Laguna de Sariñena

Laguna de Sariñena is a large endorheic water body covering 204 hectares in the Los Monegros district of Huesca province, between the basins of the Alcanadre and Flumen rivers. With a perimeter of about 8 kilometres and an altitude of 281 metres above sea level, it is the largest permanent wetland in Los Monegros, a steppe zone where a lagoon of this size creates a striking landscape contrast. It was designated a Wildlife Refuge in 1995, classified as a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA) in 2001, and listed in the Inventory of Unique Wetlands of Aragon.

The figure that best captures Sariñena's ornithological importance is the more than 230 species recorded around it, a diversity that makes it one of the key staging points on the Europe–Africa migration route in inland Aragon. Each winter the lagoon receives some 12,000 wintering birds, and during migration periods it serves as a resting area for over 100,000 birds in transit. The Eurasian bittern, an elusive endangered heron, has its main Aragonese breeding site here, with an estimated 10 % of the Iberian population of the species concentrated at this lagoon. Alongside the bittern, the site supports marsh harrier, grey heron, flamingo, avocet, black-winged stilt, common crane on passage and a varied waterfowl community including mallard, red-crested pochard, teal and northern shoveler.

The surrounding landscape is quintessential Monegros: a cereal steppe in ochre and gold tones where the horizon stretches unbroken until meeting the pre-Pyrenean ranges to the north. Shore vegetation is dominated by dense reedbeds and rushes that serve as shelter and breeding ground for waterbirds. Beyond the lakeside fringe, dryland crops — wheat, barley and almond — form an agricultural mosaic that attracts steppe species such as pin-tailed sandgrouse, stone curlew and calandra lark, adding birdwatching interest beyond the wetland itself. Monegros light, dry and direct, produces intense sunsets over the water when flocks return to the lagoon at the end of the day.

The Laguna de Sariñena Interpretation Centre and Observatory, by the southern shore, offers information panels, a covered hide with windows facing the reedbed and telescopes available for visitors. From here, trails partially encircle the lagoon with wooden boardwalks over wet areas and photographic hides that allow close approach without disturbance. The town of Sariñena, the district's administrative centre, has accommodation, restaurants serving Aragonese cuisine — oven-roasted ternasco lamb, migas, borage and Somontano DOP olive oil — and cultural offerings including the Ansotano Costume Museum and the San Antolín festival in September.