Abu Dhabi Birdathon sees winning flamingo travel 1,300km

Abu Dhabi - The race ended with the Abu Dhabi Police flamingo being declared the winner, flying a whopping 1,300 kilometres to Iran.

Winners of the Abu Dhabi Birdathon - the Greater Flamingo that flew the farthest distance from the Capital - were named as the race drew to a close recently. One of them travelled 1,300 kilometres to Iran, while others remained in the country.

Organised by the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) and Etihad Airways to celebrate Sheikh Zayed's legacy of environmental sustainability, the birdathon aimed to raise awareness around wetland conservation and the importance of protected areas.

Ten flamingos, assigned to Abu Dhabi entities, were tagged and released from Al Wathba Wetland Reserve and the Bul Syayeef Marine Protected Area in November last year.

On the last day of March, the race ended with the Abu Dhabi Police flamingo being declared the winner, flying a whopping 1,300 kilometres to Iran.

In second place was Etihad Airways' flamingo named Amelia, which travelled over 200 kilometres to the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary in Dubai, followed by Abu Dhabi Airports Company's flamingo, which remained within emirate and covered a distance of 142 kilometres.

Other participating entities also included the Department of Transport in Abu Dhabi, Masdar, Adnoc, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Etihad Engineering and Etihad Cargo.

The EAD has been tagging and tracking the movement of the Greater Flamingo through its globally recognised satellite tracking programme since 2005.

Speaking about the initiative, Dr Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, acting secretary-general of the EAD, said: "For over a decade, Al Wathba Wetland Reserve has nurtured a growing population of the beautiful Greater Flamingo that migrate in great distances to return to Abu Dhabi every year. Along with our employees and the wider public, we were excited to follow their individual journeys to learn more about the species' activities in the region and to promote this incredible phenomenon, which demonstrates the critical role our wetlands play in sustaining a diverse ecosystem of birds, animals, plants and marine life."

Each winter, thousands of flamingo return to the UAE, with nearly 4,000 spending the season at Al Wathba Wetland Reserve. The site has become the only one in the Arabian Gulf where these birds breed regularly.

Tony Douglas, group CEO of Etihad Aviation Group, said: "As part of our Year of Zayed initiatives, it only seemed fitting that we paid tribute to the founding father's vision for a more sustainable community by caring for and protecting these beautiful birds."

The first Ramsar site in Abu Dhabi, Al Wathba Wetland Reserve is home to over 260 birds besides the flamingo, 320 invertebrates, 35 plants, 16 reptiles and 10 mammal species. In 2018, a phenomenal 601 flamingo chicks hatched at the reserve - the highest number ever recorded so far. The site, which also features on the Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, welcomes thousands of visitors every year to witness the unique concentration of the Greater Flamingo.

Al Wathba Wetland Reserve will close to visitors starting May and will reopen for the winter season in October this year.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com

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• Abu Dhabi