Post lockdown, flamingos flock to Albania lagoon

Narta (Albania), May 10

Home confinement rules have upset some people in Albania, but humans getting their wings clipped during the coronavirus pandemic has allowed flamingos and other birds to flourish in a coastal lagoon by the Adriatic Sea.

Local officials and residents say the flamingo population is up to about 3,000 at Narta Lagoon, an important waterfowl habitat that flamingos returned to in recent years after a long absence.

Bird watchers also have noticed more pelicans, herons and other species this spring at the 28-sqkm lagoon, which is 145 km south of Tirana, the capital.

“Isn’t it beautiful to see fearless flamingos all around?” Dhimiter Konomi, part of a local group that manages commercial fishing in Narta Lagoon, said as the birds stood in the

shallow water.

Operations halting at a nearby saltworks and reduced human activity explains why birds are flocking to the lagoon, said Nexhip Hysolokaj, a regional biodiversity expert. —AP