Musa was super confident that we will sight our first Great Indian Bustard (GIB) that morning. He had spotted on rather close to the fence the last evening. AS we approached the ares we saw a cowherd with some cows inside the fence. That put paid to the plans and sure enough, there was no bustard in sight ! Since we couldn’t spot any bustards in the morning evening we decided to stake out the Desert Fox den. The den had a few kits and it would give us some good interactions. Only it would be really really hot at 40 Deg Celsius and in open desert !
I only know how I managed to sit thru the evening. We got inside the hide by 1600H and the kits came out only around 1800H. So two hours of breathing and hot meditation is what helped me stay in. And of course a bottle of water. The mother was pretty suspicious and had we made any monument, it would not have made it back to the den in the evening and probably might have waited till we moved away. Mother making a cautious approach. Interestingly the den has many exits and the mother used the exit which was hidden from us to get in. However I snagged a quick shot as she approached warily.
30th morn was a washout for me, no luck with the bustard. That evening we set out to see the desert cat near Devi Kot. Devi kot has a 300 year old temple. Another super shy creature, the desert cat turned out to be. Conservationist Sumer Singh is instrumental in saving and watching over this patch where the desert cat is found. We waited and waited and circled the cactus bush inside which it usually lives but, not a chance. Towards the late evening it kind of peeped out and I could get a half decent record shot, All in all way too much wait for just a pussy !
That evening Arun rustled up a superb salad which we all devoured ravenously ! With all the action, and pussy waiting, Arun & Rahul went down with a heat stroke.
So the 31st morn, it was just me and Vikram and we went to try our luck with the bustards. Vikram was keen on the fox and I was into the bustard. So we split up and took two different routes.Soon enough Musa spotted 3 Great Indian Bustards (GIB) close to the fence. That then turned out to be a flock of eight. Through the morning we counted a total of 21 individuals. Thats 21 out of a total world population of 130 ! Absolute joy !
That afternoon Sanjeet drove us to Longewala the location of the big decisive tank battle between India & Pakistan. We paid our respects at the war memorial there. The drive to Longewala was on the new sagar mala road and boy, was it a pleasure to drive on this marvelous road through the desert parallel to the India Pakistan border. Unbelievably super road. Just that not much traffic so should you have a breakdown be prepared for DIY or a long wait before any vehicles come by.
That evening Vikram went back for the desert fox. Enroute they found a dead spiny tailed lizard which they picked up and layed it outside the den. The pups came out in the evening and pulled the carcass into the den. The mother got the whiff of things and entered the den from the side hidden from the hide side where Vikram was setup. Smart fox, desert fox !
I did the dunes for some landscapes. And as required, the vehicle did its bit and got stuck in the sand. Cant do a desert trip without that !
Baloony heat, some 42 deg already and the trick is eat light, stay hydrated and no AC. The Aircon drops the temp difference too much and makes it harder for the body to adjust.
I cleaned my sensor after every session. Expect a lot of dust & sand.
Musa is a great guy and highly recommended. Just listen to him and you will have a great trip.
Photo Tip
This is really long lens territory, so the longer telephoto you have the better !
And, carry a wide for the desertscapes 🙂
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