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Description
The Sebes wetland is part of the River Ebre valley at the Flix reservoir. Together with the meander of the river around the town, it forms a wetland covering more than 200 ha made up of large reed beds in which there are numerous groves of riverside trees and some marshy areas. The area is constantly fed by water from the Ebre River and stands in contrast to its surroundings which in terms of hydraulic regime are virtually arid. This disparity increases the wide diversity of species in the wetland and, as a consequence, its ecological value.
The Freixe Nature Group manages the area under the terms of an agreement with Flix Town Council, and has put in place the "Mas del Director" Information Centre, footbridges giving access to the lake and the riverside woods, hides for bird watching, interpretation panels, etc. A number of research and habitat and species conservation projects are also being carried out, including marsh pasturage with La Camarga horses and the reintroduction of white storks from the Terres de l'Ebre. Caixa Catalunya Social Work has been partnering the management of this area since 1999, first by helping to draw up its Management Plan and subsequently by providing funding for some of the activities referred to above.
We have acquired two farms in the area: Mas de les Cigonyes and Mas de Pitoia. Mas de Cigonyes is a small, 2.11 ha estate next to the wetland and in front of both the aviary used to reintroduce the storks and the marshland created by horse pasturage. It consists of a farmhouse, which is the facility used by the nature stays and work camps which Caixa Catalunya Social Work organises every year, and of a section with Mediterranean vegetation. Around it there a number of stork nests and an observatory with views over the marshes. Mas de Pitoia is located virtually in the middle of the Sebes wetlands. It covers 5 ha, with the land used for olive trees, some of them more than a hundred years old, and a farmhouse with some marvellous views over the river and the marshes.
It has been transferred the use, maintenance and management of both farms to Flix Town Council which means they have become part of the wetland's facilities. They have a strategic location on the main road in the reserve as the latter is part of the recently created GR-99, the "Camí de l'Ebre", which runs from the source of the river at Reinosa to the Ebre Delta, a total of 1,150 kilometres. |
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Flora and Vegetation
The natural values of the area include riverside woodland made up of poplars, alders, willows, etc. together with species such as the skullcap that have benefited from the opening of the reed beds. |
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Fauna
Studies carried out over a number of years into invertebrate fauna have revealed the presence of some species of insects which are rare in the Catalan Countries, such as the Tuponia pictiscutum. Highlights among reptiles include Mediterranean geckos and red-tailed spiny-footed lizards.
The excellent condition of the area's habitats is shown by its birdlife, including marsh harriers who are permanent residents and breed every year, a colony of some twenty pairs of purple herons, a variety of species of ducks, the summer presence of ospreys and other rare species that live in the reed beds. |
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Recommendations for visitors.
The changes in the reed beds, the marsh vegetation and the riverside woodland mean that every season of the year has its own charm. Nevertheless, frequent fog in the winter and extreme heat in the summer mean that visits are not so enjoyable at these times of year. By contrast, in the autumn there is the chance to see birds which use the Ebre as a migratory path, while at the end of the winter and the start of the spring visitors can enjoy the yellow lilies beginning to flower in the marshes, the explosion of greenery in the riverside woods, the mating of the marsh harriers and the spectacle of the storks. |
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How to get there |
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How to get there:
- "On the C-12 ("Eix de l'Ebre"), coming from Maials (or Lleida), take the track on the right just before the bridge. If you are coming from Ascó (Móra or Gandesa), go through the village and stay on the C-12 as far as the roundabout after the Flix reservoir bridge. Here make a 180º turn to go back towards Flix, but before you cross the bridge, take the track on the right. This track marks the start of the Reserve."
"In Bellver, take the turning on the left in Avinguda Pere Sicart before the bridge over the River Segre and follow it towards the Bellver - Santa Eugènia road. When you leave the built-up area you will find signposts for the Alt Segre Reserve via the Basses de Gallissà"
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Services:
- Mas del Director: 977 265 112
- Flix Town Hall: 977 410 153
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