On May 1, 2009, we visited the Ebro Delta and Wetlands located south of Catalonia. This area covers 320 square kilometres and is the second largest wetland area in the western Mediterranean. It has many natural habitats not common to the rest of Catalonia. These areas include large lakes of salt water (La Tancada) or fresh water (L'Encanyissada), miles of beaches with sand dunes (El Fangar), riverbank woods, and salt wastelands (Erms de la Tancada, Punta de la Banya). The ecosystems created by man, rice fields and saltpans, also play an important part in the ecology of the area. This area was declared a natural park in 1993. For our group, it turned out to be a great place to bird. Early in the day we encountered wet, cold and windy conditions with temperatures in the low 60's. But, as the day progressed, the weather cleared, and temperatures rose to the low 80's. We saw this Great Cormorant flying by when we were in the area of Salinas de la Trinidad (Punta de la Banya). The Great Cormorant's thigh patch is faintly visible in this photo.