Little Rann of Kutch (Not So Little)

A WEIRDY PLACE WITH AMAZING HABITAT

 

ZAINABAD THE HEART OF LRK WHERE THE NATURE RESIDES WITH THE PEOPLE OF THEIR VILLAGE. ZAINABAD GOT IT'S NAME FROM DHANRAJ MALIK (OWNER OF DESERT COURSERS) GREAT GRANDFATHER SHRI ZAIN KHAN. THE LIFE AT ZAINABAD IS WAY FAR DIFFERENT FROM OUR NORMAL LIVES. PEOPLE IN THAT VILLAGE ARE SO SIMPLE TO CORE AND ARE SO FRIENDLY WITH THE GUESTS WHO VISIT. THE PATH TO LRK TAKES THROUGH THE VILLAGE WHERE ONE CAN SEE PEOPLE LIVING SO DIFFERENTLY APART FROM OUR LIVES. 

THE BASIC NATURE OF WORK FOR THE PEOPLE AT LRK IS REMOVING THE WATER FROM THE DEEP DRY LANDS AND DRYING IT FOR GETTING SALTS. LOCAL VILLAGERS OF LRK HAVE BEEN DOING THIS JOB FROM THE BRITISH TIMES. THE LOVE FOR MONEY IS VERY LESS WITH THE PEOPLE BUT THE LOVE FOR HAPPINESS IS MORE WITH THEM.

LIFE AT LRK

 

FORTUNATELY, I GOT TO SPEAK WITH ONE OF THE NATIVE FROM LRK WHERE HE EXPLAINED THE PROCESS OF REMOVING AND DRYING SALT FROM WATER. SOLAR POWER IS USED FOR THE BORE WELL PUMPS TO REMOVE THE WATER FROM DEEP DRY LAND. EVERY NATIVE HAS BEEN PROVIDED WITH SOLAR PANELS UNDER GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY TO RUN THEIR LIVES BY SELLING SALTS.  DISCUSSING WITH THE PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL HE SAID, GETTING SALTS FROM THE WATER WILL TAKE ALMOST 3 TO 4 MONTHS & THEY PRODUCE ALMOST 50 TONS OF SALT WHICH THEY SELL IT CORPORATE AT 30 PAISA PER KG OF SALT.

COMMON VILLAGER AT LRK

 

WHEN I ASKED FOR A FAMILY PHOTO FOR WRITING MY BLOCK, THEY WERE SO HAPPY FOR SHOWING THEIR FACES TO THE CAMERA. HE WANTED TO HAVE A FAMILY PHOTO FOR A LONG TIME WHILST NO ONE HAD VOLUNTEERED FOR TAKING PHOTOS FOR THEM. 

WILDLIFE/BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY AT LRK

FIRST DAY

OUR FIRST SAFARI WAS AT CHAWANI WALA ROAD AT 6:30 TO THE NO WHERE LAND FOR RAPTORS. WE WERE ON TO OUR TARGETS FROM THE FIRST SAFARI TILL THE LAST. IN THE FIRST SAFARI WE WERE BLESSED WITH AMAZING SIGHTING OF PORCUPINE BEING CHASED BY FERAL DOGS. SEEING A PORCUPINE OUT OF NOWHERE IN THE DRY PATCHES TRIGGERED OUR FIRST SAFARI WITH ULTIMATE SIGHTING. IN LRK, FERAL DOGS CHASE DOWN ANY ANIMAL THAT THEY ENCOUNTER. MAINLY THEY CHASE THE WILD ASSES FOR SURVIVING IN THE DESERTED LANDS. (FOR VIDEO OF FERAL DOGS CHASING PORCUPINE CLICK THE MENTIONED LINK - VIDEO COURTESY BY DEEPA). ALSO WE HAVE SIGHTED AND PHOTOGRAPHED THE MONTAGU'S HARRIER WHICH GAVE US A PLENTY OF TIME TO PHOTOGRAPH FROM THE GROUND LEVEL.

AFTER A RARE SIGHTING, WE HAD OUR BREAKFAST 

 

 

FERAL DOGS CHASING THE PORCUPINE

 

MONTAGU'S HARIER

 

IN THE AFTERNOON WE HAD TARGETED FOR SHORT EARED OWL AND SYKES'S NIGHTJAR AT A PLACE CALLED KHARI. LRK IS A COMPLETE PACKAGE WITH PLENTY OF WILDLIFE BUT IN NO MANS'S LAND IT BECOMES REALLY DIFFICULT TO SEARCH FOR RAPTORS. GENERALLY THE SHORT EARED OWL'S RESIDE UNDER THE SHRUBS WHERE THEY ARE GENERALLY FOUND. THIS TOOK US ALMOST AN HOUR TO SEARCH FOR THEM. AFTER SIGHTING A SINGLE SHORT EARED OWL, WE WERE ASTONISHED TO SEE ALMOST 20 SITTING UNDER THE SHRUBS WAITING FOR THE SUN TO DAWN. WE ATLAST GOT A DECENT SHOT OF SHORT EARED OWL WHICH ALMOST TOOK US 1 HR.

