Regional Park of The Salt Flats of San Pedro del Pinatar

The Regional park “Las Salinas y Arenales of San Pedro del Pinatar”

Region of Murcia

Mediterranean Sea

Special Protection Area for birds

Specially Protected Area of interest for the Mediterranean.

Area: 856 Hectares

The Regional park “Las Salinas y Arenales of San Pedro del Pinatar”

is a resting area for many migratory birds.

Every year flocks of flamingos and other migratory birds nest here and use this national space as their connection between Africa and Europe.

The salt flats in San Pedro del Pinatar form the most important wetlands in the entire region.

They were declared National Park in 1985.

They are between 47 and 57 inches (1.2 to 1.5 meters) long from bill tip to tail, and they weigh between 4.6 to 9.0 pounds (2.1 to 3.4 kilograms).

The males are larger than the females.

There are many bird species, although the most spectacular ones are flamingos, who arrive in flocks at the end of the summer to spend the winter here.

Flamingo adults are white with a little pink in color (the color depends on the food they eat).

Diet: Flamingos sweep their heads upside down in shallow water and pump the water in and out of their bills with their tongues. Small water organisms get sucked into their mouths between the comblike bristles in their bills. Their food includes insects, brine shrimp, snails, seeds, algae, and diatoms.

It seems to prefer areas with plenty of mud and water, such as salt lakes, freshwater lakes and other lagoons.

This park is a haven not only for the flamingos but also for many other birds

CigüeñuelaGaviota picofino

Zampullín Gaviota reidora Gaviota audoin

Aguja colinegraGarceta común

Vuelve piedras

Gaviota común

Canastera común

Gallineta

Aguja colipinta

Chorlitejo patinegroCerceta común

OsteroAvoceta Ánade friso

Tarro blanco

Also mammalian

Comadreja

Delfín mular

Also reptilian

Tortuga boba

Eslizón ibérico

Lagartija colirroja

A also, sadly, endangered species

Fartet

Caballito de mar

In the sea floor we can find

The “poseidonia oceanica”

We can find plants in saline environments

Plants in saline environments

• Interesting places: The Regional Park of Salinas de San Pedro is a unique Mediterranean coastal landscape where in a small area you can see several morphological formations such as salt flats, salt marshes, reedbeds, beaches and dunes.

Beaches and dunes

marsh

Salt flats

• Documents from the 14th century already mentioned them. The two windmills that are still standing were used for many years to extract the water from the Mar Menor into the storage lagoons. Today they have been replaced by electric pumps, but their silhouette is still an important element of the landscape.

Salt ponds

Two curiosities

Encañizadas for fishing

Mud Baths

"encañizadas"

Traditional fishing system typical in the Mar Menor used to capture the fish entering the lagoon from the Mediterranean thanks to a complex network of logs and reeds.

Mud BathsPeople cover their bodies with mud to

prevent rheumatoid problems.