Drought crisis leaves Fuente de Piedra lake with no flamingos to ring again

It is in its fortieth anniversary year, but not even this reason for celebration has allowed it to keep up appearances. The flamingo-ringing festival returned to the Laguna de Fuente de Piedra in the north of Malaga province two years ago after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic and the lack of water. The event turns this large, wetland and so-called lake into a gathering of coordinators, volunteers and, of course, the hatchlings from 5 o'clock in the early hours of the morning to carry out the ringing. The scenario for this traditional activity, which began in 1986, is key to counting the number of flamingo chicks - more than 3,700 on that last occasion - in order to obtain information for better management of the flamingo colonies that call this home. This activity was in great demand and, every year that it could be carried out, more than 400 people would be authorised to take part in the ringing. However, like last year, this summer the nature reserve will not host a ringing event, as the drought has left the Laguna de Fuente de Piedra Nature Reserve with no ringing possible for the second consecutive year.

Three months ago the reserve's director, África Lupión, confirmed to SUR that the spring rains had been enough to welcome some 12,000 flamingos to the wetland area that, together with the hope placed in the spring rains for more rain, created the unfortunate expectation that the traditional ringing activities could return this summer. However, although the rains at the end of March made the arrival of the adult flamingos possible, it then did not rain again, so the water levels necessary for nesting were not maintained.

"These rains resulted in a water level of 30 centimetres, just about enough for the colony, so they tried to breed, but rainfall was scarce and there was no success, so the colony was abandoned and of the barely 40 chicks that did hatch, not one survived," said Lupión.

From the moment the eggs hatch, it usually takes about 90 days for the chicks to fly well so, by the beginning of September, they would have left Fuente de Piedra, but this year they have done so much earlier. "This situation has not only occurred in our shallow lake, but also in other wetlands, so this also has an influence as the flamingos feed in other wetlands at the same time", added the reserve's director. Mayor of Fuente de Piedra Siro Pachón pointed out that, despite this flamboyance of flamingos having arrived a few months ago, the low levels of lake water have not permitted the right conditions for nesting, which has caused the flamingos to feel "unsettled".

So far this year, 330mm of rain has fallen in the area and the normal average is approximately 430mm, which shows that it is as dry as previous years and that this is now the fifth year in which it has rained below normal levels. Although ringing is essential to keep track of the flamingos' movements, Lupión assured SUR that there are currently many ringed birds to keep an eye on, so the consequences will not be serious if ringing proves impossible for "a few years".