A tribute to nature icon Sir David Attenborough

Source: BBC/Wendy Hurrell

I vividly remember watching a beautiful narration by Sir David Attenborough on National Geographic, BBC, and many other TV channels and fast forward, it's already historic 100 years that he has been the "face and voice of countless documentaries". 

It was a rare treat to watch TV in those days, that too at someone's home or a cousin's place. The little moment of privilege was well spent watching documentaries on Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, etc., with so much caution and without flinching an inch. Missed opportunities would be too boring and regretful.

Those are the days of beautiful innocence!

For a million dreams, I never imagined the world would be this crazy with the internet and technology. Now with Artificial Intelligence mania, it is only going to get crazier! Not sure what tomorrow would look like.

I reminisce about those days as simple and ordinary. I think those days are quite irreversible and gone forever.

Watching endless Sir David 's documentaries on TV was something I took very seriously for connecting with nature, especially animals and landscapes.

One thing I always remember is his deep voice, so suited to the subject he brings into the frame for us to watch and feel so deeply connected. It was too beautiful and crazy to watch him narrating and enjoying as if he controlled every bit of the life around him. I always used to get so moved by his narration and sense of occasional humour when he talks about wilderness and nature.

He is an absolutely rare piece who completely sacrifices his life for nature and the wilderness. 

So, simple yet so profound, human he is for me and to the rest of the world.

As he turns 100, I take this opportunity to wish Sir David, 'A Happy Birthday.' May you live long and happily. May you continue to spread love across the world through nature and landscape. May you unite people across the world and ocean. May you shine like a diamond. May you sing the song of heaven to all humanity.

You are the voice of nature -animals, birds, and other creatures you have touched and shown to the world that every single life, no matter what, what size and colour, it still plays significant role for the very survival of this Mother Earth we all call HOME!

Let's save nature to save our planet. Let us become the voice like Sir David to save our planet. 

LONG LIVE SIR DAVID FROM THE LAND OF HAPPINESS!

 

For the Love of Zhemgang Birds

I have been to almost every corner of Zhemgang hunting for birds and butterflies for almost half a dozen years. It wasn't easy though, but I had experiences of traveling long and wide into the jungles, valleys and around the bushes looking for birds.

The journey of bird watching is something I have developed long before I headed into Zhemgang. It's been there with me for many years since my boyhood. I used to love their color, feathers and nests. More importantly, birds' flying ability and diving skills used to mesmerize me a lot. Bird nest is something I used to enjoy watching as it was made with extra exquisiteness, very special and architecture. 

The journey I have trodden around the valley of Zhemgang was kept in small ways as zhemgang.gov.bt have featured some of my bird collections in their page. 

Follow this link 

http://www.zhemgang.gov.bt/tourism/serene-wilderness

Common Hoopoe (Upupa epops)

Common Hoopoe preparing to take off . Pic: August 2017

Bhutan is perhaps a paradise for both birds and bird lovers. However, the ongoing developmental activities are seriously posing danger not only to some weather sensitive birds but also to some other wildlife.

Hoopoes are very colorful birds and found across Africa, Europe, and East-Asia. These birds are known for their spiky crown feathers at the top of their heads; making them look a bit unique yet special.

They are actually named after the sound of their own call. It has a very pleasant and soft call of its name (hoo…po…po…). Their name is a combination of the Latin "upupa" and the Ancient Greek "epops", that basically resembles for its fan-like crest and a sound it produces. 

Although these birds are not globally considered as endangered, their population is found to be declining world-wide due to decline in their natural habitat, increasing human settlements, and pollution. On the other hand, the good news is that the overall record of the birds in Bhutan is quite an impressive one; there are over 670 bird species that are currently residing in "The Land of Happiness", and many are yet to be discovered.

However, being a "Carbon Negative Country", can we afford to remain complacent and take pride in learning about the decline in our cultural biodiversity? 

What if by any chance we happen to lose these birds? Obviously, there will be an unbalanced ecosystem. Simply losing one food from the food web poses a great thread to the survival of a viable ecosystem. Then how much do we care for our biodiversity? 

After having chased this beautiful bird for the last five years or more, I could at least come to know some of their behavior and migration patterns. Often, I had to use the "carrot and stick" approach to move forward and reach high whenever I failed to get one. Being behind this bird was more like "Titanic Game". Other times I had to be good at a "hide-and-seek" game just to see these birds around.  

