This season, city enthusiasts will venture into forests, hills and other areas to catch a glimpse of several beautiful bird species… The lovely winter chill in the city is playing host to several feathered friends. On any Sunday, if you’re driving past the Sewri mudflats, be prepared to watch the landscape turn pink and white! It’s a pretty picture painted by the visiting migratory flamingoes, who fly into the city in winter and make it their home until March.
And it’s not just them, Mumbai’s forest fringes and other green areas are also now home to a variety of new birds that have settled in for the season. City bird lovers — kids, office goers, housewives and senior citizens — armed with binoculars and patience spend hours watching them and other species and so popular has bird watching become now, there is a bird race held annually (coming up in February) where people get divided into teams and take on a mission to spot over 400 species of birds in areas like Powai, Bhandup, Mulund, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Karnala.
So, what’s so special about this activity? It’s a great education If you’re tired of the humdrum routine, taking up bird watching is a great idea; it can teach you so much, feels Priti Choghale, education officer at the city conservation education centre. “There’s so much in store, you get such valuable information by being in the outdoors and today, more parents are doing this as a family activity every month,” she says.
Naturalist Sunjoy Monga is keen on getting more people out on national holidays to watch the birds and mail in the sightings after which the findings are tabulated. This will popularise bird watching, after all this is an easy, enjoyable hobby for everyone and Mumbai is home to so many species,” he says, adding, “Did you know that in the leafy lane behind Lokhandwala Complex alone, we have recently seen close to 75 species of birds!” Why have the sightings dropped?
Reports mention that some species have been disappearing. This is owing to the developmental explosion of the city, explains Monga. “When habitat changes, some numbers decline as they cannot cope with change. In Mumbai, ground birds have declined, in forest areas, woodpeckers and jungle fowl have lessened and in wetlands, white stork and water fowl (ducks and geese) have also declined; same for coastal waders. This is alarming. The birds are trying to tell us to mend our ways, we need to take steps to conserve our biodiversity,” he ends.
Psst!
– A flamingo watch takes place every Sunday where people take binoculars and spotting scopes (like a telescope) to take a closer look at the birds an SOS cry for flamingoes – Concerned about the increasing number of flamingo poaching cases in Maharashtra, the state government has made preventive measures to save the migratory birds
Best months to watch
December to April: Ideal time for watching; from 6.30 am to 10 am, also just before sundown
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/travel/Bird-spotting-around-Mumbai/articleshow/29112035.cms
