A handful of posts. A lot of confusion. And one question nobody seems to be able to answer definitively.
It started, as most things do in Mumbai,
with someone's Instagram Stories.
A blurry clip. A pink shape near water. A
caption that said nothing more than: "Wait... are those flamingos? Near
Mulund?"
By the time the post had done its rounds
across birdwatching groups, Mumbai nature pages, and the usual cascade of
reposts and quote-shares, something interesting had happened. Nobody was sure.
And that uncertainty — that delicious, slightly maddening not-knowing — had
turned a ten-second clip into a conversation that wouldn't stop.
The comments were exactly what you'd
expect from Mumbai's internet.
"Bhai yeh Mulund hai, flamingo
nahi hote yahan." "Actually they can.
Look it up." "This is clearly edited." "I
live near there and I've been seeing them for two weeks lol." "El
Niño has been pushing birds off their usual routes. This tracks." "Someone's
clearly trying to sell something."
That last comment, as it usually does,
was both the most cynical and the least interesting take in the thread.
What nobody is disputing is this: Thane
Creek and Vashi, Mumbai's traditional flamingo grounds, are seeing fewer birds
this season. That part is confirmed by multiple birdwatchers, photographers,
and casual visitors who have made their regular pilgrimage and come back
underwhelmed.
What is still being debated is where
those birds have gone.
The Mulund Hills sightings — growing in
frequency over the past fortnight, shared across an increasing number of
accounts — would be a remarkable shift if confirmed. The area is not a
traditional flamingo habitat. But flamingos are not traditional creatures. They
go where the conditions are right.
El Niño has changed the conditions at
Thane Creek. Something, apparently, has made the conditions at Mulund Hills
interesting.
Mumbai's internet will keep arguing about
it. The flamingos, as always, will just keep doing what they know.
