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Places › Northern shore · Estuary and marsh

Palmones marshes

Algeciras y Los Barrios · 36.18° N, 5.44° W

A 113-hectare Natural Site at the head of the bay, shared by Algeciras and Los Barrios and surrounded by port and industrial facilities. More than 350 bird species recorded: waders, herons, spoonbills and flamingos depending on the tide, and migration with light or westerly winds; the blue crab is already here. Two hides: the Palmones ornithological viewpoint, above the Los Barrios municipal sports centre, and the El Torrejón park observatory, run by Algeciras city council on a restored former landfill at the edge of the marsh.

228
bird species
1872–2026
first and last open record
See the place in the explorer
within about 2 km · Natural Earth cartography, public domain

90 % of the records are from 2014 onwards.

September

What to watch this week

The species with the largest share of their open observations in these weeks of the year, here (week 37 and its two neighbours). A likelihood, not a promise: observations measure effort as well as presence.

Open records within about 2 km of the point by ISO week, all years added up. The current week is outlined.

Where to watch today

Forecast wind at Palmones, 10:00–16:00

4km/h from the S

Gusts

16 km/h

NESW

Calm: crossing along the whole front

With no dominant wind, soaring birds cross at any point between Tarifa and Gibraltar as soon as the thermals rise. It is the most spread-out day and the most comfortable for watching.

Watchpoint: Any; Cazalla and Algarrobo cover both ends

Forecast for Tuesday 8 September, Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0). A reading, not a prediction of passage.

The ones that define the place

Species more concentrated here than in the rest of the Strait: their share of observations at the place divided by their share across the whole area. An index of 3 means three times more frequent here than expected.

Most observed birds

Birds with 30 or more open records within the site radius. It measures observation effort as well as presence.

Each species' line is its weekly distribution here; the vertical tick is the current week.

The place's calendar

Monthly distribution of the open observations within about 2 km of the point.

Protection

  • Paraje Natural Marismas del Río Palmones
  • Reserva de la Biosfera Intercontinental del Mediterráneo

Important Bird Area (IBA)

Outside every IBA, right next to Estrecho de Gibraltar: 0.6 km.

Inventory kept by SEO/BirdLife within BirdLife International's IBA programme. It is not a legal protection status, but it carries weight in impact assessments and in court.

Natura 2000 network

The point is not inside any Natura 2000 site.

How to watch

A 113-hectare Natural Site at the head of the bay, shared by Algeciras and Los Barrios and surrounded by port and industrial facilities. More than 350 bird species recorded: waders, herons, spoonbills and flamingos depending on the tide, and migration with light or westerly winds; the blue crab is already here. Two hides: the Palmones ornithological viewpoint, above the Los Barrios municipal sports centre, and the El Torrejón park observatory, run by Algeciras city council on a restored former landfill at the edge of the marsh.

  • The colonies on Isla Verde and Isla de las Palomas are watched from a distance. Binoculars and telescope, no approach.
  • No drones over islands, breakwaters or docks: they flush the birds and are forbidden in the port domain without authorisation.

Other places

CC0 and CC BY records from GBIF and OBIS in the own database, deduplicated, within about 2 km of the point. Natura 2000 sites from the European Environment Agency. Protection designations as currently in force; no legal value. 8 September 2026.