Laying eyes on a flamingo in a bird sanctuary, zoo, or amusement park does not capture the true beauty and essence of this mysterious creature. Peaking through the mangrove-lined lagoon in Sisal, Mexico I was inspired by this pink feather dressed bird. This magnificent animal stands on what appears to be more no more than sticks, stretching as long as 30 to 50 inches long.
As I canoed through a private, unspoiled lagoon, I gazed at the American Flamingos that lined the shoreline as if they were a painting and time was standing still. This protected land of Sisal will always be home to a flamingo sanctuary, making this a daily sight for the lucky few who call it home.
These blue lagoons took me back to my early childhood movies, as ‘Kiss the Girl’ from Disney’s Little Mermaid played in mind. Birds were singing, dolphins were jumping in the air, and pink long-necked birds were nobly standing in the salt water.
The daily sight of a pink flamingo inspires love, romance, mystery, and courage. Weighing no more than eight pounds, these birds stand robust against their ocean prey, where living off shrimp, plankton, algae, and crustaceans results in the pink hue of their feathers. Flamingos are monogamous birds that lay a single egg yearly; having evolved more than 30 million years ago, these social birds do not like to be alone.
Dozens, hundreds or thousands of these birds make up a flock. Earning their pink color around the age of three, their average life span is 20 to 30 years. With conservation land surrounding Sisal, the flamingos will forever have a place to thrive in their untouched natural habitat.
My vision of the perfect ocean paradise was found in Sisal. My dream will be to one day trade the daily grind of iPhones and emails for flamingo lined skies, pristine lagoons and sunny blue skies.
