Thursday, January 17, 2013

Bird Education Expanding to Pokhara!




Great week!   I have seen many old friends and met some very interesting people from around the globe  doing some inspiring work here.  There are many things that have not changed since last visit, but some that have: such as coffee on the kora, Uggs on monks, and profound quiet compared to the seething visitor count of autumn.

The "Loadshedding" schedule is still confusing as the posted times that the power will be ON are not always accurate.  I am finding it most difficult to charge my laptop and have enough power to do anything!  So I am racing to get this posted before the internet and power run out!  Exciting!

Remember to scroll down for the first installment of "Guess this Bird"!

The following is a letter from Bird Conservation Nepal, to give an idea about what I will be doing next week.  Branching out from Kathmandu Valley!  I am really looking forward to seeing this project close up as it is in conjunction with the "Vulture Restaurant".  More on that later.  



Dear Karen
Karen & Menuka Basnyat

I would like to request you to facilitate in an awareness program going to be organised in Ghachowk for school students and teachers. As a part of project entitled "Community Based Nature Conservation: A Source of Sustainable Livelihood" funded by Canadian Fund for Local Initiative (CLFI), we are going to organize a conservation awareness program at project site. There are altogether 6 schools in the area. Since the area lies  within Annapurna Conservation Area, one of the largest IBAs of Nepal, we aim to provide knowledge of nature conservation to the students and teachers of the area.

We thus request you to help them in generating conservation awareness through games and other interesting activities which they can apply in their study as well as in their daily life. At the same visit I would also request you to take part in interaction meeting with students of Institute of Forestry. They are group of students interested in birds and conducting various awareness activities in the Pokhara Valley.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Cheers
Indian Pond Heron!
Menuka Basnyat
Membership and Education Officer
Bird Conservation Nepal
POBox: 12465
Lazimpat, Kathmandu, Nepal


Dear Menuka,

Of course I will accompany you to Pokhara to contribute to this conservation program.  I am honored to be part of this comprehensive and thoughtful work you are doing.

I will call you tomorrow to work out the details.

Thank you for the invitation.

My best,

Karen


Long-tailed Shrike!
Here is the bird of today.  Saw this one from out my window and was surprised not because he is a rare  bird, but because I have never seen one of his kind in this walled "city" before.  He was watching the monks here at Tharlam Gompa playing video games early in the morning!

Guess who he is!!  Can you get him to the sub-species?




1 comment:

  1. Hmmm.... I'm thinking IPH on the heron? And that little black capped orange guy...? You brought all the bird books with YOU, so I can't be sure. Some type of lil' shrikey guy? How 'bout a Black N Orange Flycatcher?

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