Ornithology
In October 2006, during the 1st Costa da Morte Ornithology Congress, the first ornithology observatory in the province of A Coruña was inaugurated. By naming it this way, the councils of Cabana and Bergantiños thus honoured the thirty-plus years that José LuísRabuñalPatiño, one of Spains most important ornithologists, dedicated to the observation and study of birds on the beaches of Insua.
Located on the beach at Urixeira, the José Luís Rabuñal Patiño Bird Observatory is a wooden hut which blends perfectly into its surroundings. Inside, there are informative panels that inform about the migratory routes of the birds that arrive at the estuary, the spaces occupied by the birds in the area, the rarities that may be observed on occasion, how to recognize birds and of the equipment used to observe them.
Costa da Morte Ornithologic Route
A marine area which covers a large part of the continental shelf off the Costa da Morte in the north-west of Galicia.What makes this such an interesting place as a migratory stop-over is its privileged geographic location and the strong, predominantly N / NW winds. It is estimated that over one million birds pass through here during the summer and autumn (post-mating migration). Most migrating birds come from northern Europe and western Siberia, but there are also species from the Mediterranean (Balearic shearwater, Puffinusmauretanicus), Nearctic (Sabine gull, Larussabini) and Southern hemisphere (shady shearwater, Puffinusgriseus).
