Lake Nakuru
Kenya

IUCN: Listed on IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as 'Least Concern'


Image Story:


The Greater Flamingo is listed as 'least vulnerable' by IUCN.


This year Lake Nakuru is home to large congregations of flamingo.


Being mid-year, the water level is still high from the seasonal rains and we cannot get close to these beautiful birds - the track is too boggy and ahead it is entirely submerged.


After observing them for while, we position as best we can relative to the movement corridors of the birds on the water, their flight paths and settling areas where they remain static sometimes for a few hours.


A good telephoto lens is required for this shot. I am trying to capture 'movement' of these birds in flight via the panning technique. So, I have a slow shutter of 1/10s with predictive autofocus for horizontal movement, hopefully able to lock onto the subject(s) and there is enough light for a good ISO setting of 200.


Having spent some 5 hours witnessing plenty of general movement at a distance, with no real opportunity, I was lucky enough to capture these four birds, gliding down in sync with each other.


THAT was worth waiting for!


600mm on a full frame body, 1/10 sec f8 ISO 200, AI Servo predictive autofocus panning.


These Flamingo are considered 'least vulnerable' within these ecosystems. Changing water levels force changes upon their habitat but generally, they are thriving.