Now it cant be all work and no play and in my spare time (we work 6 days a week here, so what I really mean is on Saturdays!) I have been participating in bird watching with the bird charity Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN). Now I will be the first to admit that birds have never really been my thing…In the UK I could just about identify a few garden birds and a red kite, but could probably count these species on one hand. Now before you all start labelling me a ‘twitcher’, I defy any of you to visit Nepal and not get into birding. In such a small area Nepal hosts a whopping 861 species – 8% of the world’s population in a mere 142km2 (that’s a rough estimate of area of Nepal). And the diversity is staggering – ranging from the colourful hornbills in the Terai to eagles and vultures in the hills and mountains. And then there are what seems to be hundreds of little brown/yellow birds that consist of warblers and babblers, and oh and not forgetting my personal favourite and regular afternoon office visitor, the hoopoe bird! It is addictive. Whats more, is it is a great way of meeting people and getting out into Kathmandu valley. A couple of weeks ago we hiked up Champadevi (2279m!) and in addition to spotting over 50 bird species, we were blessed with an amazing panoramic of the Himalayas and birds eye (excuse the pun) view of Kathmandu valley.
This weekend I took part in a rafting event on the Bhotekosi River, raising awareness of river conservation in Nepal with the National River Conservation Trust (NRCT). The NRCT are currently lobbying for the 28th of February to be recognised as National River Day, and for those of you that have smelt the Bagmati River youll know how important this project is. The stench literally makes your eyes water. The problem is that rivers here are used for all sorts, and it breaks my heart to see people, birds and other animals using this water because no good could possibly come from it. One of the issues (one which many conservation projects face!) is that everyone is waiting for someone else to take the initiative, thinking that it is not their responsibility to keep these habitats clean. Surely, as we all depend upon these vital habitats in some way it is all of our responsibilities?
Sam Lee is a Project Assistant on Nepal’s National Biodiversity Databank and Red List of Mammals. She will be blogging regularly on the process, providing insights into the details of producing a National Red List