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Black Throated Bushtit is also known as Black Throated Tit. It is small passerine bird of Aegithalidae family. It is found in Northern India, North Eastern Bangladesh , Bhutan, Nepal, Vietnam , Myanmar and Taiwan. In India it found mainly in Himalayan range at more than 5000 ft height. I found it at Himachal Pradesh during my trek to Chandrakhani Pass. It is found in small bushes and small trees. Black Throated Tit is small bird so it is difficult to find in bushes. But its wonderful colors and body attract to capture its image.

Facts and Description of Black Throated Tit :

• Black Throated Tit is around 10.5 cm long. Weight of it is around 4-9 gm. 
• There is a variation in plumage  depending on subspecies . All have medium tail , black throat and black bandit mask around the eye.
• Dark grey back and wings, tail and belly are white.
• Black Throated Tit is travel in large flocks around 40 birds.
• They built their nest out of moss and hang from tree branches.
• Black Throated Tit feed small insects and spiders. They also feed small seeds, fruits and berries .
• It lives in open broadleaf forest and also at pine forest.
• Binomial name of Black Throated Bushtit is Aegithalos concinnus.
• Black Throated tit is  Least Concern in IUCN list.

Himalayas are one of the best place for birding. There are many places where you can find different types of birds. In manali trek to the Chandrakhani pass i found more than 35 spices of different birds. Also trek to Har Ki Dun in Uttarakhand i also found more than 25-30 spices of birds. Among them half of spices are common in both and easily available in the ways and bushes. Some spices you have to wait and watch for clicking photos. Sometimes you may lucky to get have clear and sharp photos of the birds. Because in Himalayas there is a dense forest and birds can easily hide in the bushes. 

Gear Used : Canon 6D, Canon 80D , Canon 100-400mm lens

There are lots of spices of Finch bird. Pink browed rose finch family name carpodacus rodochroa. Very small in size like a sparrow. The male is bright raspberry pink color and female is brown with streaked Buffy underparts and broad white eyebrows. This spices generally found in Himalayan range about 8000-12000 ft heights. I found both Male and female during my different trek. The male i found on my Har Ki Dun trek, Chandrakhani Pass Trek in manali and female i found at Singalila National Park. Images are taken at  with my canon 6D and 100-400 mm lens.

Pink Browed Rose finch generally found in heights above 7000ft . During my trek to Har Ki Dun and Manali (Chandrakhani pass ) i found Lost of birds among them one is Rose finch. It  is really beautiful to see this bird . Its color is very beautiful and looks like raspberry pink. It was difficult to shoot with distance and got sharp image. Well i had a good camera and lens so that i capture this sharp image.

Pink Browed Rosefinch is generally found at Himalayas. I found it at Har Ki Dun trek and also at Chandrakhani pass trek to Manali.  Bird is so beautiful in color you can not resist to capture image of it. There are also different types of finch bird available in manali and also at Uttarakhand. They generally found in pair of male and female. 

Gear Used : Canon 6D, Canon 1000 D, Canon 100-400 mm lens, Canon 80 D

Spiti Valley located in Himachal Pradesh. It is a cold desert mountain valley of Himalayas. Spiti distributed in 2 parts Lahaul and Spiti. As per my last post of Spiti Valley Tour Itinerary there are lots of places to visit during spiti valley tour. It depends how many days you want to spend in spiti valley tour so you can much more places to cover in spiti valley. But i think 7 days are enough for Spiti valley tour to cover all major attractions. Most of time you spend in car during spiti valley tour. But definately the route is memorable for all. The view of Himalayas and the scenery is beautiful. Most people take 7 days tour from Chandigarh or from Delhi. 

Best Places to Visit in Spiti Valley : 

• Chitkul
• Nako
• Tabo
• Dhankar lake
• Kaza
• Chandratal Lake

Well in Spiti Valley Trip there are lots of places to visit but i will suggest you some of them to make shorter your trip. Also most attractions and must visit places i share here. If you want to spend more time then you can visit local village and enjoy village life too. If you want to know about Spiti Valley Tour Cost and Spiti Valley Tour Itinerary then i had written a post of it.

