Monday 11 May 2015

The Birds of Himalayas

The city dwellers often think of places to visit which are far away from the pollution, traffic and fast paced lifestyle. Himalaya tour is often an answer to their wishes to get away from it all. A popular place around this region is Almora in Kumaon District in Uttarakhand.

Himalayan Magpie
KalmatiaSangam, in Almora, a resort in the middle of tropical vegetation is a great place to unwind and indulge in activities which are pleasant to the body and mind. Some travelers also take a great deal of interest in bird watching as this region is famous for large number of native as well as migratory birds.

Our cottages are also named after the many birds that are found in this region. For a bird watcher it will be good to know a little about some of the birds found here. Himalayan Magpie or Red Billed Blue Magpie as the name suggests is a blue colored bird with a bright orange red bill. You can spot this bird in the thick foliage surrounding our property, hunting for small invertebrates, fruits and seeds.

The biggest and the most spacious cottage in KalmatiaSangam is Eagle’s Nest named after the Golden Eagle which frequent this area. They are dark brown in color with golden brown plumage on their napes. They like to nest in high elevation and can fly at a very high level.

Hoopoe
Hoopoe is an attractive bird found in this region. They are unmistakable with their erect crest, long curved bill, pinkish or buff colored body plumage and black and white striped tail.

The bird found in pheasant family in this region is Himalayan Monal. The males of this species are more attractive with multicolored plumage and green crest. They are endangered and their hunting is banned.

The Blue Whistling Thrush are dark violet blue in color. They are known for their loud humanlike whistling at dawn and dusk.  Another song bird found in this region is Great Grey Shrike.

A difficult to spot species of bird is the Bar Tailed Tree Creeper. This bird has striped feather patterned usually in black, brown, white or red. Because of their color they blend in well with the foliage.



The Scaly Breasted Munia found in this area is a small sparrow sized bird. It is brown in color with dark conical bill. They build domed shaped nests and eat berries, seeds and small insects.
The area along the Himalaya tour is scenic and beautiful with natural glory at its best.