Paul Souders/ Worldfoto / Lesser Flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor) flock nesting on island, Lake Natron, Tanzania

Paul Souders/ Worldfoto / Lesser Flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor) nesting colony, Lake Natron, Tanzania

Paul Souders/ Worldfoto / Red algae and salt formations, Lake Natron, Ol Doinyo Lengai, Tanzania

Floris van Breugel / Alkali fly (Ephydra hians) underwater in protective air bubble, Mono Lake, California, USA.

Juan Carlos Munoz,Juan Carlos Munoz / Two Lesser flamingos (Phoeniconaias minor) one feeding the other running, Lake Nakuru NP, Rift Valley, Kenya

Juan Carlos Munoz,Juan Carlos Munoz / Lesser flamingos (Phoeiconaias minor) feeding in still lake, Lake Nakuru, Rift valley, Kenya, Africa

Owen Newman / Soda crust on Lake Natron, Tanzania, coloured red by alkali cyanobacteria, breeding site of endangered Lesser Flamingo

Owen Newman / Old nesting colony of Lesser Flamingo {Phoeniconaias minor} Lake Natron, Tanzania. Lesser flamingoes are threatened in East Africa and Lake Natron (their only breeding site) is now under threat from i...

Gerry Ellis / Soda and algae formations near shore of Lake Natron, Great Rift Valley, Tanzania

Paul Souders/ Worldfoto / Streams and Lake Natron, Ol Doinyo Lengai, Tanzania

Paul Souders/ Worldfoto / Red algae and salt formations, Lake Natron, Tanzania

Paul Souders/ Worldfoto / Red algae and salt formations on alkaline Lake Natron, Tanzania

Floris van Breugel / Footprints of hungry birds in the mud flats along Mono Lake. Close to 2 million migratory birds pass through the area each year and stop to feed on the flies. Mono Lake, California, USA. September 20...

Floris van Breugel / Mono Lake showing salts left behind by evaporation. Mono Lake, California, USA. September 2015.

Floris van Breugel / Mono Lake, with the abundant Alkali flies (Ephydra hians) Mono Lake, California, USA. September.

Floris van Breugel / Photographer Floris van Breugel returning from a fly-catching trip at Mono Lake. Mono Lake, California, USA.

Floris van Breugel / Alkali flies (Ephydra hians) taking flight. Mono Lake, California, USA. July.

Floris van Breugel / California gull (Larus californicus) feasting on abundant alkali flies. Mono Lake, California, USA. July.

Floris van Breugel / Scientific field site on the shores of Mono Lake, California, USA. July

Floris van Breugel / Alkali fly (Ephydra hians) (top right), underwater in its air bubble, and pupal casings left behind by alkali fly larvae that have hatched into adults. The green is from algae that is trapped inside o...

Floris van Breugel / Tufa towers along Mono Lake, which form as sodium carbonate reacts with calcium rich spring water. Mono Lake, California, USA. June 2017.

Floris van Breugel / Alkali fly (Ephydra hians) underwater in protective air bubble. Mono Lake, California, USA. June.

Floris van Breugel / Alkali flies (Ephydra hians) caught in an insect net, Mono Lake, California, USA.

Floris van Breugel / Alkali fly (Ephydra hians) Mono Lake, California, USA.

Floris van Breugel / Tufa towers along Mono Lake, which form as sodium carbonate reacts with calcium rich spring water. Mono Lake, California, USA. September.

Floris van Breugel / Eared grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) dead on Paoha Island. These grebes were most likely young ones, which were unable to get enough food when they stopped here in the previous fall during their southw...

Floris van Breugel / Brine shrimp (Artemia) the only other plentiful animal that survives under water at Mono Lake. Mono Lake, California, USA.

Floris van Breugel / Dead and preserved Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) Paoha Island, Mono Lake. California, USA. September.

Floris van Breugel / Mono Lake, seen from the Sierra to the west. Mono Lake, California, USA. July 2016.

Floris van Breugel / Alkali flies (Ephydra hians) Mono Lake, California, USA.

Floris van Breugel / Carbonate minerals in ancient volcano north of Lake Mono, seen here at night under ultraviolet illumination. Mono Lake, California, USA. June 2017.

Floris van Breugel / Tufa towers along Mono Lake, which form as sodium carbonate reacts with calcium rich spring water. Mono Lake, California, USA. June 2017.

Floris van Breugel / Piece of obsidian, sprayed with water from the Pacific ocean (right) and with high mineral content water from Mono Lake (left) . Mono lake is three times saltier than the Pacific Ocean, and highly...