Honey Bee Farming :

From Chandigarh to Spiti you will have to pass Kinnaur District. It is very beautiful route with amazing greenery and scenery. During the route of Kinnaur valley there are lots of people do Honey Bee Farming on road. you can see the boxes of honeybee on roadside. They have different types of Honeybee and have different honey if you want to purchase pure Honey for home. They also saw you how they farming and do all procedure of making Honey. 

Chitkul : 

Actually we skip Chitkul because its out of our route and spend one more day. But Chitkul is must visit place. It is really beautiful place in the valley of Himalayas. Also Chitkul is known as India's Last village at Indo - Tibet Border. Border is about 90 km from Chitkul. Also civillian movement beyond Chitkul is prohibited. Best time to visit Chitkul is March to June.  Also have a cup of tea at Hindustan Ka Akhri Dhaba at Chitkul. They also serve food with Rajma Chaval and roti. 

Kalpa Or Rekong Peo :

If you visit chitkul and stay their then kalpa or Rekong Peo you can skip. Or if you do not visit chitkul then stay at Rekong Peo. Good to stay here very neat and clean hotels and also food is good here. Next morning you can see amazing sunrise in between of Himalayan mountains coverd with snow. Stay here for a night and leave next morning or you can visit local village and bazar.

Nako : Places to visit Nako

Nako village located near Indo-China Border. In Nako you can visit Nako Lake and Nako Monastery. Also you can visit some Buddhist chortens. Nako Monastery is must visit place with beautiful atmosphear at height. The Monastery founded in 11 th sanctuary .Monastery location is amazing where you can see 360 degree view of Himalayan Mountains. Spend some time at Monastery and go for Gue Mummy Stupa in the way to Tabo. 

Gue is a village where 500 years old mummy preserved of Sangha Tenzing. Sangha Tenzing was Buddhist monk from Tibet. At stupa the mummy found in sitting position with his skin and hair intact. The road to Gue Mummy is out of Tabo route so you can take extra 1-2 hours time while leave from nako. At evening you reach at Tabo village.

Tabo : Places to visit Tabo

Tabo is a small village on bank of Spiti river in spiti District. Tabo is famous for operated continuously oldest buddhist enclave in Himalaya and India. Most famous attraction of Tabo is Old Tabo Monastery which is 1000 years old and also considered as one of the holiest by Dalai Lama himself. Also another monastery in Tabo in the center of village you can visit. Tabo caves you can visit while visit monastery and if you stay for day more then you can go at river bank to feel nature. That was amazing view of spiti river near to the village and other side the big mountain.

Dhankar Lake and Dhankar Village : Places to visit Dhankar

From tabo to kaza route you can visit Dhankar Village. In the village there is a capital of spiti valley in Himachal Pradesh. It is at 3894 mt height. Here you can visit local village , Monastery and if you want to go for trek about 3 km then go to the Dhankar Lake. Dhankar village total houses are around 65-70 and population around 250-300 . 

Dhankar Lake :  

Dhankar lake is high altitude lake in himachal pradesh. It is located around 4140 mt height. From monastery you can go to Dhankar lake by trek about 3 km and it will take around 1-2 hours depends on your mountain skills. Trek route is very easy but its at more than 13500 ft height so high wind blows and low oxygen level make your trek difficult. Also here UV index is high so do not go in open skin or use sunscreen lotion. High UV index may damage your skin. At the end of trek you can see a beautiful green color based lake surrounded by mountains and open land. The view of lake is awesome and you can spend more time to make a peace to you mind. Crystel clear water in the lake. We take some photos and get back to village and drink lemon soda from local villager to get energy. Local peoples are so supportive and good nature. 

Kaza : 

In Kaza there are several places to visit so you visit all in a full day. Also kaza atmosphear is very cold in summer also so enjoy it. 

Places to Visit In Kaza 

• Sakya Tangyud Monastery : It is one of the highest altitude Monastery in India. It is at 4550 mt height. It is at komik village. 
• Kaza Kye Monastery : Kye or Kyi monastery is a tibetian buddhist monastery. It is set on top of the hill and its height aroun 4166 mt. It is the largest monastery of Spiti Valley.  

• Langza : Langza village is also known as Fossils village. It is believed that spiti was submerged under the tethys sea so that huge quantities of fossils found here. In Langza there is a 1000 years old Buddha Statue is major attraction. The Buddha statue at Langza located at 14500 ft height. It is serene golden large Buddha Statue. From the Buddha statue at Langza you can see 360 degree view of Himalayas.

