PINK FLAMINGOS ON THE EDGE OF LAKE LOGIPI, Suguta Valley, Kenya (N 2°15’ E 36°35’) Card 170x120mm with recycled envelope and biodegradable cello. Detailed caption on the reverse of the card. Card is blank for your own message.
PINK FLAMINGOS ON THE EDGE OF LAKE LOGIPI, Suguta Valley, Kenya (N 2°15’ E 36°35’)
The whiteness of crystallized natron (a sodium carbonate) on the black volcanic shore of Lake Logipi contrasts with the blue-green algae that proliferates in the alkaline, brackish water. Seen from the sky, this part of the shore suggests the shape of a giant oyster. The tiny pearl dots that surround it are flamingos, congregating where the freshwater re-emerges. These birds seek nourishment in shallow lake waters rich in algae and small crustaceans, which give flamingos their characteristic colour. Immense colonies of greater flamingos travel from lake to lake in the Rift Valley, guided by annual rain patterns that modify the concentration of soda and thus affect food supply. They deserted the region during the harsh drought that affected East Africa for almost five years, finally ending in 1998. At the beginning of that year heavy rains caused by El Niño encouraged lesser flamingos and greater flamingos to return to the Rift Valley, where nearly 3 million of them, more than half of their entire world population, live today.
© Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Altitude - www.yannarthusbertrand.org - www.goodplanet.org
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