Santa Pola Salinas

Spain

Overview

The Santa Pola Salinas (saltworks) nature reserve is 2,470 hectares in size, comprising two working salt factories and an expanse of protected area. The site lies to the Southwest of the town of Santa Pola and is crossed by the N-332 road from Alicante to Torrevieja. This area along with El Hondo used to form a large wetland which was known as the Albufera de Elche

Birds

Notable Species

The former delta of the River Vinalopo now consists of salt-pans, freshwater pools and reedbeds, saltmarsh and a long sandy beach. Greater Flamingo, Little Egret, Red-crested Pochard and Kentish Plover can be seen throughout the year at the Santa Pola salt-pans. Other residents include Lesser Short-toed Lark, Moustached Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Spotless Starling and Bearded Tit. These are joined in summer by Little Bittern, Squacco Heron and Purple Heron, Marbled Duck, Black-winged Stilt and Gull-billed Tern and Whiskered Tern.

During passage periods the salt-pans may be visited by Slender-billed Gull and Audouin's Gull, Caspian Tern and Black Tern, Osprey and Common Kingfisher.

Rarities

Rarities have occurred with some frequency at the Santa Pola salt-pans and vagrants have included all three phalaropes and Pectoral Sandpiper, Laughing Gull and Royal Tern.

Check-list

Birds you can see here include:

Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Great Cormorant, Mediterranean Shag, Little Bittern, Black-crowned Night Heron, Squacco Heron, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, White Stork, Glossy Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, Greater Flamingo, Common Shelduck, Eurasian Wigeon, Common Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Marbled Duck, Red-crested Pochard, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Common Scoter, Western Marsh-Harrier, Montagu's Harrier, Booted Eagle, Osprey, Common Kestrel, Common Quail, Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Eurasian Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Northern Lapwing, Red Knot, Sanderling, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Ruff, Common Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Spotted Redshank, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Arctic Skua, Little Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Audouin's Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Caspian Tern, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Little Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Whiskered Tern, Black Tern, Rock Dove, European Turtle Dove, Common Swift, Pallid Swift, Common Kingfisher, European Bee-eater, Eurasian Hoopoe, Greater Short-toed Lark, Lesser Short-toed Lark, Crested Lark, Thekla Lark, Eurasian Crag Martin, Barn Swallow, Northern House Martin, Meadow Pipit, Water Pipit, Spanish Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Bluethroat, Eurasian Robin, Black Redstart, Common Redstart, Whinchat, European Stonechat, Northern Wheatear, Black-eared Wheatear, Black Wheatear, Cetti's Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Savi's Warbler, Moustached Warbler, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Spectacled Warbler, Blackcap, Wood Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, European Pied Flycatcher, Bearded Tit, Penduline Tit, Woodchat Shrike, Common Starling, Spotless Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, European Serin, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Linnet, Reed Bunting, Corn Bunting

Other Wildlife

To do

Site Information

History and Use

To do

Access and Facilities

From Santa pola the N-332 road headong south gives access to the main part of the Salinas. As you leave Santa Pola going south, on the left is the Salt Museum, where you can park and view the small pool containing many of the birds to be seen in the larger pools further south. On the other side of the road from the musem is a marshy area often containing a good selection of waders.

Opposite a somewhat ramshackle funfair on the left, there is a track which goes off to the right which is worth exploring, and in the winter is good for Bluethroat. Further on, after passing under the gantry of the saltworks, you come to a recently restored tower with a pull-in to the right where you can look over the lakes to see a good selection of the water birds, and cross over the road to view more marsh areas.

There are two further parking areas on the right, but both are unmarked and need caution to enter. Both give better views of the birds than the tower pull-in.

Warning - the N-332 is a dangerous road to traverse; despite the speed restrictions in force along the whole stretch these are often ignored. Any manoevres should be done with great care.

Contact Details

To do

External Links

www.turismedelx.com/en/naturaleza

The tourist information website of Elche has a good section on wildlife in the area.

Content and images originally posted by Mark Etheridge