600 flamingo chicks ringed in 40th anniversary eventFuente de Piedra Nature Reserve in Malaga celebrated the 40th anniversary of its flamingo ringing programme by tagging 600 greater flamingo chicks this weekend, the third-best result since the tradition began in 1986. More than 400 volunteers, coordinated by the Andalucian regional government, completed the operation in around four hours during the early morning. What 40 years of data has shownMore than 21,000 chicks have been ringed since 1986, out of roughly 270,000 flamingos born at the lagoon since monitoring started in 1984. Results have been strong: over 70% of ringed birds have been spotted at least once, adding up to more than 167,000 sightings across 23 countries, from Guinea-Bissau to Cyprus. About a third of repeat sightings happen back at Fuente de Piedra, showing how strongly flamingos return to where they hatched.