The birdwatchers and nature lovers rejoiced at the news of the Sarus crane sighting in the Kutch wetland after a gap of close to three decades. Mukim Mutva, a local tourist guide with an interest in bird watching managed to spot and click a solitary Sarus crane.
Chhari Dhand is Gujarat’s only conservation reserve that attracts wetland birds in winter. It is situated near Nakhatrana in Kutch. Yuvraj Singh Zala, deputy conservator of forests of Kutch (west) territorial forest division said a sarus crane was last seen in Chhari Dhand in 1995. “It is an exciting development” he added.
Mutva, a 24-year-old native of Fulay village in Bhuj taluka, saw the sarus while visiting Chhari Dhand, scanning the wetland through a binocular from the roof of the forest department guest house. Mutva took photos of the bird also. The sarus spotted is a tall bird with a red head.
Mutva thinks it is thanks to very heavy rain in Kutch this year.Tthere is lots of water in Chhari Dhand. Also, not many tourists are visiting the wetland these days.
Sarus cranes are found in central and north Gujarat regions as well as in Saurashtra.
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