For
a country that boasts of 847-recorded species of birds, precious little
has been done in the way of promoting Bird watching. Most government
officials probably have not even heard of this past time. With the
exception of agencies that actually conduct bird-watching tours, tours
they organize.An agency does not necessarily handle all the different
tours it advertises. Those are
passed on the specialized agencies. So
why not bird watching.
Ardent bird watchers travel the length and breathe of Nepal doing
nothing but bird watching. From down to dusk, these fanatical tourists
do nothing but peer through binoculars and telescopes. Even meals and
interrupted if a special bird makes a sudden appearance outside.
Half-eaten dishes have to wait as they excitedly rush out to gaze at
the intruder. These tourists will go anywhere; do anything to catch a
glimpse of rare species of birds.
There are bird watching societies all over the world including Nepal.
It is up to the tour operators to tap them. Once more and more bird
watchers arrive in Nepal they will go, back spread the word around. We
never bother about the varied interests of westerners, which we fail to
understand. Gazing at birds and spending money in the process may not
make sense to us but for some people it is a passion. Bird watchers go
around the world identifying birds and keeping records of species
sighted.
At the end of the day, an assessment is made of the number of new
sightings. The sight of a rare bird generates great excitement among
these fanatics. Nepal needs to add
new attractions to lure more
tourists into the country. The  worldwide web has made
it relatively
easy to reach all corners of the globe. We need to highlight all
aspects of tourism including bird watching. Talk foreigners are not
even aware of the fact that a large part of Nepal is flat Terai covered
with thick jungles. That Nepal has safari camps where one can come
across tigers and rhinos comes as a surprise to many tourists. Many
associate this country only with mountains. Our tourism posters mostly
feature mountains. Nepalese Tourism authorities are obsessed with
mountains. We are yet to see a poster on Birds of Nepal like the one
brought but by Bangla Biman on birds of Bangladesh. We can do a lot by
just imitation other countries thus saying ourselves endless hours of
brainstorming. Nepal can become a popular destination for birds'
watchers but we need to take promotion seriously. Birding is possible
anywhere in Nepal from the hot plains in the south to the mountainous
regions in the north.
The
Kathmandu Valley:
Kathmandu has four major bird watching areas, and one can start on the
banks of the Bagmati and Manohara rivers. Birds sighted along there
rivers are the Egrets,
herons, Kingfishers, Ibis bill, Wood Sandpipers
and Plovers. The Chovar Gorge is particularly recommended as an area
for birds as its isolation from human habitation has encouraged their
presence.
Phulchowki:
Phulchowki is another ideal site, with a Redheaded Trogan, a very rate
bird sighted there in April 2002 (it was last seen n Nepal 44 years
ago). Phulchowki is 2760 meters and 18kms southeast of Kathmandu and is
reached via Godawari and the Botanical Gardens. Walking can start from
behind the gardens, with a combination of trails and roads. The
hillside is covered with forest featuring outstanding flora as well as
diverse birds. About 90 species have been recorded in this area
including the endemic spring babbler, as well as the Curia, Mountain
Hawk Eagle, Rufous Bellied Pied Woodpeckers and the Black-throated
Parrot bill, to name a few.
Shivapuri
Watershed And Wildlife Reserve, &
Nagarjun:
Two other areas of the valley are the Shivapuri Watershed Reserve,
12kms north of the city, and Nagarjun in the north west. Shivapuri can
be reached two ways either from Sundarijal or from Budhanilkantha. The
reserve is managed by Nepalese Army
and it costs Rs 250 for foreigners
to enter. (Rs1000/- is charged for a movie or video camera). Some of
the birds in the area are the Laughing Thrush,  Crested
Serpent Eagle,
little Pied Fly Catchers, Rupy-throats, and Babblers. At Nagarjun at
2105 meters pheasants, magpies, sunbirds, and ruby throats are
found.
Pokhara:
in
Pokhara, the two well known lakes Phewa Tal and Begnas Tal and the
surrounding areas are highly recommended. Of particular interest are
the areas with minimum disturbances, away from human inhabitation the
forests around the south shore of Phewa lake. Look out in the fields
and pools especially in the winter for Egrets, Herons, Pipits, and
Buntings etc. other birds are occurring are Gulls, Terns, Ducks, and
Falcons etc.
