Flamingos: India
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Mumbai
2018> 19: a tripling of numbers
From: At 1.2 lakh, flamingos in Mumbai triple since October flamingos flock to city’s east coast, February 3, 2019: The Times of India
The eastern seafront of Mumbai hosted more than 1.2 lakh flamingos last month, up from 45,000 in October last year, the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has found. In October, BNHS started a 10-year study of flamingos along the 40km eastern coast—from Vitava (near Kalwa) to Sewri and from Vitava to JNPT.
One of the plausible reasons for the large presence of flamingos in the newly established Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary is that organic sewage has resulted in the growth of macro benthic fauna (microorganisms found in the mud) leading to an abundance of blue green algae that they feed on. However, the birds have been affected by construction near Sewri and no longer flock the jetty.
Since October, when the study began, there has been a decreasing number of Greater Flamingos as compared to the Lesser Flamingos and this could possibly be due to competition for food. “The Greater Flamingos may have migrated to other sites,” said Rahul Khot, principal investigator and assistant director of BNHS who is leading the 20-member team that is carrying out the study.
The team, which undertook the survey by going out in boats, observed pollution in the creek and is carrying out tests for heavy metal presence in the soil and micro-organisms. Khot said the birds are pollution-tolerant as compared to other birds, but the pollution and presence of heavy metals on account of discharge of untreated sewage and effluents is a serious cause for concern.
The unchecked growth of mangroves in the Thane creek on account of organic sewage is not good news for the flamingos as it would gobble up the mudflats. Flamingos feed in shallow waters and prefer mudflats.
Khot said the bird numbers are in a state of flux. In October, when the study began, their numbers were around 45,000, but right now they are at their peak and in January their numbers touched 1.21 lakh. BNHS has now begun a long-term monitoring of the birds including population watch, migration studies through tagging with Global System for Mobile Communications tag, ringing the bird and use of colour flags. Around 10 birds will be tagged and their movements monitored. “This will help us understand how they move even within the sanctuary and the city. Their migration patterns will become clear by next year, including why there are more Lesser Flamingos and fewer Greater Flamingos,” he said.
While the fear that the birds would permanently leave Mumbai on account of the construction of the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link has not translated into reality, Khot said the birds no longer flock towards the Sewri jetty. “The birds have been affected by the construction work. While earlier they would be within 50-60 metres of the Sewri jetty, now they are found in the bay on the opposite side,” he said.
The establishment of the flamingo sanctuary has had a positive impact, said Khot as it has led to a tourism economy with local fishermen taking tourists out in boats to see the birds in the creek. “Fishing activities are discouraged and this provides a less disturbed environment which the birds prefer. We will also be studying the habitat,” he added.
