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Ruddy Shelduck is migratory bird in India and also in Gujarat. It is generally found in many wetland areas and bird sanctuary like Thol Bird Sanctuary, Nal Sarovar , Little rann of Kutch , Pariej Wetland etc. It is known as Brahminy Duck in India. They are resident in Northwest Africa and Ethiopia. Their main breeding area are southeast Europe, China and Mongolia. Ruddy Shelduck is common winter visitor in India during  October to April.  Ruddy shelduck generally found near lakes, rivers , reservoirs and water bodies. Ruddy shelduck is the member of shelduck Genus Tadorna in wildfowl family Anatidae.

Description and Facts about Ruddy Shelduck :

• Length of ruddy shelduck is around 56-70cm . With wingspan length is around 110-135 cm.
• Ruddy shelduck body is orange brown, head is paler , tail is black and wings feather during flight is black also.
• It is migratory bird in India during winter . It breeds in Central Asia, southeast Europe .
• Female Ruddy Shelduck lays around 8 eggs . Female incubate them for four weeks. 
• Ruddy Shelduck call loud nasal honking  notes in series. They can call from ground and from air also.
• Juvenile is darker brown shade but very similar to female.
• Ruddy Shelduck is mainly nocturnal bird. It is omnivorous and feed grass, plants, grains and aquatic invertibates. 
• Population of Ruddy shelduck is around 170000 to 225000 approx.
• Ruddy shelduck is in least concern bird list in IUCN list

Ruddy Shelduck found in pair and small groups. They rarely found in flocks. It had been recorded more than 4000 birds in Koshi Barrage and Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve in Nepal. Also a 10000 recorded at Lake Duden in Turkey. In Gujarat i found Ruddy Shelduck at Thol Bird Sanctuary and also at Little Rann of Kutch. It is also found in many other wetlands like Nalsarovar Sanctuary, Pariej Wetland etc.  Nearest bird sanctuary near Ahmedabad is Thol Bird Sanctuary where you can find more than 150 different spices of birds and also a migratory birds like Greater Flamingos, Great White Pelican, Ducks, Spoonbill , Bar Headed Goose etc.

Camera used : Canon 6D, Canon 80D, canon 100-400mm lens 

Montagu's Harrier is a migratory bird in Gujarat. It is also a Bird of Prey. Binominal name of Montagu's Harrier is Circus Pygargus.  It is found in most European Countries and also can be found in  Eastern  Palearctic.  Breeding occur in Portugal , Northern Africa , Great Britain and Morocco. Montagu's Harrier also common in may areas like Russia, France, Spain, Poland, Belarus etc. Montagu's Harrier is a long distance migratory Bird. I Found it at Velavadar National Park in Gujarat.  It is also found in Little rann of kutch also. It is small raptor but can seen large because of large wingspan.

Facts and Description about Montagu's Harrier :

• Length of Montagu's Harrier is around 43-47 cm long  and wingspan is around 97-115 cm.
• Male Montagu's Harrier weight is around 260-270 gm and female is around 340-350gm.
• Female is larger than male Montagu's Harrier.
• Montagu's Harrier is very similar to Pallid harrier and Hen harrier.
• It built nest at 1500 to 4900 mt height at lower lands, river and valley areas. Also built nest in agriculture areas and farm lands too.
• Montagu's Harrier need large open area for breeding.
• Montagu's Harrier feed small birds, small rodent, birds eggs, reptiles and insects.
• It can hunt while flying on fixed route and low height and low speed.
• Male montagu's harrier hunts around 12 km area from the nest and female hunts around 1 km area from the nest.
• Global population is around 150000-200000 approx. 
• Female Montagu's Harrier lays 3-5 eggs. Eggs incubates in 27-40 days. After 28 days young Montagu's Harrier leave the nest and live individual after 2 weeks.
• They are long distance migratory birds . They start migrate in mid October.

Velavadar National Park is famous for Black Buck so it is also known as Black Buck Sanctuary.  Area of park is around 34 sq km and it establish in july 1976. It is smallest National Park in India. In Velavadar national park there are lots of wildlife spices for wildlife lover. 

How to Reach Velavadar National Park :

Nearest big city is Bhavnagar around 47 km. From Ahmedabad it is around 140-150 km so by car you can reach in around 3 hours. Also Bhavnagar Railway station and Airport available for out state peoples.

