itournepal
Sustainable Himalayan Tours & Treks
Working so closely with Himalayan ecology and culture, nobody can ignore birds. Nepal has 10% of the world bird species. The steep landscape ranging from tropical forests of the south to the Mt Everest at the top of the world, makes diverse environment for over 850 species of the birds to thrive.
While trekking in the Himalayas and taking the tourists groups to jungles of southern planes, I was frequently asked ‘What is that bird? ’. This is how birds caught my attention. More I noticed them, more it got interesting. It was amazing to know how they migrate, breed, defend, wave nests and struggle to survive with human interference.
About five years back, I bought my first binoculars and point and shoot camera to begin with.
On early March of 2018, I had to escort two bird photographers for two weeks bird photography in Nepal. Bird photography was different as they had heavy equipment with which they couldn’t walk for long time in the jungle. So we needed perfect car with high ground clearance and space enough for them to shoot photo from inside the car. Also the accommodation needed to be chosen closer to birding ground / jungle at each place, so they don’t have to move around a lot.
Our birding tour started from Godawari Botanical garden and Phulchowki hill in the south of Kathmandu. Phulchowki top with 2,782 m height makes it the highest mountain around Kathmandu valley. The forest and the Godawari botanical garden is rich in birdlife. We saw about 60 species of birds in our two days stay. White-browed fulvetta, verditer flycatcher, black eagle, great barbet, black bulbul, red-billed leothrix were the highlights of the birding tour.
After spending few days in Kathmandu, we drove down to Chitwan national park. The park spread in the area of 950 sq km was enlisted as UNESCO Heritage site for the national park is the last habitat of Royal Bengal Tigers and Asian single horned Rhinos. Chitwan National park is also habitat of over 550 species of birds. The jungle is composed of grassland, Sal forest, riverine forest and wetlands with agricultural lands in the outskirts.
We spent three nights in the western part of the national park. The western Chitwan is remote and more pristine with fewer tourists. The riverine forest with tall trees were popular nesting of hornbills. Three different types of hornbill nests in the park; Great hornbill, Oriental Pied Hornbill and Indian Grey hornbill. We got good photographs of all three hornbills. Beside hornbill, the great photography we got in the western Chitwan was of Colored Falconet, Brown Hawk owl, Brown Fish owl, three different types of Bee-eaters, Oriole, Indian Peafowl, Grey headed fish eagle and three different types of King fishers (Stork billed, white throated and common Kingfishers).
Then we drove to eastern Chitwan which has now a small tourist town, Sauraha with over hundred safari lodges in the outskirt of National park. However we have chosen the best bird friendly safari lodge next to jungle with its own woods. We spent morning and evening photographing birds that came in the woods of the lodge. Paid Hornbill, jungle owlet, Silversmith Barbet, Great barbet, purple sunbird, crimson sunbird were some birds we photographed in the woods of the lodge.
In the eastern Chitwan, we focused more on grassland and aquatic birds. We saw about 50 species of birds including Bar-headed goose, painted snipe, Indian roller bird, Paid Kingfisher, white shouldered Kite, Osprey, Coucal, 5 species of woodpeckers, Emerald Dove, Parakeets, Minivet, purple Heron, Darter, Cormorant etc.
Our next destination was Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, which is about 365 km east of Chitwan national park. The 175 sq km area of riverine forests and marshes, reed beds, mudflats created by floodplain of Koshi River makes the reserve paradise for bird watchers. Highlight of our bird photography was nesting of white-rumped vulture, ibis, Parakeet and Fulvous breasted woodpecker. Unique birds we saw in Koshi Tappu were, Swamp Frankolin, Great Myna, Rufus vented Prinia and Bngal Florican. Great myna is recently found in Nepal. Breeds and resides only in Koshi Tappu.
It was also interesting to see Wild Water Buffalo (Arna), Blue Bull and South Asian River Dolphin or Ganges Dolphin and herds of wild elephants preserved in the reserve.
