
The church of Santa Maria del Rocio, a huge pilgrimage center, reflected in one of the marshes common in this area, next to Donana National Park

Flamingos feeding in the marsh


Most of El Rocio is a ghost town, with the houses only used during the annual pilgrimage

The town keeps its streets unpaved for the sake of horses

El Rocio's wide sand streets

Note the hitching rails for horses in front of every house

Even the tiny police station has a Wild West feel

The bell tower of El Rocio's huge 1960s church (with some bells missing for renovation)

Tile painting of Our Lady of El Rocio (we couldn't take photos of the original statue)

The 1,000-year-old "grandfather tree" (a wild olive)

These swallows are everywhere in El Rocio, nesting under eaves

Horses grazing on the edge of town (with cattle egret)

The toros of Spain (beef cattle, in this case)


What houses in El Rocio used to look like (thatched with marsh reeds)

Pine woods in Donana park (Italian pines imported long ago to produce pine nuts)

Chris birdwatching in Donana's wetlands

A spoonbill and an egret

Two black marsh hens and a little egret

A gray heron (what the Spanish call a royal heron)

A white stork in flight


A solitary spoonbill at sunset

A spoonbill by day

El Rocio by night