In the estuary formed by the mouth of the rivers Tinto and Odiel is the Odiel Estuary Salt Marshes Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty, a stopping-off point for thousands of migratory birds which choose to cross the Mediterranean at the Strait of
Gibraltar.
Within its 7,185 hectares, furrowed by estuaries and sprinkled with salt flats, can be found the largest breeding colony of spatulas
in Europe – 30% of the continent's population of this species breeds here. This year Andalusia's only breeding colony of pink flamingos,
with a population of about 800 birds, is breeding here for the first time.
And it's also been chosen as a nesting site by a pair of ospreys,
which may be a sign that this species is re-introducing itself into Andalusia. That would ensure a stable population in continental Spain,
where this bird has not been breeding since the eighties. Furthermore, there's a breeding colony of little terns numbering over two thousand
pairs.
Apart from these animals, one can find grey herons, purple herons, little egrets, Kentish plovers, mallards, black-winged stilts, Asian desert
warblers, marsh harriers, black storks, glossy ibises, cranes and chameleons.
Within the limits of the Odiel Estuary Salt Marshes lie the Isla de Enmedio Nature Reserve and the El Burro Salt Marshes Nature Reserve.
In addition to its ecological importance, it has a wealth of shellfish, fish and archaeological remains, since on Saltés Island (Isla Saltés)
there are the remains of “Salthish”, an 11th-century urban enclosure.
Camping-Playa La Bota
Camping Playa la Bota
Ctra. Huelva - Punta Umbría, Km. 11
Apdo. 580 - 21080 (Huelva)
Tel.: 959 314 537
Fax: 959 314 546
