This account of my experience of tracking Flamingos’ journey on
24th February, 2013, was not as per my intent but due to circumstances
and some amount of luck. In my earlier visits to Sewri mudflats resulted in
some videos and images of Flamingos and other migratory birds. For the present
trip, as usual, I noted the high tide timing in morning to be at 11.15 am
and decided to reach the jetty at 12.15
pm when Flamingos were expected arrive on mudflats with tide water receding.
However, after reaching the site at 11.45 am, I realized that something had
gone awry. The mudflat was fully engulfed with seawater with no birds at sight.
There were a few first time visitors who came with anticipation to watch the
Flamingos but disappointment writ large on their faces. The security personnel
there informed me that in the morning around 7.30 am many visitors were at site
and it was like mela. For me, there
was no alternative but take shelter from hot sun in shade of security enclosure
and mount my tripod and watch the Flamingos in high seas in LCD screen of my
Handycam in maximum zoom setting. As time wore on, Flamingos advanced towards
mudflats with tide water receding. In following photo essay, images are given
frame by frame in different stages of Flamingos’ advance from high seas to
mudflats.
Frame 1 Time: 11.45 am
Flamingos congregated in deep sea, as seen through gap between
two dilapidated fishing trawlers which are stuck in mud very close to jetty. In
middle of the frame lies the pink colored band from end to end, with few
hundreds of the lesser Flamingos packed very close to each other, swimming
towards the shore.
Frame 2 Time: 11.46 am
A zoom image of a cluster of Flamingos in deep sea shows the
Flamingos bobbing up and down on gentle sea wave and swimming towards the
shore. Their long curved prominent red beak and pink body is conspicuous. The
timing of their progress is so very calculated that they reach the mudflats
when a large patch of it is devoid of tide water, making the place ideal for
feed.
Frame 3 Time: 12.23 pm
It was rather boring for next 40 minutes with nothing to do but
wait patiently for the Flamingos to advance. A high zoom shot at this point,
the individual Flamingo could be seen distinctly and clearly, swimming in one
file with Gulls flying overhead.
Frame 4 Time: 12.25 pm
As with anticipation we waited, something bizarre happened and
Flamingos made an about turn to retrace their path towards deep sea. We just realized a lone fishing boat with a
lone fisherman had gone too close to the birds and frightened them away.
Frame 5 Time: 12.25 pm
The Flaminos take off from the water surface in unison, the
sight captured in my Handycam will remain as my one of the most memorable
footages. The big birds at the moment of
take off shows all the radiant pink and black color in their wings, the long
legs fully stretched and body glistening by reflecting the harsh sunlight post
noon, causing mini – turbulence in the seawater.
Frame 6 Time: 12.25 pm
The Flamingos make a semicircular turn in air and head towards
another spot to enable them to take fresh positions in water to resume their
routine of moving towards the mudflats.
Frame 7 Time: 12.26 pm
As the Flamingos moved out of range of my Handycam LCD, the
fisherman who caused the exodus made his brief appearance with one of the last
Flamingos to leave the scene. I mused, ‘The Flamingos will surely find a new
location to settle dawn on sea water and continue with their ritual of moving
towards the shore but it is not everyday one sees such a large number of
Flamingos taking off in unison in mid-sea.’ I felt immensely lucky today and
offered my silent thanks to the lone fisherman who unwittingly caused these
flying moments to happen.
Frame 8 Time: 1.09 pm
Having seen the Flamingo party disturbed, it was again a test of
patience, waiting for the Flamingos to settle down in sea in new locations to
commence their journey, which was getting delayed to our dismay. The two groups
of Flamingos settled at two different locations and the one with a ‘Y’
formation looked attractive.
Frame 9 Time: 1.13 pm
It was few minutes later that I caught up with the
Flamingos who were moving pretty fast to
make up for the lost time. They were into shallow water and no longer swimming.
From their movement, one could say, they were walking although their body sans
legs were only visible.
Frame 10 Time: 1.17 pm
A few minutes later the first batch of Flamingos reached very
close to mangroves in mudflat with some of the birds flying overhead to keep up
the pace with the group. The pink birds were now visible in full for a closer
look.
Frame 11 Time: 1.20 pm
Zooming revealed, the Flamingo bunch was not the only species at
the mudflats. There was a swarm of unnamed small birds and a Black headed Ibis
busy with the same activity of picking food at regular intervals.
Frame 12 Time: 1.26 pm
Flamingos finally moved much closer and arrived at a spot where
best possible view is available to the visitors. A final parting shot before we
called it a pack up for the day.
* Author regrets that most of the images have been created from
the frames of video clips and hence the clarity is lacking. The intent of this
photo essay was to share my experience. Those readers, who desire to see this
incredible Flamingos journey in best possible clarity on full computer screen need
to click the following video link. Rest assured, they will not be
disappointed.
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