Begnas Tal is 15Km away from Pokhara and it easily reached by taxi or
bicycle. Accommodations are available here too. Terraced hills and
light forests surround the lake. One should spend time on the slopes
and wet fields. Birds sighted here are Ducks, pheasant-tailed jacana;
Hoppie Grey bellied Tesias, common pintail snipe, bulbuls etc. Pokhara
lakeside is basically a tourist town, which caters to all the needs f
visitors. From cheap lodges to very expensive star hotels are available
in and around Pokhara. Lakeside is full of restaurants of all kinds.
Pokhara can be reached by air or by road. Bird watching is best in
October and April.
Koshi
Barage And Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve:
are in the eastern Terai to the Far East of Nepal. The Koshi is great
for waterfowl and waders, with about 26 varieties of ducks
alone. Here
the method of viewing is by boat, gliding through the waters in the
stillness of the early morning and evenings. Over 450 species
have been
sighted hare, including Black Ibis, Honey Kites, Ospreys, Black Headed
Orioles, Peregrine Falcon, Partridges, and Storks.
Chitwan
National Park:
Chitwan is in the lowlands of Nepal, known as the Terai. The Royal
Chitwan National park is the best-known site in Nepal for bird
watching. Bird watching need to be done from the safely of a chair, the
back of an elephant or in a jeep (by far the last choice). And if you
wish to walk, accompanied by a guide or a naturalist, or preferably an
ornithologist. The area consists of Sal Forest, Riverine forest, and
grasslands, with three rivers forming the boundaries of the park. Some
500 species have been recorded in Chitwan and some of them are Blue
Indian Roller, Stork-billed Kingfishers, Bengal Florican, Asian
Paradise Flycatcher, Bee-eaters, and Cormorants.
Trekking
Regions
One of the best ways of viewing birds in Nepal is a leisurely trek
through the foothills of the
Kingdom. There are three main
trekking
areas in Nepal: the Langtang region six hours by road North of
Kathmandu, the Solu Khumbu region eight hours by road East of Kathmandu
and the Annapurna region, six hours by road or a 30 minute flight West
of Kathmandu. Of the three trekking regions, the Annapurna region
offers the widest variety of species. The region is also easily
accessible.
The
Annapurna Conservation Area
To set the scene a little, the Annapurna region is a Conservation Area
is the largest and most protected region in the World (ACA), covering
around 2600sq km towards the North-central region of Nepal. The Kali
Gandaki river runs North to South through this region, through the
world's deepest gorge, some 6000m below the high Annapurna and
Dhaulagiri massifs, seven of these peaks are over 7000m, the highest
(Annapurna I) at 8091m.
A few facts and figures above, but as you can imagine, the ACA supports
a remarkable but delicate biodiversity, with 441 recorded species of
birds (so far), including the only endemic species of Nepal, the spiny
babbler (Turdoides Nepalensis). The bird habitat ranges from the
sub-tropical lowlands towards Pokhara in the south of ACA to dry
sub-alpine conditions above the tree-line towards the North.
The Kali Gandaki valley is also a major migration pathway in the
autumn, when 40 species, including demoiselle cranes (Anthropoides
Virgo), can be seen around Jomsom and Tukche. Happily this coincides
with one of the two trekking seasons (Spring and Autumn).
Migrating West about this time further South around Kaare and Dhampus
are about 20 identified species of eagle and other birds of prey. The
most commonly observed are:lammergeier gypaetus barbatus (Bearded
Vulture), known as the giddha in Nepal, it frequently occurs at
4100m.and the golden eagle Aquila Cryaetos, known as baaj in
Nepal.
There are six Himalayan pheasants to be found in ACA: Himalayan The
Monal Lophophorus impejanus satyra Tragopan Tragopan satyra (Crimson
Horned Pheasant) Blood Pheasant Ithaginis cruentus Koklass Pheasant
Pucrasia macrolopha Cheer Pheasant Catreus wallichiiKalij Pheasant
Lophura leucomelana, are the most commonly occurring of Nepali
pheasants.
Further information email us at editor@viewnepal.net
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