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Missing migratory birds worry environmentalists
Source: Hindustan Times, Mumbai, Date: , 2009
Amateur nature photographer Kunal Deshpande was taken by surprise when
he compared a photograph of the Sewri mudflat taken a week ago to a
two-year-old picture on his computer screen. "There are too many gaps in
the canvas. The flamingos are fewer in number," said the 27-year-old.
Deshpande's observation is not a figment of imagination. The number of
the migratory birds visiting the city during winters has been dropping
steadily, say environmentalists. According to data collected by the
Conservation Action Trust (CAT) a city-based non-governmental
organisation, flamingos visiting the city have dropped from 25,000 to
10,000 in the past two years. The larger concern is that changing
weather patterns could be a major reason behind the trend, though no
study so far has established that conclusively. "The changing weather
may have affected their mass migration patterns. Scattered flocks are
seen at different sites," said environmentalist Debi Goenka also the
director of CAT. Nikhil Bhopale from the Bombay Natural History Society
(BNHS) concurs, "Erratic rainfall patterns in the Rann of Kutch
(Gujarat) has been influencing the migration of flamingos."* *Experts
also feel that the trend could lead to larger ecological impacts.
"Disappear-ing bird species cause gaps in the food chain," added Bhopale.
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