Love is in the air: Hundreds of flamingos captured by photographer forming the shape of a heart

By ANTHONY BOND

Love really was in the air when this flock of colourful flamingos gathered together to form the shape of a heart.
The amazing bird’s eye view was captured by German photographer Klaus Nigge who was trailing the flock from a chartered plane in Yucatan, Mexico.
For Mr Nigge, 55, from Dortmund, the romantic image set his heart aflutter after he had made several trips to photograph the flamingos in just one year.

Stunning: This is the incredible moment a flock of flamingos proved love really is in the air by gathering in the shape of a heart

Close-up: These pictures of flamingos were captured by photographer Klaus Nigge in Yucatan, Mexico. They may look like they're in love but these two flamingos are actually fighting

Talented: During his expeditions, Mr Nigge aimed to capture the different stages of the bird's annual life from mating season to the day flamingo chicks flew the nest

During his expeditions, Mr Nigge aimed to capture the different stages of the bird’s annual life from mating season to the day flamingo chicks flew the nest.
He said he had always focused on photographing big birds and for him flamingos were amongst the most beautiful.

Amazing: Mr Nigge said he has always focused on photographing big birds and for him flamingos were amongst the most beautiful

Mr Nigge said: 'The one thing I love about flamingos is they are incredibly pretty.
'They are very elegant birds, when they fly they start running in shallow water and then crane their necks before taking flight - it’s like a jet taking off.

Dedicated: In order to capture flamingos as they flocked in their tens of thousands, Mr Nigge chartered a plane to fly over the Yucatan. This image shows a flamingo running to take off from shallow backwaters

Colourful: Mr Nigge said he enjoys taking pictures of flamingos because they are 'incredibly pretty'

'Taking pictures of flamingos is incredibly easy as a photographer, particularly in the Yucatan as the birds aren’t shy at all.'
In order to capture flamingos as they flocked in their tens of thousands, Mr Nigge chartered a plane to fly over the Yucatan.
But he never anticipated capturing the birds in the shape of a heart and remarkably the stunning shot went unnoticed by Mr Nigge until almost a year later.
He said: 'Flamingos always move in a flock, they do everything in unison, if they feel the flock is moving in a certain direction they join the movement.

Sweet: A flamingo is pictured right with her newborn chick while, left, one of the birds stands proudly

Pretty: This image shows the flock of Caribbean flamingos from the sky

Room for another: One of the flamingos comes into land


Impressive: Mr Nigge said there's no better way to see flamingos in unison than from the air

'And there’s no better way to see the flamingos in unison than from the air.
'But I didn’t realise the flamingos were in the shape of a heart at first.
'When you’re taking photos of them from a plane, you do not think much about composition, it’s so bumpy and you’re moving by so fast you just try to take as many images as possible.
'I tried to get the compositions, but I was mostly trying to get the whole flock in the same frame, I didn’t even notice they were in a heart shape.
'If I’d have known what shape the flamingos had created, I would have asked the pilot to go round one more time so I could get a few more shots of it.
'To have something in the shape of a heart is very special.'

source: dailymail