Velavadar National Park Fees and Timings: 

Park fee is around 40 INR for Indian citizen ,  Car up to 6 person 400 INR,  and for Foreigner it cost around 10 $ per person.  For still photography they charge extra 200 INR and for Documentary or movie shooting charges 10000 to 50000 INR . Timings for safari is around 3 hours for 1 car.

Camera Used : Canon 6D, Canon 100-400mm lens

Eurasian Curlew is also known as a Common Curlew. It is a large wader bird in family Scolopacidae. During winter it found in Africa, South Asia  and southern Europe areas.  In Gujarat it is found in Little rann of kutch and Great Rann of Kutch areas. I found it at Little rann of kutch during morning safari.  It was first recorded in 1377 in Langland. It is found near to scrubby riverbeds , groves and thorn forests.  Eurasian Curlew is restricted to Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Shri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

Facts about Eurasian Curlew :

• Eurasian Curlew is the largest wader in its range.
• Its length is around  50-60 cm . Wingspan is around 90-105 cm. Weight of Eurasian Curlew is around  400 - 1350 gm approx.
• Its color is mainly greyish brown, greyish blue leg, white back and a very long and curve  bill .
• The bill is the longest in adult female than male.
• Eurasian curlew lay 4 eggs and generally lay in april or may. They incubate eggs about a month.
• It has been found that eurasian curlew built their nest near to Common Kestrel nest for protecting from Predators.
• Eurasian curlew feed small invertebrates and crabs, earthworms  too.
• The population of Eurasian Curlew is declining in very huge rate.  It is now in the Nearest Threatened list in IUCN list in 2008.
• In last 25 years eurasian curlew population decline 50% in England and Scotland and 90% in Ireland .

Eurasian Curlew is a migratory bird in Gujarat during winter season. It is found in Little Rann of Kutch during november to march . Little rann of kutch is also famous for migratory raptors and eagles. Also lots of birds like Greater Flamingo, Falcons, Eagles, Pelicans, Short Eared Owl, Desert Fox  and a Wild Ass . Indian Wild ass is found only in Gujarat in Kutch area. The little rann of kutch land is dry during summer and after monsoon it is muddy. 

Camera used : Canon 6D, Canon 100-400 mm lens

How to Reach LRK : Little rann of kutch is around 100 -120 km from Ahmedabad.  

Bar Headed Goose is high flying geese generally found in Asia. Bar Headed Goose and Bar Headed Geese both name you can use and both are same. It breeds in central Asia. It found many states in India during winter. In India its a winter visitor and breeds also during the month of November to April. For identification its looks simple because of it looks separate from other goose. There are black bars on head makes them different from other goose. It found in lakes and grasslands. I shoot them in Thol Bird Sanctuary near Sanand, Gujarat.

Migratory Birds In Gujarat : Bar Headed Geese/ Bar Headed Goose

You can call Bar Headed Goose or Bar Headed Geese also. It is migratory bird in India and also it can fly long distance and also at high altitude too.  Some description and interesting facts about bar headed goose are as follow

• Bar headed goose size around 70-75 cm length and weight around 2-3.5 kg
• Bar headed Goose color is pale grey. It is easily different from other geese birds as it has black color bars on head so it is called bar headed goose.
• Bar Headed Goose call is like typical goose honking.
• Bar Headed Goose breeds in Central Asia near mountain lake. Also breeds in winter in south Asia.
• Bar Headed Goose lays 3-8 eggs at a time.
• Bar Headed Goose known for high altitude flying bird because it fly over the Himalayas. Before crossing Himalayas it migrate from South Tibet, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia.
• Bar Headed Goose is one of the Wolrd's Highest flying birds. 
• Some report says it fly over Mount Makalu ( fifth highest mountain in World ) around 27825 ft and also from Mount Everest around 29029 ft but this report has no verification but we must say that Bar Headed Goose is high Altitute flying bird. It is an interesting subject to study for Naturalist that why Bar Headed Goose flying so high and extream altitude.
• Bar Headed Goose built their nest in Tibetan Plateau.
• Bar Headed Goose has little large area of wing than other goose because of their weight.
• Bar Headed Goose can migrate around 1600 km in a day.
• Rajhans is the Gujarati name of Bar headed Goose.
• Bar headed Goose eat plants and invertebrates.
• Bar Headed Goose is Least Concern in IUCN list.
• Bar headed Goose Binominal name is Anser Indicus

In Thol Bird Sanctuary lots of migratory birds found and more than 150 different spices of birds found . Main attraction of Thol Bird Sanctuary is Greater Flamingo, Lesser Flamingo, Great White Pelican , Bar Headed Goose, Ducks, Waders, Blue Throat, Flycatcher, Greater spotted Eagle, Pochard and many more. 

