Description
To the west of Marina Julia, the coast has a large tidal flat that extends towards the low Gulf of Panzano. Towards punta Barene, beyond the sea wall, there are limited formations with halophile vegetation. These are “barene” or tidal flats. The flats present extensive formations of seagrasses and are home to a large number of waterfowl from August to April. Beyond the point, the Quarantia canal separates the Alberoni area and the reclaimed land of the Brancolo canal from the Isola della Cona. A modest watercourse with spring water used to descend to the sea after a short course above ground but a breach in the river Isonzo that occurred at the end of the nineteenth century caused a widening of this watercourse so that it quickly became the main outlet of the river prompting fears that the Gulf of Panzano and the port of Monfalcone might silt up. In 1934, the construction of the dam forced the Isonzo into the Sdobba bed while the Quarantia today is a channel with some input of fresh water at the head.
Places of interest
The landscape of the cultivated plain of Brancolo is interrupted by rows of trees, the remains of the original woodland or, more often, by groves of...
Vegetation
Frequent in the sea at a depth of less than 5 metres and in lagoons, especially where there are fresh water inlets. It colonises tidal flats,...
Frequent in the sea and in lagoons, and like dwarf eelgrass forms extensive fields which are very important for fish and waterfowl.
This is a common aquatic plant found in particular in areas where fish are farmed and in areas with fresh water intake and low water exchange....
This is the typical oak of low-lying terrain with deep, humid soil. Found in lowland forests, along rivers and near springs, as well as in...
A tree species common along the rivers and coasts especially on sandy soils. Offering a fine form, it is used to line boulevards and decorate...
Like the white poplar, it is common along rivers and coasts, but is less tied to sandy soils. A hybrid variety is grown in poplar groves for the...
Frequent in lowland woods where it prefers the wettest locations. Found along rivers and near springs. Quite resistant to salinity, it also grows...
A shrub and small tree, it is resistant to drought and salty soils as mentioned by D’Annunzio in the poem “la pioggia nel...
A halophyte (salt-tolerant) species not present in salt marshes but on rocky coasts and harbour works such as jetties and embankments, even in...
A very common plant in freshwater wetlands and minor waterways producing the showy yellow blooms of this species in April-May.
A halophyte species, it forms populations in salt marshes and in the areas used to trap fish in the presence of moderate salinity. Widespread in...
A halophyte plant to be found in low-lying land behind dunes and in the upper reaches of salt marshes.
To be found in areas behind dunes and near springs.
A halophyte species forming extensive spreads on sandbanks and very noticeable during the summer flowering.
A halophyte species found on sandbanks and on the reclaimed land of Lisert where it covers extensive areas.
Another halophyte species, this is the first terrestrial plant to colonise the highest tidal flats, enduring long submersion.
A halophyte species that is very common on the sandbanks of the Grado lagoon.
A halophyte species that shows itself most during its summer flowering.
A halophyte species whose yellow flowers colour the summer landscape of the lagoon sandbanks.
This North American species has spread widely in floodplains and along the coasts. It is an exotic, infesting species that greatly modifies the...
A North American species common in cultivated areas and along rivers. Used for poles and firewood.
Traditions
One can frequently see large flocks of swans in front of the mouths of the Isonzo and in the lagoons. Until 30 years ago, it was not so easy to...
The river has its source 1,100 meters above sea level in the Julian Alps to the west of Mount Triglav, 2,864 meters high, in the Trenta valley. It...
The river mouth has progressively moved east. About 12,000 years ago it used to enter the sea five kilometres further west, where Grado stands...
Habitats
Areas normally above the water in a lagoon are called barene or salt marshes and are characterised by halophilic vegetation typical of...
The areas regularly submerged by the high tide that are revealed when the sea retreats are called the tidal flats. In Friuli Venezia Giulia, these...
In the last century, vast areas of the lagoons and surrounding marshes were drained to obtain new agricultural, industrial and urban land. To...
The lagoon system of FVG extends between the mouth of the Isonzo and that of the Tagliamento. Compared to its “big sister”, the...
The coastline that once upon a time (until the 1920s) used to change naturally in response to the rise and fall of the sea level and sedimentation...
