Description
Clot de Galvany Municipal Nature Reserve is located in the town of Elche in the province of Alicante. It comprises an area of 355.84 ha and owes its name to a natural pond that forms part of this magnificent wetland located on Elche’s coast.
It is characterised by the great diversity of environments that shapes a set of unique landscapes; from the wetland to the mountains and hills that surround it. Moreover, it has a dune system facing the coast with more than 5 km of beaches.
As for marine plant species, here you will find posidonia oceanica and an important benthic community.
The wide diversity of ecosystems makes it the perfect place for bird watching, including forest species, ducks and birds of prey.
More park information here
Main species
Residents: Mallard, common pochard, white-headed duck, marbled duck, Kentish plover, western swamphen, Eurasian coot, black-headed gull, Eurasian hoopoe, great grey shrike, common kestrel, European owl, Eurasian stone-curlew.
Summer: Common shelduck, red-crested pochard, common tern, whiskered tern, little bittern, black-winged stilt, pied avocet, little ringed plover, red-rumped swallow, Eurasian reed warbler.
Winter: Northern gannet, Balearic shearwater, great cormorant, ruddy turnstone, Audouin's gull, sandwich tern, Eurasian teal, northern shoveler, little grebe, booted eagle, western marsh harrier, grey heron, glossy ibis, and common snipe.
Birdwatching points of interest
The main access is reached from the Arenales del Sol housing development, following Avenida San Bartolomé de Tirajana (Walkway next to the beach) towards Gran Alacant. The entrance is located at the end of this avenue by turning right at the intersection which takes us to the Aula de la Naturaleza (Nature Classroom) car park.
Itinerary A begins in the Aula de la Naturaleza of the Nature Reserve and will take us through the different observatories and viewpoints. From the duck observatory (1), we can contemplate species such as the white-headed duck, common pochard, common shelduck, little bittern and occasionally the marbled duck. While the wader observatory (2) offers the possibility of seeing black-winged stilts, pied avocets, common snipe, little ringed plover and common sandpipers. We continue along the route to the Charca Central (Main Pond) observatory where we can add two species of herons, glossy ibis, booted eagle and even Eurasian stone-curlew to our list.
Itinerary B starts at the car park in the direction of the beach over the Carabassí dune system and, thanks to the walkways, you can contemplate the blonde-sand beaches and imposing dune system. This area is excellent for watching coastal and marine birds such as the northern gannet, Balearic shearwater, Audouin’s gull, sandwich tern, Kentish plover and ruddy turnstone.
Accommodation and restaurant
There is a wide selection of bars and restaurants near the reserve and accommodations are available in the surrounding towns.
Other nearby places
Near the reserve, heading south is Salinas de Santa Pola Natural Park and the Agua Amarga wetlands are to the north.