Family That Eats Together Stays Together

A family that eats together stays together, goes an old saying. Migratory Demoiselle Cranes seem to practice it in toto. We observed it first hand when we saw thousands of Demoiselle Cranes feeding ('eating' for birds) together at a village in Rajasthan. And of course the cranes stayed together.

You may ask how can thousands of cranes be eating together? They come in waves of fifty or so. Probably their 'dining hall' - an open ground fenced by the villagers- accommodates 1000 cranes at a time. They take turns in eating and then fly out making space for the next wave to come in. 

We have tried to capture the grand spectacle in our pictures and videos. But before that, what is the schedule followed by the migratory cranes every day?

Daily Routine of Demoiselle Cranes

What do the birds do all day? The cranes have a set routine which we could witness and photograph. Their day is divided into four parts as follows, quite similar to the Fauzis (military personnel and veterans) like Ghumakkad:

1. Morning Roll Call and Exercise: With dawn, fly out 30 kms in waves to assemble in an open field. Limber down, greet each other and make lot of noise! Browse our earlier story about the Cranes' 'Morning Roll Call' which includes a video.
2. Breakfast: Take off from the assembly ground to 'Chugga Ghar' in waves. Feed on jawar grains collectively. Making the squeaky noise all the way. The cranes feed only once a day.
3. Afternoon Siesta: From Chugga Ghar the birds fly out over the Havelis in Khichan village to congregate at one of the two talaabs - village ponds. The cranes spend 4 to 5 hours at the water body till herd of sheep disturbs them.
4. Roosting for the night: As the shadows lengthen, the cranes fly 30 kms to Malar salt pans. They spend the night there. I did not visit their roosting area for fear of disturbing the cranes. 

Demoiselle Cranes

Smallest of the cranes weighing between 2–3 kg, it has a long white neck stripe and the black on the foreneck extends down over the chest in a plume. They roost and migrate in large flocks. The birds also need water and visit a water body every day. Readers may browse eBirds for more details.

Let the pictures do rest of the talking.

Take a look at the short video below which captures the arrival of the cranes at chugga ghar, the village feeding ground.

Where do the birds find their food? The cranes forage in open grasslands and fields. They feed on seeds, grasses, other plant materials, insects, worms, lizards, and other small insects. When the cranes were first sighted in 1970s in Khichan, the villagers fed them jawar जवार grains which was being fed to other birds and squirrels. There was no looking back thereafter. The cranes now feed on jawar grains in an earmarked place in the village.

The video below shows the village ground for thousands of cranes to feed together at Khichan.

Here is a short video showing the up and down movement of the slender necks of the cranes while feeding in flocks.

How are 30,000 birds fed every day?

An estimated 3000 kgs of bird feed is required every day. The villagers arrange the feed through donations. Even tourists who visit the village every season, make a voluntary contribution. The village has earmarked part of the community land as 'chugga ghar' चुग्गा घर  meaning the feeding home. The area has been fenced to prevent stray dogs and other predators from attacking the birds. You may browse Wikipedia for further details. See the pictures.

Listen to the squeaky call by the cranes while feeding in this short video.

The video below shows the cranes silhouetted  against the morning sun. Enjoy the spectacle.

A village dog passing by the adjoining lane, posed a threat to the cranes. Scared, they all took off. See the video below.

How do we know the exact number of birds that migrate to/from Khichan every year? The answer is Sewa Ram's diary. See the picture below.

Spending two days in Khichan observing the cranes was a lifetime experience. Special thanks are due to my college buddy Vijay Gulechha and his son Vaibhav (see the picture below) who not only hosted me in their Haveli but also accompanied me throughout the two days. Vijay could not join us due to Corona virus cases in Kerala where he was stuck.

It was time to bid good bye to Chugga Ghar and follow the cranes to their next stop i.e. the village ponds - the talaab.

The cranes having had a hearty meal then took off for the village ponds flying over the famous sandstone carved havelis of Khichan. Readers may browse our picture story Havelis of Khichan.

For readers not familiar with Rajasthan and Khichan, here is a brief fact file.

What is Khichan?

Thar desert in Rajasthan India.

A nondescript village with centuries old history.

Birth place of Jain Tirthankars.

Sand stone havelis, intricately carved.

A small fortress, part of which still stands today.

1000-odd families in the village.

But 30,000 migratory birds!

Where is Khichan?

It is 380 kms west of Jaipur. It takes 8 hours by road or train from Jaipur. See the maps below.

Cranes Elsewhere in India

Apart from Khichan, the Demoiselle Cranes visit many other sites in India during their winter sojourn. Ghumakkad first saw these cranes in a creek near Porbandar while driving through the Saurashtra Coast. Am sharing few pictures of the cranes in Saurashtra taken in 2013. 

Postscript: 9th Sept 23. Our readers have been quick to add the following additional locations where the Demoiselle Cranes can be sighted in India:

• Around the backwaters of Karanja reservoir near Bidar in Karnataka. Thanks Chitra Shanker of Hyderabad.
• Near Pokharan in western Rajasthan. Thanks are due to Col Jaishankar of Bangalore and Rashmi Bhargava of Sikar.

Live and Let Live

Khichan story is a perfect example of living in harmony with Nature. The villagers have 'adopted' the migratory cranes and vice-versa. The village panchayat पंचायत  (village governing council) has built two water bodies for the birds. The influx of tourists has helped the village economy. But we hope the ecological balance is maintained and tourists don't bring with them plastic and other toxic waste. You may read a story in Conservation India how the cranes were saved from dying through electrocution in Khichan.

We end with a PQ- picturesque quote on birds.

Hope you agree with the saying 'family that eats together, stays together'. Our next story will show you thousands of cranes having an afternoon siesta!

Thanks for browsing. Do give your feedback on the story. Even a few words would encourage us.

    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ Secunderabad/ 9th Sep 2023

#DemoiselleCranes #Khichan #Rajasthan #MigratoryBirds #Phalodi #Environment #Adoptionbythevillagers #Nature #Preservation #liveandletlive #GhumakkadHarsh #GhumakkadHB #saurashtra #porbandar #conservationindia #rajasthantourism #chuggaghar #jawar #eatingtogether #stayingtogether