Chai at 6.15 and we were ready for our 6.30 start to the Lala bustard sanctuary with a focus on seeing Great Indian Bustard. Our first stop was at a high concrete tower where we scanned across the grasslands but only saw a harrier, some wild boar and hundreds of larks. We moved on, stopping for Red-fronted Prinia, Grey-necked Bunting and Grey Francolin before turning off onto a sandy track. We spent some time searching , asking a ranger in a very smart uniform for info and and stopping for a packed breakfast of bread, cheese, banana crisps and chai but no luck. We did see 2 very smart Yellow-wattled Lapwing and thousand more short-toed larks, a Steppe Grey Shrike and Montague's Harrier among other things.
We drove on to another part of the reserve, several miles away and were beginning to slowly search this area when a man came across the grasslands on his bike. It seems he had seen 2 bustards a little way away. We jumped back into the car and followed him but by now the bustards were out of sight. We stood around while the man and his mate searched but again no luck. We did have lots of birds and a few butterflies to look at so we were happy.
After this we returned to the lodge for lunch.
The afternoon safari was to a different area and we were soon watching Marshall's Iora, White-bellied Minivet, Yellow-eyed Babbler and Common Bushrike through the acacia and cacti scrub before we headed further for White-napped tit which we eventually saw. An unexpected sight was a nightjar sitting in the middle of the road.
We arrived back for a cup,of chai, a shower and dinner.
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