Migratory flamingos finally return to Sewri

Flamingos at Sewri in Mumbai on Monday. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

The wait was longer this year but flamingos are finally flocking to Sewri. Birdwatchers say they have been seeing the pink visitors at the creek for almost a month now. “They have been flocking to the area for the last three weeks now. Normally, we see at least 50 to 60 thousand of them settling at Sewri, Uran and other parts of the eastern coast. But with the construction of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) going on at Sewri, this year, we have seen the maximum on the Thane side,” said Pradip Patade, a birdwatcher who has been observing the area for the last decade.

With the work on the 22-km sea link beginning in mid-January this year, birders were disappointed to observe that the flamingos stayed away from the Sewri jetty. However, the migratory birds seem to have finally returned to their site in the city.

“The birds must have adapted to the noise created by the machinery at the jetty by now. They must be feeling that there is no threat now and must have got used to the noise. But they are not coming too close to the jetty for people to see them. Their area is disturbed as the boats for construction keep moving during high tide,” added Patade.

According to Avinash Bhagat, a bird researcher, the flamingos are known to move to other locations in search of food. “They have been at the Thane side for quite sometime now and the algae there might have depleted. They must have moved here in search of more food. They are known to change their locations for food,” he said.

While the birds are not at risk from the noise created at the jetty for the construction, Bhagat says any chemical entering the water can cause them harm. “The noise will not have any adverse effect on their health but if any chemical enters the water during construction activity it will take a toll on their health,” he added.

Meanwhile, Patade raised concerns of the flamingos permanently leaving the area once the work on the Sewri-Nhava Sheva sea link progresses. “With only the soil testing going on, the birds have turned up in small numbers. Once the entire activity begins, they might just look for a safer haven,” he said.

Dilip Kawathkar, spokesperson, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), said, “Our work is not disturbing the birds in any way and we have always maintained that the construction of the sea link will not disturb their habitat. Their return has proved us right.”