“You’d literally get, say, a hundred finches washed ashore in a 50-yard stretch. I saw entire flocks of dead birds all washed ashore together, lemming-like,” he says. The volcano spews a rare kind of lava rich in sodium (Na) and potassium carbonate (K2CO3), called Natrocarbonatite, or Natron for short. During dry season, Brandt discovered, when the water recedes, the birds’ desiccated, chemically-preserved carcasses wash up along the coastline. The lake is located inside Lake Natron Basin, which is a Ramsar Site wetland of worldwide importance. It is located in the Gregory Rift, which is part of the East African Rift Valley ‘s eastern branch. Brandt theorizes that the highly-reflective, chemical dense waters act like a glass door, fooling birds into thinking they’re flying through empty space (not long ago, a helicopter pilot tragically fell victim to the same illusion, and his crashed aircraft was rapidly corroded by the lake’s waters). Lake Natron is an alkaline or saline lake in Tanzania’s Arusha Region, located in the north Ngorongoro District. A swallow © Nick Brandt 2013, Courtesy of Hasted Kraeutler Gallery, NYĪs you might expect, few creatures live in the harsh waters, which can reach 140 degrees Fahreinheit-they’re home to just a single fish species ( Alcolapia latilabris), some algae and a colony of flamingos that feeds on the algae and breeds on the shore.įrequently, though, migrating birds crash into the lake’s surface.
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