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Celebrating the annual return of the flamingoes to Mumbai

A large group of flamingos arrives at Thane creek near Ghansoli in Navi Mumbai

By :  Rajesh Jadhav
Update: 2018-02-02 10:45 GMT
A large group of flamingos arrives at Thane creek near Ghansoli in Navi Mumbai. The Maharashtra Government has declared the area along the western bank of the Thane Creek as the \"Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary\". (Photos: Rajesh Jadhav)
Flamingos filter-feed on brine shrimp and blue-green algae. Their bills are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they eat, and are uniquely used upside-down.
Flamingos usually stand on one leg while the other is tucked beneath their body. The reason for this behaviour is not fully understood. One theory is that standing on one leg allows the birds to conserve more body heat, given that they spend a significant amount of time wading in cold water.
The Maharashtra Government has declared the area along the western bank of the Thane Creek as the \"Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary\". It is Maharashtra's second marine sanctuary after Malvan sanctuary.
The city has been conducting Flamingo Watch programmes, wherein bird experts take groups to view the birds with binoculars.
The areas covered by the trip were declared a 1,690-hectare flamingo sanctuary in August 2016 to protect its bird population, including the flamingos that come there to feed during winter.
The one-hour ride along 10 km of thick mangrove cover starts from Airoli in Navi Mumbai, goes up to Vashi and back.
To boost conservation, the state has begun offering boat rides through Thane creek mangroves for nature enthusiasts who want to watch flamingos and other wetland birds
A large group of flamingos arrives at Thane creek near Ghansoli in Navi Mumbai

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