The Great Rann of Kutch
Tuesday 22nd January
I woke up feeling very ropey and put it down to the onslaught of garlic naan bread from the night before, but after our five or six hour drive into the Great Rann of Kutch I was feeling terrible. Our guide stopped off to buy some fruit from a small stall in the busy town of Bhuj, whilst behind stood me chucking up and thankfully feeling much better for it. I didn’t want to hold anyone up and so it was back on the bus and off we went to our first stop of the day. Yesterday we had failed to find Sykes’s Lark and today was really our last opportunity to score this much wanted species. I felt faint and utter grim but marched through the acacias and up to a small village but I was struggling big time, and with no sign of the Lark my emotions weren’t going to improve any time soon. A pale-morph Booted Eagle was the only trip addition here.
Being the heat of the day didn’t help with the Lark attempt, and so we went to a site where our guide a few months ago had found a roost of a Pallid Scops Owl. At the site, the others marched on whilst I struggled on behind them. Thankfully the Owl was present and gave lovely scope views, however my energy had gone and so I missed out on getting photos of it, and instead resumed my chucking up. The others went off to try and find White-naped Tit but failed in their search.
Next site was close by and was more or less a site to guarantee finding White-naped Tits. I stayed in the vehicle laying down and waited for any whistles or shouting, that didn’t take too long to materialise. I tried to get myself into gear and get to everyone as quickly as possible, but inevitably by the time I got there the bird had moved off, but it was still calling and so I went in pursuit. I was edging closer and closer and with a burst of playback, the White-naped Tit emerged, and what a beauty it was. Not much else was about here and so it was one last go for the elusive Sykes’s Lark. We parked at the same spot and once again I stayed put in the vehicle feeling worn out from the last site. I had just got comfortable and glanced out the window to see Mike running, and in no time I was also running in the direction of the found Sykes’s Larks. In the distance I could see Josh celebrating with our guide, but thankfully the Larks were settled and they showed brilliantly. I had left my camera behind and there was no way I was running back, but it didn’t matter. The locals were very interested in what was going on, however some kids thought it would be funny to throw stones at the Larks, but Dan and Ash stood guard.
A massive result and so we drove to our accommodation where for once we arrived early and enjoyed the site. I went to bed whilst the others had dinner, but hopefully I’ll feel better tomorrow.
Highlights are as follows:
Western Reef Heron – 10
Booted Eagle – 1
Montagu’s Harrier – 1
PALLID SCOPS OWL – 1
Yellow-crowned Woodpecker – 2
WHITE-NAPED TIT – 1
SYKES’S LARK – 5
Isabelline Wheatear - 1
Tuesday 22nd January
I woke up feeling very ropey and put it down to the onslaught of garlic naan bread from the night before, but after our five or six hour drive into the Great Rann of Kutch I was feeling terrible. Our guide stopped off to buy some fruit from a small stall in the busy town of Bhuj, whilst behind stood me chucking up and thankfully feeling much better for it. I didn’t want to hold anyone up and so it was back on the bus and off we went to our first stop of the day. Yesterday we had failed to find Sykes’s Lark and today was really our last opportunity to score this much wanted species. I felt faint and utter grim but marched through the acacias and up to a small village but I was struggling big time, and with no sign of the Lark my emotions weren’t going to improve any time soon. A pale-morph Booted Eagle was the only trip addition here.
Being the heat of the day didn’t help with the Lark attempt, and so we went to a site where our guide a few months ago had found a roost of a Pallid Scops Owl. At the site, the others marched on whilst I struggled on behind them. Thankfully the Owl was present and gave lovely scope views, however my energy had gone and so I missed out on getting photos of it, and instead resumed my chucking up. The others went off to try and find White-naped Tit but failed in their search.
Next site was close by and was more or less a site to guarantee finding White-naped Tits. I stayed in the vehicle laying down and waited for any whistles or shouting, that didn’t take too long to materialise. I tried to get myself into gear and get to everyone as quickly as possible, but inevitably by the time I got there the bird had moved off, but it was still calling and so I went in pursuit. I was edging closer and closer and with a burst of playback, the White-naped Tit emerged, and what a beauty it was. Not much else was about here and so it was one last go for the elusive Sykes’s Lark. We parked at the same spot and once again I stayed put in the vehicle feeling worn out from the last site. I had just got comfortable and glanced out the window to see Mike running, and in no time I was also running in the direction of the found Sykes’s Larks. In the distance I could see Josh celebrating with our guide, but thankfully the Larks were settled and they showed brilliantly. I had left my camera behind and there was no way I was running back, but it didn’t matter. The locals were very interested in what was going on, however some kids thought it would be funny to throw stones at the Larks, but Dan and Ash stood guard.
