Bird Walk to Sankhu

Looking for a Dipper

Today some of the Kailash Birdwatching Club met in a village called Sankhu for a bird walk led by Vimal Thapa from Bird Conservation Nepal.  This was one of their regularly scheduled Saturday bird walks to different points around Kathmandu Valley with about 12 attendees and 13 of my students from the hostel.  The older students are still in the middle of school exams so they won't be free to bird until next weekend.

The day began with a cup o' chai of course, while we waited for everyone to arrive.  Then we had a beautiful walk around the cultivated and lightly forested edges of the village.  For about half of the students, this was their first time bird watching and they were so excited.  I was impressed with their eagerness in recording every bird they saw and their keen eyes and spotting skills.




The other birders were so happy to have the next generation of bird lovers along and all were so generous with sharing knowledge and helping the students see the birds.  Vimal was a great leader and teacher for them and the day was relaxing and most importantly...FUN!

Kapok Tree in bloom!

One highlight was looking up into the mossy branches of a Kapok tree that was in bloom!








There were many Black Bulbuls, a Black Kite, a Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker and a Spangled Drongo savoring the nectar based food chain up there in the enormous tree.

Teachable moment

As always, birding was the main focus, but not the only activity.  There is so much to learn from life in Nepal; and we love finding willing teachers!

We explored different several different habitats and walked in rice paddies,  puddles left by the thunderstorm last night and lovely creeks with waterfalls.






All together, our list included 41 species today!  Most of the students saw "firsts" today!  Small Niltava and Slaty-backed Forktail were popular highlights for the whole group!  I always LOVE seeing Scarlet Minivets!  My highlight was...GUESS!




"Guess this Bird" ...

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?

First Day...

Blessed are we who get to have wishes come true time and again.  It is because of the generosity of many big hearts that I get to be here in Nepal again to continue to learn with Nepali students about the birds they share this diverse slice of Earth with.

I want to thank some of the people who have made it possible to be here.  Firstly, the plane ticket, living expenses, bird books and binoculars that I have brought to contribute to the students' weekly bird walk.  All this adds up so quickly and was made possible through contributions from Norm and Janet Pease who love the Himalaya and inspire our adventures with their spirit as well as funds, from Will and Julie Person and Susan Feagin, whose belief in adventuring fuels me.  Big thanks to Drew and Molly Robarts and Eagle Optics Binoculars for optical closeness to the birds!  Deep gratitude for the support of Paul Amstutz who trusts and believes in me and this project and is willing to take on the whole load at home and my daughters who are supporting each other well without me there.  My brother Kurt for technical support of the most generous kind.  My parents for help getting to the airport in SF and dear friend Shankar Pathak for the airport pick up on this end.  Thanks to all the friends all around this beautiful Earth...

Now, for some updating from Nepal...

January 12, 2013

This day began with the question, perhaps every day should ask, "What am I doing here?"  "Is this the best use of my life?"  I mean, really.  The other side of the planet?!  I promised myself that I would get outside my own comfort zone to make my fossil fueled expenditure count for something worthwhile.  I have my work cut out for me here.

Deep breathing and a welcome by a glowing, turquoise, White-throated Kingfisher on a wire helped create a calm arrival for my doubtful heart.  I worried that there may not be any students who could go birding today because of exams and school holidays.  When the big metal gate opened, there was a group of students waiting for me!  Most of them did indeed have exams and had to stay and study, but there was a group going to Nagarkot high in the surrounding hills and they had been waiting for me to come with them.  Of course I jumped right in, along with the other 24 people, to the brand new van (would be a 10 passenger where I come from) and we set off talking and laughing and singing globally beloved pop tunes.

The long drive was so worth it as we climbed above the smog into the bright colors of the high hills under a bright blue sky with the backdrop of the snow-capped peaks!  We spent the day looking for birds in the trees and shrubs around the villages and walking up to the tower.  Running out of gas just gave us more time up there.  This "borrowed" time was when we saw some really special birds.  Rufous-breasted Accentor, Black-throated Tit, Himalayan Bulbul, Nepal House Martin and Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush among others.  This was the first time using binoculars and bird watching for most of this group.  Some of them were really turned on.  One of the bright-eyed boys told me, "This has changed me!  My life is different starting today because I have really seen birds!"  A bit later another new birder asked me, "What is the best way to help save birds?"  I answered with an elongated, "Education."