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....
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| Sarus crane with a flegling |
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| A happy family... |
