Description
Between Sdobba and Primero there is a large area of sandy and muddy tidal flats limited towards land by the Forane Fossalon sea wall. This is a rich fishing area, as witnessed by the numerous barriers of nets and poles with their fish traps placed in areas of low water and in seagrasses. The birdlife is very rich and is hunted outside the nature reserves. To hunt waterfowl, a “colegia” shelter in reeds is used which hides the boat in which the hunter awaits. Around the boat, the hunter will place some “stampi”, dummies of ducks made of various materials and duck decoys, called “cantarelle” to attract passing ducks to the “colegia” by exploiting their gregariousness. Near the Primero outlet to the sea, the first between the lagoon and sea coming from the east, we find the coastal woods of Valle Cavanata planted on reclaimed land in the early seventies, and which along with the beach and the tidal flats constitute an area of high conservation value including the Nature Reserve. Another interesting strip of coastline is the “beach of shells” or Golameto where there are small stretches of sand dunes with typical vegetation. Much of the coastline is protected not only by the sea wall beyond the reclaimed land but also by a series of dykes, short dams set perpendicular to the coast to limit the erosion of the sediment carried by the coastal current and waves.
Fish
This cephalopod mollusc has a long, cylindrical body. Two rhomboid fins run down the animal’s sides for its entire length to the base of its sac....
The grey mullet is a member of the family Mugilidae, which includes some eighty species of fresh- and salt-water fish. The grey mullet is...
This bivalve mollusc measures around 5-9 cm and filter-feeds on plankton and organic micro-particles. It is very common throughout the Mediterranean,...
Whiting is a common cold-water fish and is a member of the family Gadidae. Its body is entirely covered with small scales. The whiting resembles the...
The curled octopus is a mollusc of the family Octopodidae and has no particular preferences as regards substrate, although it appears more widespread...
The gilt-head bream is a bony member of the family Sparidae and can be found in the sea and in brackish coastal waters. The name comes from the...
This long and quite unmistakeable crustacean is a member of the family Squillidae and can grow to a maximum length of 20 cm. The body is covered in a...
This flounder has a flat, compressed body that can grow up to 50 cm, although it commonly reaches 20-25 cm. Both eyes are on the right of the body...
The white seabream is the most common type of seabream in the Mediteranean and can be found on both sandy and rocky bottoms. It has a high, laterally...
The cuttlefish is a carnivorous and predatory cephalopod mollusc and can reach a length of around 40 cm, with the oval body being dorso-ventrally...
The sole is a flatfish with an oval and extremely compressed body. The head is small with a rounded face and small, arched mouth positioned...
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.
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...
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 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 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.
Traditions
The lagoon area and surroundings are characterised by zones below mean sea level, which need the use of pumps to drain rainwater from the area...
Habitats
Areas normally above the water in a lagoon are called barene or salt marshes and are characterised by halophilic vegetation typical of...
These form the natural separation between lagoon and sea. Unlike the salt marshes, which are muddy or silty, the barrier islands are sandy and...
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...
At the mouth of the Isonzo and in the lagoon of Marano there are large areas of delta with strips of riparian forest and large reed beds that give...
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...
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...
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...
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...
21-25 cm, sexes similar. This is the smallest of the terns, and has a very high rate of wing beats. It fishes with continuous hovering movements...
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...
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 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....
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....
24-28 cm, sexes similar. Well-camouflaged, recalling a carpet of dead leaves. Of crepuscular and nocturnal habits, it can be observed in flight while...
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,...
23-29 cm, sexes similar, brown in winter, black with rufous cheeks in the breeding season. Present throughout the year, it nests in freshwater...
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...
