Discover India… Discover the birds… Discover the people… Discover myself…
Indian Wild Ass, Equus hemionus khur, is a species of Wild Ass that are only found in the state of Gujarat as of today. It is estimated that there are only less than 5,000 individuals that are in the wild. They are mainly seen in the Wild Ass Wildlife Santuary in LRK, Gujarat.
Of the six species under Flamingos, Greater Flamingo is the largest.
Lesser Flaminingo is the smallest species of Flamingos in the world. They are normally found in Sub-sharan Africa and in India. Lesser Flamingos may be the most numerous flamingos in the world. These species sometimes can be see with Greater Flamingos.
Sykes’s Nightjar, Caprimulgus mahrattensis, also known as Sindh Nightjar is a species of nightjar that are found in the northwestern South Asia. Sykes’s Nightjar is very similar to Egyptian Nightjars. As every nightjar, they are very well camouflaged and is hard to spot them.
Sykes Nightjars prefer open country with bushes and normally hides on the base of bushes during day time. They prefer to hunt during the dawn and dusk and normally rest during the rest of the night.
Cream-coloured Courser is a wader found mostly in dry areas. The word courser is defined from the latin word cursor which means runner. These birds run behind their prey and hence the name. They are found in open semi-desert regions of Asia and northern Africa.
I have seen Cream-coloured Courser from Middle East quite a number of times but never seen them in India.
Bimaculated Lark is a large lark normally eastwards from Turkey to Central Asia and can be easily identified in its range. Sometimes these species of birds can be found gathered in 100s if not 1000s.
Bimaculated Lark is an Indian tick for me during the GIBT 2017 – NE trip as I have seen them quite a number of times from Middle East where they are comparatively common. We found them in large flocks while we were in Desert National Park.
Red-headed Vulture is a critically endangered species of Vulture according to the IUCN Red List which are mainly found in the Indian Subcontinent. Red-headed Vulture is also called Asian King Vulture, Indian Black Vulture or Pondicherry Vulture.
Once abundant, one of the main cause of their decline is the use of Diclofenac in Veterinary medicines in India. These species were found in 1000s in most parts of India a few decades back. The species in now listed as Critically endangered in IUCN Red List and is in the brink of extinction.
Even though I have personally seen Red-headed Vulture a few times before, it was the first time I have seen them in such close proximity. I was able to take some photographs during our GIBT 2017 – NI trip while we were in Desert National Park, Jaisalmar, Rajasthan.
This is one species which we are not really sure to see in a decade or two unless strict measures are taken.
Bengal Fox also known as Indian Fox is a species of foxes found in most parts of India. It is an endemic species of foxes of the Indian Subcontinent.
A few number of Bengal Foxes were found while we were in Desert National Park during our GIBT 2017 – NI trip along with Desert Foxes.
Black-crowned Sparrow-lark also known as Black-crowned Finch Lark, White-crested Finch-lark, White-crested Sparrow-lark, White-fronted Finch-lark and White-fronted Sparrow-lark is a species of birds that comes under the larks. It has a wide range from northern Africa from Mauritania through the Middle East to north-western India.
The first time I saw a Black-crowned Sparrow-lark is in 2008 in UAE. During our GIBT 2017 – NI trip we found a good number of them at Desert National Park.
Bluethroat, Luscinia svecica, is a species of birds which comes under the Old World Flycatchers. These beautiful birds prefer undergrowth and can be often seen perched on branches. The call of the Bluethroat is very melodious.
The first time I have seen a Bluethroat is in 2008 from United Arab Emirates (UAE). I always admired the beauty of this little bird. During our GIBT 2017 – NI trip, we found them in an island in the Nalsarovar Lake, Gujarat. The bird was very co-operative and allowed us to take good images. I even managed to take some videos of the same.
Bluethroat is also seen during GIBT 2018 – CS from Basai Wetlands, Haryana. We found around 4 of them in just a couple of hours or so.
Great Indian Birding Trip 