Lake Natron
Lake Natron in Tanzania is a strongly alkaline salt lake that is said to be a terrifying place where creatures are petrified. The petrified flamingos and bats photographed by a photographer confirmed this horror story, and the bright red color of the lake, which was being spread on the Web, was a regrettable reinforcement of the power of unintentional fear by nature. I had to go to such a terrifying lake. Because I wanted to.
But Lake Natron, which I actually visited, was not such a lake. Beautiful flocks of flamingos were relaxing and standing in the shallow coastal areas. Other birds such as great white pelicans, shorebirds, plovers, and storks were gathering to fish and groom themselves.
There was only one other couple taking pictures besides myself and a few other non-photographing visitors. Various birds flew in and out of the quiet nature. Flamingos were in the shallow coastal areas with their long necks bent over the water looking for food, or changing places on foot. Pelicans were seen in deep water, repeatedly clumping together and dipping in and out of the water at the same time. African spoonbills walked with their long, strange beaks in the water, shaking their heads widely, and occasionally had a big fight with an Yellow-billed Stork over a fish. It was a truly beautiful place, a mixture of tranquility and pulse.
By the way, the lake was not red in color. It was not a particularly amazingly beautiful color, but there was no element of fear. I asked the Maasai man who was our guide. ‘Yes, it turns red sometimes.’ ‘When does it turn red? ‘Well, I am sure it is not today”. It is a great place where both people and birds are relaxed.
