Flamingoes are nesting for the sixth year in a row at Torrevieja lake, producing many hundreds of chicks once again.
The phenomenon started at the lagoon during the Covid lockdown in 2020, when all human activity at the salt lake ceased and the birds chose a raised area to construct their nests.
At the time biologists noted that flamingoes look for quiet areas, where they will not be disturbed.
Previously the wading birds had only fed at Torrevieja salt lake, and attempts to nest at La Mata lagoon had been unsuccessful.
Since 2020, the growing colony has produced thousands of chicks.
Torrevieja town hall biologist, Juan Antonio Pujol explained that after six years of nesting the population in La Mata-Torrevieja natural park has been ‘consolidated as a breeding species’.
“There is still no official census of the nesting this year but the number of pairs who have managed to reproduce stands out once again,” he stated.
Thanks to the observations and photographs taken by Federico Kenzelmann, they have been able to deduce that around 60% of the eggs in the nests have now hatched.
Sr Pujol added: “At the moment this large colony is made up of nesting birds, new-born chicks and others which are one or two weeks old.”
Where to see flamingoes
The ‘triangle’ of wetlands and lakes in the Vega Baja in south Alicante province is home to thousands of flamingoes.
They can be viewed at Santa Pola salt lakes, the lagoons at El Hondo in Elche and Crevillente, and at the two lakes in Torrevieja.
They can often be seen at dawn and dusk in the area flying between the bodies of water, in formation, sometimes producing a cacophony of sound as they cackle and call to each other.
Some of the birds can be viewed swimming down the southern shore of La Mata lake during the late morning or early afternoon towards the bird observation tower, near the natural park picnic area.
While the nesting birds at Torrevieja should definitely not be disturbed by human presence, observation points at La Mata lake can be good spots to watch and photograph the birds; sometimes binoculars and zoom lenses are required.
La Cigueñuela bird hide, which is built on stilts on the shore of La Mata lagoon, is less than 1km from La Mata natural park visitors’ centre. It’s a good point from which to observe flamingoes, if they are in the area.
For a walking route which takes in the bird hide see the route on this website, under Alicante South named vines and pines at La Mata
Flamingo facts
Encyclopedia Britannica tells us that flamingoes tramp the shallows in lakes, head down and bill underwater, stirring up organic matter with their webbed feet.
They eat various types of food, including diatoms, algae and invertebrates such as minute mollusks and crustaceans.
In Alicante province they thrive in the salty lakes where they can find their favourite food, a brine shrimp called Artemia salina.
Young flamingoes are gray and become pink as they consume more and more brine shrimp, concentrating a natural pigment called astaxanthin in their feathers.
Flamingoes are often seen standing on one leg, says Encyclopedia Britannica.
Various reasons for this habit have been suggested, such as regulation of body temperature, conservation of energy or merely to dry out the legs.
National Geographic tells us they are able to ‘run’ on water, thanks to their webbed feet, to gain speed before lifting up into the sky.
Flamingoes build nests that look like mounds of mud along waterways.
At the top of the mound is a shallow hole, where the female lays one egg, says National Geographic.
The parents take turns sitting on the egg to keep it warm. After about 30 days, the egg hatches.
Recent Comments