La Toja del Pescador is located in the province of Palencia, in the Retortillo Valley and the municipalities of Paredes de Nava and Frechilla, forming part of the wetland system associated with the Canal de Castilla. Its origin is directly linked to the construction and operation of this large hydraulic infrastructure between the 18th and 19th centuries, which modified the natural drainage of the territory and favored the appearance of numerous wetlands.
This is a medium-sized lagoon with a relatively stable water level and edges covered by well-developed marsh vegetation. This enclave constitutes a true ecological oasis within the cereal-growing landscape of Tierra de Campos, providing refuge, food, and breeding grounds for numerous species of waterfowl and marsh birds, making it of significant ornithological interest.
La Toja del Pescador is included in the Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA) Lagunas del Canal de Castilla, part of the Natura 2000 network, and has been the subject of conservation, restoration, and monitoring activities within the framework of the LIFE project. Its heritage value lies both in its natural importance and in its ability to explain how an enlightened engineering project, conceived for navigation and irrigation, ended up generating landscapes and ecosystems of great environmental significance.
For the visitor, La Toja del Pescador offers a quiet space for observing nature and understanding the Canal de Castilla as a complex territorial system, where history, landscape and biodiversity intertwine, forming one of the most unique heritage sites in the province of Palencia.
