Flamingos have arrived in Mumbai to embrace the soft chills of the city. Mid-day.com spoke to a city-based photographer Vidyasagar Hariharan who is all set to capture the winged beauties in their natural habitat. He indulges us in his photographic marvels and a guide to watching flamingos in the city.
Updated On: 2023-03-03 05:10 PM IST
Compiled by : Ainie Rizvi
Mumbai is a temporary home to Flamingos. They take residence in the city’s swamps from November till June. The peak season ranges between February to May during which 100-150 thousand birds are estimated to be in and around Mumbai
Mumbai receives 2 out of 6 species of Flamingos, the Greater and the Lesser Flamingos in huge numbers because of a favourable winter weather, habitat, and food
Thane Creek is an ideal ground for Flamingos to live and rest during the winter. The wetlands provide abundant food: the blue-green algae and crustaceans due to which the flamingos acquire various shades of pink
The flamingos move out from the creek during high tide and visit the lakes around Navi Mumbai (behind NRI complex and T.S. Chanakya Maritime University are prominent locations) to rest and feed and return to the creek as the tide recedes
Flamingos were spotted at the Sewri mudflats in early 1990 for the first time. Bombay Natural History Society runs Flamingo sighting tours, beginning at the Sewri railway crossing. Birdwatchers can carry a pair of binoculars to get a closer look and study the behavior of the birds
A social breed, flamingos can be spotted synchronising a ritual dance in the swamps of Mumbai
With a knack for theatrics, they display collective postures and orchestrated whirls that are wildlife photographers can capture
Some of the postures that can be witnessed in and around Mumbai are courtship dance, head-flag and wing salutes
A banker and a birder, Vidyasagar Hariharan started wildlife photography in 2016. He has been instrumental in covering Flamingos and conducting research on their migration process extensively in and around Mumbai
