It’s been six months already and we (Yash and myself) have taken birding as a religion. Why we compare it to religion, simply because it brings us closer to nature.
Vacation time it was and we had to take a holiday to visit Jamnagar. My better-half Seema - loves adventurous road travel, so it did not take time to plan to drive to Jamnagar from Mumbai. It was just about a twelve hour drive.
 |
| Map to Jamnagar |
|
|
Just after the last exit to Baroda city, we took the sharp left turn towards
the NH-8 (Just where the Baroda-Ahmedabad expressway begins)
After driving a few kms on the NH-8, headed onto the diversion to
Rajkot. The work on the two lane was in progress. En route we had planned
to stop by Kanewal Lake.
We spent just about an hour plus at this famous Kanewal Lake in Anand District, near Tarapur (14KM Milestone). On reaching the lake, found it
had a very deserted look.
The lake was large and had large weeds and shrubs along its periphery .
We were given to understand by the locals there, that a boat can be
hired. As we had to head and reach Jamnagar, did not probe more.
We
sighted Strawberry finches, Silver bills, Osprey, Cormorants, Common
Coots, Wagtails, Hoopee, Wooly-necked stork, and Green-bee eaters.
It
was just about six months and we were excited with the birds we were
sighting, more so ever could not even identify them, peeping into the
book and binoculars, made all look the same.
Had always heard and
read that the most number of birds in India are in Gujarat state and in
the Gujarat state, the most number of birds are found in Jamnagar. We
stayed there for three days, before heading out to a brief two day trip
into the Little Rann of Kutch.
1. Khijadia Bird Sanctuary - Jamnagar
One
needs to get a entry permit, prior to entering the sanctuary which is
spread over 605 hectares and just about 12 kms from Jamnagar city. It
was our very first destination. The forest office is just at the start
of the sanctuary and the officers were very co-operative. They also were
kind enough to appoint a guide named "Nitin"
 |
| Khijadia Bird Sanctuary - Jamnagar (INDIA) |
Having no previous experience, based on what we were guided by fellow
birders, entered the Sanctuary at 6.30 in the morning. The place was
very unique the wetland area had sea water on one side and fresh water
on the other side. Hence, we found birds habituated to Sea as well as
Fresh water in the same place.
 |
| Early Morning Sun-rise |
The cool breeze and mild fog made us feel, we were in the clouds. Soon
the sun rose and the place was indeed a paradise for bird watchers.
Watching the arrival of the pelicans during sunrise for roosting was a
fantastic experience.
There were many types of ducks who arrive here during winters.
 |
| Motorable road - Fresh Water on one side and salty on the other. |
There were three Watch Tower for bird watchers, as well as a trail
leading to two zones. The best part was it was motorable. The only
caution we took was drove almost at dead speed and kept our window glass
rolled down. Stopping very slowly and moving even slower.
The wild cat and the grey francolin's seemed to be friends in this habitat.
The birds for sure seemed a little bolder and would pose well, apart from the Neelgai's (Scroll till the end for the checklist of the bird we sighted)
 |
| Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) - Male |
 |
| Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) - Female with Calf | | | |
 |
| Forest Office, Me and Nitin - The Guide (L-R) |
By afternoon the winter sun got very harsh and we planned to return to the city. Thanked the forest officer and the guide. We had planned to travel to Narara by late afternoon.
2. Narara - Jamnagar
Drive to Narara, was about 40 KMS from Jamnagar.
In
India, Jamnagar is one of the few places where one can find huge flocks of
Crab Plovers, the only other place you can find them, is in the Gulf of
Munnar, but there, they are in few numbers, while here, they are in
numbers beyond comprehension.
 |
| Narara Island - by Low Tide |
We had checked the tide timings and reached there just as the tide
started to reside. The place turned into a large open site. Birds
started to flock the area, Little Stints, Gulls, Egrets, Sanderlings,
Dunlins and a few Ruddy Turnstones.They would leave no stone unturned.
Sighted a octopus in the shallow and residing waters. (Complete list of
birds sighted - at the bottom)
 |
| Octopus |
A few meters away noticed a sea gull catch a squid or a jelly fish. As
the bird settled down to smack on the prey, moved in close just to get a
closer shot, and still kept the bird from flying off.
