Goabirder

Pariej – Sarus Kingdom

Although I have tried to showcase the wonderful avifauna of Pariej in my last post, I have kept the best for the last. The star of this rich land must surely be the Sarus Crane!!

This is our second trip to Gujarat and I had planned Pariej with the express purpose of sighting this elegant crane which had eluded us the last time. Words failed me when I first caught sight of it. It was a pair in the fields quietly and gracefully going about their business. Watchful, one would look up, turn around in all directions scanning for any danger and then go back to their feeding. Their deliberate movements lent an impossible grace for so tall and lanky a bird.

We came upon three pairs, one with a juvenile within a couple of kilometres of the wetland. And all this from the main road. I’m sure if we had ventured into the lanes we would have seen many many more. It certainly is SARUS KINGDOM!! After quietly watching these beautiful birds to our heart’s content, we finally moved on....

Sarus crane with a flegling

A happy family...