a wetland ecosystem in the heart of Extremadura's dehesa

guía de aves

Very close to Torrejoncillo and immersed in meadows of great landscape and environmental value is the natural jewel of the municipality: the Portaje Reservoir. This is framed within the area of influence of the "ZEPA Canchos de Ramiro y Ladronera", being a place of great ornithological value. In its surroundings you can enjoy more than 150 species of birds throughout the annual cycle, presenting your visit with attractions during any of the seasons.

During the wintering period, when hundreds of birds from northern Europe arrive here to spend the winter in more favorable conditions, the presence of species such as the greylag goose (more than a hundred specimens each winter), the seagull laughing (it forms roosting sites in the reservoir for several hundred individuals), birds of prey such as the merlin, sparrowhawk or red kite, waders (such as common and little sandpiper, common and little snipe or lapwings) and ducks (hundreds of birds winter in the reservoir). mallards, mallards and shovelers, with the presence throughout the winter of other interesting species such as tufted and European pochards or wigeons and pintailed ducks). In recent years, the presence of cranes has begun to be observed, although in an almost testimonial way.

During the summer reproductive period, the attraction of the reservoir is found in the heron colony located on a small island in front of the bird observatory located in one of the tails of the reservoir. This colony hosts several dozen nests of gray herons and little egrets, along with some nests of cattle egrets, spoonbills and herons. In addition to the numerous white stork nests that are scattered over the remains of oaks that were buried by the waters. It is highly recommended to attend between mid-April and mid-June, when the colony is in all its splendor and the birds do not stop coming and going to feed their chicks. In addition, very interesting species such as the booted eagle, the black kite or the common buzzard breed in the nearby meadows. Special mention deserves the black kite, which after having finished the reproduction forms communal roosts every afternoon in the tail of the reservoir of more than 100 individuals.

But not all the ornithological wealth of Torrejoncillo is summed up in the surroundings of the reservoir, but rather the meadows and olive groves in the surroundings of Torrejoncillo as well as its own town center also offer us opportunities to observe species of great ornithological value.

Thus, the Church of San Andrés (also declared an Asset of Cultural Interest) houses several pairs of white storks and lesser kestrels during the breeding season. In addition, it is enough to raise our eyes to the sky while walking around it to be able to observe several species of hirundinidae (barn swallow and common and rock martin) and swifts (both pale and common).

The meadows and olive groves offer us opportunities to observe such characteristic species of the Iberian avifauna during the summer period as the common shrike or the booted eagle. In addition, during the winter they welcome a large number of migratory passerines, highlighting species such as song thrushes and redwings. Likewise, it is possible to observe breeding pairs of eagle owls and Egyptian vultures in the vicinity of the Encín Dam, bordering valuable meadows.

Lastly, the municipality of Torrejoncillo extends to the plains of the river Alagón, where it is also possible to observe a considerable number of species (from those associated with agricultural systems to those associated with riparian vegetation or bodies of water). Among these species, the red-necked nightjar or the common quail (associated with the cultivation areas) or the little bittern or the purple heron (these are in the river's own environment) stand out.

But it will not be just birds with what can be found in the surroundings of the reservoir, you can also see emblematic and elusive mammals such as the otter or the stone marten, and you can also enjoy the sound show of the bellowing during the first moments of autumn . As for reptiles, if you pay attention and have patience, in the meadows you can see the ocellated lizard, as well as various species of snakes.

control the time
in your observations

The times when the diversity of species in our bird reserve is greater are the pre-nuptial (February-March) and post-nuptial (August-September) passages, when various species of waders pass through here (black-winged stilts, various species of sandpipers and Redshanks, Avocets, etc.), birds of prey (Osprey, European Honey Buzzard, Montagu's Harrier, etc.), Anatidae (European and Brown pochards, Pintail, etc.), Larids (Laughing, Sooty and Yellow-legged Gulls), Larolimícolas (such as the threatened common fumarel), passerines (grey wheatear, gray and pied flycatcher, northern stonechat, etc.) and other species as interesting as the glossy ibis, the black stork or the spoonbill (migratory groups can be observed with peaks of up to a hundred individuals in the case of the latter).