Travel Nepa

Bird watching in the Kathmandu valley
Nepal is a bird watcher’s paradise with more than 848 species (almost 8% of the world total) of birds. And among them, almost 600 are found in Kathmandu valley alone. The surrounding hills offer a varied ecology ranging from primary and secondary forests to rhododendron, oak and pine forests. In addition, the wetlands and open fields inside the valley make up a diverse habitat for many species of birds.
The most popular bird watching spot is the Phulchoki hill, which is situated 20km south east of Kathmandu ,with some 265 species recorded till date .The birds seen here include babblers ,warblers,tits,thrushes ,minivets,woodpeckers,eagles and many migrant birds.Godavari,at the foot of Phulchoki hill where the Royal Botanical Garden is situated ,records over 100 species of birds including the lesser Racket-tailed drongo ,Tibetan siskin and the spotted forktail.
The Shivapuri National Park,situated 11km to the north of Kathmandu ,is another exciting location .Nagarjun Royal Forest also known as Jamacho or Rani Ban,is situated 5km from Kathmandu on the way to Kakani from Balaju.The birds seen here includes Blue Magpies ,Kalij,Bonelli’s eagles,great Himalayan barbets and other exotic birds.Next is Gokarna forest,7km to the northeast of Kathmandu,boasts the speakled Moountain thrush,orange-headed groung-thrush, brown wood owl and the white-bellied yuhina among other colourful varieties.
As for the wetlands in the valley,the banks of the Manohara river on the way to Bhaktapur,and the Bagmati river ,which flows into the valley from shivapuri hill and out through Chobhar Gorgr,are good places for watching waders and waterfowls.Harboring 40 species of birds mostly dependent on wetlands,Taudaha,a lake on the way to Dakshinkali ,attracts flocks of migrant birds.
Notes: carry your binoculars and cameras along with you.