You should consider yourself lucky if you happen to spot these birds near a housing colony in Zhemgang town. These birds can also be seen around hospitals (BHU-I) and Dangkhar village in the early hours of the day or late afternoon. They are found in these vicinities for feeding and breeding. These birds have a unique color, and personality. They have a characteristically long, skinny and slightly bent beak that allows them to forage on the ground, dig into the dead logs to find insects, and more importantly to feed their young ones. Their beaks are also a weapon to fight with the enemy. 

These birds favor open country with pastures, wooded areas, and broad fields. The breeding season of these birds starts from January and ends around in August. For breeding, old trees with hollows are their favorite, however, they also nest in piles of rocks and even on the ground under tree roots. It lays a maximum of twelve eggs in a season. The eggs incubation period is approximately 15 to 20 days.

Hoopoes tend to be very independent and solitary birds. They usually interact with each other only for breeding. Their average lifespan is about 10 years or so.

The main diet is insects, small reptiles, frogs and even plant matters, which means this bird is an omnivore.

They are very territorial and become aggressive upon seeing humans and other birds encroaching their areas. The female counterpart is dangerous and aggressive especially during incubation period and when it has young ones. It often ends up chasing other birds and sometimes in a brutal fight.  

"When you are alone, stressful, broken, and want to be with nature, it sings the songs of your heart, it tells you the story of your heart, and calms down your emotions. This is the power of nature and birds in particular".

I am deeply concerned about the ongoing reckless inhumane activities, which disturb our delicate ecosystem and the well-being of indigenous birds' lives. 

Birds are very important and should therefore be preserved. The unnecessary hunting of birds should be avoided at any cost and in as much as they have a destructive impact on plants, birds also contribute to the natural well-being of our environment in their own ways. 

Do you still think these birds are not important to our community? 

What can we do to prevent the loss of these bird's species from Zhemgang?

Birds of Zhemgang

Plumbeous Water Redstrart

Blue Rock thrush

Crested Serpent Eagle

Global Big Day - 5th May

This is how, I have celebrated one of the most important day 

–Global Bird Day. 

The following are the birds, I have collected over 2 hours from

Trong, Dungbi and Pam, Zhemgang.

I have posted for the bird lover around. 

Oliver-Backed Pipit

Oriental Turtle Dove

Eurasian Cuckoo

Grey Bushchat

Bhutan Laughingthrush

Birds help in sustaining our environment

By virtue, we humans have ensconced a hierarchy among all the beings due to which we tend to take a lot of things for granted, ignoring just to fulfill our selfish motives. If the trend continues the day isn’t far when we will prove the cliché, “when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then we will realize that one cannot eat money.” One such thing we never care to think twice about are birds that accommodate this planet along with us. A lot of us don’t know the significance of birds in our daily lives like its ecological importance, scavenging to assist farmers, a natural propagator and serving as a tool of science to diagnose the health of our environment.

By far, birds are best understood component of our natural world due to its historic significance and sustaining our daily environment. It is time we must unite together with reliable statistics on how to protect bird species by safeguarding their habitats. It is time for all of us to ‘think globally, act locally’, for the continuity of our environment. 

Why is counting of birds so important? It is because birds tell us a lot about the health of our environment. Like the White–bellied heron already on the edge of extinction has already posed serious concern for viable environment and the fate of the ecosystem is already at risk.

   

Birds are insistently migrating to uncommonly altitudes signaling to relentless destruction of its natural habitats. Like intensive agriculture and urbanization are the outstanding drivers for the cause. However, these all can be easily overcome but only through the active service of mankind.

Birds keep farmers in their farm business intact by providing helping hand to control different pests. As a son of a farmer –I have personally seen different birds safeguarding potato and orchards field from insect devastation. For which there are no safe pesticides that can kill these insects. Birds also perhaps do the least services of eating dead bodies of insects and animals thus controls different diseases.  Birds also add advantages for effective pollination and help in free shipping of different seeds to different location.

Researchers often use different birds to predict the health of our ecosystems, check wetlands health to radioactive contagion. Recently scientists have also use birds to study the effect of global heating.

However, for better or worse, economic arguments always hit more political concern but never about good environment. I feel bird’s life matter in a similar manner like how a single bolt and nut matters to the success of car running. 

