3rd Global Bird Watchers’ Conference Kutch, Gujarat.
The 3rd Global Bird Watchers’ Conference was held in Kutch, Gujarat, India in January 2013.
We took part in The 3rd Global Bird Watchers’ Conference and extended our trip to explore other parts of the Greater Rahn of Kutch. Gujarat is a unique bird watching destination in India with a land of contrast where the deserts meet the sea. It consists of six different habitats from open scrub forest, grass land, mangrove, mud flat, desert, hill, creeks, gulfs and mountains. The state has great congregation of flamingos! Cranes and pelicans. Most important of all, it has some of the speciality birds that you would not be able to see in India but you can find them with great certainty in Kutch with the help of local guides. The specialty birds includes:
- Grey hypocolius
- Great Indian bustard
- McQueen bustard
- Staliczka’s buchat
- White naped tit (endemic to India)
- Sociable lapwing
- Marshall’ s iora (endemic to India)
We spent an additional 3 days in Kutch braving the hot sun and cold dusty wind to capture those birds on camera with the help of local expert to understand more about the habitats and the threats of the environment.
The Global Bird Watcher’s Conference (GBWC) is an initiative by the Gujarat Government to put the state of Gujarat on the the Global map as an important bird area. Bird Watchers, Photographers, Biologists and nature buffs from all over the world attend the GBWC each year. This year saw people from Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, Finland, UK, USA, South America; plus many people from India as well. 
Gujarat has an excellent bird life. I guess this is the reason why we eagerly look for a chance to go there. So when the 3rd Edition of the Global Bird Watchers Conference was announced in the Greater Rann of Kutch, we wasted no time to register.
Dhordo is the gateway to the Greater Rann of Kutch which is approximately 86 kms from the city of Bhuj. The Greater Rann of Kutch is a seasonal marshland in the Kutch district of Gujarat, and is the largest salt desert in the world. The word ‘Rann’ means ‘Desert’ in the native language.
Dhordo is a Bird Watcher’s paradise.The Greater Rann boasts of more than 200 bird species. This area is a major nesting site for Pelicans and Flamingos. There are 11 Globally Threatened birds found in this area. Some of them are: The Black Necked Stork, Macqueen’s Bustard, The Great Indian Bustard, Bengal Florican, Demoiselle Crane, Common Crane and so on.
