Little Rann of Kutch images

Asiatic wild ass - not difficult to find here but tough to get in an interesting pose. I quite like this shot but feel an awful compulsion to start writing low-grade humorous captions for it.

The only new mammal for me on the trip; at last an Indian wolf. With fewer than 3000 remaining, an encounter is always going to be exciting.

Indian courser - one of the best birds in India.

Cream-coloured courser - present in small numbers this winter in the Little Rann.

Sykes's nightjar gave us the runaround this year, none seen on the first night drive and only three on the second.

Desert warbler

We stayed once again with Dhanraj Malik at Desert Coursers, it is the best place to stay if you want to see the wildlife of the Little Rann of Kutch and one of my favourite places to stay in the world.

Seeing Sykes's nightjar in Gujarat

The best place to see Sykes's nightjar in India, is at the Little Rann of Kutch in winter. If you are planning a trip that passes close to Gujarat then get in touch with my friend Raj (details on card attached). He runs Desert Coursers - the place to stay. He will guide you to the nightjar and showed us two superb MacQueen's bustards as well recently. There was also an unexpected pallid scops-owl roosting in the grounds. The accommodation is basic but the food is the best we had on a recent trip to India.

Thank you Colonel!

This winter I have been fortunate enough to see Sykes's nightjar for the first time. The first was a real surprise as it was found in dry agricultural land outside the park gate at Ranthambhore NP (Rajastan), at a site where I have spent many hours spot-lighting in the past. This photo was taken at a more reliable site in the Little Rann of Kutch in February.

BTW Sykes's was a Colonel in the Bombay Army in the 19th Century. You could tell he was a birder because his first job was to lay siege to Bharatpur in 1805! He described over 50 species from India but the best bird to carry his name is without a doubt the nightjar. Birders who have found rama booted warblers in the UK may beg to differ.