Friday, February 06, 2009

Flamingos, flamingos, flamingos - Walvis Bay, Namibia

After spending the first two weeks of our trip wallowing in the hell fires of the Kalahari and Namib Deserts, we were finally greeted by the fresh sea breezes lapping the Atlantic coastline of Namibia.

Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) off a Walvis Bay beach...
Walvis Bay, renown birdwatching hotspot because of nearby wetlands, was where we caught our first glimpse of flamingos. Flamingo sightings are infrequent in Southern Africa; however, Walvis Bay has a regular population of flamingos.

Greater flamingos and Lesser flamingos (Phoenicopterus minor) sometimes flock together. The latter species have pinker plummage and darker maroon bills than the Greater Flamingos. Immature individuals are grey/brown (foreground).

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