Flamingos lake natron series#

“ have provided the air we breathe and the land we sit on.” Silverback Films It ended up being even more frightening than they had anticipated. When they decided to tackle northern Tanzania’s Lake Natron in 2019, they knew it would be a challenge.

Flamingos lake natron series#

They work on each series for years, researching, planning, and liaising with scientists in order to film in some of the most inhospitable places on the planet. The company, which wildlife filmmakers Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey founded in 2012, comprises a rag-tag team of photographers, producers, and editors who come together like Avengers when they are commissioned for a project. Working extensively on Sir David Attenborough-narrated projects for Netflix and the BBC - Our Planet, A Perfect Planet, things that tend to have “planet” in the title - Silverback specializes in scouring the globe to find glimpses of nature that few people, if any, have ever seen.

When the water dries, razor-sharp plates of soda are uncovered, making it impossible for most animals - let alone humans - to cross.īut, just over two years ago, a handful of filmmakers decided they needed to go there.īehind most of the wildlife documentaries that have made your jaw drop and eyes pop in recent years is a team in Bristol, England, called Silverback Films. The wind barely ruffles the lake’s salt-saturated water, making it act as a mirage that can deceive migrant birds, thousands of which lie mummified on the shores. The alkalinity in the water is not far off from household bleach. Both these things reduce the amount of algae in the water which is their made source of food.They say Lake Natron is the most toxic lake on Earth. Heavier rainy seasons dilute the alkalinity of the water and industrial activities pollute the water. Recently Flamingos in Kenya face challenges. However, those in captivity have been seen to live up to 60 years! The chicks are often eaten by storks, eagles, and frogs.įlamingos have a life span of between 20 and 40 years in the wild. The chicks are feed milk for the first few months that is made from both parents or from other members of their colony. When the babies are born they are spotless white and have straight beaks that curve as they get older. Penguins that are not breeding that season will often stay behind while the rest of their flock flies to the breeding grounds at Lake Natron. Their eggs take between 21 and 38 days to hatch with either parent keeping it warm like penguins. They build their nests mainly out of mud. They only lay one egg about every 3 years. They fly in groups and form irregular shapes to keep from being eaten by predators.įlamingos are similar to penguins because they have one mating partner for life.

Flamingos fly at night to avoid being spotted and eaten by predators like eagles. Flamingos are often seen standing on one leg and although scientists aren’t sure, they think this behavior helps keep their legs and bodies warm. They live in small flocks of ten individual birds up to over ten thousand birds. Hundreds of thousands of both species of flamingos live in the alkaline lakes of Lake Nakuru, Lake Bogoria, Lake Magadi, Lake Turkana, and Lake Elementaita.īoth flamingo species are highly intelligent. Both flamingos are thought to acquire their pink color from what they eat. Lesser flamingos thrive on algae that floats on the top of the soda lakes. Greater flamingos feed on organisms, like crustaceans, found in the mud. The Lesser flamingos have a deeper pink color on their feathers and their beaks are a deep red with a black tip. The Greater flamingos are bigger and taller and their beaks are light pink with a black tip. The two species are the Greater and Lesser flamingos. There are two species of Flamingos in Kenya, although there are five species in the world. Did you know there are tens of thousands if not millions of Flamingos in Kenya? Although, most flamingos in Kenya were laid and hatched in Lake Natron, Tanzania, they spend most of their adult life in one of the few soda lakes in Kenya!