Desert Cat, Wild Ass and Great Indian Bustard from Kutch and Rajasthan

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A birdwatching oriented guided trip to the thorn forests and grasslands of Kutch, the salt pans of the Little Rann of Kutch and the sandy Thar Desert of Rajasthan produced superb birds like Great Indian & MacQueen’s Bustards, Grey Hypocolius, White-naped Tit, Marshall’s Iora, Grey-necked and Black-headed Buntings, Laggar Falcon (among various raptors), Red-tailed Wheatear, Stolickza’s Bushchat, Asian Desert Warbler, Greater Hoopoe Lark and Syke’s Nightjar among 152 species. While we did focus some sessions on mammals, we had less luck with this group except for an excellent Desert Cat, a couple of Indian Fox, a number of Desert Fox and Indian Wild Ass among 13 species. As always, it was memorable to experience the varied habitats of Kutch, the wide open spaces of the Little Rann of Kutch and the beautiful, sparsely vegetated landscape of the Desert National Park. It was a pleasure to host David and Irene Jackson, immensely knowledgable birders, mammal enthusiasts and great travel companions, on their second visit to the wilds of India.

Dates

5th to 12th January 2020

Locations

Kutch (Banni Grasslands, various thorn forests),  Little Rann of Kutch (Wild Ass Sanctuary) and Desert National Park (Thar Desert)

List of Mammals Seen

Desert Cat Felis sylvestris

Indian Fox Vulpes bengalensis

Desert Fox Vulpes vulpes pusilla

Indian Hare Lepus nigricollis

Five-striped Palm Squirrel Funambulus pennantii

Indian Desert Jird Meriones hurrianae

Indian Gerbil Tatera indica

Nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus

Indian Gazelle Gazella bennettii

Indian Wild Ass Equis hemionus pallas

Indian Wild Pig Sus Scrofa

Indian Flying Fox Pteropus giganteus

Grey Mongoose Herpestes edwardsii