For many nature lovers leading busy lives, Sunday's Mumbai Bird Race 2008 was a pleasant change. Starting 6 am, nearly 350 professional and amateur bird watchers from all over Mumbai, Alibaug, and some even as far as Pune set out to sight the winged species found around the city. Armed with binoculars, bird guide books and log books, the bird watchers spent the entire day observing, studying and making notes. Two pm at Sewri mudflats, as the flamingoes busied themselves in pecking their daily food, chartered accountant Alka Asahi silently watched them through a binocular. "They walk so elegantly,' she exclaimed. Turing away from the flamingo, she chanced upon a large hooded egret and went into raptures. Asahi later admitted that she always wanted to work close to nature. "I am a CA today, but every weekend I participate in nature treks. In fact, I am even studying bio-diversity with the BNHS now,' she said. In spite of starting their day as early as 5 am, nearly 30-40 enthusiasts