Thousands of flamingo chicks have hatched once again in the Natural Park of La Mata and Torrevieja, one of the environmental jewels of the Vega Baja region in southern Alicante. Images shared by the Proyecto Mastral outreach platform, taken by salt worker and nature photographer Federico Kenzelmann, show the chicks in their first days of life.

Kenzelmann estimates that between 14,000 and 18,000 flamingos are currently at the Torrevieja lagoon, equivalent to between 7,000 and 9,000 breeding pairs. Since first nesting there in 2020, the site has become one of the most important breeding grounds for the species in the Iberian Peninsula.

The birds have adapted to nesting along the man-made embankment that divides the salt lagoon, coexisting with ongoing industrial salt extraction. Despite heavy urban pressure and the presence of visitors, breeding has continued successfully, helped in recent years by higher rainfall, which supports the lagoon’s food supply of crustaceans and algae.

Naturalists are reminding the public that access to nesting areas is strictly prohibited. They are urging visitors to observe from a distance and avoid disturbing the colony, allowing this protected wetland and its wildlife to thrive.