A BIRDING PARADISE THAT IS BHUTAN A well-established birder explains why Bhutan can be an exclusive destination for birders BY DAVID BILLING Birding or bird watching has great potential to become a popular tourism activity in Bhutan. Unlike other Himalayan countries, Bhutan still retains much of its forest cover. Forests and scrubland support 85% of the country’s breeding birds. More than 620 species of bird have been recorded so far and there are likely to be new species to be found in the remoter river catchment areas in the future. This number is considered large relative compared to the size of the country – for example there are less than 800 species found in the whole of North America. Bhutan has a range of habitats for birds ranging from Subtropical forest (including the globally threatened Rufous-necked Hornbill), Warm Broadleaved forest (includes White-naped Yuhina), Cool Broadleaved forest (includes globally threatened Chestnut-breasted Partridge and Blyth’s Tragopan), Chir pine (poor in bird species but includes Hill Prinia), Blue pine (also bird poor, but includes Rufous-fronted Tit and Yellow billed blue Magpie), Spruce (low bird diversity but includes Buff barred Warbler and Grey-crested Tit), Hemlock (including the Red Crossbill), Fir (rich in bird species, including Hoary-throated Barwing, and Satyr Tragopan), Bamboo (important for lesser and greater rufous-headed parrotbills), Juniper/Rhododendron (including White-winged Grosbeak and Fire-tailed Sunbird), and Alpine grasslands (including Tibetan Snowcock, Alpine Accentor, and Grandala). Each habitat has its own unique collection of bird species. In February 2014, at Cheri Monastery in the Thimphu Valley, on a cold overcast morning with hailstones and snow hitting my hat and jacket and freezing my hands, the effects of a cold air mass that swept down from Tibet coated the tops of the valley slopes with frost, ice and snow. Many birds moved down to the valley bottoms where temperatures were warmer, hoping to avoid the freezing temperatures. Two juvenile Lammergeyers (Bearded Vultures) were perched on a rocky crag above the Wang Chu River, unable to fly in search of food and waiting for the sun to warm up a south-facing slope. Even though the birds were almost 500 metres away, I was able to take a photograph using my Canon with a 100-400mm zoom lens. The previous week, which was warmer with cloudy and blue skies, along the nearby Wang Chu River, upstream of the Jigme Dorji National Park signpost, within the space of two hours, I was able to see Spotted Nutcracker, White-capped Water Redstart, Blue-fronted Redstart, Black-faced Laughing Thrush, Brown Dipper, Blue Whistling Thrush, Eurasian Jay, Rufous Sibia, White-browed Shrike Babbler, Chestnut-crowned Laughing Thrush, Rufous-bellied Niltava, Orange-flanked Bush Robin, Russet Sparrows (more than 200 in number), White-naped Yuhina, Blue-throated Flycatcher, and a Golden Eagle high on the thermals above the valley. There are bird species that can be found all over Bhutan and in adjacent countries too. However, it seems that the Thimphu Valley is a good starting point to guarantee seeing a wide range of bird species. Cheri Monastery and the Upper Mothitang Valley are good starting places. Bhutan has an excellent set of trekking routes that combine a variety of bird habitats. The most popular seasons for birding in Bhutan are spring and autumn when there is also the chance of seeing passage migrants crossing from Tibetan plateau to the hot Indian plains. In addition, climate change is affecting the local altitudinal migration patterns of birds and some species that are normally only found at lower altitudes are now also found at higher cooler altitudes even in winter, e.g. the White naped Yuhina. Trekking routes can be graded from easy to strenuous and have a duration of 3-14 days. When adapting the routes to bird watching, there is a need to recalculate the number of days needs for each trip. Tour operators will be able to design trips to fit the needs of birding groups. Tour companies are now operating from the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, the USA, Canada, and Australia. Tourists are also now coming from China, Singapore, Korea, Thailand and India where bird watching is also becoming a more popular leisure activity. Most trekking routes pass through protected areas such as Toorsa Strict Nature Reserve, Jigme Dorji National Park, Royal Manas Natural Park, and the Phobjika Valley where the Black-necked Cranes are in residence during the winter months (up to early April). An important field guide is Birds of Bhutan by Carol Inskipp, Tim Inskipp and Richard Grimmett. This can be bought at most good bookshops in Thimphu. Other books that are useful to Bhutan are Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Richard Grimmett, Carol Inskipp and Tim Inskipp, now in its second edition, and A Guide to the Birds of Nepal by Carol and Tim Inskipp. An older and important book for defining habits of birds in the Himalayas is Birds of Nepal with reference to Kashmir and Sikkim by Robert Fleming Senior and Junior and Lain Bangdel, although this is now out of print and rare. The World Birds Portal website organised by Birdlife International, the Audubon Society (USA) and the Royal Society for Protection of Birds (UK) is a good source of information on bird species recently recorded and their locations in Bhutan and surrounding countries. According to the Fat birder website 14 species recorded in Bhutan have been identified as globally threatened by Bird Life International. These include White-bellied Heron, Pallas’s Fish Eagle, Chestnut-breasted Partridge, Blyth’s Tragopan, Wood Snipe, Dark-rumped Swift, Rufous-necked Hornbill, Grey-crowned Prinia and Beautiful Nuthatch, all of which probably breed in Bhutan. The country is an important wintering ground for another internationally threatened species – the Black-necked Crane. Greater-spotted Eagle is a rare passage migrant, Baer’s Pochard, Imperial Eagle and Hodgson’s Bushchat are regular vagrants. Bhutan can be highly recommended as a destination for bird watching which, when combined with its spectacular scenery and friendly people, is an ultimate eco-tourism destination. Always remember that when you see seven black crows in the air, it is a sign of good luck according to Buddhist customs. So keep watching out for birds in Bhutan. You might be lucky too. DAVID BILLING IS AN EXPERT IN NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND HAS VISITED BHUTAN ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. DAVID HAS TAKEN PHOTOGRAPHS TO BE INCLUDED WITH THIS ARTICLE.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 04:55:00 +0000
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