Birds are nature’s greatest expression of grace and beauty. Which keeps our ecosystem in balanced for all time? And as hierarchical being we should always strive to maintain the balance, if not we will end up with William Wordsworth expression ‘what man has made of man.’

White Wagtail

White wagtail (Motacilla alba)

                                               To mark, World Rangers' Day.

Length: 16 – 19cm Status: Fairly common winter visitor. Altitude range: 110 – 345m. Habitat: Rivers, streams, damp fields, vicinity of water and short grassland. Food: It depends mainly upon varieties of insects, fish, frogs, etc. Description: The white wagtail is a small passerine bird in the wagtail family, motacillidae. It has extremely variable head pattern and mantle color indicating its racial identification of breeding males. This species breeds in much of Europe, Asia and parts of north Africa. In Bhutan, it is found in all the places especially in southern and central areas.

Greater Flameback

Greater Flameback (Female) (Chrysocolaptes lucidus guttacristatus)

Blue-throated Barbet.

Blue-throated Barbet - In action

Importance of conserving birds in Bhutan

Although, it is a century of rapid change in society, development in science and technology and in everyday life. It seemed that we became awfully miser and selfish towards safeguarding our forest from mining unreasonably high. At the cost of luxury, we became exceedingly ambitious and selfish of unrealistic commitments by mining our environment inaccurately. These changes should not come at the cost of conceding our immediate environment –beyond repair for which there are millions of life.  

Indeed, human beings are the main cause who is seriously posing a threat to our environment day in and day out. Over the recent years, intensifying and expanding reckless horizon of agricultural work, unlawful farm road construction and cunning hydroelectricity expansion has further slackened bird's natural habitat, nesting place and food. Climate change, with impacts already obvious is yet another serious threat building up around recently.

The number and the variety of birds migration has declined over the years. Several bird species continue to migrate and visit relatively unreasonable altitude is perhaps another outlandish failure from Royal Government of Bhutan, indicating serious change in our ecosystem.  Previously, most migratory birds used to spread uniformly across reasonable altitudes. However, recently we have started to see more bird species visiting the uncommon places. At the same time few bird species, which have declined terribly to an alarmingly low have shown poor human character. In the west, they have already started to feel this brunt of losing more such bird species than ever over few years of time, indicating serious disturbances in nature and urbanization. According to bird records and database maintained by UWICE, several migratory birds –black necked crane, hoopoe, bee-eaters, swifts, cuckoos and white-bellied heron have not visited theirs normal habitats indicating very staid imbalance in nature. This drop of bird population are due to - recent global heating, hunting, lack of food, construction of roads, hydro-power hijacking and moody pollution.

Perhaps, it has left our bird enthusiasts and environment lovers –beyond the question, when common migratory birds within District have failed to turn up for nesting, for feeding and breeding. Since, the places have seriously injured with unkind human planning that has left bird lover far away from reaching their bird destination.

According to International Bird Database showed that within few years of time, 2 – 3% of bird species have already crossed red-line boundary. Which means within few years an extinction rate has multiplied in many folds. The world records of bird’s database read, “one in eight bird species is threatened with global extinction exceptionally at high rate to almost 200 bird's species critically endangered. Plus, the Red List Assessment has warned that serious decline in many bird species over the years in the row is a serious concern and needed immediate national and international intervention.”

Honestly, we live in a small compact society and everything is still manageable. All we need is a committed mind to execute the plan more accurately and prudently. Unless we have a tight policy, we can never experience healthy environment and friendly ecosystem.

It is time that we must come together and make a proper decision and act wisely right from the base. Bhutan's forest coverage, ecology and conservation of some critically endangered bird species would result in top human management system in place for all times. In fact, we are already ahead of other advanced countries in knowledge of bird habitats and conservation. Therefore, it is our responsibility to make sure that the birds need to survive and multiply in a pristine and clean undisturbed environment with less threat. Let our individual social duty be their Red Carpet opportunity. It is time we must stand firm and let go some political gluttonous promises unnoticed.   

To let the population of bird decline would be a national shame. Safe wildlife to safe Bhutan's Outstanding Environmental Stewardship Award. 

Plumbeous water redstrart

White-bellied Heron

Photo courtesy: Mr. Yeshey Dorji, bird photographer.

