#African flamingo lake plus

The park now (2009) has more than 25 eastern black rhinoceros, one of the largest concentrations in the country, plus around 70 southern white rhinos. The park stretches for 12.1 km (7.5 mi) on the south eastern boundary with the Soysambu conservancy which represents a possible future expansion of habitat for the rhinos and the only remaining wildlife corridor to Lake Naivasha. This endeavour has necessitated a fence - to keep out poachers rather than to restrict the movement of wildlife. The park has recently been enlarged partly to provide a sanctuary for black rhinos. Also of interest is an area of 188 km (117 mi)around the lake fenced off as a sanctuary to protect giraffes as well as both black and white rhinos. The number of flamingos on the lake varies with water and food conditions and the best vantage point is from Baboon Cliff. The surface of the shallow lake is often hardly recognizable due to the continually shifting mass of pink. It is best known for its thousands, sometimes millions of flamingos nesting along the shores. Lake Nakuru National Park (188 km 2, 73 mi 2), was created in 1961 around Lake Nakuru, near Nakuru Town. Lake Nakuru National Park National Park entrance Flamingos feeding at Lake Nakuru

Lake Nakuru is protected under the Ramsar Convention on wetlands. It started off small, only encompassing the famous lake and the surrounding mountainous vicinity, but has since been extended to include a large part of the savannahs. Lake Nakuru National Park, close to Nakuru town, was established in 1961. Nakuru means 'Dust or Dusty Place' in the Maasai language. 677 households, parts of Nakuru town and some National Park areas had been flooded. Between 20 Lake Nakuru increased in surface area from 40 to 68 square kilometres (15 to 26 sq mi). In 2013, the lake received an alarming increase in its water levels that led to the migration of flamingos to Lake Bogoria in search for food supply. The lake's water level dropped dramatically in the early 1990s but has since largely recovered. Eastern black rhinos and southern white rhinos have also been introduced. Other birds also flourish in the area, as do warthogs, baboons and other large mammals. The lake's abundance of algae used to attract a vast quantity of flamingos that famously lined the shore. It lies to the south of Nakuru, in the rift valley of Kenya and is protected by Lake Nakuru National Park. “You’d literally get, say, a hundred finches washed ashore in a 50-yard stretch.Lake Nakuru is one of the Rift Valley lakes, located at an elevation of 1,754 m (5,755 ft) above sea level. I saw entire flocks of dead birds all washed ashore together, lemming-like,” he says. During dry season, Brandt discovered, when the water recedes, the birds’ desiccated, chemically-preserved carcasses wash up along the coastline. Brandt theorizes that the highly-reflective, chemical dense waters act like a glass door, fooling birds into thinking they’re flying through empty space (not long ago, a helicopter pilot tragically fell victim to the same illusion, and his crashed aircraft was rapidly corroded by the lake’s waters).

A swallow © Nick Brandt 2013, Courtesy of Hasted Kraeutler Gallery, NYĪs you might expect, few creatures live in the harsh waters, which can reach 140 degrees Fahreinheit-they’re home to just a single fish species ( Alcolapia latilabris), some algae and a colony of flamingos that feeds on the algae and breeds on the shore.įrequently, though, migrating birds crash into the lake’s surface.

African flamingo lake