Updated 5.55pm 

Swimmers at a beach in Gozo have been joined by a greater flamingo, which "happily paddled" among them. 

James Murray Curtis was one of the beachgoers who shared Ramla Bay with the protected bird when it flew into the shallow waters on Tuesday morning.  

“I had seen flamingos before locally and abroad, but I was not expecting to see one at Ramla Bay in the middle of August,” he told Times of Malta. 

Curtis said the juvenile bird first flew into the shallow waters at around 9.30 am, and people were initially unsure what bird it was due to its natural white and grey colour.

The young Greater Flamingo enjoying the refreshing water at Ramla Bay on Tuesday. Credit: James Murray Curtis

“Once people realised it was a flamingo, they became excited and tried to get closer to it to take a picture, and it flew off," he said.

But a few moments later the bird returned to the water and remained "happily paddling" in the shallow water. 

“It remained there for another 10 minutes before eventually flying off again,” he said, adding that the bird flew in the direction of the Marsovin estate in the valley.

A BirdLife Malta spokesperson said the bird was rescued from the sea off Comino by ERA members and Environment Protection Unit (EPU) police.

“The bird is a juvenile one, only a few months old. We expect them at this time of year as flocks of flamingoes transit from one lagoon to another in the Mediterranean towards the end of their breeding season,” he told Times of Malta. 

He said such juveniles are weak and struggle to keep up with their parent flock, so land to rest. 

“In this case, vets check on the birds and then they are passed over to rehabilitation with us, where we ensure they gather enough strength to be eventually released and join a flock of flamingoes in due time.”

The bird was described as 'happily paddling' alongside other beachgoers at Ramla Bay. Photo: James Murray Curtis

Flamingoes are no strangers to the island and are often spotted migrating throughout the summer months. 

But it is not always good news for flamingos who make an easy target for shooters. 

Last year, a young greater flamingo was shot in front of tourists at Xwejni in Gozo. The shooter was seen getting into a car and taking the flamingo with him.

A poacher who shot down four flamingoes in 2021 was spared jail by a court of appeal last year. It ruled that the protected species was not endangered. 

In June, the Malta Ranger Unit spent the night guarding a flamingo spotted in Gozo.

In April, an adult Greater Flamingo spent several days resting at the Salina Nature Reserve and was being observed by NGO Birdlife Malta. The bird was carrying a colour ring, helping BirdLife Malta trace the flamingo back to Spain. It also discovered that the bird was likely to be almost 26 years old. 

Back in 2019, BirdLife released two Greater Flamingoes into its Għadira Nature Reserve. One of the birds was rescued after it landed at Għadira Bay.