Lake Natron is the only breeding ground for flamingoes – Over three quarter of the world’s population of this bird, breeds here –this is the only place you will get to see thousands of flamingoes at a very close distance. There are flamingoes at Lake Manyara but it is not the same as Lake Natron Volcanic ash from the Great Rift Valley has collected in local lake basins, creating a network of soda lakes hostile to most organisms. This forbidding environment enables Lake Natron to serve millions of flamingoes as the ideal nursery; would-be predators avoid the saline lake and leave young birds in peace. Flamingoes must exercise caution, however, because the lake can turn deadly even to them. Depending on rainfall, its alkalinity can approach that of straight ammonia, and when the lake is flooded with water that has heated underground, its temperature can reach a scalding 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit). The lake actually derives its color from salt-loving microorganisms that thrive in its alkaline waters (during dry season it means high evaporation more salt and therefore more thriving salt loving organisms and so does the lake). And this organisms passes their pigments along to the Lesser Flamingoes that feed on the algae and raise their young here. So at this time even flamingoes are more colorful compared to rainy season The salt crust changes over time, giving the lake a slightly different appearance each time
