Flamingoes of Mumbai
// May 16, 2010 f/6.3, 1/400s, ISO 100 (more •)I can call them that, I suppose. They very much belong to Mumbai now. These migratory birds fly down to India to the Rann of Kutch and nearby shores to avoid the biting winter of the upper northern hemisphere. They usually stay till the end of February or March and fly back. This year, they seem to have stayed all through the scorching Indian summer here in my backyard for the last 5 months!
A few weeks back I saw a flock of flamingoes fly above the Mulund-Airoli bridge over Thane creek. That was when me and my friends decided to investigate. What we saw was the biggest avian spectacle ever in Mumbai. This and the next post will cover some of the photos we took during the boat ride, spanning from the Mulund side of Thane creek right upto Vikhroli.
The two kinds of flamingoes migrating to India are Lesser & Greater flamingoes. Lesser flamingoes are smaller in size and typically have dark coloured beaks & a deeper pink colour. Greater flamingoes are larger in size and have pink beaks. The ones above are lesser flamingoes.
Here is a flock of greater flamingoes, right in front of the Mulund Airoli bridge.
(Filed in Landscapes, Mumbai, Nature, Birds)
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