Did you know that Sardinia is one of the best places to admire the pink flamingos in all their elegance and majesty?
I didn’t know this and the first time I saw them flying in flocks, in the sky of Cagliari, I was amazed.
In Sardinia there are many thousands of pink flamingos that find, the brackish ponds of the whole island as their ideal habitat so as to live here all year round, thereby earning the name “sa genti Arrubia” (the red people).
One of the most populated areas by flamingos is the Molentargius Park which is located in Cagliari in the area of the ancient salt pans. The park is a protected area where in early spring, the flamingos meet in thousands to mate and nest transforming the salt pans into a pink expanse visible from various points of the city.
The park of Molentargius is not the only area of Cagliari populated by flamingos, a large colony lives in the pond of Santa Gilla, at the gates of the city, and sometimes the flamingos also go into the countryside, a few kilometres from Cagliari, where they find a natural oasis in “Su Stani Saliu”, a salt pond in the municipality of Sestu.
The flamingos fly in flocks at dawn and dusk, so seeing them pass in the sky of Cagliari, while having breakfast or sipping an aperitif, is an experience that every time surprises and leaves you breathless, whether you are a tourist who is visiting Sardinia for the first time, or one who has already seen this spectacle of nature hundreds of times.