During winter to summer season this bird is found at Thol Lake. I often travel to Thol Lake because its very near to my house. I reach early morning and back after half day. This time Bar headed goose is very close to me. I am so lucky that i got very sharp and clear blurred picture.The bird looks awesome in solo picture and in duo and also in a group. Bar headed goose is very shy bird so its is too difficult to get them very close. They are also high altitude migratory birds and passes over Himalayas from migration time.

Camera Used : Canon 6D, Canon 80 D, Canon 100-400mm lens

Location : Thol Bird Sanctuary, Sanand, Kadi

Places to Visit near Thol Bird Sanctuary : Adalaj Ni Vav, Motera Sun Temple, Little Rann of Kutch, Mahatma Mandir Gandhinagar.

Black Tailed Godwit is a wader bird found in many places of Gujarat. It generally found in India, New Zealand , West Africa, West Europe and Australia during winter season. In Gujarat it found in many places like Thol Bird Sanctuary, Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, Khijadia Bird Sanctuary and many other muddy areas where they can found their food easily. I got them at Thol Bird Sanctuary during may month.

About Black Tailed Godwit :

• It has long bill around 7 to 10 cm long.
• It has orange-pink base bill with dark tip.
• Legs of Black Tailed Godwit are dark grey or black.
• Adult has brown-grey breast and upperparts and in Juvenile has orange neak and breast.
• Total lenght is around 70-80 cm and weight is almost 250-350 gm.
• Call of Black tailed Godwit is weeka...weeka...weeka
• They build nest on shallow ground.
• They lay eggs and protect them up to 30-50 m.
• They lay 3-6 eggs and color dark brown or olive green.
• They eat insects like grasshoopers, beetles , flies, caterpillers, fish eggs etc.
• Black tailed Godwit hunted in France.
• Population of black tailed godwit all around the world is around 6 to 8 lakhs.

Black tailed Godwit At Thol Lake :

Thol Lake near Ahmedabad around 25 km is one of the best place for birding. Here you can find more than 200 spices of different birds. Waders and flamingos are resident birds here. During winter the lake is full of birds like Flamingos, Pelicans, Sarus Cranes, Demoiselle Crane and many more tree birds like Asian paradise flycatcher, Fantail, bee eaters , kingfisher birds , swamphen etc. Must visit place near Ahmedabad for bird watchers. 

I shoot Black tailed godwit very near in Thol Lake and take a ground level shot to make good bokeh image. I was too far but i use canon 100-400 mm lens so i got good result no too good but good enough. I shoot 2 Black tailed Godwit territory fight and also matting of black tailed godwit too. Well i was confused either they fight or matting . Their long bill looks dangerous when you are very close to them. Taking a ground level shot is little bit difficult if the crowiling area is full of mud or wet. Generally i shoot without disturbing birds and shoot from much distance.

Gear Used : Canon 6 D body , Canon 100-400 mm lens

Location : Thol Bird Sanctuary

It is the largest species of Flamingo bird family and also a most widespread species of flamingo family.It is found in India ,south east , middle east and Africa. It is migratory bird. They also breed in India. In Gujarat they breed in Rann Of Kutch , Little Rann of Kutch also found in Thol Bird Sanctuary. I often visit Thol sanctuary so got good shots of them. Best time for shoot them is may-Jun at Thol bird sanctuary bcz of water level is too low . It is been recorded that some flamingo birds are resident in Gujarat at many places like LRK, Khijadia sanctuary, Nalsarovar and Thol Sanctuary. They also breed here and stay for all seasons. So you can find greater flamingo birds in all seasons in Gujarat at many places. 

