Just back from a really rich nature watching experience in (and at the edge of) the Little Rann of Kutch (LRK)!
In some ways this trip was also a personal journey back in
time.
- Flashback -
It was in a very similar landscape (in the Greater Rann) that I
first got interested in the idea of watching birds. That was my first college
trip outside of the city I lived in (some 15 years back) .. I still
vividly remember my amusement of seeing lots of birds preached on electrical
wires running parallel to most of the roads in that rural landscape. From what
I remember I was able to identify that there were possibly 10 different types
of birds I was seeing but I was clueless as to their identities, it was another
couple of years before I got my first Salim Ali bird book from a second-hand
store in Kerala. Today I know I had seen more species on that trip but alas back
in those days of the analogue camera I couldn't afford taking fleeting photos
of birds on wires!
-Cut back to the present -
Unfortunately, the bird densities were no were close to those I (or everyone else on our trip) was expecting and neither were the species count very exciting but the amusement of seeing birds that have migrated from faraway lands in this amazing habitat is nonetheless as great as that of 15 years ago!! :-)
The Little Rann of Kutch is a unique salt marsh habitat that
feels almost like a desert. But this bleak looking landscape is extremely rich
in biodiversity and is an
ecologically important area for wildlife and many local and migratory birds. It
is also famous as the world's last refuge of the Indian Wild Ass (Khur)
and the area we were birding in is within the limits of a Sanctuary demarcated for
its conservation - the Indian Wild Ass
Sanctuary.
Here’s a few photos of some of
the bird highlights of our trip:
Besides
the innumerable bird species that have made this unique habitat their wintering
home you can also see various mammals apart from Wild Ass (see some other mammal photos in the slideshow below)
This trip was organized by Nature India Tours and like all the
trips I have attend organized by this group this one too was immaculately
planned [ with extensive research going into the birding sites of the Little
Rann and great logistics planning – with some amazing stay arrangements and
awesome food J ]. Both Mandar and Adesh know this habitat and it’s birds
very well and are constantly sharing amazing insights into the habits and lives
of these feathered beauties, I would highly recommend this trip for all those
who are interested in watching birds effortlessly! Check out more details of
this trip and all the Dos and Don’ts in this habitat on Nature India’s blog @
Here's a complete list of birds we saw on the trip:
1 Shikra Accipiter badius
2 Bank Myna Acridotheres ginginianus
3 Common Myna Acridotheres tristis
4 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
5 Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis
6 Rufous-tailed Lark Ammomanes phoenicura
7 Northern Pintail Anas acuta
8 Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata
9 Common Teal Anas crecca
10 Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope
11 Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha
12 Gadwall Anas strepera
13 Greylag Goose Anser anser
14 Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris
15 Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus
16 Long-billed Pipit Anthus similis
17 Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga
18 Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca
19 Booted Eagle * Aquila pennata
20 Large Egret Ardea alba
21 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
22 Purple Heron Ardea purpurea
23 Pond Heron Ardeola grayii
24 Short-eared Owl * Asio flammeus
25 Common Pochard Aythya ferina
26 Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
27 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
28 Eurasian Thick-knee Burhinus oedicnemus
29 White-eyed Buzzard Butastur teesa
30 Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus
31 Greater Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla
32 Temminck's Stint Calidris temminckii
33 Nightjar sp. (in flight) Caprimulgus sp.
34 Greater coucal Centropus sinensis
35 Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis
36 Little Ringed Plover * Charadrius dubius
37 Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus
38 Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
39 Purple Sunbird Cinnyris asiaticus
40 Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus
41 Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus
42 Blue Rock Pigeon Columba livia
43 Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis
44 House Crow Corvus splendens
45 Indian Courser Cursorius coromandelicus
46 Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus
47 Little Egret Egretta garzetta
48 Black-shouldered Kite Elanus axillaris
49 Grey-necked Bunting Emberiza buchanani
50 Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala
51 Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark Eremopterix griseus
52 Red-headed Merlin Falco chicquera
53 Merlin Falco columbarius
54 Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus
55 Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
56 Grey Francolin Francolinus pondicerianus
57 Common Coot Fulica atra
58 Crested Lark Galerida cristata
59 Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago
60 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
61 Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica
62 Common Crane Grus grus
63 White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis
64 Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus
65 Syke's Warbler Hippolais rama
66 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
67 Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii
68 Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia
69 Pallas' gull Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus
70 Isabelline Shrike Lanius isabellinus
71 Southern grey shrike Lanius meridionalis
72 Bay-backed Shrike Lanius vittatus
73 Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa
74 Indian Silverbill Lonchura malabarica
75 Coppersmith Barbet Megalaima haemacephala
76 Small green bee eater Merops orientalis
77 Intermediate egret Mesophoyx intermedia
78 Little Cormorant Microcarbo niger
79 Black Kite Milvus migrans
80 White Wagtail Motacilla alba
81 Citrine Wagtail (or Yellow-headed Wagtail) Motacilla citreola
82 Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava
83 Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala
84 Desert wheatear Oenanthe deserti
85 Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina
86 Variable Wheatear Oenanthe picata
87 House Sparrow Passer domesticus
88 Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus
89 Dalmatian pelican Pelecanus crispus
90 Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus
91 Sirkeer Malkoha Phaenicophaeus leschenaultii
92 Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis
93 Ruff Philomachus pugnax
94 Lesser Flamingo Phoenicopterus minor
95 Greater flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus
96 Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia
97 Baya Weaver Ploceus philippinus
98 Purple Moorhen Porphyrio porphyrio
99 Rufous-fronted Prinia Prinia buchanani
100 Plain Prinia Prinia inornata
101 Black (or Red-naped) Ibis Pseudibis papillosa
102 Rose ringed parakeet Psittacula krameri
103 Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles exustus
104 Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer
105 White-Eared Bulbul Pycnonotus leucotis
106 Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta
107 Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata
108 Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus
109 Indian Robin Saxicoloides fulicatus
110 Little Brown Dove Spilopelia senegalensis
111 River Tern Sterna aurantia
112 Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto
113 Red Collared Dove * Streptopelia tranquebarica
114 Brahminy Starling Sturnia pagodarum
115 Rosy starling Sturnus roseus
116 Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca
117 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
118 Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
119 Oriental Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus
120 Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus
121 Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola
122 Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia
123 Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus
124 Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis
125 Common Redshank Tringa totanus
126 Common Babbler Turdoides caudata
127 Jungle Babbler Turdoides striata
128 Common Hoopoe Upupa epops
129 Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus
130 Yellow-wattled Lapwing Vanellus malabaricus
* - Birds seen by birders in other jeeps.
Below is a slideshow of a larger selection of photos from this trip
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