Craning glory: Demoiselle cranes find sanctuary in Rajasthan village
Kheechan village on the edge of the Thar desert lies on the migration route of demoiselle cranes travelling from their breeding grounds in Eurasia to bask in India's milder winter. In late September, the first flocks take to the skies from the plateaus, steppes and wetlands of Mongolia and the Caucasus region. They cover the 5,000-kilometre journey in about two weeks, flying across many international frontiers and soaring over the Himalaya. By November thousands of birds land and for five months Kheechan becomes a