2. Bird-Related Events

2nd Global Bird Watchers Conference 2012

On January 19-22, 2012, the 2nd Global Bird Watchers Conference was held in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, by the Tourism Department of the State Government of Gujarat, India and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. About 100 foreign delegates from almost 40 countries and some 300 local Indian delegates attended the international gathering of birders, birdwatchers, bird photographers, ornitologists, travel writers, bloggers, tour operators, bird conservationists and nature lovers. The Philippines was represented by Alain Pascua and Rey Sta Ana of Wild Bird Photography Philippines, Anna Gonzales and Mike Lu of Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, and Mark Jason Villa of Rhabdornis Tours. Special thanks to Mr. Uttej Rao of JN Rao Travel Organization for considering a big delegation from the Philippines, for facilitating air travel arrangements and for his continuous support and help that made our participation very meaningful.
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Alain PascuaAvianBird PhotographyKAAKBAYPhilippineWild Birdgbwc2012

  • Upon arrival on January 19, 2012, we were bused from the Ahmedabad Airport to Kensville Golf Resort where we stayed for a night. This was at the gate of Kensville when guards ask for our registration.
  • Opening Ceremony at the grounds of Kensville. The delegates are treated with Indian dinner and cultural presentations.
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  • The following day was the first day of a two-day field trip in various birding areas. The delegates were divided in three groups corresponding to three trips in various parts of Gurajat. We were on the first group and the first stop was at Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary. <br /> <br /> Wikipedia: Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, consisting primarily of a huge lake and ambient marshes, is situated about 64 km to the West of Ahmedabad near Sanand Village, in the Gujarat state of India. Mainly inhabited by migratory birds in winter and spring, it is the largest wetland bird sanctuary in Gujarat, and one of the largest in India. The lake measures 123 km², attracts over 210 species of birds in the winter, and harbours a variety of flora and fauna. Thousands of migratory waterfowl flock to this sanctuary just after the Indian monsoon season. The shallow area and ponds on the outer fringes of the lake attract the wading birds that feed in the shallow waters. Besides a few mammalian species including the endangered wild ass and the blackbuck, its migratory bird population includes Rosy Pelicans, Flamingoes, White Storks, Brahminy Ducks and Herons. Millions of birds visit the delightful bird sanctuary in winter and spring. It harbours over 250 species of wetland birds.
  • Bird lingered around. A point-and-shoot camera can easily capture birds hovering around... The boats have flat bottoms, making them very stable and providing them access to shallow waters. No motors were attached to the boats to remove the noise that drive the birds away.
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  • With me in the boat were blogger/writer Dawn DelVecchio of USA, editor/photographer Pamela Lim of Malaysia, tour operator Mark Jason Villa and birdwatcher Anna Gonzales of the Philippines.
  • Rey Sta Ana rode in the boat of photographers from Europe.
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  • In the afternoon, our second area is the Little Rann of Kutch to see both the Wild Ass and the Flamingoes. Rann means desert.<br /> <br /> Wikipedia: Little Rann of Kutch is a salt marsh located near the Great Rann of Kutch in Kutch district, Gujarat, India. It is famous as the world's last refuge of the Indian Wild Ass (Khur) for the conservation of which it has been declared as the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary. Though a bleak landscape it is rich in biodiversity and is an ecologically important area for wildlife and many local and migratory waterbirds like cranes, ducks, pelicans, flamingoes and land birds like sand grouse,frankolins and the Indian bustards. It is also home to various unique mammals apart from wild Ass such the Indian Wolf (Canis indica), Desert Fox (Vulpes vulpes pusilla) and Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus).
  • The delegate from Singapore described their travel in the Little Rann of Kutch as two hours of straight travel where nothing could be seen except the crack patterns of the soil below and the endless horizon above.
  • One of the members of our group, Mr. David Harper of the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, has keen interests on flamingoes. He later reported to the conference his observations of the trip as one of the panel speakers. Mr. Harper is the one with a hat in the pic.
  • Two more panel speakers in the conference belonged to our group: Mr. Duncan Pritchard of South Africa (second from right) and Ms. Dawn DelVecchio of USA (first from right).
  • Imagine the coldness of the morning that lorded over us in riding the open truck... Our second night was spent at Royal Safari Camp in Bajana, in the warm company of Mr. Uttej Rao.
  • After the second visit to the Little Rann of Kutch in the morning, our group went to Thol Lake.<br /> <br /> Wikipedia: Thol Wildlife Sanctuary is a shallow water reservoir situated 25 km (15 mi) northwest of Ahmedabad and most popular birding place near Ahmedabad after Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuarywhich is about 50 km (30 km) from Thol Wildlife Sanctuary. Geographically Thol Wildlife Sanctuary falls in Mehsana district of North Gujarat. Kadi, a taluka headquarters of the district, is just 22 km (14 mi) away from the Sanctuary. Thol Wildlife Sanctuary is a man-made irrigation tank built in 1912 with water storage capacity of 84,000,000 m³ (68,000 ac·ft) and command area of 1450 ha (5.6 mi²) and catchment area of 153 km² (59 mi²). The wetland is predominated by the open water habitat, which is surrounded by cropland, fallow land and scrub land.
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