A massive result and so we drove to our accommodation where for once we arrived early and enjoyed the site. I went to bed whilst the others had dinner, but hopefully I’ll feel better tomorrow.
Highlights are as follows:
Western Reef Heron – 10
Booted Eagle – 1
Montagu’s Harrier – 1
PALLID SCOPS OWL – 1
Yellow-crowned Woodpecker – 2
WHITE-NAPED TIT – 1
SYKES’S LARK – 5
Isabelline Wheatear - 1
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Sykes's Lark
Photo taken by Ashley Howe
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White-naped Tit
Photo taken by Ashley Howe
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Pallid Scops Owl
Photo taken by Ashley Howe
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Wednesday 23rd January
After a full nights kip I was feeling much better, but still under the weather, and being diagnosed with a fever yesterday, today I would have to take it easy. It was going to be a good day as we would be in some smart jeeps all day, with one of the drivers being an exceptional guide as well. In the morning we headed to a vast dried out lake to the NW of Bhuj. A small rocky outcrop was visited just as the sun was rising, and here we had lovely views of not one, but two families of Jungle Cats. Nearby were also two Rufous-tailed Larks. A great start to the day, and it didn’t end there as we were now heading through the dried out lake to a bushy area, where upon arrival, was a stunning male Grey Hypocolius. Quite a few more were found in the area, but mostly females, however this was a bird I had wanted to see for some time, and now saves a trip to Oman in the near future. Breakfast was had at this spot before we commenced our search for Painted Sandgrouse. The search for these reminded me of being in Africa as we searched around what looked like small feeding pens for animals, and it was here that many Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse were found, and somehow our driver managed to spot four almost invisible Painted Sandgrouse sat underneath a bush. We obtained great views of these and was a very welcome tick for most of the crew.
With these safely under the belt we headed for the coast which was over an hour away, but with plenty of space in the back I was soon falling asleep despite the constant speed bumps. We arrived into Mandvi and some had a curry lunch, but all I could muster was a cheese sandwich. Thankfully I felt very good after this and was full of optimism entering the beach, where the plan was to walk east along the sand to hopefully view some roosting Crab Plovers, although being high tide wasn’t an ideal situation, and we failed to find any. What we did encounter however were some superb Pallas’s Gulls, and in the exact way I wanted to see them. Me and Josh took some bread out with us which enticed plenty of Brown-headed and Slender-billed Gulls to come in, and although the Pallas’s remained shy, they showed fairly well in the end. Several Heuglin’s Gulls also made an appearance.
I stupidly decided to walk the 3km east along the beach to see no Crab Plovers and not a great deal else, but roosting Sandplovers and other Waders were nice. All too soon it was time to leave, and with some still wanting to see the Plovers, we agreed with the guide to check one area of beach further west, but on the way we came across a showy Black-necked Stork, and so the rest of the daylight was spent with this beast. We arrived back to the hotel an hour later, and for the first night in a few, I had something for dinner.
Highlights are as follows:
Indian Spot-billed Duck – 20
Black-necked Stork – 1
Spoonbill – 2
Himalayan Griffon Vulture – 1
Steppe Eagle – 20
Great Stone-Curlew – 2
Kentish Plover – 20
Greater Sand Plover – 50
Lesser Sand Plover – 10
Brown-headed Gull – 50
Pallas’s Gull – 20
Heuglin’s Gull – 5
Little Tern – 2
PAINTED SANDGROUSE – 4
EASTERN BARN OWL – 1
Indian Eagle Owl – 2
Short-eared Owl – 1
Isabelline Shrike – 2
GREY HYPOCOLIUS – 7
RUFOUS-TAILED LARK - 3
Thursday 24th January
A very early start today as we had to drive nine hours to Gir National Park in Southern Gujarat. It was a very long and tedious journey with very few birding highlights along the way. One highlight however was a mega flock of Great White Pelicans taking off from a roadside water source, with numbers reaching around the 300 mark. We arrived at the Birding Lodge just on the perimeter of the Gir National Park (the only site for the Asiatic Lion), and after all the traveling, we only had an hour to get our stuff together and get on a pair of jeeps for our afternoon safari. A very showy Tickell's Blue Fllycatcher and my first Asian Koels of the trip showed very nicely within the grounds.
