large lagoons on the
right bank of the Ebro — L’Encanyissada and La Tancada. But some of the most
interesting birds are difficult to find: the squacco, purple and night herons,
the marsh harrier, bittern, pratincole and short-eared owl, as well as the
oystercatcher, avocet, slender-billed and Audouin’s gull. Several species of
tern find a suitable summer home here. Among the rice fields whiskered terns
hawk for insects and build their nests. Gull-billed terns, regarded as ‘sea’
terns, mainly nest on drying islands in the lagoons, and plunge into the sea in
search of fish. Sandwich terns have a major Mediterranean colony here.
The
salinas are the preferred breeding ground of terns, avocets and black-winged
stilts. Some 500 pairs of little terns have been observed at Punta del Fangar,
where there is also a colony of gull-billed terns; at Punta de la Banya there
are colonies of little terns, common terns and black-headed gulls. Whiskered
terns are particularly common on the Canal Vell lagoon, and purple herons breed
in the reeds on Buda Island (which is privately owned but within the park
boundaries) at the easternmost point of the delta.
Otters
are to be found in the park too, along with several other protected species: the
Valencian and Iberian toothcarp, the stripeless tree frog and the stripe-necked
and European pond terrapins.
BEFORE YOU GO
Maps:
IGN 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 Nos. 522, 523 and 547; and IGN 1:200,000 Mapa
Provincial of Tarragona.
Guide-books:
Rafael Balada, Guide to the Ebro Delta (Ketres Editora, 1985); Enric Balasch &
Yolanda Ruiz, El Parque Natural del Delta
del Ebro (Planeta, 1998); Paul Jenner & Christine Smith, Landscapes
of Cataluña (Sunflower, 1993).
GETTING THERE
By car:
on the A7 (autopista Barcelona-València) take the exit for L’Aldea and
Amposta. The N340 runs parallel to the A7, but through the villages on the
western boundary of the delta. Near Amposta you have to decide whether to drive
along the right or the left bank of the Ebro — there are no bridges further
downstream, just flat-boat ferries that operate between Deltebre and Sant Jaume
d’Enveja, at the centre of the delta, but only during daylight hours. The 2
roads on either bank run parallel to the river and both continue to the mouth of
the Ebro, about 25 km (15 miles) to the east of Amposta, where you may well want
to begin your explorations. The name Deltebre, incidentally, was created when
two adjoining villages were amalgamated.
By rail:
the delta can be reached from any of 3 stations — L’Aldea-Amposta, Camarles
and L’Ampolla — on the line between Barcelona and València. However,
beware: only Regional services stop at these stations, not the long-distance
trains.
By bus:
the long-distance Barcelona-València buses stop at Amposta, from where there is
a local bus service to all the villages within the delta. For information, call
T: (93) 322 78 14 in Barcelona or T: (977) 44 03 00 in Tortosa.
WHERE TO STAY
Accommodation
is not difficult to find in and around the delta. The resort of Sant Carles de
la Ràpita has a host of places, including the 2-star Hotel Plaça Vella,
T: (977) 74 24 96, F: 74 43 97; in Deltebre there is the 3-star Hotel Delta,
T: (977) 48 00 46, F: 48 06 63, and several smaller places; and in Amposta the
2-star Hotel Montsia, T: (977) 70 19 67, F: 70 10 27. The Casa Can
Gilabert, T: (977) 74 42 34, at El Poblenou del Delta, is a typical regional
house. Ask at the tourist offices for a full list of hotels and of the
casas rurales operating under the umbrella of turismo verde.
Outdoor living:
Camping L’Aube, T: (977) 44 57 06, open all year with capacity for 963
people, and Camping Riomar, T: (977) 26 76 80, open all year and with
room for 185, are in Deltebre; and Camping Mediterrani Blau, T: (977) 46
81 46, open 1 Apr-30 Sept and holds 240, in Amposta.
FURTHER
INFORMATION
Tourist offices:
Avda. Sant Jaume, 1, 43870 Amposta, T: (977) 70 34 53, F: 70 41 32;
and C/ Martín Buera, 22, 43580 Deltebre, T: (977) 48 96 79, F:
48 95 15.
Park information:
Information Centre, C/ Ulldecona, 22,
43580, Deltebre, T: (977) 48 96 79. Open Mon-Fri, 10 am-2 pm and 3 pm-6 pm, Sat, Sun and holidays, 10 am-1
pm. The Casa de Fusta Refuge and Museum, opposite the Encanyissada
Lagoon, open Tues-Fri, 10 am-2 pm and 4 pm-6 pm, Sat, 10 am-1 pm and 3:30 pm-6
pm and Sun and holidays, 10 am-1 pm.
Delta cruises:
operated by Transbordador Olmos, T: (977) 48 05 48, F: 48 13 69, sailings
every day.
Delta guides:
Activats i Serveis Turísticas, Sant Jaume d’Enveja, Mon-Sun, 10 am-1:30 pm
and 4 pm-9 pm.