{"id":2240,"date":"2020-01-06T06:04:25","date_gmt":"2020-01-06T05:04:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/\/\/estuario-del-guadalhorce\/"},"modified":"2025-12-14T11:44:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-14T10:44:08","slug":"malaga-guadalhorce-estuary-natural-protected-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/en\/blog\/malaga-guadalhorce-estuary-natural-protected-site\/","title":{"rendered":"Desembocadura del Guadalhorce Natural Site"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>M\u00c1LAGA <\/strong> &#8211; <strong>The best place for coastal bird watching in Andalusia &#8230; and possibly all of Spain.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-4 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Marmaronetta-angustirostris-800x800.png\" data-id=\"30036\" alt=\"Iberian arched-mouth nase in Malaga\" class=\"wp-image-30036 lazyload\" title=\"Marmaronetta angustirostis-circle\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" data-id=\"30036\" src=\"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Marmaronetta-angustirostris-800x800.png\" alt=\"Iberian arched-mouth nase in Malaga\" class=\"wp-image-30036\" title=\"Marmaronetta angustirostis-circle\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Marmaronetta-angustirostris-800x800.png 800w, https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Marmaronetta-angustirostris-380x380.png 380w, https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Marmaronetta-angustirostris-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Marmaronetta-angustirostris.png 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Oxyura-leucocephala.png\" data-id=\"19919\" alt=\"malvasia duck at the Guadalorce site\" class=\"wp-image-19919 lazyload\" title=\"Oxyura leucocephala-circle\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"482\" height=\"482\" data-id=\"19919\" src=\"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Oxyura-leucocephala.png\" alt=\"malvasia duck at the Guadalorce site\" class=\"wp-image-19919\" title=\"Oxyura leucocephala-circle\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Oxyura-leucocephala.png 482w, https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Oxyura-leucocephala-380x380.png 380w, https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Oxyura-leucocephala-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Pandion-halieetus.png\" data-id=\"44060\" alt=\"Pandion winter in Andalusia\" class=\"wp-image-44060 lazyload\" title=\"Pandion halieetus-circle\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"900\" data-id=\"44060\" src=\"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Pandion-halieetus.png\" alt=\"Pandion winter in Andalusia\" class=\"wp-image-44060\" title=\"Pandion halieetus-circle\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Pandion-halieetus.png 900w, https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Pandion-halieetus-380x380.png 380w, https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Pandion-halieetus-800x800.png 800w, https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Pandion-halieetus-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Choirocephalus-genei.png\" data-id=\"44063\" alt=\"The Slender-billed Gull, very rare.\" class=\"wp-image-44063 lazyload\" title=\"Choirocephalus genei-circle\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"429\" height=\"429\" data-id=\"44063\" src=\"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Choirocephalus-genei.png\" alt=\"The Slender-billed Gull, very rare.\" class=\"wp-image-44063\" title=\"Choirocephalus genei-circle\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Choirocephalus-genei.png 429w, https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Choirocephalus-genei-380x380.png 380w, https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Choirocephalus-genei-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 429px) 100vw, 429px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>mouth of the Guadalhorce<\/strong>, called &#8220;El Guada&#8221; by local ornithologists, is the most important wetland in the province of Malaga along with the Fuente de Piedra lagoon. It is undoubtedly the <g id=\"gid_1\">best place for <g id=\"gid_2\">birdwatching<\/g> on the Costa del Sol<\/g> and possibly in all of <g id=\"gid_3\">Andalusia (<g id=\"gid_4\">ebird file<\/g>)<\/g>. It is located west of the city of Malaga and a stone&#8217;s throw from the airport (access from Malaga with bus line 5, stop 1013 C \/ Manuel Curros Enriquez).    <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/P1250643-e1580913105881.jpg\" class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"guadalhorce river mouth, Guada, Malaga, cormorants\" title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/P1250643-e1580913105881.jpg\" alt=\"guadalhorce river mouth, Guada, Malaga, cormorants\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Next to the city of Malaga, the wetland offers one of the most attractive areas for bird watching.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This natural site is a <strong>river island of 120 ha<\/strong>, formerly used as agricultural land (Finca La Isla), and today consists of a <strong>complex of restored gravel pits<\/strong> and a<strong> dead arm of the river<\/strong>. The latter is reminiscent of the ancient marshes present in the estuary and which were gradually drained. The estuary is made up of a curious mixture (half natural, half artificial) of <strong>former agricultural land and aquatic environments<\/strong>: five permanent water lagoons, temporary ponds, two branches of the river and the coast of the wild beach included in the natural site.    <\/p>\n\n<ul style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:700\" class=\"wp-block-list is-style-checkmark-list has-accent-4-background-color has-background\">\n<li class=\"has-accent-1-color has-text-color has-link-color has-large-font-size wp-elements-1\">Coastal wetland<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-accent-1-color has-text-color has-link-color has-large-font-size wp-elements-2\">Waterfowl<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-accent-1-color has-text-color has-link-color has-large-font-size wp-elements-3\">White-headed Duck<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-accent-1-color has-text-color has-link-color has-large-font-size wp-elements-4\">Dragonflies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-accent-1-color has-text-color has-link-color has-large-font-size wp-elements-5\">Natural beach<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ornithology every day of the year<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The geographical location and the available habitats have not lost any attraction for birds, quite the contrary, as the estuary has become a real ecological island within a highly urbanized coast. <strong>More than 300 species of birds<\/strong> have been identified in this space and some days up to 80 different species are observed! A true feather and song festival. This is why the naturalist community of Malaga has become one of the most active in the region.     <\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/P1250666-e1580913069886.jpg\" class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"Rio Viejo, guadalhorce mouth, Malaga\" title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/P1250666-e1580913069886.jpg\" alt=\"Rio Viejo, guadalhorce mouth, Malaga\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>The Rio Viejo is a former meander of the river, nowadays converted into a coastal lagoon and enclosed in a fluvial island.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like the other wetlands of Andalusia, <strong>the ornithological interest increases with wintering and migrations<\/strong>. Late spring and summer are generally the least interesting seasons &#8230; although the sedentary presence of the <g id=\"gid_1\">White headed Duck<\/g><g id=\"gid_2\">(Oxyura<\/g> <g id=\"gid_3\">leucocephala<\/g>) proves to be a splendid attraction. The following species are breeding: the Little Bittern (<g id=\"gid_4\">Ixobrychus minutus<\/g>), the <g id=\"gid_5\">Night Heron<\/g><g id=\"gid_6\">(Nycticorax nycticorax<\/g>), the <g id=\"gid_8\">Black-winged<\/g> <g id=\"gid_7\">Stilt<\/g><g id=\"gid_9\">(Himantopus himantopus<\/g>) and the Little <g id=\"gid_11\">Ringed<\/g> <g id=\"gid_10\">Plover<\/g><g id=\"gid_12\">(Charadrius dubius<\/g>). The lagoons attract waterfowl and there is no lack of ducks, herons, gnatcatchers, Common Coots, <strong>Common<\/strong> Coots<em>(Porphyrio porphyrio<\/em>) and some specialized passerines.    It is also easy to observe pelagic seabirds from the beach, especially in winter: <strong>Balearic Shearwater<\/strong><em>(Puffinus mauretanicus<\/em>), <strong>Great Skua<\/strong><em>(Stercorarius skua<\/em>), <strong>Northern Gannet<\/strong><em>(Morus bassanus<\/em>), <strong>Common Gannet<\/strong><em>(Melanitta nigra<\/em>), among others. The <strong>Kentish Plover<\/strong><em>(Charadrius alexandrinus<\/em>) breeds locally. <\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/P1250662-e1580913125680.jpg\" class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"Mouth of the Guadalhorce river, seabird observatory  \" title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/P1250662-e1580913125680.jpg\" alt=\"Mouth of the Guadalhorce river, seabird observatory  \" title=\"\"><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>The seabird observatory next to the Espig\u00f3n del Brazo de Levante.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another fact of interest to experienced birders: the Guada turns out to be a great<strong> magnet for ornithological rarities<\/strong>, especially species that move around the Mediterranean, all of which explains the mythical number of more than 300 species.  <\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/dog-walker-11.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-125 lazyload\" title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1349\" height=\"95\" src=\"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/dog-walker-11.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-125\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/dog-walker-11.png 1349w, https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/dog-walker-11-380x27.png 380w, https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/dog-walker-11-800x56.png 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1349px) 100vw, 1349px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Guadalhorce estuary is <strong>a must to visit<\/strong><strong><\/strong>: an incomparable diversity in such a small space. Don&#8217;t forget your telescope. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Best coastal bird watching spot in Andalusia &#8230; and perhaps in all of Spain. Guadalhorce River Estuary, protected natural site.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26708,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[561],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-natural-protected-areas-in-andalusia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2240"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2240\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g3-guides.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}