Bhutan
The small country of Bhutan is the only country in the world to have an official measure of its “Gross National Happiness”. One of the factors taken into account when assessing the overall happiness of the Bhutanese people is preservation of the natural environment. Essentially, the government believes that protecting nature also makes people feel better. This idea certainly works for birdwatchers because when they visit Bhutan, they can’t keep the smiles off of their faces.
Bhutan simply offers the best birdwatching in the Himalayas, because it’s the only place where so much pristine habitat can be easily visited. It’s not that other Himalayan countries don’t have good birdwatching. It’s just that most of the best preserved forests in places such as Nepal and India are still intact because no one can reach them. Bhutan is unique, not only among Himalayan countries but throughout the entire world, in that natural habitats are more or less intact and filled with wildlife just about wherever you go. Needless to say, this makes Bhutan a paradise for birds and the people who watch them.
Over 600 species of birds occur in Bhutan, yet the country is just half the size of Scotland. Many of these are species that have become rare in other parts of their range due to habitat destruction. A good number of species that are restricted to the eastern part of the Himalayas also occur in Bhutan. Although birdwatchers can take challenging treks through the mountains, most birding-focused tours in Bhutan stick to the one, principle road in the country. Since it passes through most major habitats, it’s the easiest way to see a good portion of Bhutanese birdlife.
The birds of Bhutan include several incredibly beautiful, legendary pheasant species, such as the crimson coloured Satyr Tragopan, rainbow plumaged Himalayan Monal, and the striking Blood Pheasant. The rare Rufous-necked Hornbill, the odd and exotic Ibisbill, the critically endangered White-bellied Heron and the stunning Ward’s Trogon are often seen on birding tours to Bhutan. A host of commoner species are also typically seen, such as thrushes, bush-robins, forktails, shrikes, redstarts and several babbler species.
It may be easy to see hundreds of amazing birds in Bhutan but it’s not the easiest place to visit. The lack of hotels means that most birding trips require a fair deal of camping and you can’t just show up and visit the country on your own. Birdwatchers (and other tourists) can only enter Bhutan on tours that are sponsored by Bhutan-based operators and cost more than 200 hundred dollars per day. Watching birds in Bhutan doesn’t come cheap and might not be as comfortable as birding in other places, but the once in a lifetime experience of seeing high numbers of Himalayan birds in beautiful, pristine habitats is more than worth the costs for any world birder who can afford it.
flickr image by Hiyashi Haka
Write your own review