KUTCH - A PARADISE IN NEVER NEVER LAND

I have no idea how to begin this report as there is so much to say. Anyways, i was heading for Bombay on official purpose so decided to combine Kutch along with it. Mr. Clement Francis had always been insisting on me visiting this place for its bird life. hence at last I decided to go.





I was kind of stuck alone. I even looked for some company in INW when i asked if some one would join but no reply. hence it was decided that I will do it alone. Initially i did not know what to expect out of there. But inputs from Clement sir, made me a lot more confident.



So i Called up Mr. Jugal Tiwari who runs a Nature conservation center there called "Center for Desert and Ocean (C.E.D.O)". He was really forthcoming and helpful. So i booked my dates and headed of to this place not really knowing what to expect.


Clement sir had told me that i should get the blue cheeked bee eaters,and long legged buzzards else e would ......well. He made it clear on the species i should Target.



I landed at Bhuj airport with a delayed flight (Mumbai airport under renovation). There Mr. Vaibhav Mishra and Driver Mangal were already waiting for me. then we headed of to a village called Moti Virani where CEDO is located. A very beautiful place with very comfortable accommodation. As it was already about 1600 hrs, we decided we would go leave the luggage and head out to field as soon as possible. hence by 1630 we ( Vaibhav bhai, Mangal and Myself) were out and driving towards BANNI grasslands in the greater rann of Kutch. as we entered there i was amazed by the shear expance and vastness of the place there. i had never laid eyes on a place thlike this that never seemed to end. hence i termed it "Never Never Land".

That day we saw some Common Cranes, a Tawny eagle, four varieties of wheat ear, Jackals, and Greater short toed larks. but the amazing thing was the shear numbers. everything was in plenty. my first question was how is there so much life in such a dry and desolate place. And I sighed to myself. that's all i could do. Then as it was gettting dark we even came across a Saw scaled viper.

Headed back and rested, being totally happy about my decision to come here.

The next day we left at 0630 Hrs, for banni. and again what a drive. we drove the whole day and all i could do was be amazed and go on clicking. there was not one still moment. blue cheeked bee eater in the hundreds, greater spotted eagles, chestnut bellied sand grouses, jackals, steppe eagles, harries, flamingo, stilts, cranes, storks, and the list will come at the end. lunched at a desert resort called sam e shard and then headed back for banni after some rest. we then spotted the sht eared owls. first for the season. and went crazy clicking. and then after some more eagles and harries and wheat ears we headed back for the day.

Day two we decided to go to the naliya grasslands and pingaleshwar beach. and what a drive there were eagles, mongooses, buntings, starlings, babblers, and so on then after a sumptuous lunch we headed for pingaleshwar where on one side there is freshwater and on the other is sea water. got some sanderlings, flamingos, plovers, snipes, shovelers, godvits, stilts, avocets, egrets, storks, ibis, etc. Vaibhav told me we could even get Brahminy kites here. i was surprised, that's when it hit me. i had not seen a single Pariah or Brahminy kite in two days here. All you saw were eagles and harriers. what a place. again, Paradise.


Then we headed back to Naliya. i was surprised to see the no. of short toed snake eagles. here in Bangalore when my bro and me see one we are almost jumping but there they are really common. Then as evening fell into pace we went to place where there harriers in not tens or hundreds but thousands. they were roosting there. what a sight.

Day three was the day to leave. My flight being in the afternoon, we decided to go to banni again and it was fruitful totally. we got a long legged buzzard hunting. what a sight. and after a few more bird, we headed back to CEDO. and with a heavy heart i had to pack and head home.

in all this i would really like to thank Mr Jugal Tiwari for being so accommodating and helpful. A person with loads of knowledge and warmth. Vaibhav for his warm treatment and guidance and last But not the least Mangal who drove the car all day long. would stop and start and stop and start, knew how to stop so we could get some awesome snaps.

i am really grateful to Mr Clement Francis for encouraging me to go to this awesome paradise.

a list of Birds i saw:

Greater short toed lark,
ashy crowned sparrow lark,
Rufus tailed lark, crested lark,
indian bush lark,
house bunting,
black headed bunting,
red vented bulbul,
white cheeked bulbul,
clamorous reed warbler,
desert warbler,
Rufus fronted prinia,
plain prinia,
desert wheat ear,
isabealine wheat ear,
Rufus tailed wheat ear,
variable wheat ear,
yellow wagtail,
Baya weaver,
lesser whistling duck,
brown rock thrush,
lesser white throat,
white napped tit,
barn swallow,
dusky Crag marten,
Indian robin,
common myna,
rosy starlings,
brahminy starlings,
chestnut bellied sand grouse,
painted sand grouse, peafowl,
long billed pipit,
chest nut shouldered Petronia,
white breasted king fisher,
pied king fisher,
pied avocet,
northern shovlers,
common sand pipers,
bar tailed godwits,
common snipes,
bay backed shrike,
southern Grey shrike,
Rufus tailed shrike,
Indian silver bill,
lesser sand plover,
sanderlings,
greater flamingos,
white storks,
black stork,
western reef egret,
intermediate egret,
great egret,
Eurasian spoon bill,
dalmatian pelican,
spot billed pelican,
river tern,
Caspian turn,
black ibis,
syke's nightjar,
Grey francolin,
common coot,
painted stork,
indian roller,
eurasian roller,
red wattled lapwing,
yellow wattled lapwing,
black shouldered kite,
greater spotted eagle,
steppe eagle,
tawny eagle,
marsh harrier,
motagu's harrier,
pallid harrier,
common buzzard,
long legged buzzard,
short eared owl,
blue cheeked bee eater,
green bee eater
black red start,
Marshall's iora,
laughing dove,
Eurasian collared dove,
red collared dove,
common crane
Indian courser,
greater cormorant,
Indian cormorant
little cormorant,
darter,
house crow,
Eurasian curlew,
little grebe,
indian pond heron,


there were many many more birds, which i couldn't identify clearly.

hence you can all see the magic of kutch

warm regards

ramesh