When I was a child in Kenya, Lake Nakuru was known for its enormous numbers of flamingos. Today there aren't as many. The water levels rose and diluted the alkaline conditions most favorable to the algae the flamingos eat. There are still flamingos at Lake Nakuru, but they say that Lake Bogoria is the place to go for the sights that Nakuru used to be so proud of. I remember going on a field trip to Lake Nakuru when I was in second grade. We learned to make tally marks and used them to keep track of how many we saw of everything - but especially flamingos.
How many Malachite Kingfishers?
Two.
How many Egyptian Geese?
Ten.
How many Great White Pelicans?
Twenty.
How many Lesser Flamingos?
A million.
©Ruth Bowen Hersey
Tracey is hosting Poetry Friday today.
Here are the Birdtober posts so far:
Day 14: Victoria Crowned-Pigeon
Day 16: Blue-capped Cordonbleu
Day 17: Andean Cock-of-the-Rock
Day 21: Wilson's Bird-of-Paradise
Oh, remember when a million seemed impossible, infinite? What a wonderful innocence in the notion of tally marks in second grade.
ReplyDeleteAh, I love this, Ruth! The poem just builds to that delightful ending. Big smiles! xo
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting juxtaposition with the hyena among the flamingos. Feels fitting with your description of the consequences of the rising water levels.
ReplyDeleteKeeping track of birds seems like a wonderful counting exercise. I can imagine child-Ruth with a magical number of flamingos.
ReplyDeleteWhen I took a trip to Tanzania, we saw so many flamingos. It was amazing. I love how your poem is like a checklist for bird watching.
ReplyDeleteGotta love a post that starts, "When I was a child in Kenya..." Makes my life feel very small!
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