I was on a jeep with Dan and Mike and was the rear vehicle for the afternoon. Before we entered the park proper we had to do all the formalities of waiting for many forms to be filled in, which is something that the Indians love doing. Also, for those with cameras we had to pay an extortionate fee but it would hopefully prove worth it, but with lots of jeeps driving around the number of routes available, who knows if anything would show itself.
After a while we were on our way and over the next three hours highlights were few and far between (Spotted Owlets and Indian Vultures and some gorgeous white-morph Indian Paradise Flycatchers for the bird life), and for us in the rear vehicle we were rewarded with our slow progress and not keeping up with the others in the front vehicle. Upon leaving a denser area of scrub and trees next to a water source, I suddenly heard all the Spotted Deer calling, which is the sign of a nearby predator. I presumed it was going to be a Leopard, the guide thought it was going to be a Leopard, and after a tense few minutes our thoughts were finally revealed when a superb Leopard emerged from the shadows and strode by in full control of it’s environment, whilst the surrounding bushes struggled to reveal it's fine features. We kept track with this spectacular Cat for maybe a minute hoping it would come out into full view, but sadly the Leopard changed it's course and cruised out of sight. Despite seeing a few Leopards now from Sri Lanka and Southern Africa, this was certainly one of the memorable encounters.
Once we caught up with the others we expressed our suppressed delight of finding a Leopard, whilst now watching a group of Asiatic Lions (four cubs and a female) huddled in the dense foliage, that our drivers soon tackled as we drove up to them before having to evacuate the park as our time slot was close to ending.
Despite the driving day, it had been a good end and at least relieved the pressure of tomorrow mornings safari for finding the big cats.
Highlights are as follows:
Glossy Ibis – 1
Great White Pelican – 200
Oriental Darter – 1
Crested Honey Buzzard – 2
Indian Vulture – 2
Crested Serpant Eagle – 1
Tawny Eagle – 1
White-eyed Buzzard – 1
Indian Stone-Curlew – 2
River Tern – 1
Yellow-footed Green Pigeon – 2
Asian Koel – 3
Spotted Owlet – 3
Black-rumped Flameback – 1
Indian Paradise Flycatcher – 4
Booted Warbler – 1
Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher - 4
After a full nights kip I was feeling much better, but still under the weather, and being diagnosed with a fever yesterday, today I would have to take it easy. It was going to be a good day as we would be in some smart jeeps all day, with one of the drivers being an exceptional guide as well. In the morning we headed to a vast dried out lake to the NW of Bhuj. A small rocky outcrop was visited just as the sun was rising, and here we had lovely views of not one, but two families of Jungle Cats. Nearby were also two Rufous-tailed Larks. A great start to the day, and it didn’t end there as we were now heading through the dried out lake to a bushy area, where upon arrival, was a stunning male Grey Hypocolius. Quite a few more were found in the area, but mostly females, however this was a bird I had wanted to see for some time, and now saves a trip to Oman in the near future. Breakfast was had at this spot before we commenced our search for Painted Sandgrouse. The search for these reminded me of being in Africa as we searched around what looked like small feeding pens for animals, and it was here that many Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse were found, and somehow our driver managed to spot four almost invisible Painted Sandgrouse sat underneath a bush. We obtained great views of these and was a very welcome tick for most of the crew.
With these safely under the belt we headed for the coast which was over an hour away, but with plenty of space in the back I was soon falling asleep despite the constant speed bumps. We arrived into Mandvi and some had a curry lunch, but all I could muster was a cheese sandwich. Thankfully I felt very good after this and was full of optimism entering the beach, where the plan was to walk east along the sand to hopefully view some roosting Crab Plovers, although being high tide wasn’t an ideal situation, and we failed to find any. What we did encounter however were some superb Pallas’s Gulls, and in the exact way I wanted to see them. Me and Josh took some bread out with us which enticed plenty of Brown-headed and Slender-billed Gulls to come in, and although the Pallas’s remained shy, they showed fairly well in the end. Several Heuglin’s Gulls also made an appearance.
