I
am linking to Fridays Hunt and Weekend Reflections and this week the letter is F,
Self Portrait and New. I took this SELF PORTRAIT below when I had to submit a shot of myself when joining EXTRAS NI. I have been used as an extra in a few films now
but I have had to turn more down more than I have done due to my many travels and other commitments!
This is me again in my NEW pencil skirt and blouse I bought in N.I but the sandals I bought in Malawi.
For F I am showing you the FLAMINGOS I photographed at the
Artis Royal Zoo in Amsterdam and there are certainly plenty of REFLECTIONS in these images.
With vibrant pink and orange plumage that seems
sunset-inspired, flamingos are some of the best dressed birds in the avian
world. They weren't born that way, though! Baby flamingos are actually born
with grey feathers that changes colour according to their diet.
Their distinctive pink colour develops over time thanks
to their selective diet. A flamingo's diet primarily consists of aquatic
organisms — such as shrimp and algae — high in pigments called carotenoids. Captive
flamingos are feed a special diet that includes prawns (a pigmented crustacean)
or additives such as beta-carotene or canthaxanthin, otherwise they would be
white or pale pink.
Carotenoids are the same pigments that cause shrimp to
turn from grey to pink when they're boiled. Carotenoids are essential to
maintaining the flamingo's signature colour. If a flamingo were to adopt a meal
plan similar to other birds who feast on insects, seeds, or berries, its
feathers would eventually become white or a faded pale pink.
I hope you enjoyed this post.
Many thanks for visiting and also for your comments.
