Aquatic bird numbers drop at Delta de l’Ebre

Delta de l’Ebre (literally Delta of the Ebro) is home to one of Catalonia’s most famous nature reserves for birdwatching, however the flooded surface area of the rice fields of delta de l’Ebre is at a mere 40.6% this year after the winter’s flooding. This may explain why the numbers for certain bird species are so low this year.

Experts at the Delta Natural Park (with long-term perspectives on the problem) claim that the significant decrease in the floodedsurface area of rice fields in winter will lead to a significant decrease in the capacity of the delta de l’Ebre to provide for different species, which will have a knock on negative effect on many of the aquatic bird populations that frequent the Delta. Some species of waders, waders being the second most common bird group in the park, exemplify this trend, as there are 49% fewer of them this year than there were last year.