Jamnagar.
Had a short stay at Jamnagar where I had gone on work, but with my camera in tow! It is a well spread out town with many lakes, waterbodies and beaches for birding. I had the opportunity to visit Khijadiya and Balachadi beach (though not in the best tide time, which is important when visiting in Jamnagar birding sites). Got to see the the Little and Crested Grebe, Greater Flamingo and Black necked Stork, the Oystercatcher and the Spotted Owlet and lots of plovers and terns.
Kutch.
I had to find a reason to go back to Great Rann of Kutch! This time the reason was the Spotted Sandgrouse which migrates there in winters from North Africa. Also the Greater Hoopoe-Lark. In addition got to see raptors like the Montague Harrier and Variable Wheater (opistholeuca morph), and some great landscape too!
Gujarat.
Gujarat is not the first place that comes to mind for nature, forests or wildlife. My mind, at least, till about a year ago! However, it has some of the most amazing landscapes and habitat for birds and other animals – both endemic and migrants. The Kutch district in the Thar Desert of Gujarat (Little Rann of Kutch or LRK and Greater Rann of Kutch or GRK) are salt marsh areas, interspersed with large tracts of grasslands. There are small hillocks, lakes and dams, and then the Mandvi sea beach also. I have visited this area a few times already and expect to go for a few times more. Have a long list of birds from here like the Oystercatcher, Eurasian Kestrel, Rufous-tailed Robin, White-naped Tit, MacQueen’s Bustard, Spotted Flycatcher, Jungle Prinia, Grey-breasted Prinia, Orphean Warbler, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Knob-billed Duck, Red-tailed Shrike, Red-backed Shrike, Eurasian Nightjar, White-browed Bushchat, Sykes’ Nightjar, Greater Flamingo, Crab Plover, Brown-headed Gull, Painted Sandgrouse, Marshall’s Iora, Grey-necked Bunting, Hypocolius, Pallid Scops Owl, Short-Eared Owl, Pelicans, Montague’s Harrier, Common Crane, Pallid Harrier and of course the Wild Asses.
About an hour from city of Ahmedabad is Nalsarovar, a great mix of wetlands and grasslands and many fields along the highways. Some famous birds of here that I captured were Namaqua Dove, Black-headed Bunting, Red-headed Bunting, Small Pratincole, Collared Pratincole.