The Atacama Desert is the driest place on the planet.
And one of the most inhospitable.
But salt lagoons dot the barren landscape and they have given life.
Laguna Chaxa lies in the salt flats, 7,500 feet above sea level.
Its crystal waters reflect the horizon, the never-ending terrain of salt rocks. The rows of volcanoes that line the Andes mountains to the East.
In this lagoon, two species thrive. Brine shrimp and flamingos. The miniature shrimp multiply quickly, feeding on the phytoplankton packed with beta carotene, like carrots. The flamingos feed on the shrimp, which colors their feathers pink.
Growing the flamingo’s family tree is harder.
Raising an egg under the incessant sun is not easy.
Like penguins in the frigid extremes, the flamingos here lay just one egg a year.
And there is a battle to see which predator will get to it first. The foxes, which creep down off the hillsides, or the heat of the sun, which can cook it if left to the elements.
So the flamingos have learned to adapt.
They build bowl-shaped nests of mud and earth in the shallow waters of the lake.
The salty waters keep the foxes away, and cool the egg, despite the hot sun.
The baby flamingo grows inside the half-submerged egg.
But even then the parents keep watch.
If the egg is too hot, they fan it with their wings or block the sun’s rays with their bodies, shading it.
They have only one young a year. It must count.
“If it dies, the mother, heartbroken, walks into the desert and dies too,” says Ingrid, an Indigenous guide from the local Toconao community that keeps watch over the region.
And then the egg hatches, the white feathered baby breaks free into the salty waters that she and her family have called home for thousands of years.
Perfectly adapted and resisting in one of the harshest ecosystems on Earth.
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Thanks for listening. I’m your host, Michael Fox.
This story might seem a little out of place for this podcast. But coming just days after Earth Day, I wanted to highlight this just incredible lifelong resistance from animals and ecosystems all around us, to adapt and hold on as best one can. I really like this one. Also… April 26 is Flamingo Day. So happy Flamingo Day. Seeing them in action in these incredibly harsh climates of Chile and Peru, I have new found respect for these big pink birds. They are NOT just Florida lawn decor.
This is episode 24 of Stories of Resistance—a podcast co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Independent investigative journalism, supported by Global Exchange’s Human Rights in Action program. Each week, we’ll bring you stories of resistance like this. Inspiration for dark times.
If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review. You can also follow my reporting and support at patreon.com/mfox.
There you can also check out some exclusive pictures of the flamingos at Laguna Chaxa, taken both by myself and my daughter. I’ll add links in the show notes.
See you next time.
The Atacama Desert is the driest place on the planet, and one of the most inhospitable. But salt lagoons dot the barren landscape, and flamingos are one of a number of species that have adapted to live in this harsh environment, and are battling to survive.
This is episode 24 of Stories of Resistance—a podcast co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Independent investigative journalism, supported by Global Exchange’s Human Rights in Action program. Each week, we’ll bring you stories of resistance like this. Inspiration for dark times.
This week, we celebrate Earth Day, April 22. April 26 is also Flamingo Day. So, Happy Flamingo Day!
You can see exclusive pictures of the flamingos of the Atacama desert, in Michael Fox’s Patreon page. You can also follow Michael’s reporting and support at patreon.com/mfox.
If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review.
Written and produced by Michael Fox.
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