In autumn, the sky and the banks of the wetlands change. Some birds disappear on their way south, others arrive from colder latitudes and many make a stop before continuing. Migration is not a single flight between two points, but a succession of stages in which every place with water, food and tranquility can be important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Large coastal wetlands concentrate a visible part of that movement, but migratory birds in Spain also pass through the Iberian Peninsula interior. Lagoons, banks, temporary marshes, and floodplains function as a network of resting areas. In them they can replenish energy, take refuge during a period of bad weather, or remain for the winter. When several of these points disappear, the journey becomes longer and more difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not all birds seek the same things. Shallow waters provide seeds, insects, and small invertebrates; muddy shores offer food to other species; reeds and rushes provide shelter. Therefore, a mosaic of different depths and types of vegetation can be more useful than a uniform sheet of water. It also explains that the value of a wetland does not depend solely on its size, but on what it offers at any time of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Ballesteros, it will still be necessary to measure the response of the birds to the restoration. The recovery of between 120 and 145 hectares of temporary flooding and of different habitats can create new opportunities for the fauna, but it is not advisable to present as a result what is still an objective. Repeated censuses will allow for comparing seasons, linking the presence of birds with the water level and adjusting management if any disturbances or imbalances appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n