As a child I remember wanting to visit the state of Florida. I was fascinated by the state since it was home to the unique and delightful pink flamingos.
I attribute my fascination with the birds to the fact that I grew up in a part of the country where winter season was from early November to the end of April. This meant we had snow for fully half a year and much of that time was very cold. I dreamt of tropical climates, palm trees and an exotic lifestyle. In my very limited life experience, pink flamingos seemed to fit into the fantasy.
Flamingos are showy birds in that they are tall, have a gloriously coloured beak, long pink legs, a gracefully curved neck and pink plumage. We didn't have such wonderfully coloured birds in my part of the world. These characteristics would not serve the bird in my part of the world because of the lack of good camouflage.
Years later I managed to make my way to Florida but by this time had forgotten about pink flamingos and my time in Florida was very brief. I was only in Miami to transfer to points south and not for sightseeing. The best I could do was get to the beach front for a short time. That turned out to be a bit of scary experience (perhaps a story for another day).
At last when years later I made it to Kenya, East Africa, the pink flamingos were there to greet me at Lake Nakuru. They were breathtaking especially since there were just so many of them. My pictures do not do justice to the sheer number of them.
I hope you enjoy these beautiful birds as much as I do.
I believe these particular flamingos are called the
Lesser Flamingo.
You can learn more about the flamingo
here.
