“You’d literally get, say, a hundred finches washed ashore in a 50-yard stretch. 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).
Nonetheless, flamingos are still at high risk staying amidst Lake Natron’s fatal 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. They only come around seasonally, when salt sediments accumulate all over the lake creating islands on which the birds can safely nest. These pink flamingos live on the abundant supply of cyanobacteria, and the lake’s isolated location and toxicity to predators make it the perfect place for them to build their nests. Lake Natron is situated in northern Tanzania on the border with Kenya, close to Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.Lake Natron is home to ancient hominid footprints, the largest breeding ground for Lesser Flamingo and to Ol Doinyo Lengai, and it’s the only active carbonatite volcano in the world. He discovered several stone birds and other unlucky animals in the. However, this deadly lake is the only place in Eastern Africa where three quarters of the world’s Lesser Flamingo population breeds. Plan an Unforgettable Lake Natron Safari. In 2013, wildlife photographer Nick Brandt was one of the first to document this phenomenon. The only creatures that survive in its depths are the alkaline tilapia (Alcolapia latilabris) and cyanobacteria (Spirulina), which gives its pinkish red pigmentation. The volcanic sediments in the lake originate from the nearby Great Rift Valley, and water temperature reaches up to 60 degrees Celsius. With an alkalinity between pH 9 and pH 10, the waters of Lake Natron is highly corrosive. The calcified stone corpses of its victims washed out by the lakefront are a horrific thing to behold. Its lethal waters are only 3 meters deep, but it’s capable of eating out the life of any warm-blooded thing that immerses itself in its depths. No right-minded animal would dare step into Lake Natron of Tanzania.
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