A trapped, solitary flamingo

It is unusual to find a flamingo on its own, like this one which I recently caught on camera in a saltmarsh crowded with red Salicornia. These birds are normally gregarious, and they cluster together as they seek out the tiny crustaceans which they feed on, by filtering the briny water through their unique beaks.

That is why I was so surprised to find this one standing in a field by itself, some distance from the lagoons where the others were gathered. I soon found out why.

Its feet had got caught in the dry undergrowth, and it couldn’t take flight. Fortunately the foresters were able to solve the problem.

This flamingo reminded me of the fact that we humans were also created to live in community. Experiments in individualism sooner or later end up with us getting trapped in psychological problems that it can be very hard to escape from.

The Scriptures are right when they say: “How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity”. Why? “For there God has commanded the blessing: life forever more”.