During my recent trip to Uttarakhand , I was faced with a problem I had never encountered before. We were passing through Delhi, but we had hardly any time in the city. On earlier visits when I have had to change trains/flights at Delhi, I have always arrived in the morning and left again at night, visiting relatives in between. This time, I was arriving in the city at night, and leaving again early in the morning. There was hardly any time to visit people. I would only have a couple of hours with them before I’d have to leave again. For the first time, we considered booking a hotel, but there again, we were hesitant about the actual hotels, the costs involved, and the logistics of getting from the airport to the railway station and then back again from the station to the airport. That’s when we remembered reading something about a corporate-managed lounge at Delhi station. We soon figured out that we could book online and pay by the hour. Besides, we also learnt that there wasn’t ju
For Skywatch Friday this week, here are our winged visitors, the flamingoes, seen against the backdrop of the Industrial skyline...
I have always wondered about what it is that brings the Flamingoes to Mumbai, year after year. The city is among the most crowded, a concrete jungle, always in a rush, and not always very hospitable. However, even more baffling is their choice of location - the Sewri mudflats as well as the mangrove forests near the creeks. Neither of these appears, at first glance, like a place birds would flock to. The mangroves are disappearing by t he day, filth is dumped into the creek, and as to the mudflats, they are messier than I had imagined them to be. And yet, the birds come here, year after year, though their numbers do seem to be dwindling. On the other hand, those which do arrive seem to be staying longer. A few years back, they disappeared with the first onset of summer, re-appearing only after the rains were completely over and done with. This year, it is already April, and the birds are still here. And take a look at the place they have chosen.... the shore is almost completely occupied by industries, most of which directly dump their waste into the sea. These photos were clicked during my recent Sewri Walk with the Travel-Logs. The first is the view from the Sewri Jetty, and the second from atop the Sewri Fort. And this is just one bit of the shore that can be seen.
Its indeed a sight which restores our faith in nature... that she can, and manages to hold her own in spite of all obstructions. Its indeed up to us now, to lend her a helping hand..... so that we can keep seeing such wonderful sights for years more.
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Insightful commentary Anu. I only wish we managed the environment better! And what a picture!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mridula. I wish we at least made the effort of keeping things clean...
DeleteAwesome shots! It is a sad situation for the environment everywhere.
ReplyDeletehttp://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in/2013/04/the-waterfalls-of-thusharagiri.html
Thanks Niranjan! thats so true.. its the same story everywhere.
DeleteThere must be a food source that continues to draw them. I'd love to see flamingos in the wild, even if it is a mud flat with industrial towers in the distance.
ReplyDeleteThere is. actually, they come for the algae which grows here in these mudflats. plus, the water and the clay is alkaline, which suits them perfectly. And they say the filth helps since it increases the growth of algae, but obviously plastics dont help... and people are dumping more and more plastic, thus endangering the place as well as the birds. But its such a beautiful sight we head there every year to see them!
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DeleteBeautiful shots. Happy sky watching.
ReplyDeleteMy sky.
Thanks Liz!! happy skywatching to you too!
DeleteWhat I have read is the algae that flamingos are fond of thrive in the polluted water. But also the pollutants could affect them in the long term.
ReplyDeleteNice shots, Anu. :)
Yes, Bindhu. I have heard that too. and the long term is what is scary..... and its so beautiful to see them here year after year. just hope they keep coming!
DeleteWhat a contrast! Hope they continue to prosper.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments on my blogs. :)
Yes, Indrani! thats our only hope! and you are welcome!
DeleteNice to see the good photos,comments so far and your replies.Keep it up
ReplyDeleteThanks athimber!
DeleteGood photos.keep it up
ReplyDeleteI so wanna go bird watching in Mumbai once... then I know I would continue doing it :)
ReplyDeleteYes, Aarti! you really should! and i promise you will be hooked!
DeleteAmazing to see the flamingos thriving despite the industrial pollution. Lovely shots.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ladyfi! Its a beautiful sight, and has not yet ceased to surprise me!
DeleteFirst of all nice shots. Nice to see and know more about the flamingos of Sewri. The thing about the pollution and the algae and the lovely pink birds coming for it, is something I learnt today. Thank you. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
Deletenice catch. First I thought it must be an oil spill- white birds on a black river...closer look cleared up things
ReplyDeleteThanks Shrinidhi!
DeleteWhat a lovely set of photos, Anu! I felt the same whenever I have visited Sewri, probably 3 times.
ReplyDeleteBut I think it's a matter of a few years that they'll all vanish from here.
thanks Nisha, but I really hope they stay longer
DeleteI believe the birds are still in Mumbai. Incredible isn't it? As to why they are staying longer and longer, is it because the place that they returnto is worse than what Mumbai has to offer?
ReplyDeleteAt Kheechan too, the Demoiselle Cranes have apparently stayed back longer than they usually do.
thats an interesting point of view, sudha! we really dont know the situation where they come from, tho i have been told it is a protected area.
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