As is well known, Storm Gloria strongly affected the entire Tordera river basin. But not only in a negative way (even today, works are being carried out to repair the damage), it also provided a great benefit to the river, such as the creation of the large coastal lagoon between Blanes and Malgrat de Mar, which was able to gain meters from the sea after many years. Thanks to this fact, the management of the space has changed, with access restrictions, a ban on swimming, and the creation of viewpoints to observe birds without interfering with their natural dynamics, among others.
After the great storm that was Storm Gloria, the mouth of the Tordera suffered a rebirth. The large amount of sand and sediment that the river dragged with the floods meant that the delta, after many years, gained many meters from the sea and a large coastal lagoon was created. This lagoon, apart from the great morphological change it caused in the area, has favored the arrival of a great variety of birds that stop there to rest, look for food, etc., as they find the ideal habitat there.
First it was the City Council of Malgrat de Mar, which closed all access to the area from its municipality and installed a viewpoint to be able to observe the birds, right at the end of the river. The viewpoint allows observing numerous species of birds, many of which have ended up nesting there. To access the viewpoint, you have to go along the campsite road and leave the car in the parking area, to finish walking a few hundred meters to the facility, perfectly camouflaged to avoid scaring the animals. In addition, in the viewpoint area there is information about the birds that can be observed. The viewpoint, which was a great success from the first moment, is a meeting point for numerous wildlife observers with their complex photographic equipment, as you can see in this news report from Televisió de Catalunya.
And following the same steps as the town of Malgrat de Mar, the City Council of Blanes has also enabled an area for bird watching, in this case a few meters further inside the river, and has restricted access to the lagoon. In this case, the hide installation has wooden screens that isolate and protect the area from people, but allow discrete observation of the animals and the ability to photograph them. It also has informative and educational posters about the environmental values of the space, as you can see in these photographs from the article collected on the Blanes City Council website.
It is very important to highlight that, throughout this process, naturalists and ornithologists have been collaborators in these projects and that their knowledge and dedication is essential to make them a reality. Now it is necessary for everyone who accesses the area to collaborate in maintaining silence and tranquility, while it goes without saying that you should ensure that you do not damage any element of the furniture.
We hope you can enjoy these spaces while doing some of the sections of the Tordera route!