Lately, before the news covered on 'White-bellied Heron, pride of Berti', ended I became quite ambitious about easy watching of the bird along Bertichhu, zhemgang. One of the world's critically endangered bird species.   

Before the dream of watching the bird dies, I have planned my travel to reach the site and have nonchalant one-to-one watch over this exquisite bird - feedings and patterns.

The place somewhere lies to a good distance of Forty kilometers stretched away from the place where I live and work. Unless, one has a very genuine reason to travel to the place, one can. Otherwise, it is very expensive affairs to-and-fro travel for bird watching alone. However, with much sacrifices and without compromising my passion for the love of nature and the bird, I have made myself in the place on one national holidays.

Upon reaching the place, my first priority was to have a closer watch on its habitat, style, nest, body size and the population. I have stayed along the main stream for almost three hours trying to locate and photograph the bird movement. I have even reached near its nesting place to have even more closer watch with the help of one kind locals. But unfortunately I couldn't locate and view the bird I was looking for. Which left me some disappointment over expensive affairs but I have got some new birds species on my bird list. And as a bird enthusiast and photographer, it's enough to have one clean and quality bird shot and some landscape frames, which is enough if you can't make it to Bird you are looking for.   

It's a good initiative that the government and responsible agencies are trying their best to protect such bird species from its extinction from the land. But, at the same time it's not easy to conserve the natural habitats of birds, animals or fishes in this time of modernization. While the population of the world keeps on increasing, farmland and other necessity of life is becoming increasingly scarce. We can't stop people from mining our mountains and keep away from modern amenities but now it is time for education sector to take extra responsibilities to educate every mind on such important issues.

According to the international bird survey report, white-bellied heron is one of the fifty rarest bird species in the world. Today, there are about sixty herons in the world of which thirty of them have homed in Bhutan. For a small landlocked country, the presence of this bird is a trademark, a brand to say that Bhutan has rich forest coverage and good policy in place to protect its survival and habitats for all times to come. When the world outside is busy experimenting and experiencing on to a chain-revolution and Hi-tech technology era, I remained simply woven over the feathers of this little bird.  

Should we want our next generation to uphold on such values to mine everything for human goods? We don't want our young people to say – what is and how white-bellied heron looks like in reality, or is it possible to manufacture in factories for daily syllabus to learn by our Youth in schools?   

Photo courtesy: Mr. Yeshey Dorji, a pair of White-bellied heron in their nest,
a home-sweet-home. 

What all our common people have to understand about the bird conservation and preservation of habitat is everyone's responsibility. The concern agencies scaling some good initiatives forward through various awareness program is to benefit the live of bird species, because the future of this bird species is very uncertain. Let's not demand for the iron lance from the government to protect bird backyard. Simply creating awareness and protecting its natural habitats is enough to fight against its extinction. We don't want any people involving in its trade deal to China, Tibet or anywhere in the world like 'Cats eye' trade. This bird neither wear costly linen nor does it have any such expensive values to benefit your lungs and kidney but the bird population is getting lesser by each year, indicating its extinction. 

I am not a lone mighty warrior responsible to prove next White-bellied Heron generation like to be Dinasorous period. 

Common Kingfisher

Common kingfisher 

common kingfisher

Name: Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis
Length: 16cm
Status: Common resident
Altitude range: 140-900m
Locality: Mangduechhu, Bertichhu.
Habitat: Streams, rivers and wetlands.
Food: Fish, worms, aquatic insects.

Bird Photography

In the world of photography, the most difficult part is to catch images of live Bird in their natural habitats. Although, we say and see photography is a set of complete package of right amount of light but it’s not always right and sufficient.  There is no certainty about how one can get the satisfactory wildlife images. However, for a bird it’s all to do with their natural behavior and the way they behave with human. And obviously none of the birds are sociable with human beings. It can neither remain in a noisy out-fit of human merriment nor does it a league match to see again and again. By the time they sense your presence, it fly away to distant making it difficult to capture them.   

For a long time back I was thinking to shoot this little bird but it’s never easy. It’s not like somebody directing the position of someone and the best appear like in film, the human drama. Film is the product of many people - director, good photographer and artificial lighting but it’s not the case in wild life photography.  Otherwise, I would have hired many professional film director and light-man to help me get best bird images. So, that I would get the super high definition wildlife images.

