Birds in an urban estuary
The Ría de Vigo is an estuary with a narrow profile and dense population on its banks. Among the various populated areas the most noteworthy is Vigo, with a population of nearly 300,000. The estuary is bounded by the O Morrazo mountains to the north and the O Galiñeiro foothills to the south. In its innermost area it widens to form the San Simón inlet with significant numbers of ducks and waders in autumn and winter. In the area surrounding A Xunqueira beach in Moaña there are large groups of gulls and some waders and terns.
The shallow areas off the beaches of the outer zone of the estuary (Barra, Nerga, Samil) are home to concentrations of seabirds. The reedbeds of the Lagares river in Vigo and neighbouring Samil beach are grounds for a broad cast of gulls, waders and herons, as are the lagoon and coastal area of Balea point in Cangas do Morrazo.