Pretty in pink

We all know Mumbai as a city of migrants, but it witnesses a different kind of migration starting in November every year. Flocks of flamingos fly into the city from Kutch in Gujarat and Siberia in Russia, not just to escape the brutally cold weather there, but also to feed on the algae that thrives in the city’s mudflats in places including Airoli and Thane Creek. It’s this algae that gives the flamingos their pink colour, which they develop during their time in Mumbai. By March, the colour is in full bloom, which makes it an ideal time to spot the birds in all their glory.

That’s what visitors to the Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Centre in Airoli will get to do this weekend when they sign up for a boat safari there that’s aimed at spotting flamingos. Nathuram Kokare, range forest officer with the Mangrove Cell of Maharashtra that runs the centre, tells us that there will be two rides of an hour each during high tide. “We have two boats, one of which is a 24-seater while the other one can seat seven. We are following all the necessary safety protocols born out the pandemic, such as sanitising the vessels, conducting temperature checks, and making masks mandatory,” Kokare assures, adding that the birds fly back home by May. So, your weeks are numbered in terms of catching these migratory creatures in Mumbai, unless you want to wait till as long as November of course, when they come flying back.