Gir - Jamnagar

We left Gir Birding Lodge at 7.45am and eventually arrived in downtown Jamnagar at 1.30pm. Along the way we made a few stops to check out some interesting sites and saw Grey-headed Wagtail (thunbergi), Little Ringed Plover, Red-naped Ibis, flocks of Common Cranes flying over and all the usual roadside birds.

So after a short rest at the hotel we drove just under thirty minutes away to check out the salt pans and marshy areas at the edge of the town. Our first stop was at some large, partially flooded lagoons where Lesser Flamingo’s, Ruddy Shelduck, Lesser Sandplover and lots of common shorebirds and ducks were present. 

Lesser Flamingo

New trip birds included Eurasian Curlew, Gull-billed Tern, Steppe and both Heuglin’s Gulls. We then drove further along and picked up a distant Crab Plover, much to Christine’s delight. A roadside ditch held lots of birds such as numerous Ruff, Wood Sandpiper, Little and Temminck’s Stints, Marsh Sandpipers, Black-tailed Godwit, and both Common and Pintail Snipe, plus a couple of Siberian Chiffchaffs. 

Marsh Sandpiper

Siberian Chiffchaff

Whilst on the other side of the road a closer Heuglin’s Gull was present, along with Pied Avocet and Western Reef Heron. There was a large flock of Black-headed and Brown-headed Gulls, Whiskered, Common and Caspian Terns, whilst it was a very impressive sight to see 100’s of Slender-billed Gulls. A distant Red-necked Phalarope was scoped, a pair of Dalmatian Pelicans were seen and some Pacific Golden Plovers flew over at the end of a long day.

Dalmatian Pelicans