Lake Nakuru, The Greatest Birds Display on Earth

Lake Nakuru is one of the Rift Valley soda lakes at an elevation of 1754 m above sea level. It lies to the south of Nakuru, in the rift valley of Kenya. The surface of the shallow lake of Nakuru is almost unequivocally pink. The lake's abundance of algae used to attract a massive myriad quantity of flamingos that famously lined the shore. The Lake Nakuru is widely regarded as the greatest bird spectacle on earth, millions of millions flamingos gathered here to seek food, feed on the abundant blue-green algae which thrive in the warm alkaline waters, with their high soda content caused by intense evaporation in the burning African sun. The countless flamingoes on the lake Nakuru are varying depending on the water and food conditions and the best vantage point is from Baboon Cliff. Researchers believe that countless flamingo population at Nakuru can consume as much as 500 tons of algae every day.

 Lake Nakuru National Park is 188 km2, created in 1961 around Lake Nakuru, is mainly famous for its thousands, sometimes millions of flamingos nesting along the shores, however, around the lake fenced off as a sanctuary to protect giraffes, black and white rhinos, warthogs, baboons and other large mammals. There are two types of flamingo species; the lesser flamingo can be illustrious by its deep red carmine bill and pink plumage unlike the greater, which has a bill with a black tip. In 1961, the Lake Nakuru National Park was created around the lake to protect this spectacle. Yet, conservationists are increasingly concerned that pollution from local industries could be causing the flamingo population at Lake Nakuru to fall. Nakuru means "Dust or Dusty Place" in the Maasai language, and lake is famous for its surrounding mountainous vicinity, but has since been extended to include a large part of the savannahs.

The flamingoes naturally feed with their long necks bent down and their bills upside down in the water, using their tongues to pump in and out to suck in the salty, alkaline water and mud. Filters in the bill catch the microscopic algae floating in the water, as well as the small shrimps which give them their pink color. Moreover, the park also has large sized pythons that inhabit the dense woodlands, and can often be seen crossing the roads or dangling from trees. The huge amount of flamingos has been declining recently, maybe due to too much tourism, pollution resulting from industries waterworks nearby who dump waste into the waters or simply because of changes in water quality which makes the lake temporarily inhospitable. Typically, the lake recedes during the dry season and floods during the wet season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ice Cave Kamchatka, The Most Magical Cave in the World

The majestic ice cave is located on the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia. The Kamchatka Peninsula, is a region of exceptional natural beauty with its large symmetrical volcanoes, lakes, wild rivers and spectacular coastline. The Ice cave is about 1 KM long tunnel was formed by a hot water spring flowing beneath the glacial ice fields on the flanks of the nearby Mutnovsky volcano. Hence, with multicolored lights gently glowing from a translucent ceiling, a stream rippling through rocks beneath and a bright light in the distance, this tunnel looks like a passage to fairytale world. The breathtaking cave carved out of the living rock and ice of this world albeit on a remote fringe show ice caves carved by volcano-fed hot springs through the glaciers of Kamchatka. The magical caves lights shining purple, blue, green and yellow are no computer trickery as they are the result of sunlight streaming through the glacial ice into the hidden world below.

The cave was carved out of the glacier by an underground river that is sourced in a hot spring gushing from the Mutnovsky volcano itself, as this volcano is the heart of Kamchatka. And the heart is literally beating and you can feel it while the earth is slightly moving under your feet'. The glaciers on Kamchatka volcanoes have been melting in recent years, result in roof of this cave is so thin that sunlight penetrates through it, strangely illuminating the icy structures within. The magical place has only been explored due to its remaining off-limits to outsiders until the 1990s. The modest human exploitation has kept the peninsula and its flora in largely pristine condition. Outside, the glacier was very dirty and grey. But inside, everything was different. As the melting snow and light passed through the thin walls, reflecting surprisingly bright colors and walls and ceiling of the frozen world are made up of layers of compacted snow, with the river softly gurgling through a long chamber illuminated by light glinting through windows made of ice. It is hard to find such places without a guide at the moment, it is impossible to get there as half of snow covering everything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gruner See Park Turns into Lake in Summer

Grüner See, is also called “Green Lake”, is a strange lake in Styria, Austria, near the town of Tragoss, located at the foot of the snow-capped Hochschwab Mountains. In the winter season, green lake is only 1 to 2 meter deep and the surrounding area is available to use as a county park. But as the temperature begins rising in spring/summer, the ice and snow on the mountaintops starts to melt and runs down into the basin of land below. The green lake swells up to overwhelm the whole area including the park. Moreover in the summer season, the lake reaches its extreme depth of around 12 meter and is appealed to look the most majestic site at this time. The green lake supports a variety of fauna such as snails, water fleas, small crabs, fly larvae, and different species of trout. The whole year, visitors enjoy the majestic beauty of green lake, and can leisurely stroll around the picturesque lagoon, enjoying the fabulous landscape from one of the benches set near the water's edge.

