Nepal is a bird watcher's paradise with 873 species (10% of the world total) of birds. And among them, almost 500 are found in the Kathmandu Valley alone.

The surrounding hills offer a varied ecology ranging from primary and secondary forest to rhododendron, oak and pine forest. 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; the highest peak of the valley rim situated 20 KM southeast of Kathmandu, with some 265 species recorded till date.

The birds seen here include babblers, warblers, tits, thrushes, minivans, 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 sishin and the spotted fork tail.

Location

ShivaPuri Wild Life Reserve.
Royal Chitwan National Park.
Langtang National Park
Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve.
Bird Watching In Pokhara.

Shivapuri Watershed and Wildlife Reserve

It is another exciting location. Nagarjun Royal Forest on Jamacho hill is on the way to Kakani from Balaju. It delight bird enBird Sanctuarythusiasts with blue magpies, Kalij pheasants, Boneili's eagles, Great Himalayan barbets an other exotic birds. As for the wetlands in the valley, the banks of the Manohara river on the way to Bhaktapur, and the Bagmati river, which flows in to the valley from 7Shivapuri hill and out through Chobhar Gorge, are good place fro watching Waders and Waterfowls, Harbouring 40 species of birds mostly dependent on wetlands, Taudha, a lake on the way to Dkshinkali, attracts flocks of migrant birds. Once; the most popular birds watching spots in Kathmandu are Phulichoki, Godavari, Nagarjun, Bagmati River, Taudaha, Shivapuri (North area of Kathmandu) and so on. Out side of the Kathmandu are Annapurna Natural conservation Area, Koshi wild Life, Chitwan National Park, Langtang National Park and many more other place of Nepal. So grab your Binoculars and head for the hills and look up in the trees whey you will got for watching birds, good roads lead to all these places.

Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve

The wetland of Koshi Tappu is the major international staging point for migratBird Sanctuaryory wader, waterfowls and the birds of prey in Nepal. The area is the largest expanse of wetland in Nepal and holds rich variety of marsh birds. It is also of interest for some birds typical of dry grassland and shrubs.

The Koshi River is the biggest river of Nepal and is harnessed by embankments in the east and west of the river and a Km long barrage is built on the southern end. Extensive area of marshes, reed beds and sandbanks flank the river north of the barrage. During the monsoon there are large expanse of open water formed when the marshes flood. In winter the water levels are low, the marshes dry out to leave pools and streams, and large sandbanks appear along the river. Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve was established in 1976 and covers and area of 175-sq. km. Due to its international importance for the conservation of waders and waterfowls it has been accorded Ramsar Site by the Wetlands Convention in 1987.

The Koshi Barrage lies in the East West Highway and the KTWR Headquarters lies at Kusaha, 18 km from the barrage and only 2.5 km for the Jamuwa point of East West Highway. There are day and night bus services to reach Koshi Tappu from Kathmandu, one should stop at Jamuwa or Lauki Bus Stop. It is eleven hours drive from Kathmandu to reach Koshi, two hours from Kakarvitta Border and only one hour from Biratnagar Airport. There are number of daily flights to Biratnagar from Kathmandu. At least three days of stay is required to do birding in Koshi Tappu. Additional day is required to do birding in the Chatara-Dharan Forest. One can extend to do birding in the Mai Valley-Hangetham or Ilam - Sunischare that will require additional five days.

The best time to visit Koshi is from October till May. Most of the site is easily reached by vehicles, boats, and bicycles and on foot. The best sites for bird-watching is between the river, grassland, bushes and marshes along the eastern embankments from Haripur to Madhuban. The barrage and the wetlands nearby it, the Pink tower is also good for bird-watching. Rare mammals occurring are Gangetic Dolphins, Wild Water Buffalo, Smooth Coated Otters, Fishing Cats, Nilgai Antelope, Hog Deer etc.

Facts About Trip