Floris van Breugel / Alkali flies (Ephydra hians) on water at Mono Lake, California, USA. July.

Frederique Olivier / Panning shot of a mixed flock of Greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) and Lesser flamingos (Phoenicopterus minor) on a soda lake, flapping their wings in agitation, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania.

Frederique Olivier / Mixed flock of Greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) and Lesser flamingos (Phoenicopterus minor) on a soda lake, flapping their wings in agitation, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania.

Frederique Olivier / Mixed flock of Greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) and Lesser flamingos (Phoenicopterus minor) on a soda lake, flapping their wings in agitation, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania.

Frederique Olivier / Mixed flock of Greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) and Lesser flamingos (Phoenicopterus minor) on a soda lake, flapping their wings in agitation, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania.

Colin Monteath/ Hedgehog House / Salt lake, Lake Eyre, South Australia, Australia

Colin Monteath/ Hedgehog House / Algae patterns in salt lake, Lake Eyre, South Australia, Australia

Colin Monteath/ Hedgehog House / Algae patterns in salt lake, Lake Eyre, South Australia, Australia

Colin Monteath/ Hedgehog House / Island in salt lake, Lake Eyre, South Australia, Australia

Colin Monteath/ Hedgehog House / River spilling into salt lake, Lake Eyre, South Australia, Australia

Colin Monteath/ Hedgehog House / Salt lake with islands, Northern Territory, Australia

Colin Monteath/ Hedgehog House / Salt lake with islands, Northern Territory, Australia

Colin Monteath/ Hedgehog House / Salt lakes in desert, Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia

Colin Monteath/ Hedgehog House / Salt lakes and sand dunes in desert, Sturt Stony Desert, Queensland, Central Australia

Theo Allofs / Lesser Flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor) flock in alkaline lake, Lake Magadi, Kenya

Theo Allofs / Lesser Flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor) flock in alkaline lake, Lake Magadi, Kenya

Juan Carlos Munoz / Rock formations at Mono Lake saline soda lake, Mono County, California, USA, March 2013.

Juan Carlos Munoz / Rock formations at Mono Lake saline soda lake at sunset, Mono County, California, USA, March 2013.

Juan Carlos Munoz / Rock formations at Mono Lake saline soda lake, Mono County, California, USA, March 2013.

Juan Carlos Munoz / Mono Lake saline soda lake, Mono County, California, USA, March 2013.

Andy Rouse / Aerial view of patterns on soda lake. Lake Magadi, Kenya, February 2013.

Denis-Huot / Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) hunting Lesser flamingoes (Phoenicopterus minor) Lake Nakuru, Kenya

Denis-Huot / Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) with Lesser flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor) it has just caught, Lake Nakuru, Kenya

Gerry Ellis / Lesser Flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor) flock on rim of Lake Bogoria, Lake Bogoria National Reserve, Kenya

Ingo Arndt / Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) flock, Lake Nakuru, Kenya

Ingo Arndt / Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) hunting Lesser Flamingos (Phoenicopterus minor)in, Lake Nakuru, Kenya

Ingo Arndt / Marabou Stork (Leptoptilos crumeniferus) in front of Lesser Flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor) flock foraging in alkaline lake, Lake Nakuru, Kenya

Ingo Arndt / Lesser Flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor) flock in alkaline lake, Lake Nakuru, Kenya

Ingo Arndt / Lesser Flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor) flock in alkaline lake, Lake Nakuru, Kenya

Richard Du Toit / Suguta River and Lake Logipi, a saline alkaline lake, Great Rift Valley, Kenya

Mitsuaki Iwago / Flamingo (Phoenicopterus sp) flock flying over alkaline lake, Africa

Theo Allofs / Salt lake Salar de Atacama, the largest salt lake in Chile

John Downer / Aerial view of soda evaporation beds, Lake Magadi, Kenya

Pete Oxford / Black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) Lake Tsimanampetsotsa soda lake, sw coast of MADAGASCAR

Pete Oxford / Kittlitz's plover (Charadrius pecuarius) Lake Tsimanampetsotsa soda lake, Tsimanampetsotsa Special Reserve. sw coast of MADAGASCAR, ringed for research

Pete Oxford / Black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) Lake Tsimanampetsotsa soda lake, sw coast of MADAGASCAR

Pete Oxford / Giant armoured cockroach (Gromphadorhina sp?) Lake Tsimanampetsotsa soda lake, Tsimanampetstsa National Park, SW MADAGASCAR

Pete Oxford / Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) flying, Lake Tsimanampetsotsa soda lake, sw coast of MADAGASCAR.

