Birds of Himachal Pradesh

We came back from a vacation to Manali and Shimla. It was a family vacation so just did some part time birding :) Some shots from there....

Most of the birding in Manali was around Apple orchards. A common Hoopoe greeted me in the morning


followed by the streaked laughing thrush calling for attention... their wings spread on each call.





Other birds seen were the common stone chat, Ashy Drongo, Asian Paradise flycatcher and off course the Himalayan bulbul, which is one of the most photogenic birds for me.









In the area near Nagar we saw Rock bunting. Yellow billed blue magpie is also common at these heights




Near the beas river saw the yellow wagtail and on the way to Rohtang we could catch a fleeting glance of the Himalayan Griffon




On the way to Shimla we were lucky to spot the brown fronted woodpecker



At  Mahindra resort, Kandaghat (near Shimla) where we stayed I was delighted to see the open area, fruiting trees and the birds. Slaty headed parakeet, Blue capped rock thrush, great barbet, Black bulbul, Red billed blue Magpie, Rosefinch and jungle babblers.














While we enjoyed the beauty of the Himalayas and our first ski training...I definitely need to do an exclusive birding trip in Himachal Pradesh sometime in the near future.



3 comments:

Unknown said...

How lovely
Thank you.
I'm trying to work out what I saw near Simla today!

nishchay said...

Thanks Arijit, I recently started looking up for details of the birds I usually see around me near Kullu. Your post was helpful.

Unknown said...

Hi Arijit - great pics! I am headed to Manali and never gone birding in Himalayas, so was thinking of spending a couple of days in/around Manali to check out birds. Can you suggest some places that could be good for bird-viewing in & around Manali?
Thanks.
Dhruv