On the flamingo trail

The purpose was to understand where the birds came from and where they went.

Migratory flamingos are known to arrive at Ras Al Khor wetland from nearby breeding colonies in Iran and, perhaps, also colonies in Kazakhstan and Turkey before heading for Oman, Yemen and, maybe, eastern Africa. There is also considerable local and regional movement among the resident flamingos that visit wetlands in Abu Dhabi, Umm Al Quwain, Qatar and Kuwait.

On February 27, 2006, before dawn, researchers laid out bird traps just below the water surface in Ras Al Khor. They then concealed themselves to wait and watch.

Success came sooner than expected. A flamingo was observed vigorously flapping its wings; which indicated that it's foot had been caught in a loop along the trap line. Two researchers rushed to get the bird.

"We have to reach it really quickly so as to minimise the duration of trauma to the bird," explained Dr. Christophe Tourenq of EWS-WWF, who assisted in the activity. "We then took it to an enclosure to help pacify the agitated flamingo before measuring and tagging it."

Eight flamingos were ensnared that day, four of which were fitted with satellite transmitters and seven with rings.

On being released, some walked and others flew. Initially, they tried to take off the rings and harnesses fitted on them, but soon gave up. Before long they got accustomed to these 'foreign' elements on their being.

Since the successful tagging, two flamingos have been tracked to wetlands in Iran and back to Ras Al Khor, with a brief stopover in Iraq. Another has been to Khor Al Beidah in Umm Al Quwain and one to Al Wathba in Abu Dhabi.

As their movements continue to be tracked, the importance of wetlands as feeding and resting grounds for flamingos and other waterfowl becomes abundantly clear.

"Decision makers must realise that just protecting one or two wetlands isn't enough. A network of wetlands is vital for the survival of flamingos, because they fly hundreds of kilometres from one emirate to the other and from one country to the next in search of sustenance and shelter. Moreover, such a network would better the chances of getting flamingos to breed successfully in the UAE, " emphasized Dr. Tourenq.