The last call of the bird
Call it climate change or global warming but according to nature lovers, birds which were seen in Thimphu in the 1980s and 1990s have all but disappeared.
Farmers in the capital report seeing new weeds and strange birds.
The Large Billed Crow, Wood Snipe, Himalayan Monal, Green-tailed Sunbird and Barred Cuckoo were a common sight. Not anymore. They have been replaced by birds which were earlier only found in low-lying areas.
Hishey Tshering, a keen bird watcher in Thimphu, said things have changed with nostalgia. He says the familiar chirpings of the birds that he so loved cannot be heard anymore.
“The area behind the swimming pool complex was a very good habitat for the Wood Snipe and many other birds. But the development in that area has completely destroyed the habitat.
Verditer Flycatcher
“The House Crow which is the bird found in low altitude is now in the town area. You are now seeing more house crows than the Large Billed Crow.”
His concerns are shared by Rebecca Pradhan, an Ecologist at the Royal Society for Protection of Nature.
“Birds such as Snow Finch use to come in winter after the snow. The Snow Finch and the common finch sit and eat insects (which emerge out of the ground after a snowfall). There are many birds which clean the trees, eat insects and larvae.”
Meanwhile, Rufus Sibia, Verditer Flycatcher and Small Nitalva, which were only seen in the lowlands, are seen today in Thimphu.
Source: www.bbs.com.bt