India; Northwest - Day 16: Little Rann of Kutch

   Rather than return to the sanctuary and pay the camera fees again, we decided to bird and area to the north where there was more water and hopefully more birds. This area was called Nava Talav and it turned out to be a productive site for a few hours birding before we set off for our next journey.

  There were many waders and wildfowl present. Most of the waders were species we have been familiar with across Eurasia, but we enjoyed fantastic views of Great Thick Knee very close to the car. Otherwise we were treated to good numbers of Great White Pelicans and hundreds of Demoiselle Cranes. Exploring the bushes found us a few more birds, including Bluethroat and Wryneck, as well as a tick for me with Barred Buttonquail. The grassy areas were full of birds, with Hoopoes and Yellow Wagtails galore. It really was a fantastic few hours of exploring.

  The rest of the day was spent driving from our base in the Little Rann of Kutch, to our next base in the Greater Rann of Kutch. The journey was long and hot, and in the end it consumed the rest of the day, but we arrived before dusk and discussed with the local guide about the plan for the next days.

Species List:
Little Rann of Kutch: Ruddy Shelduck, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Northern Pintail, Eurasian Teal, Tufted Duck, Indian Peafowl, Grey Francolin, Rock Dove, Eurasian Collared Dove, Laughing Dove, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Greater Coucal, Eurasian Coot, Grey-headed Swamphen, White-breasted Waterhen, Demoiselle Crane, Common Crane, Great Stone-curlew, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Little Ringed Plover, Red-wattled Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit, Common Snipe, Common Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Spotted Redshank, Common Greenshank, Ruff, Temminck's Stint, Little Stint, Barred Buttonquail, Collared Pratincole, Pallas's Gull, Whiskered Tern, Greater Flamingo, Painted Stork, Little Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Glossy Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, Little Egret, Indian Pond Heron, Great Egret, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Great White Pelican, Greater Spotted Eagle, Western Marsh Harrier, Eurasian Hoopoe, Asian Green Bee-eater, White-throated Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Eurasian Wryneck, Black Drongo, Isabelline Shrike, Bay-backed Shrike, Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark, Crested Lark, Sykes's Warbler, Barn Swallow, Wire-tailed Swallow, Red-vented Bulbul, White-eared Bulbul, Common Chiffchaff, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Babbler, Rosy Starling, Indian Robin, Bluethroat, Siberian Stonechat, Desert Wheatear, Purple Sunbird, House Sparrow, Western Yellow Wagtail, Citrine Wagtail, White Wagtail, Paddyfield Pipit, Tawny Pipit,