We had
not realized that we had walked a couple of kms into the ocean. After a
few hours, when the tide started to rise, we waited patiently for the
famous Crab Plovers. Soon they came in large numbers. The shore had
other visitors like the Whimbrel's and Oyestercatchers.
 |
| Seema and Yash |
As we had sighted the star for the day - Crab Plovers, felt glad.
For
visiting this part of the Marine Sanctuary you will need permission
from the Forest Department. (which can be obtained from the city or from
the main gate)
3. Bedi Port- Jamnagar
Situated
just a few kms from the city, this place has large salt panes and open
areas, wherein a variety of shore birds like Ruff, Godwit, Gulls, Painted Stork apart from few others can be sighted.
4. Lakhota Lake- Jamnagar
Lake Lakota is situated in the city center in Jamnagar.
We
reached there in the evening only to see hundreds of Rosy Starlings
flying and exhibiting their acrobatic skills! Met a known birder taking a
walk, who told us to wait for the "formation flights" they would
exhibit, before settling on the trees around this lake for the night.
5. Little Rann of Kutch
Just
about a four hour drive from Jamnagar, was situated the Devjibhai’s Kooba, a sheer luxury for a backpacker wildlife enthusiast.
 |
| Map of the region - Devji bhai knows the area like the back of his palm |
Little Rann of Kutch was a unique place as its the only haven on earth for endemic Asiatic Wild Ass. After reaching the Kooba, we were greeted by Mr. Devjibhai, who has had
the privilege of working very closely with Mr. Salim Ali and Mr.
Sulemain Patel one a renowned birder and one a renowned wildlife
photographer.
 |
| Devjibhai |
As the late afternoon sun started to set, we headed into the Little Rann
of Kutch. This was our first experience of driving into the deserts.
 |
| Drive into the Little Rann of Kutch |
The moment we drove in were greeted by a pair of Neelgai, Wild boar - Family, and different Birds. The larks would fly at ground level to save themselves from the Birds of Prey.
Driving into the Rann was a awesome experience, as the site till the end was a never ending!!
 |
| Wild boar family |
 |
| The never ending trails - Little Rann of Kutch |
Asiatic wild asses took to stride, on hearing our safari vehicle. The
last refuge of this species lies in the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary,
(Little Rann of Kutch)
 |
| Asiatic Wild Ass |
They can
easily outrun a jeep by running at speeds (80 km. per hour) and also can
withstand the harsh weather. (Heat upto 48 deg C)
Got back to the camp site, before sunset to enjoy lovely home cooked meals. The Koobas were very cozy and the night was cool and temperature kept falling. As we gazed into the sky the entire milky way was visible very clear.
Surprisingly, woke up very early in the morning and could see the sun
spread its golden light, feel the cool breeze, hear the chirps of Silverbill's and Swallows. Absolute delight for the senses.
 |
| Birds chirping at Sunrise |
 |
| Koobas |
Today was a full day safari in the desert. Drove deep into the desert,
till we reached Bajana Wetlands. Lesser Flamingos, Common Cranes, Ducks and Waders had flocked the area
in very large numbers. We kept sighting birds, some lifers and some that we had seen just a week before in Jamnagar.
 |
| Little Rann of Kutch - Terrain |
On the way back, finding the way back to the camp site was adventurous.
No GPS, no maps, no cell phone connectivity. The only reference point
was to head towards the setting Sun. En-route, we came across a salt pan,
which couldn't be crossed. Had to turn back a few miles and turn again
towards the Sun. The last few KMS were just in the dark, Devjibhai
spotted the familiar shrubs and drove us back safely to the camp site.
The drive back was one of the finest.
 |
| Drive back to the Camp site |
|
The time we spent here was too little and was surely injustice to the Little Rann of Kutch. With Fond memories, promised Devjibhai we will return.
List of birds we sighted during the 6 days trip, have shared the the links to see the clicks. Surely, there must have been more birds that we could not sight.
Happy Birding!
KHIJADIA BIRD SANCTUARY:
BEDI PORT
NARARA
ENROUTE AND KANEWAL LAKE
LITTLE RANN OF KUTCH