The challenges lies in going into the wild and getting some wild life images is only be best known and felt by wildlife enthusiast themselves. Not anyone else.   

Actually, I was chasing this bird for many different occasions and none of the time I am successful. I never got it done the way I wanted it to appear. But this time I am eager at least to write something on the challenges and the better part of wildlife photography.

Bird photography is extremely challenging yet this bird never kept my energy freeze. Although, it has seized my time and energy yet not satisfying picture of it into my list. I am thoroughly in love for its beauty, the body architecture, the colorful feathers combination and the way its dance. It is completely camouflage because it is a stream or river residence. This bird has added my passion to wildlife photography every time I come across. It is immensely inspiring to capture such absolute beauty bringing to life tricky feather patterns and exquisite details into one whole armful images.

Over the year, I have acquired a modest collection of bird images and the skills that is required to shoot a birds in their natural habitats. I have travelled fairly good distance to photograph birds. The surprising beauty of our countryside and the winding mountain roads on every trips has always left me flabbergasted and joyfulness in my face. The journey, my sacrifice for time and family have never dejected me nor will it drain me of my passion for bird watching, wildlife photography and love for nature.

But I am not trying to say that one need to be well armed to shoot a bird images. The rule is completely simple, as far as I know one must have tons of passion, energy and a set of right equipment. Unless, one have deep passion and love for nature the art of going into the wild would be never charming, would be never satisfying. If one has all these in package, the feeling of joy is equally satisfying when a good and quality image is captured. 

Here the message is simple - safe wildlife to safe us, because we are not different!

Slaty-backed forktail

Slaty-backed forktail

This little soul showed me this action when I was busy shooting. 

Rufous-necked Hornbill, the Pride of Zhemgang

The Rufous-necked hornbill is a species of hornbill found in Indian subcontinent and southeast Asia. The number of this bird species has declined significantly due to habitat loss. However, Bhutan has some countable numbers of this bird species intact.

Although, Zhemgang is secluded from most modern touch however, the place is known for rich biodiversity. Thus, it homed to many critically endangered flora and fauna. One among them is Rufous-necked hornbill which is already under threatened list globally.

Perhaps, it was a wonderful experience to shoot this high–flying bird on my recent trips to Mithun farm. Occasionally, one can also find this bird feeding on the way to Buli, tingtibi, gonphu-pangbang highway and around Royal Manas Park in lower Kheng. 

It has been over a month now, but I still have that great feel of this giant bird flying over my head. This bird is very sensitive to human sound and settlement. Thus, it settles to an amazingly uncommon place for feeding and tall tree branch for nesting making it very difficult for a common people to see its young one.

Of the four different species of the Hornbill found in Bhutan, Rufous-necked hornbill is found at the highest elevation.

Rufous-necked hornbills are monogamous birds and a gender sensitive. Owing to its survival, male counterpart is brighter in color than its female partner. 

This bird has a large colorful body with large and sublime beak which they use for breaking fruit seeds and for defensive purpose. Like most of the birds, it also got some cultural significance or belief. It has very husky and peculiar call different from other bird species. 

The nesting season is in-between mid-March to mid-July with breeding cycle that last for approximately four months (120 days). 

Rufous-necked hornbill mainly faces threats from timber extraction, collection of wild fruits and seeds, road constructions, hydro power project, clearing of forests for power transmission line and natural threats such as competition for food. This bird is also found to be extremely vulnerable to serpent eagle attack.

The way forward to preserve this bird is by incorporating hornbill conservation activities in the community and by initiating environmental education outreach programmes to school children and local community. 

Over five years of bird watching and photographing experience, and having travelled to great length of forest, I have learned that there is nothing like enjoying with nature. It also helps one to manage stress and relief from unnecessary tension. It makes you feel happy and calm your mind. 

I would request all people to make mindful developmental activities for which there are larger share of wildlife in our ecosystem. 

Birds from Trongsa

Name: Crimson sunbird

Name: Slender-billed oriole

Birds of Zhemgang - IV

Green tailed-sunbird

Birds

Yellow bellied fantail

common stonechat

Grey Bushchat

Birds of Zhemgang - III

Name: White wagtail (male)

Birds - II

Long-tailed shrike - from zhemgang

Long-tailed shrike - from sarpang