Pete Oxford / Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) flying, Lake Tsimanampetsotsa soda lake, sw coast of MADAGASCAR

Pete Oxford / Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) flying, Lake Tsimanampetsotsa soda lake, sw coast of MADAGASCAR

Pete Oxford / Giant armoured cockroach (Gromphadorhina sp?) Lake Tsimanampetsotsa soda lake, Tsimanampetstsa National Park, SW MADAGASCAR 2005

Pete Oxford / Black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) Lake Tsimanampetsotsa soda lake, sw coast of MADAGASCAR

Richard Du Toit / Lesser Flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor) group and White Pelicans (Pelecanus onocrotalus) near Laburu Hot Springs, Lake Bogoria, Kenya

Richard Du Toit / Soda and algae crust on Lake Natron, Tanzania

Richard Du Toit / Lesser Flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor) near Laburu Hot Springs, Lake Bogoria, Kenya

Richard Du Toit / Patterns in alkaline salt crust on surface of Lake Natron, Tanzania

Pete Oxford / Andean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus andinus) chick on nest, Laguna Colorada

Pete Oxford / Puna Flamingo (Phoenicopterus jamesi) nesting Laguna Colorada in the Altiplano of Bolivia

Pete Oxford / Puna Flamingo (Phoenicopterus jamesi), Laguna Colorada in the Altiplano of Bolivia

Pete Oxford / Puna Flamingo (Phoenicopterus jamesi) nesting in Laguna Colorada in the Altiplano of Bolivia

Pete Oxford / Puna Flamingo (Phoenicopterus jamesi) nesting in Laguna Colorada in the Altiplano of Bolivia

Owen Newman / Young Lesser flamingoes {Phoeniconaias minor} drinking freshwater on the shores of Lake Natron, Tanzania. Lesser flamingoes are threatened in East Africa and Lake Natron (their only breeding site) is...

Owen Newman / Nesting colony of Lesser Flamingo {Phoeniconaias minor} Lake Natron, Tanzania - Lesser flamingoes are threatened in East Africa and Lake Natron (their only breeding site) is now under threat from indu...

Owen Newman / Nesting colony of Lesser Flamingo {Phoeniconaias minor} Lake Natron, Tanzania - Lesser flamingoes are threatened in East Africa and Lake Natron (their only breeding site) is now under threat from indu...

Owen Newman / Nesting colony of Lesser Flamingo {Phoeniconaias minor} Lake Natron, Tanzania - Lesser flamingoes are threatened in East Africa and Lake Natron (their only breeding site) is now under threat from indu...

Owen Newman / Adults with chicks at nesting colony of Lesser Flamingo {Phoeniconaias minor} Lake Natron, Tanzania - Lesser flamingoes are threatened in East Africa and Lake Natron (their only breeding site) is now...

Owen Newman / Old nesting colony of Lesser Flamingo {Phoeniconaias minor} Lake Natron, Tanzania. Lesser flamingoes are threatened in East Africa and Lake Natron (their only breeding site) is now under threat from i...

Owen Newman / Nesting colony of Lesser Flamingo {Phoeniconaias minor} Lake Natron, Tanzania - Lesser flamingoes are threatened in East Africa and Lake Natron (their only breeding site) is now under threat from indu...

Owen Newman / Adults with chicks at nesting colony of Lesser Flamingo {Phoeniconaias minor} Lake Natron, Tanzania - Lesser flamingoes are threatened in East Africa and Lake Natron (their only breeding site) is now...

Owen Newman / Nesting colony of Lesser Flamingo {Phoeniconaias minor} Lake Natron, Tanzania - Lesser flamingoes are threatened in East Africa and Lake Natron (their only breeding site) is now under threat from indu...

Owen Newman / Nesting colony of Lesser Flamingo {Phoeniconaias minor} Lake Natron, Tanzania - Lesser flamingoes are threatened in East Africa and Lake Natron (their only breeding site) is now under threat from indu...

Owen Newman / Nesting colony of Lesser Flamingo {Phoeniconaias minor} Lake Natron, Tanzania - Lesser flamingoes are threatened in East Africa and Lake Natron (their only breeding site) is now under threat from indu...

Owen Newman / Soda crust on Lake Natron, Tanzania, coloured red by alkali cyanobacteria