In the Yucatan Peninsula, the rich wetland environment of the Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve is one of the most important habitats for flamingos. These pink birds flock to the area each year to breed, and in 2021 alone, officials registered about 15,000 nests and 30,000 adults living in the area.
A trained biologist, photographer Claudio Contreras Koob has been visiting these slender, large-beaked birds in the reserve for years and documenting their manners and habits, collecting a large collection of images, which are now published by teNeues Verla in collaboration with Nature. Picture gallery. Flamingo contains 132 photos of Contreras Koob, from aerial views showing the creatures appearing rose-colored dots on a green landscape, to intimate glimpses of chicks peeking at their mother's feathers foraging — the photographer shared with Inhabitat, the latter capturing vital blood — the red crop milk, which parents regurgitate to nourish their children.
These birds are both elusive and widely recognized due to pollution, the effects of the climate crisis and human encroachment, and they are increasingly vulnerable, and these photos suggest that if they are not protected, they can cause damage. Contreras Koob describes the series as "covering all aspects of the flamingo's life cycle: feeding, bathing, migrating, courtship, social life, chick rearing, etc., presenting a portfolio that allows us to understand the complex life that flamingos go through," a process that requires patience and repeated encounters to encapsulate. He explains:
By far the biggest challenge is being able to approach them. They live in muddy, slimy wetlands or some very salty pools of water, and you can't walk up to them and expect to take your pictures. It's easy to scare them, and once one of them goes into panic mode, all the others will follow suit. If you don't take the time, you could wreak havoc in your colony.