Brazo del Este

The Brazo del Este Natural Park is 17 kilometres south of Seville, where the main channel ofthe Guadalquivir forks off. After 39 kilometres of consecutive meanders, or vueltas, as the locals call them, is joins back up with the first channel, almost 16 kilometres further down.

The natural park is the result of modifications that man has been making to gain cropland from the Guadalquivir, one of the oldest branches of the river that runs through the marshes. Despite a large amount of human intervention, which started at the beginning of the last century, it has become an exceptionally important wetland for birds.

With completely flat land, the channel is accompanied by rich water vegetation and a multitude of birds. It is well worth visiting, especially in summer, when this nature area becomes a vital shelter for species that "flee" from Doñana because there is not enough water. The Brazo del Este is a birdwatching tourism paradise. Strategically located between Doñana, the marshes, and La Dehesa de Abajo Lagoon, you can see a multitude of anatidae, birds of prey and migratory summer and winter birds, which is why it was declared a Special Bird Protection Area.

The wetland have resulted in a vegetation mainly made up of marsh, with reed mace and giant reeds. There are few trees, with some isolated specimens of ash and white poplar in the last stretch of the channel. Red eucalyptus is abundant, primarily along paths and several sections of the river. It is also worth mentioning the presence of species such as taray and rush,

As for fauna, this countryside has a great variety, although the most interesting are the birds, with an exceptionally long list. These include the purple heron and the anatidae, as well as mallard, pintail, shoveller and common teal.

There are also many fish able to deal with drastic changes to the water level, like eel, gudgeon, carp, fundulus and gambusia.