A Bird Watcher's Conference in The Greater Rann of Kutch

The Global Bird Watcher's Conference (GBWC) is an initiative by the Gujarat Government to put the state of Gujarat on the the Global map as an important bird area. Bird Watchers, Photographers, Biologists and nature buffs from all over the world attend the GBWC each year. This year saw people from Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, Finland, UK, USA, South America; plus many people form India as well. 

Birders and Birds.

Gujarat has an excellent bird life. I guess this is the reason why we eagerly look for a  chance to go there.  So when the 3rd Edition of the Global Bird Watchers Conference was announced in the Greater Rann of Kutch, we wasted no time to register. 



The Greater Rann of Kutch is a seasonal marshland in the Kutch district of Gujarat, and is the largest salt desert in the world. The word 'Rann' means 'Desert' in the native language. 
A Painted Stork stalking the camera!

Dhordo is the gateway to the Greater Rann of Kutch which is approximately 86 Kms from the city of Bhuj.


Dhordo is a Bird Watcher's paradise.The Greater Rann boasts of more than 200 bird species. This area is a major nesting site for Pelicans and Flamingos. There are 11 Globally Threatened birds found in this area. Some of them are: The Black Necked Stork, Macqueen's Bustard, The Great Indian Bustard, Bengal Florican, Demoiselle Crane, Common Crane and so on.

So many birds!

Since it had rained a week before our arrival at Dhordo, the salt was sticky and the Desert was slightly marshy, but that didn't stop us from seeing some amazing birds like the Desert Wheatear, Variable Wheatear, Great White Pelicans (more than 1000 Pelicans together!), Marsh Harrier, Greater Hoopoe Lark and the Eurasian Wryneck. 

Apart from the birds, Dhordo is famous for its White or Salt Desert which shines like silver on a full moon night- A breathtaking sight that we managed to see.Its even amazing to visit the desert in the morning  to see the first rays of the sun dance across the horizon, painting a colorful picture in the sky and flocks of birds in complicated flight patterns, weaving a brilliant design as they forage for food. 

We had an amazing time at Kutch. And if you've been to any such place with amazing wildlife, do write in to us and tell us all about it. Till we meet again... Keep Birding! 
Pelicans!


Desert Wheatear
A Crested Lark looks for a snack!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

From Ideas to Action—Sacred Heart High School, Vashi

Image
25th January 2011 ‘This is my plant!’ piped a tiny student of Sacred Heart High School, proudly showing off her sapling. We were impressed—these students, and their eco-club in particular, have taken decisive steps to make their school a greener and healthier place.       Our visit began with the eco-club, led by their teacher Mrs. Nirmala, showing us their garbage management system, where wet waste is composted and used as fertilizer for plants. This led us to their next initiative, a small garden of medicinal plants. They then explained how they’ve succeeded in combining environmental consciousness with utility by setting up an organic garden where they grow vegetables with the manure generated from the school’s wet waste. They also went on to show us how they are trying to involve other students in their greening activities by getting them to bring their own plants to the nursery.
Read more

The Bird that goes: Tuk-Tuk-Tuk..

Image
Did you know that Mumbai has its own dedicated ‘city bird’? You might think that this title has been given to the common crow or the blue rock pigeon or maybe even to the house sparrow; because these are birds that Mumbaikars come across all the time. But what if I tell you that none of the above hold the coveted title of being our 'city bird'?  The city bird of Mumbai is the Coppersmith Barbet and it is also known as the Crimson-breasted Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala). This bird is more often heard than seen and it is known to make a monotonous call that goes like, tuk-tuk-tuk. The call resembles a coppersmith repeatedly hitting a copper sheet and this is how it gets its name. The Coppersmith Barbet is also known to make an early morning call to welcome the sunrise. Haven't you heard this call in your locality? Coppersmith Barbets can be found near wooded areas, gardens and possibly even in the greener patches around your residence. They often inhabit
Read more

St. Paul's Convent, Dadar Girls Get Set to Audit School Waste

Image
September 13, 2011 Team GreenLine saw itself at St. Paul's Girls' Convent High School, Dadar on a warm Tuesday morning, and it was there to conduct the school's first session, in this, the Second Edition of the Green Schools Campaign.There were a good number of things we noticed as we entered the school premises itself. For one, even though there is not too much space that the school can consider its campus, there is a whole lot of environment-friendly work being done here. We noticed a number of trees all around, and also the presence of dustbins all over the place. What however, really caught attention was the fact that even though the school was going through a recess, and even though there were students eating all over the place, there was not a single chip packet, chocolate wrapper, or food waste anywhere to be seen. This shows that the girls know the value of keeping the school as tidy as possible and also that unnecessary wastage itself is wrong.  Our session s
Read more