Chambal Days 2 & 3

As you can tell, I've now spent quite a bit of time trying to get some decent views of Indian Skimmer – and still no luck, I think three days is enough though. The past two days on the Chambal weren't wasted though, managed to see 2 Gangenic River Dolphins and got the best views I've ever had of Jungle Cat. Bird Wise the river has been pretty good fare over the last couple of days with over 300 Bar-headed Geese, 40 Greater Thick-knee, 2 Ospreys, 2 Citrine Wagtails, 20 Black-bellied Terns (though none close enough to photograph), 20 Pied Kingfishers and multiples of Ruddy Shelduck, River Lapwing, Painted Stork, Lesser Whistling Ducks and Black-winged Stilts. Oh, and I also found a Brown Hawk Owl nearby.

The six Egyptian Vultures, that were seen on both days, were always hanging around one particular sandbank, and today I found out why – it's the place where the bodies are burned !

Jungle Cat

Bar-headed Geese

Brown Hawk Owl

Citrine Wagtail

Egyptian Vultures

Great Thick-knee

Osprey

Pied Kingfisher

Sunset over the Chambal

A scene that has probably been happening here for thousands of years

 

Garganey.

Bird (s) of the day have got to be the pair of Garganey that flew in to the loch while I was scanning through the gulls, Other birds on the patch today were 2 Willow Warblers, 2 Knot, 3 Swallow, a Dunnock, a Lesser Whitethroat and a very elusive Reed Warbler (in the garden).



Knot.



2nd February 2010 Patdi and LRK.

The village of Patdi is supposed to be a really good place for photographing waders on the marsh near the village centre, and is indeed covered in waders, but also turds, dead dogs and anything else that can be thrown in there by the locals ! We stopped there briefly, then went to the village tank instead, this was quite good with Greater Thick-Knee, 4 Spot-billed Ducks, 150+ Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse and 50+ Avocets as well as a few Greater Flamingo and Temminck's Stints.
The afternoon was spent in the Little Rann Lake area where nothing new was added.
The day ended with yet another puncture on the way back to the camp, birding while the tyre was being changed - Yellow-wattled Lapwings, Rose-coloured Starlings and a Bay-backed Shrike were seen.


Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse.

Greater Thick-Knee.

Rose-coloured Starling.

Spot-billed Ducks.

Yellow-wattled Lapwing.

9th February 2010 Mandvi.

After getting directions from C.E.D.O. yesterday, we headed down to Mandvi for Crab Plover, it's a hell of a long walk down the beach, but ultimately worth it. Finally getting to the sand spit there were 84 Crab Plovers roosting and giving good views down to about 40 feet. Also along the beach were - 5 Slender-billed Gulls, a Caspian Tern, 40+ probable Saunders Tern, 200+ Kentish Plover, 100 Greater Flamingo, 70 Oystercatcher, a Grey Plover, 4 Greater Thick-Knee, 2 Osprey, 20 Painted Storks and 6 Western Reef Herons.
Around Mandvi Lake there were 40 Spot-billed Ducks, 80 White Pelican, 45 Dalmatian Pelican and 2 Oriental Honey Buzzard.
On the way back to Bhuj, stopped at a lake at Dahinsara, where there was 4 Comb Duck, 70+ Spot-billed Ducks, 100+ Black Ibis, 5 Glossy Ibis and a Bluethroat.


Crab Plover directions.

Crab Plovers.

Greater Flamingo.

Saunders ? Terns.

Painted Storks.

Slender-billed Gulls.

Greater Thick-Knee.

Black & Glossy Ibis.

Oriental Honey Buzzard.

Pelicans.