I would have never heard of these places in Rajasthan, leave aside visiting them ever, had it not been for the advent of birds into my life! Khichan is a small village in Rajasthan and about a 2-3 hours drive from Jaisalmer. It is known for its love story with the Demoiselle cranes which come from far away lands in Central Asia in thousands of numbers every winter to this village, and especially to the courtyard of the dedicated Mr Ratan Lal who has been championing their cause for decades!

From Khichan, it is another 3 hours drive to Bikaner, on the outskirts of which is Jorbeer, the largest carcass dumping ground in India, and a heaven for the raptors, and naturally a haven for the photographers! Vegetarians will have a new experience here for sure! I was witness to an epic battle scene here between the Imperial Eagle and the Egyptian Vulture – one of the most exciting moments of my short photography career! There were many other eagles such as Spotted, Steppe and vultures as Cinerous Vulture and Griffons. The special bird here was the Yellow-Eyed pigeon which is an extremely shy bird, understandably because of the prosecution it suffers in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan on its migratory journey towards India in winters.

Another highlight of this visit were the breathtaking shots of the raptors during sunset time!