 

SHORT EARED OWL

 

AFTER THE AMAZING SIGHTING OF SHORT EARED OWL, WE WERE ON TO SYKE'S NIGHTJAR AT THE SAME PLACE. NIGHT AT LRK IS FULL OF SURPRISES WITH INDIAN FOX, BLACK NAPED HARE AND MANY MORE. ON OUR WAY TO SYKE'S WE WERE SO BLESSED TO SEE THE INDIAN FOX COMING OUT AFTER THE SUNSET. IT GAVE US PLENTY OF TIME FOR PHOTOGRAPHING THE NOCTURNAL ONE.

 

INDIAN FOX

 

OUR GUIDE WAS SO TALENTED THAT HE COULD SEE MANY BIRDS AND ANIMALS DURING THE NIGHT. HIS SKILL HELPED US IN GETTING THE SYKE'S NIGHTJAR WHICH WAS SITTING ON THE GROUND RELAXING FOR A LONGER DAWN. WE HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO PHOTOGRAPH THIS BEAUTY WHICH SUCCESSFULLY HELPED IN COMPLETING THE SECOND SAFARI.

SYKE'S NIGHTJAR

LRK IS ALSO FOR THE BEAUTIFUL NIGHTS WHERE THE STARS COULD BE SEEN CLEAR AND RICH. WE NOTICED THE MILKY WAYS ALL AROUND AND THE SHOOTING STARS PASSING THROGH THE SKY. AFTER A GREAT ADVENTURE OF SECOND SAFARI WE RETURNED TO THE RESORT AT 21:00 FOR LITTLE REST AND LITTLE FOOD. 

MILKY WAY CAPTURED BY ANIKET BARMA 

SECOND DAY

OUR SECOND DAY/THIRD SAFARI STARTED WITH REFRESHMENTS INTO CHAWANI WALA ROAD AGAIN FOR OUR TARGET BIRD EURASIAN HOBBY. WE ROAMED THE MAIN PART OF LRK FOR THE LITTLE RAPTOR ALMOST FOR 2 HRS. BEFORE OUR STOMACHS STARTED CALLING OUT FOR BREAKFAST WE SIGHTED THE SHY RAPTOR THE HOBBY SITTING LOW ON THE BROKEN GROUNDS. IT GAVE US PLENTY OF OPTIONS AND PLENTY OF TIME TO PHOTOGRAPH.

AFTER A GREAT SIGHTING WE WERE WELCOMED BY AMAZING LUNCH AND TOOK REST FOR SOMETIME. WE STARTED OUR 4TH TO KHARAGODHA AROUND 3 IN THE AFTERNOON FOR LESSER FLAMINGOES, PEREGRINE FALCON & WILD ASS. WE GOT THE SIGHTING OF LESSER FLAMINGOES IN THE LAKE OF AROUND 200 IN COUNT. UNFORTUNATELY WE COULDN'T GET THE PEREGRINE FALCON AND WILD ASS BUT WE FOR THE UNEXPECTED IMPERIAL EAGLE RESTING ALL ALONE ON THE DRY LANDS OF LRK.

IMPERIAL EAGLE

THIRD DAY

WE WERE SO STRINGENT ON GETTING TO SEE OR SIGHT THE FASTEST RAPTOR ALIVE. WE STARTED OUR 5TH SAFARI AT 6.30 A.M. THIS SAFARI WE WERE ACCOMPANIED BY THE ONE AND ONLY OF OWNER OF DESERT COURSERS DHARAJ MALIK SIR WHO HAS GREAT PASSION FOR BIRDING AND HE IS THE GRANDSON OF NAWAB. OUR MAIN TARGET WAS THE PEREGRINE FALCON WHCIH WE GOT IT AT LAST AFTER SEARCHING THE DRY LAND FOR 2 HOURS. THE PEREGINE HAD COMPLETED ITS MEAL AND WAS SITTING UNDER THE STONE SAHDE.

PEREGINE FALCON

AFTER GETTING THE SIGHT OF THE RAPTOR, WE HAD OUR BREAKFAST AND STARTED OUR SEARCH FOR MACQUEEN'S BUSTARD WHICH IS SO RARE TO GET AND IT MIGRATES FROM PAKISTAN. WE SEARCHED FOR ALMOST 1 HOUR AND GOT TO SIGHT BUT WAS VERY FAR AND ONLY ABLE TO SEE. OUR CAMERAS WERE STRUGGLING TO GET THE BIRD WHICH WAS ALMOST 250 m AWAY. WE RETURNED FROM OUR SAFARI AFTER GETTING PEREGRINE FALCON. 

IN THE EVENING WE HAD PLANNED FOR A VISIT TO KHARI WITH SOME HIT LIST IN MIND. ON OUR WAY TO KHARI WE WITNESSED A FLOCK OF CHESTNUT BELLIED SANDGROUSES SITTING ON THE FIELDS RESTING. WE ALMOST SAW 10 SANDGROUSES AND GOT TO SEE THEM WITH PAIRS.