Flamingo bird facts and description : 

• Greater flamingo bird is the largest living spices of flamingo.
• Greater flamingo has no subspices.
• Flamingo color most of pinkish white in plumage. Wings are red and feathers are black in end.
• Greater Flamingo bird call is like honking.
• The average lifespan of flamingo bird is 30-40 years.
• Main Difference between Greater flamingo and lesser flamingo is height . Lesser flamingo is shorter than greater flamingo. Also Greater flamingo has pale pink bill and black tip. In other case lesser flamingo has dark crimson bill. Lesser flamingo is also more red in color than greater flamingos.

Greater Flamingo birds In Thol Lake : Thol sanctuary is often i visit. Flamingo birds are stay here all seasons. I got good numbers of Greater flamingo and lesser flamingo bird images in a group when i visit Thol. This is my best time with flamingos. Also i got some beautiful pictures of flamingo birds with group and also in duo with some masti. Flamingos looks very good in frame bcz of their color. Thol lake is good place for birders because more than 150 birds spices found here. Also some mammals like Blue bull and black buck also found here. Lots of water birds and tree birds found here. Also sanctuary is not so big so you can find all birds in around 6 sqkm area. Best time to visit thol lake is November to March. All migratory birds are visit in winter so that is best time. Early morning is best for birders. 

Timing And Fees of Thol Sanctuary :

Thol Sanctuary open at 6 AM in morning and close at around 5 PM

Fees of Thol Sanctuary is 50 INR per person and camera fees are 200 INR. Car fees are 500 INR. 

Weekend fees may change that actually i don't know about it. 

Two flamingos with little egret in between of them with down head all. The images of flamingo bird making a good frame. Because of its color flamingo birds images are very attractive and also their grouping make a perfect frame of flamingo bird picture.

A morning pared time for flamingo birds. A beautiful Greater flamingo birds are in a raw make image nice and show their unity. 

Perfact wingspan of Flamingo bird looks great. Pink Wings make image more attractive.

Solo Greater flamingo bird 

Some masti time for two flamingo birds .

Above image shows the discipline of Flamingo Bird and looks like a morning pared they are doing . 

https://youtu.be/9dVBrR9NSOo

A group of Flamingo Birds at Thol Lake make your frame awesome.

Location : Thol Lake, Gujarat

Thol lake is just 25 km approx. from Ahmedabad. You can visit one day for Thol lake is enough. Also you can find another migratory birds like pelicans , bar headed goose, river tern and many more resident spices.

Ahmedabad to Thol lake distance about 25km

Demoiselle Crane is migratory bird in Gujarat. It is spices of Crane family. It is Winter visitor bird for India. In Gujarat it found in many places and sanctuaries. Demoiselle crane found in Gujarat in Thol Bird Sanctuary, Nalsarovar bird Sanctuary, Velavadar National Park and also outskirts of these sanctuaries. When we  are travelling to Nalsarovar sanctuary some local people tell us about Vadla village Wetland area and they told us about thousands of birds here. So we cancel nalsarovar and go their. And look what we found thousand of Demoiselle cranes are their. Very difficult to choose in your frame what to shoot. Also flying shots and group shots and solo shots of Demoiselle cranes we got. 

Description of Demoiselle Crane : 

• Demoiselle Crane birds similar to Sarus Crane only difference of color and its also a smallest crane too. 
• Demoiselle crane bird is about 100 cm long and its weight approx 3 kg. It is small from Sarus crane. 
• It has long black  on fore-neck and white strip on neck side. 
• It can live different environments. 
• They migrate from Siberia to china. 
• In India they spend winter for rest . 
• It migrate over Himalayas from India. Demoiselle crane can fly over Himalayas in high altitude about 25000 Feet. 
• They generally found in low water wetland area where they can fishing easily.
• Demoiselle crane's Gujarati name is Karkaro  and also have another name in Hindi is Koonj in North India.

Flying Demoiselle Crane looks awesome in frame. Also black and white photo of bird in flight looks beautiful. A group of Demoiselle Crane migrate and stay in Nalsarovar , Thol, LRK in Gujarat. Birds in flight in black and white looks like abstract image of birds. 

Crane is very shy bird and if you want to go close to them they run away faster than you. You must have patience to capture photos of Demoiselle Crane or Sarus Crane bird. 

Location :: Near Vadla village

Near Nalsarovar lake,Nearest place Ahmedabad.