Fuente de piedra Lagoon, nature reserve

MALAGA – the largest flamingoes colony in the Mediterranean and a spectacular inland wetland.

Fuente de Piedra lagoon is a huge continental wetland whose salty waters saved it from an agrarian reconversion like those operated in Doñana, La Janda (Cadiz) or La Nava (Palencia).

In this species, the young have a gray plumage, while that of the adults is colored pink thanks to the oxidation of the carotenoids present in the food (shrimps, plankton, algae and crustaceans).

In addition to Flamingos, the lagoon birdlife is rich in aquatic species. More curious is the population of little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) that occupies the surrounding farmland.

From the visitor reception center, birds can be very far, especially in summer, it is therefore essential to bring a telescope to hope for interesting observations.

The place is also of international importance due to the diversity of its crustacean plankton and the presence of large branchiopods adapted to high salinity conditions. Among them it is possible to find some rare species, for example Branchinectella media, although only detectable when taking samples of the water column.

Another invertebrate adapted to the salt conditions of the temporary lagoons is an extremely rare dragonfly, the dark wingspread (Lestes macrostigma). It is possible to observe some specimens at the end of spring in the lagoons near the visitor center.

Note. In the vicinity of the Natural Reserve Laguna de Fuente de Piedra,  other wetlands of interest for bird watching are Laguna de la Ratosa Nature Reserve and Lagunas de Campillos Nature Reserve.

The Laguna de Fuente de Piedra is the largest inland wetland in Andalusia, 6.5 km long and 2.5 km wide, with 1,300 ha of protected natural area. The wetland is located near the city of Antequera (Malaga) in the depression of the Guadalquivir river.

Fuente de Piedra is famous for its colony of flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) that in some years exceed 35,000 adults when spring has been very rainy. Unusual feature of the species: the flamingos that live around the Mediterranean regularly exchange adults between the 10 main colonies and function as a large population.

This huge lagoon fills in winter and spring with rainfall from a drainage basin of more than 150 km² and displays a water column between 20 and 70 cm depth with exceptional values ​​of up to 150 cm. The fresh water is salinized by dissolving the mineral salts contained in the soil and reaches concentrations ​​of up to 96 g / l of sodium chloride turning the water into a real brine, a condition that qualifies it as hypersaline. The evaporation produced by the action of heat and wind, plays a decisive role in the gradual drying of the lagoon, giving way to a characteristic white and salty crust during the summer.

In addition to Flamingos, the lagoon birdlife is rich in aquatic species. More curious is the population of little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) that occupies the surrounding farmland.

From the visitor reception center, birds can be very far, especially in summer, it is therefore essential to bring a telescope to hope for interesting observations.

The place is also of international importance due to the diversity of its crustacean plankton and the presence of large branchiopods adapted to high salinity conditions. Among them it is possible to find some rare species, for example Branchinectella media, although only detectable when taking samples of the water column.

Another invertebrate adapted to the salt conditions of the temporary lagoons is an extremely rare dragonfly, the dark wingspread (Lestes macrostigma). It is possible to observe some specimens at the end of spring in the lagoons near the visitor center.

In the vicinity of the Natural Reserve Laguna de Fuente de Piedra,  other wetlands of interest for bird watching are:

• Laguna de la Ratosa Nature Reserve
• Lagunas de Campillos Nature Reserve
• •  

Updated checklist