Nanda Devi Institute's Bird check list Kuflon, Uttarkashi, India. December 2010-January 2011

Bird watching in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand

While focusing on Nanda Devi National Park, an effort has been made to train local youth and document birds of other region in Uttarakhand. This is part of the NDI initiative to promote nature based tourism on community owned tourism format in Uttarakhand. Specific to Nanda Devi National Park, special efforts are being made to provide quality interpretation services during the interpretive trek to Nanda Devi.


 Background:                                                                                    

In the summer of 2010, Benjamin Schwartz, Naturalist, representing University of Montana, MT spent six months with the Mountain Shepherds Initiative to orient and train the members of MSI in bird watching and nature guiding.  Under Benjamin Schwartz the core team of Mountain Shepherds learned the basics of bird watching. With his extensive worldwide experience  as a birding guide, Benjamin developed the basic framework for nature based tourism in Uttarakhand through his dissertation entitled ‘A Case Study of Problems and Possibilities in the Establishment of a Guide Training Institute in Uttarakhand, India’.  In 2011, the Eco Tourism Wing of the Uttarakhand Forest Department initiated a series of training programs for the rural youth of Uttarakhand in nature guiding.  Two of the members of the Mountain Shepherds participated in the first training program on nature guide held at Chunakhan in 2011. In April 2011, Nanda Devi Institute of Adventure Sports and Outdoor Education was incorporated as a subsidiary of Mountain Shepherds Initiative with an aim to design and conduct need based adventure sports and outdoor education programs for the capacity building of the rural mountain youth in responsible tourism. The bird check list presented herein is the first list by one of the students of Benjamin Schwartz in India.

Duration:  42 days. 15 December 2010 -25 January 2011

Observer:    Mr. Vijay Butola

Location :  The observation  venue was Nanda Devi Institute’s base camp at Kuflon in Assi Ganga Valley of Uttarkashi.  Location reference on goggle map is https://goo.gl/maps/mCWxzUUuxgk

Protocol: Area and hiking count

Birding locations:  A 2-3 kilometer up and down-stream hike and from the NDI base camp and Kuflon specific observations.

Sessions:  Morning observations between 6.30 Am to 9 AM.

Checklist type:  Composite

Bird checklist Kuflon, Assi Ganga Valley, Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand 

# Name of Bird 1 Common rosefinch    2 Scarlet finch     3 Spotted forktail 4 Plumbeous water redstart  5 Brown dipper 6 white Capped water redstart 7 Great tit 8 Green backed tit 9 Black lored tit 10 Himalayan bulbul 11 Grey hooded warbler 12 Blue whistling trush 13 White throated laughingthrush 14 Creasted kingfisher 15 Rock bunting 16 Whistler's warbler 17 Tickell's leaf warbler 18 Chestnut headed  tesia 19 White bellied redstart 20 Blue fronted redstart 21 White tailed nuthatch 22 Grey treepie 23 Scaly breasted wren babbler 24 Red billed blue magpie 25 Brown fronted woodpecker 26 Spot winged rosefinch 27 cutia 28 White browed shrike babbler 29 Streaked laughing thrush 30 Chestnut crowned laughing thrush 31 Russet sparrow 32 Yellow crowned woodpecker 33 Black throtted  tit 34 Rufous Sibia 35 Grey bushchat 36 Small niltava 37 Blue capped redstart 38 Black redstart 39 Little forktail 40 Golden spectacled warbler 41 Orange flanked bush robin 42 Jungle owlet 43 Spotted creeper 44 Winter wren 45 Western crowned warbler 46 Grey cheeked warbler 47 Yellow eyed babbler 48 Common myna 49 Chestnut capped babbler 50 Yellow bellied fantail 51 Great Barbet 52 Striated laughing thrush 53 Golden bush robin 54 Rusty cheeked scimitar babbler 55 Speckled piculet 56 Brooks's leaf warbler 57 Little pied flycatcher 58 kalij pheasant 59 Red vented bulbul 60 Pink browed rosefinch 61 Streak throated woodpecker 62 Lesser yellownape 63 Grey capped pygmy woodpecker 64 Chestnut bellied nuthatch 65 spot winged tit 66 European gold finch 67 Yellow breasted greenfinch 68 Fire fronted serin 69 Himalayan griffon 70 Black chinned babbler 71 Mountain hawk eagle 72 Green tailed sunbird 73 Eurasian jay 74 Chestnut belied rock thrush 75 Plum headed parakeet 76 Large belled crow 77 Common kestrel 78 Goldcrest 79 Bar tailed treecreeper 80 Rusty flanked treecreeper 81 Red headed bullfinch 82 Black headed jay 83 Spotted bush warbler