Rann of Kutch: Desert of Life 2

Greater Rann of Kutch

A journey of around 6 hours from Rann Riders brought us to Nakhatrana where our stay was arranged in Centre for Desert and Ocean.  Our days here were to be spent exploring the Banni grasslands.

The Banni grasslands of Greater Rann of Kutch are very different from the dried up landscape of Little Rann of Kutch.  Due to volcanic activity in the distant past, a few rocky hills litter the land.  There is even a rock, by the name of bird rock, where one can find red-tailed wheat ears.  Most of the grassland is covered by pock marks caused by thousands of cranes digging the ground for dried tubers.

Rann of Kutch: Desert of Life 1

Little Rann of Kutch

Kutch Landscapes

On first impression, the Rann of Kutch is a vast, arid landscape, apparently devoid of all life.  As far as the eye can see, the sun baked landscape stretches out without a mountain or a hill to break the monotony.  Only the mirages playing on the horizon give a false impression of the presence of life saving water.  But, spend some time here, and that mirage may well turn out to be thousands of flamingos feeding in a still surviving lake.

How One became Many

A Photo Essay

This is the story of a single common mormon pupa that metamorphosed into many wasps – a tale of parasites and opportunists.
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The One

Common mormon pupa hanging from coriander leaf

Dodging and Burning - An Overview

A while back, I had been to Ranganthittu to photograph the river terns.  For those who don't know where Ranganthittu is, it is a bird sanctuary comprising of a cluster of islands in Cauvery river, near Mysore.  A lot of birds - openbills, painted storks, pelicans, river terns ... - come here to breed.  The river terns, in particular, nest on a small rock in the middle of the river.

The lighting conditions in Ranganthittu are not exactly optimum.  One can never get all the elements in the image properly exposed.  When the bird is exposed properly, the rocks, covered with guano, become hopelessly over exposed.  When the exposure is based on the rocks, the bird becomes underexposed.  To add to the complication, the river tern is a predominantly black and white (silvery grey to be exact) bird, making the exposure even more difficult.