As flamingo leaves Salina reserve, Spoonbill arrives at Ghadira

The Greater Flamingo that had made itself at home in at Salina, Qawra, since 11 June flew off safely in the middle of the night yesterday, only for rare Spoonbill to arrive at Ghadira wetland overnight, BirdLife Malta said.

“As of this morning the flamingo hasn’t been spotted again anywhere in the Islands,” BirdLife conservation manager Nicholas Barbara said.

“We hope it has continued its journey across the Mediterranean and succeeds in finding others of its kind,” he added.

Flamingos spend most of their lives in large colonies of hundreds or thousands of birds, feeding in salty lagoons, such as the Salina reserve, and breeding in the adjacent marshlands.

They migrate in flocks, not to escape the cold or heat, in response to the need to find abundant food.

“It seems this flamingo decided it had spent enough time feeding in the pools at Salina,” Barbara said.

Thanking all the volunteers and local residents and the police, who helped keep watch over the salt pans to keep the flamingo safe during its stay, he said “the interest shown by the public has been great.”

“It’s very gratifying to have people come to see a bird like this when it visits the islands and want to find out more about it,” said Barbara, “It’s a shame it didn’t stay for the weekend, when we had been planning a public flamingo watch, but that’s nature- you can’t tell wild birds where to go or when.”

The weekend’s flamingo watch has had to be cancelled, or at least postponed until the next flamingo visits the islands.

As for the Eurasian Spoonbill, Platalea leucorodia, that arrived at Ghadira Nature Reserve overnight, BirdLife said they hope it will also stay in the Bird Sanctuary for as long as it stays in the islands.

The coastal wetland, with its shallow lagoon and islands, is one of the only suitable habitats for spoonbills, which are occasional visitors in spring and autumn, in the Maltese Islands.

Meanwhile, BirdLife said that tomorrow morning Ghadira will be opening for a special breeding birds activity between 9am and 11am.

The event is free for all members of the public, whether they are members of BirdLife Malta or not.

The event will include guided tours for all the family, focusing on birds that breed in the wetland bird sanctuary.

“If the Spoonbill stays until tomorrow will be an added bonus for anyone who comes to the event,” Barbara said.