Population explosion of flamingos hatched in the Torrevieja (Alicante) salt lakes

BETWEEN 4,000 and 6,000 flamingos flocked to Torrrevieja’s salt lakes for the third year running.

At least 2,000 pairs have nested there, revealed Federico Kenzelmann Area, a photographer and also an employee of the salt extraction company.

Talking to the Spanish provincial media, Kenzelmann explained that the flamingos’ courtship rituals were first apparent in early February.  By late March there were 1,000 birds in both the La Mata and Torrevieja lakes, he said.

Less than a month after that, 400 pairs were nesting on the Mota, the ridge that divides the two lagoons where they were comparatively safe from predators.  Their number gradually multiplied until there were approximately 2,000 pairs by June 4, Kenzelmann said, with the first chicks hatching late in May.

As the female flamingo lays only one egg, this year should see between 1,000 and 2,000 surviving into adulthood, as usually around 10 per cent are unlikely to survive.

Even so, Kenzelmann said, this figure is amazing bearing in mind that the lagoons are subject to human pressure as well as the commercial activity of one of Europe’s most important salt works.

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