Birdwatchers were left disappointed after the much-anticipated Flamingo Festival, held by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and Mumbai Port Trust at Sewri jetty, wrapped up earlier than usual due to persistent rainfall on Saturday.
Birdwatchers were left disappointed after the much-anticipated Flamingo Festival, held by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and Mumbai Port Trust at Sewri jetty, wrapped up earlier than usual due to persistent rainfall on Saturday.
The festival usually lasts about 6 hours, starting from 1 pm and ending at sunset. But the overcast weather dampened the spirits of less ardent birdwatchers. As the rain also intensified, birds and people alike sought shelter.
"Around 5,000 people attended this time, which is quite low as compared to earlier times. While quite a few enthusiasts turned up to see the birds in the first three hours of the festival, the rain intensified and we had to wind up the festival because the birds flew off to find cover and there was no point continuing the festival without them," said Atul Sathe, public relations officer, BNHS.
He added, "If it weren't for the rain, more species of birds would have been spotted. Even now you can see some species like the Egret and the Tern but many more could've been seen. Being able to identify birds adds to the interest of the viewer and our volunteers provide them with information that sustains that interest. We need the public to be interested in their natural environment so they can understand the need to protect it."
The crowd itself had a mixed reaction to the weather, while some were happy to get respite from the heat, others were annoyed. Birds also stopped perching coming closer to the jetty once the weather worsened.
Lubdha Bhoir, 22, who a first time visitor, said, "It was nice to be able to see the birds. But yes the rain dampened the spirit of the festival and everyone started leaving."
The festival had many BNHS volunteers explaining facts and answering questions of the spectators, There were also high powered telescopes and binoculars stationed at every few steps to help visitors observe the birds closely.
One volunteer, Khanjan Ravani said, "These birds will stay here till the end of March before migrating back to the Rann of Kutch. Unfortunately this year too there has been a decline in the number of birds, there are only about 15,000 here. The entire flock used to be of 20,000 birds."
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