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The flying squad
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Enthusiasts in Hyderabad are elated to find flamingos alighting on the nearby lake, reports SYEDA FARIDA
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AERIAL BOUND A colony of flamingos prepare to take off after a plankton-heavy breakfast Photo: Arunangsu Roy Chowdhury
Some consider it to be the original phoenix--the translation of the nomenclature reads `red wings'. An elegant body balanced on two lanky legs and its white plumage with a hint of pink, all combine to make for a picture perfect silhouette. Flamingos are birds from the saltpans known for the mud-pie nests that they build that rise above the water level.
"What makes these birds interesting is their bizarre form, huge neck, backward curved beak and plumage. I remember a sighting at Nakula in Kenya where the whole lake looked pink," says Suhel Quader, member, Birdwatchers Society of Andhra Pradesh (BSAP).
For the enthusiastic birdwatchers, children and naturalists, sighting of 50-60 flamingos that dotted the Osman Sagar lake made for a spectacular morning last Sunday. Most of the flamingos were the Greater flamingos (Phenicopterus ruber) with a few smaller Lesser flamingos, along with a solitary pelican, open billed storks, white ibises and herons, they counted through the lens, standing on the bund. "There are a few juveniles in the flock. Flamingos have been earlier spotted in twin cities in December but not in this large number," explains Shafaat Ulla, of BSAP.
In the country, Rann of Kutch is the breeding ground for flamingos. The sighting of these birds in a lake hundreds of miles of flight away here comes as an interesting phenomenon.
Interesting trivia
"They are filter feeders and need shallow water to sift their planktons. Drying up of water bodies or a disturbance in the Rann due to salt mining must have dispersed the flock. Flamingos should be here for a few weeks till the rains," explains Suhel. Apart from popular water bodies such as Kolleru and Rollapadu, lesser-known Uppalapadu in Guntur and now Osman Sagar are turning as a touch down spot for many long distance flyers.
If offered undisturbed environs, these birds might just return next and every season ahead.
The ideal time to spot the birds is early morning.
It is advisable not to get closer on the lake so as not to disturb them. Hop on to the dam equipped with a good binocular, terrestrial telescope and a handbook such as A Field Guide to Water Birds in Asia should do. Happy birding.
Flamingo tryst
It was 5.45 a.m. The sun was a red splash on the eastern sky. And I was standing alone with a camera on the bund of Osmansagar lake... trying to spot flamingos. They are there all right but on the other side of the lake, which is nearly a kilometre away from the bund. I could recognise them by their striking silhouettes. There were the other birds too busy finding their breakfast.
The biggest lens of mine is too short for the distance. I start crawling slowly towards the flamingo colony. Suddenly there is a noise. I crush the shell of a dead snail and the long necks turn towards me. There is no place to hide. I lie down on the lake bed and stop breathing for a few seconds. But the birds are uncomfortable.
Finally, I decided to take a chance and freeze them for my readers. Started crawling towards them, holding the camera to my eyes. Clicking shutters in continuous mode to capture every inch of their movement, I reached a good distance and stood up for a better frame.
The mind, body and camera work simultaneously to capture the spectacular run of the flamingos. But suddenly I realised that my movement was restricted at this point, as both my legs got stuck in slush.
The flock chirped and looked back, perhaps laughing away at seeing me in a fix.
ARUNANGSU ROY CHOWDHURY
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