The Little
Rann of
Kutch is one of those places you have to visit, to witness the sheer numbers and variety of birds, from wildfowl to Larks, it is an excellent place to explore worthy of more than the 2 days we spent. There is the
opportunity to see rare birds like,
Stoliczka's Bushchat, Dalmatian Pelican,
Macqueen's Bustard, and if time allows Sociable Lapwing. The one
drawback is the dust and the early morning temperatures as you head into the deserts, hence the photo above.
It is an important refuge for Indian Donkey,
or Asiatic Wild Ass as it should be called. You won't see anyone taking a ride on these boys or having a photo taken with your kiss me quick hat on. They really are an impressive
equid, majestic, proud, ideally adapted to running across the wide open plains of the
Kutch but potentially a pit fall lies with the very sharp and thorny acacia like brush if you get caught short !!! 'when you've got to go you've got to go' such is the power of digital cameras you don't appreciate what you're photographing until you review your
piccies later one!
Hee hahh
Shrek is a great film, for some reason this photo reminded me of Donkey with one of his nervous twitches
The vast open plains and desert like habitat are ideal places to look for raptors sitting around scanning for prey or resting whilst on migration. This Steppe Eagle was the only bird apparent in this square kilometre
The big surprise of the visit,
Stoliczka's Bushchat a very rare Chat that is threatened with habitat destruction and a bird we felt we could easily miss by not going to Desert National Park. This mostly terrestrial Chat put on a
great show with it's puff and roll actions as it moved across the ground
One of the two
species of Courser possible, the three C's, Cream coloured Courser ' pride of Hadleigh 84' and a much sought after bird in the UK. One of these in Kent or indeed anywhere on the
UK mainland would be very welcome especially without a blob of mud attached to it's bill and wandering around near a tip!
'Chinese'
Isabelline Shrike, common and
easy to see in most of the area
Desert
Wheatear having a munch.
Wheatears are common here, mostly Deserts, a cracking bird that
brightens up a dull winter dull in the UK
Lesser
Flamingos plus a few
Greaters are a
spectacular sight in their hundreds at the wetlands
Indian Courser............MEGA
Macqueen's Bustard, rare and mega. A tricky bird to see and approach even in the vehicles, but a tiny population here should be seen with local knowledge and a bit of time early in the morning
Mystery bird???
Male Pallid Harrier, Raptors don't get much better than this
Rann Riders at
Kutch, a great place to stay, bird, relax, and scoff loads of superb food
The team early am in the desert complete with milk crate?
Rufous-tailed Lark posing for the cameras next to the vehicle, always a great hide
The Little Rann of Kutch is one of those places you have to visit, to witness the sheer numbers and variety of birds, from wildfowl to Larks, it is an excellent place to explore worthy of more than the 2 days we spent. There is the opportunity to see rare birds like, Stoliczka's Bushchat, Dalmatian Pelican, Macqueen's Bustard, and if time allows Sociable Lapwing. The one drawback is the dust and the early morning temperatures as you head into the deserts, hence the photo above.
It is an important refuge for Indian Donkey, or Asiatic Wild Ass as it should be called. You won't see anyone taking a ride on these boys or having a photo taken with your kiss me quick hat on. They really are an impressive equid, majestic, proud, ideally adapted to running across the wide open plains of the Kutch but potentially a pit fall lies with the very sharp and thorny acacia like brush if you get caught short !!! 'when you've got to go you've got to go' such is the power of digital cameras you don't appreciate what you're photographing until you review your piccies later one!
Hee hahh
Shrek is a great film, for some reason this photo reminded me of Donkey with one of his nervous twitches
The vast open plains and desert like habitat are ideal places to look for raptors sitting around scanning for prey or resting whilst on migration. This Steppe Eagle was the only bird apparent in this square kilometre
The big surprise of the visit, Stoliczka's Bushchat a very rare Chat that is threatened with habitat destruction and a bird we felt we could easily miss by not going to Desert National Park. This mostly terrestrial Chat put on a great show with it's puff and roll actions as it moved across the ground
One of the two species of Courser possible, the three C's, Cream coloured Courser ' pride of Hadleigh 84' and a much sought after bird in the UK. One of these in Kent or indeed anywhere on the UK mainland would be very welcome especially without a blob of mud attached to it's bill and wandering around near a tip!
'Chinese' Isabelline Shrike, common and easy to see in most of the area
Desert Wheatear having a munch. Wheatears are common here, mostly Deserts, a cracking bird that brightens up a dull winter dull in the UK
Lesser Flamingos plus a few Greaters are a spectacular sight in their hundreds at the wetlands
Indian Courser............MEGA
Macqueen's Bustard, rare and mega. A tricky bird to see and approach even in the vehicles, but a tiny population here should be seen with local knowledge and a bit of time early in the morning
Mystery bird???
Male Pallid Harrier, Raptors don't get much better than this
Rann Riders at Kutch, a great place to stay, bird, relax, and scoff loads of superb food
The team early am in the desert complete with milk crate?
Rufous-tailed Lark posing for the cameras next to the vehicle, always a great hide
2 comments:
I like the picture of the old boy at the top of this post!
That's what you end up looking like when you read too many emails with the delete button at the ready!!!
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