Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 146, February 2017, pp. 1-25. | Page 9

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The flamingo colony seems to be thriving on its diet - the latest count revealed
that the population has reached an all-time peak, topping the 3,000 mark for the
first time (Simpson, 2012).
A total of 3,031 greater flamingos were counted on January 15, 2012, up from the
2,706 recorded on November 8, 2010. The latest count was part of a worldwide
census of water birds (Simpson, 2012).
The population reaches a peak in the winter and declines as the temperature rises
because many of the birds fly to sites in other countries, although about 1,000
remain in Dubai throughout the summer (Simpson, 2012).
"They go all over the place, but we know for sure some go to Iran and Turkey, so
basically they fly north to get away from the heat," said Mr. Hyland (Simpson,
2012).

The Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) and the Reef Heron (Egretta gularis) at Ras Al
Khor Wildlife Sanctuary in Dubai, UAE. Photo by my precious daughter Nora Norman Ali
Khalaf. 13.06.2015. https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/19167867015/

The Ramsar Convention, signed by the UAE in 2007, is a global
intergovernmental treaty that lays out strategy for the conservation and sensible
use of wetlands all over the world. ―It is up to us in the UAE to do more to
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 146 – February 2017