Furthermore, the green lake gets its unique green coloring, and the name, from the grass and foliage beneath, and many thanks to the fresh snow melting the ice-cold water is crystal clear. Though, the lake temperature is rather cold at 4 to 8 °C, yet it’s an admired place among divers who can feel the essence of green meadows in the edge zone of the lake chiefly in June when the water is at its highest. The alpine grasses and flowers of the meadow are visible in full bloom under the water. Therefore, you can even see benches, a bridge and walking trails. It is a particular favorite place for hikers; they love to hike at here. Starting July, the lake starts to recede and by winter, the lake is back to its original size and the park is comeback once more to the hikers. Due to heavy load of tourist, that has occurred and expected damage of this sensitive environment, the all watersports activities have been prohibited since 1 January 2016. Swimming, boats and dogs will also be prohibited to limit the pollution of the lake. Hence, the below incredible images show a lake that floods every year, covering everything in the surrounding area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quiver Tree Forest, Namibia

The Quiver Tree Forest is located about 14 km north-east of the town of Keetmanshoop, on the road to the small village of Koës, in southern Namibia. Here grows, on a private farm, about 250 specimens of the quiver tree, or aloe dichotoma, which is a tall, branching species of aloe, indigenous to the Northern Cape region of South Africa, and parts of Southern Namibia. This area is popular attraction due to unique shape of aloe dichotoma. The quiver tree is classified as a vulnerable species, because its biggest threat is the global rising temperature, and decreasing the rainfall. However, the trees are fighting back by gradually shifting its distribution in the direction of the cooler regions in higher latitudes and higher altitudes. That in itself is a way of escaping the worst of the devastating heat and reducing the amount of moisture inevitably lost by evaporation from the surface of their leaves. The tree is protected by law in South Africa, and the Quiver Tree Forest is a national monument of Namibia.

The quiver tree is in-fact not a tree, rather a plant of the genus aloe, as evident from its scientific name, and one of the some species of aloe that approaches tree proportions. The tree can grow 7 to 9 meters high. It has a stout stem that may grow to one meter in diameter, and is covered with beautiful golden brown scales with sharp edges. The uncommon crown contains of various forked branches, which gives the species its name “dichotoma”, which means forked. Moreover, at the tip of each branch is a spiral rosette of pointed, thickly-succulent leaves, typical of all aloe plants. Contrasting the scaled trunk, the branches are even and are covered with a thin layer of whitish powder that supports to reflect the sun’s rays. Furthermore, somewhere June and August, which is wintertime in the Southern Hemisphere, bright yellow flowers bloom drawing both birds and human visitors. The "quiver tree" has a long history of beliefs that it will bring good luck to anybody that worships a tree and nurtures it. Like most other aloe species, quiver trees are not hard to grow from seed. They will grow best in regions with a climate close to that of their native deserts  not too cold, and not too wet.

The quiver tree named assigned when native Bushmen used to make quivers from the branches of the tree. Aloe “dichotoma” doesn't have real wood but a soft pulpy tissue that can be hollowed out with no trouble. Thus, one end of the hollow section is closed off with a piece of leather and used by the Bushmen to hold arrows. The natives Bushmen also used big hollowed out trunks to store food and water. Moreover, the fibrous tissue of the trunk has a preservation effect as air passes through, letting the natives to store perishables for longer durations. Apart from their historical habit by humans for arrow-quivers, these trees hold wonderful ecological value. Therefore, many insects, animals and birds are captivated to the plentiful nectar of the flowers. The quiver tree is also a key nesting site for massive numbers of sociable weavers. The bird builds their nests between the branches, which gives the nestlings protection in the high temperatures, as well as from predators. Aloe dichotoma is cultivated in for use in landscaping. The slow growth rate and relative rarity of the plant make it a predominantly expensive specimen.