Now that’s what you call a bird’s eye view! Breathtaking photos capture a flock of flamingoes from above.
The stunning aerial shots taken from above Lake Logipi in Kenya give a unique perspective on African wildlife.
The pink birds look incredibly vibrant against the dark background and are taken from the sky; the images allow a fresh appreciation of their huge numbers.
Amateur photographer Michael Viljoens, 58, took these photos from a plane with its door removed in late August. He says the challenge was finding the right angle for each image.
He said: “Compared to a helicopter with its ability to fly at a slower speed, photographing from the door of a fast-flying plane is altogether more challenging.”
Initially, there is the fear factor when only a loosely fastened safety belt prevents you from falling out of an airplane to a certain de.a.th.
“The plane jerks up and down often, making any sort of framing with a camera impossible, and wind makes it impossible for cameras to be extended out the open doors.”
“When you see something, you have literally just a few seconds to frame the picture.”
Flamingos will migrate from lake to lake looking for optimal conditions, and they may occasionally travel long distances to Ethiopia, Southern Africa, Namibia, and Botswana in West Africa.
“Sometimes the bird will prefer one lake during the day, but then return to its original lake at night before returning the next day.”
“We didn’t see any nests from the airplane as the water level was relatively high, so they may be using the lake as an overwintering site, but equally, they could be nesting or feeding.”
“I absolutely adore these images and would love to do more aerial photography.”
“The colors change constantly, so you always get different photos.”
