Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus
Lake Langano, Ethiopia
22 January 2014
A spectacular bird unto itself, large flocks of Greater Flamingo are a true spectacle of nature. When massed together they seem to be a sea of pink, undulating in the shallows as they move in unison to feed. Their bills sweep back and forth at the surface as they sieve small invertebrates from the water. They are also capable of upending like ducks in deeper water and despite their long, thin legs are competent swimmers when they need to be.
Whenever we saw flamingos, Marabou Storks Leptoptilos crumenifer patrolled the edges of the lake, feeding on carcasses of dead flamingos, and waiting on every opportunity to seize and kill an injured bird.
I remember those distant flocks of pink things shimmering in the heat haze of a Kenya. morning. As you say, a great spectacle. Unfortunately we never got close enough to photograph any, the Lake (Nikuru) too boggy according to our driver.
ReplyDeleteIt's rather a shame that flamingos have found their way into zoos etc where Joe Public rather thinks they are somehow manufactured and not the wonderful wild creature they are.
Great pictures of the Great flamingos!
ReplyDeleteI especially like the 2 last ones!
They have a red beak much like the Lesser Flamingo of which we have an individual roaming free in Camargue.
Cheers David!
Szkoda że u mnie nie ma takich ptaków:) Pozdrawiam i zapraszam:)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful birds! I've only seen them at the zoo.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous shots!!!
ReplyDelete.Splendour pictures of these beautiful flamingos.
ReplyDeleteNice weekend, greetings Tinie
Beautiful birds, fabulous pictures!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteGreetings
They are very special with their pinck colour! Great!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Greater Flamingos David, your photos are amazing.
ReplyDeleteSuch a spectacular bird to see in the wild, David, and very nicely photographed. I've seen them a few times in the south of France, and only at a great distance, but remember how exciting it was to see them.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes - Richard
Really beautiful this pink flamingos.
ReplyDeleteVery cool to see David :-)