The Little Rann of Kutch, which is a popular breeding ground for migratory birds has witnessed an unusual phenomenon this year. Flamingos, in one of the six breeding colonies of the region have surprisingly abandoned thousands of eggs.
Bird experts who have visited the site have expressed shock and attributed the drying up of the water body in the area to this phenomenon. According to some newspaper reports the number of abandoned eggs could be between 15,000 and 18,000. But official records differ putting the numbers at 1,300 to 1,500 eggs.
This is probably for the first time that the birds have abandoned their eggs. According to experts, Flamingos usually stay with their chicks till they hatch and mature. They abandon them only in unexpected conditions.
During the monsoon season from June to September, the Saurashtra and Kutch region had observed normal rain but post monsoon period, when the birds migrate, the rainfall has been scarce. In January and February there has been less than a millimeter of rain in the region.
Adding to the foes are the dry and hot northeasterly winds blowing from the land. These winds coupled with low humidity in the region lead to quick evaporation, thus causing water bodies to dry up. This is probably what has happened in the Little Rann of Kutch and forced the Flamingos to abandon their eggs.
