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Hektor Pustina / AP
Flamingos fly in the Narta lagoon, about 140 km southwest of the Albanian capital of Tirana.
Home confinement rules have upset some people in Albania, but humans who cut their wings during the coronavirus pandemic have allowed flamingos and other birds to flourish in a coastal lagoon by the Adriatic Sea.
Local officials and residents say the flamingo population is approximately 3,000 in Laguna Narta, an important habitat for waterfowl that the great flamingos returned in recent years after a long absence. Bird watchers have also noticed more pelicans, herons, and other species this spring in the 28-square-kilometer lagoon, which is 145 km south of Tirana, the capital.
“Isn’t it beautiful to see intrepid flamingos everywhere?” Dhimiter Konomi, part of a local group that manages commercial fishing in the Narta lagoon, said the large long-necked birds stopped in the shallow water.
Operations that stop at a nearby saline and reduce human activity of all kinds during the pandemic explains why birds flock to the lagoon, said Nexhip Hysolokaj, a regional biodiversity expert. Flamingos are “a very delicate species,” and having no vehicles or visitors around suits them, he said.
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“They have found food and tranquility, and that has probably helped them increase the numbers,” said Hysolokaj.
Hektor Pustina / AP
Flamingos and other birds are blooming in a coastal lagoon by the Adriatic Sea.
The researchers plan to study flamingos to see if the coronavirus-induced calm is conducive to establishing the lagoon as a place where they can nest and reproduce.
Konomi says that a lagoon full of feathered life is a treasure that could boost tourism.
But Hysolokaj is less interested in attracting conventional tourists to the lagoon, which is part of a protected landscape of sand dunes, wetlands, islands and beaches that support diverse fauna and birds. He described it as the “lung” of Vlora, the closest city.
“There must be stable but alternative tourism, which naturally allows campers to come, beaches to use, environmental bikes, educational trails and more because it is so close to Vlora,” said Hysolokaj.
Hektor Pustina / AP
Operations halted at a nearby saline and reduced human activity of all kinds during the pandemic explain why birds flock to the lagoon.