One of the largest and most vital underwater meadows of the Gulf lies in front of the mouths of the Isonzo. These are plants with ribbon-like...
Birds
85-100 cm, sexes similar. White plumage, yellow beak which becomes black in the breeding season. Present throughout the year, it does not, however,...
84-102 cm, sexes similar. All year round, nesting in colonies in lagoon groves and other wooded areas inland. Nesting has been noted since 1999. Very...
45-55 cm, marked dimorphism, the male is grey with black wing tips, the female brown, and both have a white rump. Present during migration and...
34-38 cm; this is the smallest duck. Mainly a wintering species, some pairs do nest here and concentrations of teal can be observed in freshwater...
39-44 cm, sexes similar, White and black with red-orange beak and reddish legs. Present all year round, a recent phenomenon is that during wintering,...
23-28 cm, sexes similar. With well-camouflaged streaked brown plumage, it has a long beak and a characteristic zig-zag flight. Present from July to...
10-11 cm, sexes similar. Yellowish plumage streaked with dark. Characteristic song: zip-zip-zip emitted in flight. It frequents coastal areas with...
37-43 cm, sexes similar, light grey upperparts, white in the lower parts, with a black cap and a tuft on the head, the beak black with light-coloured...
46-56 cm, with characteristic white speculum. Mainly a wintering species, but some pairs nest here. It frequents freshwater wetlands, the mouth of...
48-57 cm, sexes similar. Brownish with a long curved beak. Present throughout the year but does not nest. Forms flocks during high tide on sandbars...
37-45 cm, sexes similar. Brownish with curved beak, shorter than the curlew, and with characteristic dark streaks on the head. Present during...
140-160 cm, white, grey in juveniles, tubercle at the base of the beak, most evident in males. Present throughout the year, numerous at river mouths...
51-62 cm, an elegant duck with long neck and, in the male, long central tail feathers. A wintering species, it frequents tidal flats, the restored...
77-94 cm, sexes similar. Like pelicans and boobies, they have the 4 fingers joined by a membrane to facilitate swimming. The species is present...
15-16 cm, the male with grey head and white throat in the cinerocapilla subspecies, yellow belly, long tail with white outer feathers. During...
43-55 cm, marked dimorphism, with the male more colourful while the female is dark with pale-yellow head and shoulders. Present throughout the year,...
38-45 cm, sexes similar. Uppers grey-brown in juveniles, white underparts barred, pointed wings and fast flight. Present throughout the year, it...
52- 60 cm, the upperparts dark, white underside, long wings. Present during migration, especially in April-May and August-September. Relatively...
42-50 cm, the male with a characteristic white spot on the wing coverts. A very numerous wintering species from September to March, some individuals...
36-42 cm, sexes similar. Sooty black in colour with white beak and frontal shield. It runs over the water to take flight. Present throughout the...
35-39 cm, sexes similar. In February, it gains the dark brown cap for the breeding season, which it then loses in July-August. Present throughout the...
37-40 cm, sexes similar. Compared to the black-headed gull, the beak is more massive and coral-red, it has a black head – during nesting – and...
52-58 cm, sexes similar. Grey upperparts, white lower parts. Present throughout the year and abundant, nesting in the lagoon, on the roofs of houses...
27-31 cm, sexes similar. Dark with tail in part white and red and yellow beak. Present throughout the year, it nests in freshwater and brackish...
55-65 cm, sexes similar. White plumage with long feathers on the neck and back during the breeding season. Present throughout the year round, nesting...
40-46 cm, sexes similar. It is smaller than the black-headed gull. Present from November to April, numerous in some winters, it frequents the sea,...
50-60 cm. With marked dimorphism, this is the ancestor of the domestic duck. Present throughout the year, it is very adaptable, frequenting both...
96-119 cm, sexes similar. Grey with black and white head and the tips of the wings black. It flies with outstretched neck, unlike herons which fly...
25-29 cm, sexes similar. A very colourful bird, it has a distinctive flight suited to capturing large insects in flight. It perches on leafless...
68-78 cm, sexes similar. It has a short tuft that appears in adults in winter and early spring. Present throughout the year, it becomes rare in...