CHESTNUT BELLIED SANDGROUSE

AT KHARI WE STARTED FOR WILD ASS AS SOON ENTERING, BUT THEY WERE DAMN SHY TO STAND OR BEING AFRAID BECAUSE OF US. THEN WE MARCHED ON TO RAPTORS AS IT WAS NEALR GOOD TIME FOR THEM TO ROOST. WE GOT TO PHOTOGRAPH EURASIAN MARSH HARRIER SEARCHING FOR FOOD. 

 

EURASIAN MARSH HARRIER

THEN WE WENT INTO THE SHRUBS FOR SEARCHING THE MACQUEEN'S. FORTUNATELY WE WERE ABLE TO SIGHT IT VERY FAR AGAIN THIS TIME ALMOST AROUND 300 m. WE WERE SHOCKED TO SEE IT FOR THE SECOND TIME MISSING THE FIRST TIME. IT WAS FEEDING ON THE GROUNDS BUSY WITH ITS OWN SCHEDULE. WITH SUDDEN MOVEMENT FROM OUR SIDE IT GOT FRIGHTENED AND STARTED FLYING. WE MISSED IT FOR THE SECOND TIME BUT COULD CAPTURE SOMETHING ATLAST.

WITH THE SUN SETTING WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE WILD ASSES ON THE DRY FIELDS. THEY WERE GIVING US GOOD IMAGES WHICH LEAD US TO SOME PEACE AFTER LOOSING THE RAREST. 

WILD ASSES IN THE GOLDEN LIGHT

AFTER SUNSET WE WAITED FOR THE STARS AND MILKY WAY TO SHOW UP. WE WERE SO ASTONISHED TO SEE THE MILY WAY AND THE SHOOTING STARS MOVING RIGHT ABOVE OUR HEADS BUT MILES AWAY. ONE OF OUR CLIENT ANIKET BARMA TRIED TO CAPTURE THE MILKY WAY AND WAS ABLE TO GET ONE. 

MILKY WAY BY ANIKET BARMA

WE RETURNED TO RESORT ALMOST AT 20:30 AND HAD DELICIOUS DINNER REMEMBERING THE TIME WE HAD. OUR NECT DAY PLAN WAS TO VISIT THE NAVATALAB WHICH IS HOME FOR THE WATER BIRDS.

FOURTH DAY

WE STARTED TO NAVATALAB AT 7 IN THE MORNING FOR THE BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. WE WERE ABLE TO GET GREATER SPOTTED EAGLE, BLACK NECKED STORK, WHITE TAILED LAPWING, RUFOUS TAILED LARK, COMMON CRANES, BAR HEADED GEESE, COMMON SNIPE & NORTHERN SHOVELER.

GREATER SPOTTED EAGLE

BLACK NECKED STORK

COMMON SNIPE

WHITE TAILED LAPWING

RUFF

BAR HEADED GEESE

WE COMPLETED OUR LAST SAFARI AND RETURNED HOME BY 10:00. WE HAD A GREAT EXPERIENCE WITH LAST 7 SAFARIS AND GOT OUR TARGETED LIST WITH  PLENTY OF IMAGES. I VISITED LRK LIKE 7 YEARS BEFORE AND WE COULD MAINLY SEE THE PEREGRINE FALCON HERE AND THERE BUT NO THE CASE IS DIFFERENT. WE WERE ABLE TO GET MANY HIGHLIGHTED BIRDS IN THIS SEASON. 

DESERT COURSERS

WE STAYED IN ECO LODGES CALLED KOOBAS WHICH WERE MADE TRADITIONALLY DEPICTED THE LIFE OF PEOPLE AT LRK. INSIDE THE RESORT, DHANRAJ MALIK SIR HAS ARRANGED THE OIL TINS ON THE TREES FOR THE SPOTTED OWLETS TO NEST. WE WERE ABLE TO SEE ALMOST 5 OWLETS IN COUNT AND WERE ABLE TO PHOTOGRAPH THEM.

SPOTTED OWLET

PALLID SCOPS OWL

I AM PLEASED TO SHARE SOME OF THE IMAGES OF DESERT COURSERS HERE AS THE OWNER OF IT IS SO HUMBLE AN SO DOWN TO EARTH. WE CANNOT FIND ANY KIND OF ANGER INSIDE HIM. FOR THE FIRST TIME I HAVE SEEN AN OWNER OF THE RESORT SITTING WITH US, CHATTING WITH US AND EATING WITH US. 

DESERT COURSERS

THE KOOBAS

DINING AREA

WE ARE AGAIN PLANNING FOR LRK IN THE UPCOMING SEASON TO WITNESS THE RAPTORS AND ITS HABITAT. 

 

THIS IS KARTHICK KUMAR SIGNING OFF FROM THIS LRK BLOG AND KINDLY CONTACT +91-8124487585 OR VISIT www.naturographers.com FOR UPCOMING TOURS AND TRAVELS.