My expectations to see Flamingos were met in excess! All the lagoons had one or more of the 3 species, and their beauty and grace was magnified by their incredible environment, ranging from the reddest of reds to crystal clear lagoons with no trace of salinity. It was late in the day, and the sun […]
From afar the flamingos all seem to be the same species. This species is identified by the red legs, that the black tip on the bill is much smaller than the other 2 species found here as well as the carmine-red streaks on the back and lower chest. The environment in which these flamingos thrive […]
This lagoon simply defies logic! Seeing this lagoon for the first time made me think of a chemical spill or some other human made disaster. In the middle of this barren expanse a lagoon with colors ranging from the intense red to the whitest of whites, and in the middle of this – life! Lots […]
If you ever wondered why many of the Flamingo species are red or pink, look no further! This is the reddest lagoon I’ve ever seen, an eating from it will certainly taint you red in some way or other – just like eating lots of carrots! This mesmerizing red is from sediments and algae and […]
This is shot towards the low evening sun, and the contrast gives the appearance that he lagoon is just slightly red, and even blue close to the shore. The dust cloud is also made very prominent in this high contrast angle against the low sun. It seems as if the lake is boiling! It looks […]
This salt and mineral tolerant plant thrives here and has generated large mats close to the water. Further down there is only naked shores which every odd years will be flooded. The last time was a couple of years ago when the desert got about 2 metres of snow in a couple of days. Altitude: […]
This hardy plant grows where the high watermark is, and is thus very salt and mineral tolerant. You can see the salt and mineral deposits to the bottom right. Altitude: 4300 metres. Native range is Bolivia, Argentina and Chile. Was previously Xenophyllum incisum.
A bog in a desert? How can that be? It’s possible due to stable springs. These springs feed small streams, rivers, and ultimately the many lagoons found here. This is in fact no ordinary bog as we know from European lowlands, as much is quite hard to walk on due to the buildup not from […]
My first sight of this incredible lagoon which is tinted red from the sediments and algae! The white is the mineral Borax (Sodium tetraborate decahydrate), which unfortunately is widely used by humans, and therefore is extracted from many of these lagoons, poisoning the flamingos as well as disturbing them during their breeding season and thus […]