Flamingos returning to city in small numbers

Flamingos have been noticed in the Ramsar site Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary and at TS Chanakya wetland at Nerul

Navi Mumbai: Bird lovers and environmentalists are excited to see the pink migratory birds making their winter sojourn to the Flamingo City – Navi Mumbai.

Meanwhile, four of the six flamingos which have been tagged as GPS devices by BNHS researchers still appear to be in the Gujarat area. Migratory birds such as flamingos are brand ambassadors of the environment as they carry the message of good weather wherever they fly. (NatConnect)

Flamingos have been noticed in the Ramsar site Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary and at TS Chanakya wetland at Nerul, said NatConnect director B N Kumar. However, the numbers are small, he said.

The pink birds tend to stay put in Gujarat area as long as water levels there suit them, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) deputy director Dr Rahul Khot said, adding, “We expect the flamingos in larger numbers by March,” he said.

Meanwhile, four of the six flamingos which have been tagged as GPS devices by BNHS researchers still appear to be in the Gujarat area. Kumar added that migratory birds such as flamingos are brand ambassadors of the environment as they carry the message of good weather wherever they fly.

Navi Mumbai is the country’s largest urban destination for flamingos, said Sanjai Desai, city engineer of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC). The civic body has given the tag of Flamingo City to the area following requests from environmentalists such as NatConnect.

Over 1.33 lakh flamingos have been noticed in the city during the winter of 2021-22.

The waves of pink birds in the air and on wetlands are a treat to the eyes of bird watchers who jostle the wetlands and enjoy the flamingo rides in Thane creek.

“We are extremely upset that the wetlands of Uran, the traditional flamingo destinations, are being continuously sabotaged by vested interests,” said Nandakumar Pawar, head of Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishtan.

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has already asked the State Wetland Authority to look into the green groups’ complaints and report. “We hope this will work and the buried wetlands will come back alive,” Pawar said.