Water source · La Yunta
Lagoons of La Yunta: cranes and steppe birds near Gallocanta
The lagoons of La Yunta are temporary wetlands on a plateau above 1,100 metres, between the Sierra de Caldereros and the Gallocanta basin. The main ones are Méndez, Llana, and Nueva. Part of the Natura 2000 SPA, they provide rest for cranes, ducks, and steppe birds like great bustards and pin-tailed sandgrouse.
- Best season
- October to March for crane migration and wintering; spring for steppe birds.
- Municipality
- La Yunta
- Province
- Guadalajara
- Altitude
- 1,132 m
- Temporary wetland
- Cranes
- Steppe birds
- Natura 2000
Water on the high plateau
La Yunta sits on a plateau above 1,100 metres, between the Sierra de Caldereros and the basin of the Gallocanta lagoon in Aragon. The plain is dotted with seasonal lagoons and pools that fill with rain and dry out in summer. The largest are Laguna de la Méndez, Llana, and Nueva.
What visits
When they hold water, they offer shelter and wintering grounds for cranes and waterfowl such as mallards. In the surrounding fields live steppe birds: great bustards, little bustards, stone-curlews, and black-bellied sandgrouse. Part of the municipality, about 736 hectares, lies within the Natura 2000 SPA and SAC Lagunas y Parameras del Señorío de Molina.
How to see them
Farm tracks allow easy walking between the pools. With binoculars and keeping back from the water’s edge, you will see far more: steppe birds are very sensitive to disturbance. The autumn-to-spring crane migration to and from Gallocanta (October to March) is the best time.
Location
● Reference point · ● Villages · ● Places
Location diagram. Detailed map with tracks and names loads on zoom.
Reference villages: La Yunta · Campillo de Dueñas · Cubillejo de la Sierra · Embid.
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