Natural Park of s'Albufera

The Albufera Natural Park at Es Grau is the most interesting water-marsh area in Minorca. The lagoon is about 67,7 hectares full of spring water and nucleus of the Reserve of the Biosphere, separated from the sea by a sand barrier. This feature turns its aspect into an original landscape; its depth, an average 1,5 metres, and the earth coloured hills that surround it make it resemble more a lake than a coast line lagoon.

The west side offers the scene of Minorcan bred cows calmly grazing among an extension of floodable land called Es Prat. To the north-east, a dune formation, along which flows the canal which links the sea.

The Es Grau Albufera is an authentic paradise of those who love ornithology, as the winter season has reached the figure of over eleven thousand water birds and over a hundred different species. The most common are the Common Coot, the Royal Duck, the Common "Porron" and the Whistling Duck. It is also an important nesting area for the locally known "Zampullin Chico", Water "Polla" and the activity of birds of prey such as the peregrine falcon, the vulture, the footed eagle and the kite.

These species share a natural habitat of wide variety, where we can come across different vegetation communities within the water areas. The banks of the lagoon grow plants rooted into the sediments, whilst their stems and leaves are above water level. The daily sinking sediment also grows thick bushes and magnificent tamarisk forests.