Laguna de Fuente de Piedra is home to the largest colony of common flamingos in the Iberian Peninsula and the second largest in Europe, only behind the Camargue region in France. During the nesting period, from March to July, there are hundreds of these pinkish birds living along with other aquatic birds: gull-billed terns, black-headed gulls, slender-billed gulls, plovers, black-winged stilts, common cranes and shovellers.
In addition to the 20,000 flamingo breeding couples, Laguna de Fuente de Piedra is the habitat of plants that are adapted to salty environments, like saltbush or Mediterranean scrub. All these plants live together in perfect harmony with more than 170 animal species.
Opposite Laguna de Fuente de Piedra, in a privileged location on Cerro del Palo lies the José Antonio Valverde Visitor Centre, which offers fabulous panoramic views of the lagoon, and the animals and plants that form this nice ecosystem. The Visitor Centre features an exhibition focusing mostly on flamingos, the kings of this wetland.
Nearby town
Not far away from the nature reserve is the town of Fuente de Piedra, where you can walk around and taste such local dishes as porra antequerana (a thicker version of gazpacho), gazpacho or migas (recipe with fried breadcrumbs). It is a fine place to bring your trip to a close, after being in contact with nature and being greeted by flamingos, those cute brilliantly coloured birds.
Fuente de Piedra is an endorheic body of saltwater filled by rain, aquifers and the Santillán and Humilladero streams. In the spring months, with warm temperatures, the salt crystallises and blankets the surface of the lagoon, ready to be harvested. In fact, salt harvesting has been a key industry in the area. Also, on the shore you can see man-made structures that encourage flamingos to build their own nests.
