Bonaire ~ Flamingo's ~

... Winter is finally here after weeks of heavy rainfall... so great to start the new year with some Caribbean beauties🌞🏝️ from Glenn's latest cruise🚢... lovely postcard with the national bird🦩 of the island  known locally as the chogogo... this iconic species is also an important attractor for tourists... even the island's airport is commonly called "Flamingo Airport" due to the flamingo pink color... and with nice matching flamingo stamp... Big thanks Glenn, more is coming!(✿◠‿◠)

The Carribean flamingo is the only flamingo that naturally inhabts North America. Bonaire is one of only four locations where the American Flamingo breeds. The island hosts the main nesting spot of the estimated 20.000 flamingos in the Southern Caribbean.

These bright pink visitors breed in the Pekelmeer flamingo sanctuary in the south of the island within the Cargill salt flats. Up to 3,000 breeding pairs raise their young in this protected area each year, with the females laying a single egg in a cone-shaped nest made of mud.

 

Stamp: 

Flamingo with logo of local post operator FXDC

(Issued 02-03-2023)

BONAIRE ~ The Pekelmeer - Salt Mountains ~

Caribbean beauty nr2🌞🏝️... lovely view of the pure white salt pyramids and pink lake... due to the abundance of tiny rosy brine shrimp living in the water... the stunning salt beds of Pekelmeer are also home to one of the hemisphere's great populations of flamingos... the Caribbean flamingo is the most colorful of all species of flamingos because of the mainly red carotenes in their diet... Thanks a lot Andrene!! (✿◠‿◠) And probably a bit late but my warmest and heartiest congratulations with your 🎉🎉Anniversary. 🎉🎉

Bonaire is an island in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. Together with Aruba and Curaçao, it forms the group known as the ABC islands, located off the north coast of South America near to Venezuela. Bonaire was part of the Netherlands Antilles until the country's dissolution in 2010, when the island became a special municipality within the country of the Netherlands.

The Pekelmeer Flamingo Sanctuary is one of only four areas in the world where Flamingos breed. Pekelmeer means "salt lake" in Dutch.The Sanctuary is located on the vast salt pans at the southern end of the island and home to over ten thousand flamingos The refuge also attracts dozens of other species, including osprey, cormorants, heron, frigate birds, and other marine birds.

Utilizing the naturally low-lying geography and traditional Dutch dyke design, much of Bonaire's southern half has been made into a giant system of ponds and pools which evaporate seawater to produce salt. Presently operated by Cargill, Bonaire's solar salt works produces 400,000 tons of industrial grade salt per year. After collection, the salt is then washed and stored in large piles. The salt facility operates its own pier where ships are loaded with salt destined for North American, European and Western Pacific markets. Bonaire's salt is used mostly in industrial roles.

Stamp:

Definitive stamp with logo of local post operator FXDC.
 (Issued 10-10-2014)

BONAIRE ~ Netherlands Antilles - Hawksbill turtle~

...Fantastic new exotic place...a little treasure..and with one of my favorite subjects, marine life... especially sea turtles...Bonaire has been a leader in marine protection since 1961, when it passed legislation to protect turtles... Thanks a lot Diana for this wonderful postcard!!


With nice tiny stamp:
Caribbean Netherlands - Subject Sailboats - Optimist
(Issued 01-02-2012)

Photo Dos Winkel Bonaire  is a Caribbean island that, with the uninhabited islet of Klein Bonaire nestled in its western crescent. Together with Aruba and Curaçao it forms a group referred to as the ABC islands of the Leeward Antilles, the southern island chain of the Lesser Antilles.

Bonaire's capital is Kralendijk. Bonaire was part of the Netherlands Antilles until the country's dissolution on 10 October 2010,when the island (including Klein Bonaire) became a special municipality within the country of the Netherlands.

 Bonaire is home to three of the world’s seven species of sea turtles. Green and hawksbill turtles can be seen year-round, while loggerheads generally visit only during the nesting season.

The hawksbill turtle has a pointed face with a distinct beak-like appearance. Its scutes overlap, and the edge of the carapace is serrated toward the rear of the body. Hawksbills weigh up to 85 kg (185 lbs). Bonaire has a juvenile and sub-adult population year round with most adult turtles present only during the nesting season.