La nidification des flamants de Camargue en 1974 et 1975

Flamingos successfully bred again in the Camargue in both 1974 and 1975, in the Etang du Fangassier. In 1974, about 2,100 young took wing from 3 560+ nests, in 1975 about 2,000 young from ca. 5,280 nests. Through their nest-building activities and by trampling flamingos destroy the island upon which they breed and waves accelerate this erosion over a period of years. This species’ future in the delta may thus depend upon the possibility to provide or renovate suitable islands once these are lost. The one built specially for them in the Fangassier lagoon in 1970 was colonised for the first time in 1974 (1,200 pairs) and extensively used in 1975 (over 2,900 pairs). The birds were very probably attracted to the artificial island by the placing of artificial mounds, 500 before the 1974 breeding season and another 350 prior to the 1975 season, these latter about 50 meters distant from the former. Only the one place with artificial mounds was occupied in 1974 whilst the settling in sequence in 1975 was firstly the part occupied in 1974, followed by the spot where the second series of nests were placed succeeded by a general spread of breeding birds over much of the island. Between 5 % and 10 % of the mounds were actually used, most birds building their own nest in amongst these. Escaped Chilean and Caribbean flamingos bred in 1974 and Chilean again in 1975 (two birds seen sitting).Johnson Alan. La nidification des flamants de Camargue en 1974 et 1975. In: La Terre et La Vie, Revue d'Histoire naturelle, tome 30, n°4, 1976. pp. 593-598