45-55 cm, sexes similar. It is present throughout the year and nests in colonies, associating with various species of herons in some groves of the...
17-19 cm, sexes similar. Blue upperparts, red underparts with large, dark beak dark and very short tail, which in flight makes it resemble a...
37-41 cm. The male has a characteristic white stripe from the eye to the nape. A migratory species, it is present from March to September. It...
44-52 cm; the male this a distinctive white chest. Mainly a wintering species, some pairs breed here. It frequents wetlands with low salinity and the...
64-78 cm, characteristic black stripes on the abdomen and white front. A wintering species, it forms numerous flocks, sometimes associated with other...
74-84 cm, grey, in flight, the light-coloured wing coverts are obvious. This is the progenitor of the domestic goose. Present throughout the year, it...
51-58 cm, dark plumage, black in the male, with distinctive white speculum. Present during the winter and migration at sea and in the deeper lagoon...
30-34 cm, sexes similar. Grey above, whitish beneath, slightly upturned and relatively large beak. Present throughout the year, scarce from mid-May...
28-31 cm, sexes similar, iridescent black uppers, white under parts with characteristic tuft on the neck and rounded wings. Present throughout the...
24-27 cm, sexes similar. Grey-brown uppers, lighter beneath with evident white bar on the wings, darker in breeding season; red beak and legs....
17-21 cm, sexes similar. Characteristic black belly and rufous uppers, grey in winter. It is the most numerous wader during wintering and forms large...
18.5-21 cm, dark and mottled with lighter colour on uppers, lighter underneath. Present from March to September, rare in June, does not nest. It...
18 to 20.5 cm light brown uppers. white on the lower parts. The wings have a narrow light-coloured bar and are often blocked briefly in flight....
33-41 cm, sexes similar. Grey brown, with whitish underparts during wintering, red in breeding season. Long and slightly upturned beak. Present...
26-29 cm, sexes similar. Grey plumage, black and white on the under parts during the breeding season. Grey in winter with characteristic black...
48-56 cm, sexes similar, plumage varies widely, generally brown with light patches. Present all year round, most numerous even in the largest lagoon...
23-26 cm, sexes similar. Grey under parts, brown stripes on uppers, long, curved beak. Present throughout the year, it is more numerous in winter and...
Bucephala clangula (local names: moro, moreto, quatro oci) 40-48 cm, the male with a black head and characteristic white patch below the eyes....
17-21 cm, sexes similar. Black upperparts, red throat and whitish belly. Present from March to April and from September to October, it nests in rural...
52-58 cm, the male with dark green head and white neck, the female with reddish head. Present during wintering, it is frequent during the spring...
34-37 cm, sexes similar. Light grey upperparts and white underparts, with black cap and red beak. It is the classic tern, frequent from April to...
63-75 cm, sexes similar. In winter the plumage is dark grey above, whitish underneath; the beak is more massive and held flat compared to the...
55-67 cm, sexes similar. In winter, the plumage is grey, and whitish underneath. Present in winter at sea and in the deepest areas of the lagoons....
46-51 cm, sexes similar. Grey upper part, whitish beneath, while in its nuptial plumage it reveals obvious tufts on the head and below the eyes....
28-34 cm, sexes similar. Grey and off-white in winter, in March it has a black neck and a yellow tuft behind a red eye. Present from August to April,...
29-33 cm, sexes similar, blackish breeding plumage, after which it becomes whitish below and grey on the upperparts, thin beak and orange legs. It...
23-29 cm, sexes similar, brown in winter, black with rufous cheeks in the breeding season. Present throughout the year, it nests in freshwater...
25-29 cm, sexes similar, orange plumage striped with black, erectile crest on the head, flickering flight. Present from April to September and fairly...
15-16.5 cm, sexes similar. Reddish brown upperparts, and light in underparts. Present from April to September. It nests in coastal and riparian...
13-14 cm, sexes similar. Reddish brown plumage, loud, crackling song, especially when a human intrudes on the territory of a male. Present throughout...
55-65 cm, white in appearance with a dark red beak with tubercle in the male. Present throughout the year, it frequents areas subject to tide and...
