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Thousands of flamingos turn a lake pink as they flock together in search of algae to eat and fill the air with their honking
These extraordinary pictures show how flamingos hunt in packs, flocking together in their thousands in the search for food around the lakes of Kenya.They hug the shoreline, forming groups of birds arranged in the exact same shape as the shore itself.
And the vast size of the flock means that the honking noise they make rises to a deafening crescendo, drowning out all other sounds in the vicinity.
Flock: Thousands of flamingos around the shoreline of Lake Bogoria in Kenya, formed into the shape of the shore itself
Remarkable: The birds naturally form themselves into the exact shape of the lake's shore
They were captured by wildlife photographer Martin Harvey, who said that witnessing the phenomenon was one of the most exciting experiences of his career.
'If you go at the right time you'll see the shoreline of Kenya's lakes turn bright pink as they're filled with millions of flamingos,' he said.
'The lesser flamingos gather at these lakes to feed on the abundant blue-green algae which thrive in the warm alkaline waters.
Endless: The flamingos make a noise so loud that it dominates the whole area with their honking
Remarkable: The birds naturally form themselves into the exact shape of the lake's shore
Spectacular: Photographer Martin Harvey said that the phenomenon was one of the most amazing widlife experiences in the world
'To witness a concentration of birds like this is, without a doubt, one of the greatest ornithological experiences in the world.
'There is constant movement of pink as birds move about the lake in search of food or disturbance by predators.
'It truly is an enjoyably overwhelming wildlife experience.'
The birds travel at high speeds from lake to lake looking for shrimp and algae to eat.
Home: Lake Bogoria is known for attracting thousands, even millions, of the brightly coloured birds
Landscape: The whole area is utterly dominated by the hungry flamingos
Mr Harvey added: 'The flamingos move
between several widely separated lakes depending on food availability,
so it's very much a matter of luck to see a huge flock.
'The numbers fluctuate greatly as they move from lake to lake but there can be up to 1.5million at a time.
'There is a constant sound - millions honking flamingo make a lot of noise.'
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