I stupidly decided to walk the 3km east along the beach to see no Crab Plovers and not a great deal else, but roosting Sandplovers and other Waders were nice. All too soon it was time to leave, and with some still wanting to see the Plovers, we agreed with the guide to check one area of beach further west, but on the way we came across a showy Black-necked Stork, and so the rest of the daylight was spent with this beast. We arrived back to the hotel an hour later, and for the first night in a few, I had something for dinner.
Highlights are as follows:
Indian Spot-billed Duck – 20
Black-necked Stork – 1
Spoonbill – 2
Himalayan Griffon Vulture – 1
Steppe Eagle – 20
Great Stone-Curlew – 2
Kentish Plover – 20
Greater Sand Plover – 50
Lesser Sand Plover – 10
Brown-headed Gull – 50
Pallas’s Gull – 20
Heuglin’s Gull – 5
Little Tern – 2
PAINTED SANDGROUSE – 4
EASTERN BARN OWL – 1
Indian Eagle Owl – 2
Short-eared Owl – 1
Isabelline Shrike – 2
GREY HYPOCOLIUS – 7
RUFOUS-TAILED LARK - 3
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| Jungle Cat |
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| Grey Hypocolius |
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| Indian Eagle Owl |
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| Painted Sandgrouse |
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| Rufous-tailed Lark |
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| Brown-headed Gull |
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| Heuglin's Gull |
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| Pallas's Gull |
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| Pallas's Gull |
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| Greater Sandplovers |
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| Black-necked Stork |
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| Grey Hypocolius habitat |
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| Our first sighting of a beach!! |
Thursday 24th January
A very early start today as we had to drive nine hours to Gir National Park in Southern Gujarat. It was a very long and tedious journey with very few birding highlights along the way. One highlight however was a mega flock of Great White Pelicans taking off from a roadside water source, with numbers reaching around the 300 mark. We arrived at the Birding Lodge just on the perimeter of the Gir National Park (the only site for the Asiatic Lion), and after all the traveling, we only had an hour to get our stuff together and get on a pair of jeeps for our afternoon safari. A very showy Tickell's Blue Fllycatcher and my first Asian Koels of the trip showed very nicely within the grounds.
I was on a jeep with Dan and Mike and was the rear vehicle for the afternoon. Before we entered the park proper we had to do all the formalities of waiting for many forms to be filled in, which is something that the Indians love doing. Also, for those with cameras we had to pay an extortionate fee but it would hopefully prove worth it, but with lots of jeeps driving around the number of routes available, who knows if anything would show itself.
After a while we were on our way and over the next three hours highlights were few and far between (Spotted Owlets and Indian Vultures and some gorgeous white-morph Indian Paradise Flycatchers for the bird life), and for us in the rear vehicle we were rewarded with our slow progress and not keeping up with the others in the front vehicle. Upon leaving a denser area of scrub and trees next to a water source, I suddenly heard all the Spotted Deer calling, which is the sign of a nearby predator. I presumed it was going to be a Leopard, the guide thought it was going to be a Leopard, and after a tense few minutes our thoughts were finally revealed when a superb Leopard emerged from the shadows and strode by in full control of it’s environment, whilst the surrounding bushes struggled to reveal it's fine features. We kept track with this spectacular Cat for maybe a minute hoping it would come out into full view, but sadly the Leopard changed it's course and cruised out of sight. Despite seeing a few Leopards now from Sri Lanka and Southern Africa, this was certainly one of the memorable encounters.
Once we caught up with the others we expressed our suppressed delight of finding a Leopard, whilst now watching a group of Asiatic Lions (four cubs and a female) huddled in the dense foliage, that our drivers soon tackled as we drove up to them before having to evacuate the park as our time slot was close to ending.
Despite the driving day, it had been a good end and at least relieved the pressure of tomorrow mornings safari for finding the big cats.
Highlights are as follows:
Glossy Ibis – 1
Great White Pelican – 200
Oriental Darter – 1
Crested Honey Buzzard – 2
Indian Vulture – 2
Crested Serpant Eagle – 1
Tawny Eagle – 1
White-eyed Buzzard – 1
Indian Stone-Curlew – 2
River Tern – 1
Yellow-footed Green Pigeon – 2
Asian Koel – 3
Spotted Owlet – 3
Black-rumped Flameback – 1
Indian Paradise Flycatcher – 4
Booted Warbler – 1
Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher - 4
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| Spotted Owlets |
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| Spotted Owlets |
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| Leopard |
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| Asiatic Lion Cub |
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| Gir National Park |