From Koshi Tappu, Kathmandu is only 340 km connected by newly built B. P. Highway. We spent another night in Dhulikhel watching the eastern Himalayas and raptors flying.
While trekking in the Himalayas and taking the tourists groups to jungles of southern planes, I was frequently asked ‘What is that bird? ’. This is how birds caught my attention. More I noticed them, more it got interesting. It was amazing to know how they migrate, breed, defend, wave nests and struggle to survive with human interference.
About five years back, I bought my first binoculars and point and shoot camera to begin with.
On early March of 2018, I had to escort two bird photographers for two weeks bird photography in Nepal. Bird photography was different as they had heavy equipment with which they couldn’t walk for long time in the jungle. So we needed perfect car with high ground clearance and space enough for them to shoot photo from inside the car. Also the accommodation needed to be chosen closer to birding ground / jungle at each place, so they don’t have to move around a lot.
Our birding tour started from Godawari Botanical garden and Phulchowki hill in the south of Kathmandu. Phulchowki top with 2,782 m height makes it the highest mountain around Kathmandu valley. The forest and the Godawari botanical garden is rich in birdlife. We saw about 60 species of birds in our two days stay. White-browed fulvetta, verditer flycatcher, black eagle, great barbet, black bulbul, red-billed leothrix were the highlights of the birding tour.
After spending few days in Kathmandu, we drove down to Chitwan national park. The park spread in the area of 950 sq km was enlisted as UNESCO Heritage site for the national park is the last habitat of Royal Bengal Tigers and Asian single horned Rhinos. Chitwan National park is also habitat of over 550 species of birds. The jungle is composed of grassland, Sal forest, riverine forest and wetlands with agricultural lands in the outskirts.
We spent three nights in the western part of the national park. The western Chitwan is remote and more pristine with fewer tourists. The riverine forest with tall trees were popular nesting of hornbills. Three different types of hornbill nests in the park; Great hornbill, Oriental Pied Hornbill and Indian Grey hornbill. We got good photographs of all three hornbills. Beside hornbill, the great photography we got in the western Chitwan was of Colored Falconet, Brown Hawk owl, Brown Fish owl, three different types of Bee-eaters, Oriole, Indian Peafowl, Grey headed fish eagle and three different types of King fishers (Stork billed, white throated and common Kingfishers).
Then we drove to eastern Chitwan which has now a small tourist town, Sauraha with over hundred safari lodges in the outskirt of National park. However we have chosen the best bird friendly safari lodge next to jungle with its own woods. We spent morning and evening photographing birds that came in the woods of the lodge. Paid Hornbill, jungle owlet, Silversmith Barbet, Great barbet, purple sunbird, crimson sunbird were some birds we photographed in the woods of the lodge.
In the eastern Chitwan, we focused more on grassland and aquatic birds. We saw about 50 species of birds including Bar-headed goose, painted snipe, Indian roller bird, Paid Kingfisher, white shouldered Kite, Osprey, Coucal, 5 species of woodpeckers, Emerald Dove, Parakeets, Minivet, purple Heron, Darter, Cormorant etc.
Our next destination was Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, which is about 365 km east of Chitwan national park. The 175 sq km area of riverine forests and marshes, reed beds, mudflats created by floodplain of Koshi River makes the reserve paradise for bird watchers. Highlight of our bird photography was nesting of white-rumped vulture, ibis, Parakeet and Fulvous breasted woodpecker. Unique birds we saw in Koshi Tappu were, Swamp Frankolin, Great Myna, Rufus vented Prinia and Bngal Florican. Great myna is recently found in Nepal. Breeds and resides only in Koshi Tappu.
It was also interesting to see Wild Water Buffalo (Arna), Blue Bull and South Asian River Dolphin or Ganges Dolphin and herds of wild elephants preserved in the reserve.
From Koshi Tappu, Kathmandu is only 340 km connected by newly built B. P. Highway. We spent another night in Dhulikhel watching the eastern Himalayas and raptors flying.
