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Kutch is the land of The Great Rann, deserts and wetlands, vast grasslands, scrub lands, and mangrove swamps. It also has lovely beaches and an ancient culture. Its stark and wild beauty and exotic species of birds, makes it a birding destination to remember The region is well known for its extreme arid conditions with scanty rainfall of 25 – 40 cms. Temperature variations are high – 10 to45 C The desert conditions are characterized by fissured land, hard soil, with saline layers. There are no sand dunes. The topography is mostly flat to gently undulating, occasionally interspersed with small hillocks. The Great Rann is a unique piece of land which has no counterpart in the world. There are patches of dry and marshy land just 2 to 3 meters above mean sea level. 20,900 sq km of the land area of 45600 sq km of Kutch comprises the Great Rann. A substantial part of the vast desert is transformed into seasonal wetlands during the monsoons. This feature is unique and supports bio diversity. In Kutch there is plenty of vegetation around, represented by Acacia species. The habitat comprises Dry grasslands, Babul forests, Saline scrub savannah, Tropical thorn forests, Desert thorn forests, Euporbia and Zizyphus scub occurs in patches. Rann saline scrub is found in the Great Rann Khijado Tree lands are now mostly degraded but are thriving in and around agriculture fields.. The Banni grasslands covers 2900 sq km. This; the largest grassland in India is unique. It gets partially flooded during the monsoons forming numerous wetlands – an important habitat for migratory and resident water birds Very few birders have visited the Kutch region. More than 300 species are found in Kutch. Of these we have recorded about 160 species. More are waiting to be seen. Three rare species of bustards -Great Indian bustard, Houbara bustard and Lesser florican can be seen. Other sought after species are Sykes’s Lark, Grey Hypocolius, Indian Bushlark, White-naped Tit, Rock Bush Quail, Sirkeer Malkoha, Red-necked Falcon, Laggar Falcon, Stoliczka’s Bushchat, White-naped Tit, Jungle Prinia, Hume’s Lesser Whitethroat, Indian Bushlark, Grey-necked Bunting, Heuglin’s Gull, cream colored courser, painted sand grouse, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, White- bellied minivet, Marshall’s Iora, Grey-necked Bunting, Crab Plover, Crab Plover, Black necked stork, Tawny Eagle, Red-necked Falcon, and more.
The main birds watching areas are:-
Method of Birdwatching is by jeep with short walks. Birds are easy to spot if you know where to look for them. A competent guide – who knows the area is a must. You need 3-4 days to spot the key species. It is advisable to combine about 03 days of birding at the Little Rann, staying at Camp Zainabad, and then driving to Ahmedabad ( 3.30 hrs) which has air and rail connections to all parts of India. Entry to Kutch is either by highway from Ahmedabad ( 8-9 hrs) or by air to the capital city of Bhuj. There are daily flights from and to Mumbai. The Bhuj airport is about 100 kms from the birding areas. There is a good network of highways It is also possible to drive by a good high way to Jaisalmer in Rajasthan (The Desert National Park) After the great earthquake, Bhuj and effected villages have been rebuilt with imaginative town and country planning. At Bhuj, Hotel Prince has good rooms with all facilities, and an excellent restaurant with Indian, Chinese and continental cuisine. Alas Bhuj is not favorably located for bird watching. For birders we recommend the following lodgings:-
Click on Lodges for more details. Kutch has its own distinctive culture and exceptional handicraft. Combining a three to four days cultural tour around Bhuj or a beach holiday at Mandvi, with your birding tour is another option.. Please get in touch with us for more details. Photo Credit : All photos on this page by Arpit Deomurari
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Regular
sightings of this endangered species were made in the winter of
2005/06, by tours operated by
bsnl.in