I got the perfect birthday gift from good friend Arpit Deomurari -- a fully organized two-day birding trip on an an uninhabited island in the Gulf of Kutch!
Good friend Krishnan V from Mumbai and I had been trying to plan a wader photography trip for months and Arpit's plan was more than what we could have asked for!
Arpit's knowledge of the Gulf of Kutch (incl. all its 42 islands) and the Jamnagar coast is formidable. Even more so is his knowledge of birds of the region and their complex migratory and breeding patterns. It was truly a treat to bird with him on Pirotan island as well as other parts of the Jamnagar mainland incl. Deechda, Charakla, Khijadia and Gandhinagar.
The (non-birding) highlight of the trip was our stay and hospitality at the Brigadier Mess in Jamnagar thanks to (Retd.) Colonel V Krishnan's army network!
For birding highlights, it is best to see the images below. How can one describe the feeling of crawling in mud amidst thousands and thousands of waders all around you?!
