When I shifted to Mumbai, I never knew this crowded city will provide me further opportunities to learn more about Nature & birds in general. I got the opportunity to know more about Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and tried to participate in their activities as frequently as I could.
It was one of the invites that I received for an activity that made me realize that the lagoons of Bombay were houses of thousands of flamingos.
These pink birds had fascinated me a lot ever since I read about them in a copy of Tinkle - a childhood comic book that included topics across Indian legends, history, geography, Nature, science - you name any subject that a child needs to know.
These birds - especially the lesser flamingos (there is a greater variety too) migrate to Mumbai starting from the month of August to April to feed in warmer zones like any other migratory birds. Interestingly they also choose Bombay to breed. The Mangroves by the creeks in and around Mumbai provided these pink, long-legged chicks just the right ambiance to get into their mating game and quite productively too...
I first got the chance to see these beautiful birds in the October of 2011. I reached Sewri Jetty at around 7:30 am as suggested by the BNHS team. By the time I reached the jetty the place was already crowded with BNHS members. After seeing some known faces, I realized the crowd looked huge because of the countless flamingos that we saw in the waters at Sewri. It almost looked like a pink horizon.
What a magnificent sight was that! And just as if the pink horizon was not enough, a flock of 50 or more birds flew from one side of the jetty to a little distance giving the view of a floating pink cloud.
The view along with the slightly cloudy climate was so fascinating I didn't realize that time was running so fast - it was 11 am already. Suddenly we realized that the flamingos were marching in a file, back towards the mangroves. Their marching was just in time to save themselves and their young ones from the rising tide. We did see a few birds looking like the flamingos but smaller in size and dark grey in colour. Thankfully we had experts around us who confirmed that these were the juvenile ones. The birds got their pink colour from the huge volumes of plankton and shrimps they consumed as they grew up into handsome adults.
No wonder we are all usually wished to be in the pink of our health...
Another amazing fact that we got to know about the flamingos is that it can eat only when its head is turned upside down! Now that is some talent one needs to have isn't it?
I will continue with more of my observations / learning on the blog as we move together in time. Until then, see you...
It was one of the invites that I received for an activity that made me realize that the lagoons of Bombay were houses of thousands of flamingos.
These pink birds had fascinated me a lot ever since I read about them in a copy of Tinkle - a childhood comic book that included topics across Indian legends, history, geography, Nature, science - you name any subject that a child needs to know.
These birds - especially the lesser flamingos (there is a greater variety too) migrate to Mumbai starting from the month of August to April to feed in warmer zones like any other migratory birds. Interestingly they also choose Bombay to breed. The Mangroves by the creeks in and around Mumbai provided these pink, long-legged chicks just the right ambiance to get into their mating game and quite productively too...
I first got the chance to see these beautiful birds in the October of 2011. I reached Sewri Jetty at around 7:30 am as suggested by the BNHS team. By the time I reached the jetty the place was already crowded with BNHS members. After seeing some known faces, I realized the crowd looked huge because of the countless flamingos that we saw in the waters at Sewri. It almost looked like a pink horizon.
What a magnificent sight was that! And just as if the pink horizon was not enough, a flock of 50 or more birds flew from one side of the jetty to a little distance giving the view of a floating pink cloud.
The view along with the slightly cloudy climate was so fascinating I didn't realize that time was running so fast - it was 11 am already. Suddenly we realized that the flamingos were marching in a file, back towards the mangroves. Their marching was just in time to save themselves and their young ones from the rising tide. We did see a few birds looking like the flamingos but smaller in size and dark grey in colour. Thankfully we had experts around us who confirmed that these were the juvenile ones. The birds got their pink colour from the huge volumes of plankton and shrimps they consumed as they grew up into handsome adults.
No wonder we are all usually wished to be in the pink of our health...
Another amazing fact that we got to know about the flamingos is that it can eat only when its head is turned upside down! Now that is some talent one needs to have isn't it?
I will continue with more of my observations / learning on the blog as we move together in time. Until then, see you...
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