Sunrise at Sewri Mudflats - Photo fo the Day

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Early morning sunrise at Sewri Mudflats, taken the day I went to see the flamingoes. To read about the Flamingoes http://merwynsrucksack.blogspot.in/2014/04/flamingoes-at-sewri-jetty.html

Flamingoes at Sewri Jetty

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

It was Thursday and I was still deciding what I should be doing this weekend primarily on Saturday.

I inquired with Manohar regarding his plan. He informed me that he was going to Sewri jetty to see the Flamingos on Saturday morning post that he would be free.

Flamingoes? I have never seen them in reality. Have always seen them in photos or on television. I didn't want to miss the chance. Don't know when I will get a chance next.

Sunrise at Sewri Jetty. 

I had Korigad fort on my mind. I was planning to start the trek, first thing in the morning. We conversed as to when to do the trek and later decided that we would first see the Flamingoes and then head off to Korigad.  

Manohar introduced me to an online community named www.meetup.com. They had organized the event. So I quickly registered with them.

Sewri is located on the Central Habour Railway Line. The Fort and Jetty are around 10 minutes away from each other and are on the eastern side of the Railway Station. They are around 20 minutes away from the Sewri Railway Station. I had been to the Sewri Fort in the past. To read my exploration on it, please click on this link. http://merwynsrucksack.blogspot.in/2011/12/sewree-fort.html

Manohar informed me that there is a 50-50 chance of seeing them the first thing in the morning. We were to meet at Sewri rail crossing at 6:15 AM and from there head out to the Sewri Jetty. As the tide was low there was a chance of spotting them. I had my fingers crossed as I didn't to miss them.

So as decided we meet at 6:15 AM the next morning at the Sewri rail crossing. The rail crossing is next to the station. Point to note, you might have to spend a lot of time at this crossing as the trains are given priority over road transport. Manohar had bought his car along; we were stuck there for almost 15 minutes.  Car because, we were to travel to Korigad post the Flamingo session.

Flamingoes in the mudflats

At the rail crossing we meet other photographers too who were heading to the Jetty. Manohar immediately gave them a lift in his car.

In a matter of ten minutes we were at Sewri Jetty. The sun was just rising then.

We passed along the untarred and mucky roads infested with trucks. Trucks are parked on either side of the road. This is a port are i.e. Large portions of land here belong to Bombay Port Trust.  

Manohar informed me that the migratory flamingoes come here to feed. They feed on the mudflats from the months of September to May every year. 

What a beautiful sight to see at the start of the day. I immediately reached for my camera and started my photo sessions.

Another photo of Flamingoes in the Mudflats

Manohar had bought his binoculars also and he spotted the Flamingoes. He told me that they were in the water.

I finally got a glimpse of them. My prayers were answered and I finally got to see them in the flesh. But they were far away.

Got a few good photos of them and then we headed off to the other side of the jetty. The flamingos were closer in distance at this side of the jetty.  

I saw a couple of them who were white but most of them were pink. To this Manohar replied that when they are young, they are white in color. It’s only when they feed on algae year in and year out that they turn pink. The algae contains compounds called cartenoids. These compounds get deposited in the bodies and feathers of these birds because of which they appear to be pink. These are migratory birds and they migrate to Africa. This happens every year. Now the population is less but they are here in large number. He also told me then when they spread their wings , we get to see orange color.  Which I did see, sadly my camera is not as fast as the birds so couldn't capture an image of it.

The mudflats are a unique ecosystem which is made up of mud, silt and fish. So when the water from the tides recede, these remain behind. The birds feed on them. So apart from Flamingoes, Sea gulls there were other birds too. I am not aware of their names though. 

A Crane with fish in its beak

The jetty had ships docked. Some scrap and others on the verge of being scrapped. Manohar told me that one of the ships was being repaired. There were plenty of gas cylinders meant for the repair work.

We stepped on one of the scrap boats to get a better view of the flamingos. They were very close to this boat.

There were making some kind of a sound. As if they were humming some tune. But as the crowd gathered on the ship, we started talking and soon we realized that they were moving away from us, towards the sea.

As it was low tide the birds could be seen at this close a distance, else we would require the help of a binocular or a telescopic zoom lense to capture their images. Something like this.

DSLR using the services of a binocular to get a closeup shot of the Flamingoes

Along with the Flamingos there were cranes too waiting to be photographed.

We spent almost an hour here, photographing the birds. This was the first time I photographed birds and I was loving it. A big Thank You to Manohar for letting me know about this event and also to the Flamingoes for letting me photograph them.

The early morning rays of the sun looked so beautiful on the sea. It was low tide so the water was miles away. Had it been high tide then the waters would have reached the jetty. The sun effect made everything around glitter. The weather was also good. As in it was not hot at all.

We then headed off to have some traditional breakfast to Matunga.   

Sewree Fort

Thursday, December 15, 2011

I alighted at Sewree station on the harbour line in Mumbai to see this fort.

On the platform, I walked towards Wadala Road station. I alighted on the western side of the platform only to find that there were more shops selling Chinese handsets here than food and beverage shops. Looks like the people of Sewree have a fetish for Chinese cell phones. I made enquiries with a few locals. But no clear directions were offered to me. None of the people I asked had even heard of Sewree fort.

Entrance to the Dargah and the Fort

I then crossed over to the eastern side via the level crossing for the vehicles, and it was there that someone gave me directions to the fort.

 As instructed, I walked on straight from the level crossing. I was told that I would meet another road ahead. A the joining of these two roads is the entrance to the Dargah.

Sewree Mangroves

This area had a very rustic look to it. I climbed up the stairs to reach the top, where I saw the Dargah but no sign of the fort.

The road was jammed with trucks. I guessed that it was probably an industrial area. In 10 minutes, I was at the entrance of the Dargah. There were building around but they were no habited and were on the verge of breaking down.

Entrance to the Fort

I then asked a boy sitting under a coconut tree. He told me that this was the Dargah (Dargah of Hazrat Jalal Shah and Murad Shah) and the one next to it was the fort. I was surprised to hear his words. The structure looked brand new to term.

 The Sewree Fort was built by the British in 1680 with the purpose of watching over the land. A watch tower, to be precise. Built for defense, it had high walls and was built on a cliff surrounded by land on three sides. 

In the Fort premises children playing cricket




In the Fort premises children playing cricket, another snap also featuring the fortification of the Fort



The walls of the Fort are intact

The inside of the fort was a studio for graffiti artists. I was told by the boy (Azhar Khan) that the place was being taken care of by the Maharashtra State Department of Archaeology and Museums. I was pleased to learn that the government has woken up to a sense of its own responsibility.

My guide, Azhar Khan

I then visited the Dargah which had been renovated. I sat on the terrace near the Dargah for some time. I was completely cut off from the noisy city of Mumbai. I sat there for a long time, watching the mangroves of Sewree and the water lashing on them. In the distance, I could see Navi Mumbai. 

The walls covered with graffiti, Hey dont mistake my copyright to be one of it




Fortification

Life is so silent and peaceful here. No worries, no tensions, maybe I should come here often. After all, it is just 45 minutes away from my house.  

Forts in Mumbai are Bandra Fort, Mahim Fort, Madh Fort. Sion Fort. Worli Fort. 

Caves in and around Mumbai are Mahakali Caves, Jogeshwari Caves, Mandapeshwar Caves, Kanheri Caves and Elephanta Caves