• Hikkim : Hikkim is located at 14400 ft height in lahaul spiti district. Hikkim village remains cut off during winter due to heavy snow fall over mountain passes.  The Hikkim village has a post office at 14400 ft height. So it is also on of the highest post office in the world.

• Kibber Village : Kibber is famous for Monastery, kibber wildlife sanctuary, the highest post office and the highest motorable road. Kibber is located 19 km from kaza. Kibber is also famous for Snow Leopard. There are almost 25-30 snow leopards In Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary.

• Komic : Komic is also one of the highest village in the world located at 15050 ft. It is also connected with World's Highest Motorable Road. So it is known as Highest Motorable village in the world. There is a restaurant their named World highest restaurant Komic. You can take rest have a cup of coffe or tea and have some snake, meggy etc. 

• Chicham Bridge : Chicham bridge is highest bridge of Asia. Bridge is located at 13596 ft height. The Chicham Bridge connect 2 village one is Chicham village and Kibber. The bridge is suspension bridge and is situated across a deep gorge around 1000 ft. Chicham Bridge is one of the spectecular bridge in the world. 

• Kumzum Pass : While return from Kaza to Manali you will pass through Kumzum Pass. It is one of the best route for enjoying nature very closely. The car speed is very slow due to bad road condition but at Kumzum pass we face fresh snow fall and fell zero degree temperature. Amazing view at Kumzum pass. Also Kumzum Mata Temple located at 4590 mt height. There is a myth about Kumzum mata temple you need to do a circle and after go through your journey to Chandratal Lake or Manali. 

• Chandra taal Lake : As per Hindu Mythology Chandra taal is the place where Lord Indra came down with Chariot to transport Yudhisthira in his mortal from to Swarga or Heaven. Also local believed that fairies visit lake at night. Chandratal Lake is open in summer after may end or June start. So if you want to visit Chandra taal lake then plan in June. Also there are limited option for staying at Chandra taal Lake.

Things to know about Spiti Valley Tour :

While you planning for spiti valley tour you did not need to book hotels or homestays. There are lots of homestays and hotels every where. You can also book your homestays and hotels via Spiti Tourism or Himachal Pradesh Tourism. They will help you a lot for entire trip. Local peoples are so supportive and kind nature. They will aslo help and guide you to your destination. 

Which Mobile network works in Spiti Valley ? 

Most people have a question about network connectivity at Spiti Valley. I will take 2 simcards for my Spiti Valley Tour one is Reliance Jio and one is BSNL prepaid. After kinnaur vally pass all major networks are down but BSNL and Reliance Jio is connected to everywhere in spiti. Reliance Jio has better network connectivity even in internet also. So i suggest take Reliance Jio sim card for your trip. Only it fall down during Kumzum pass route. Otherwise in Kaza, Tabo, Nako all places covered by Reliance Jio network.

Best time to Visit Spiti Valley :

Well the Chandigarh to Kaza route open all year but sometimes landsliding may occer and also some heavy snowfall then it will take 4-6 hours to clear road. Road managed by BRO ( Border Road Organisation ) . Plan during mid of may in spiti valley because there is low crowd in May. But in May there may be return route block via Kumzum Pass and Chandratal Lake. June is more better for Spiti Valley tour to visit all the places. Some bikers may visit spiti valley in December for adventure too. 

Road Condition In Spiti Valley :

From Chandigarh to Kaza there is a clear road. At some places road condition is not good but main road is very impressive and no hazitation during the entire trip. Some village route is not good but it will manageable. The Kaza to Manali Via Kumzum pass road condition is not good so you need to travel whole day for Kaza to Manali. 

Star Gazing At Spiti Valley : Spiti Valley Night Sky

Well spiti valley is dark area where you can do stargazing verywell. Here you can see milkyway clear during no moon days. For milky way Langza is the best place in Spiti Valley. 

Spiti Valley Food Option : 
I will recommand The Himalayan Cafe in Spiti Valley for food. Well managed cafe and food options are amazing. Must visit place in Spiti valley.

You can visit my blog http://bit.ly/3zYFdVv about spiti valley tour itinerary and total cost with details. Also provide hotels and homestay options. You can write me if you need any help about spiti valley tour at nirajhack@gmail.com 

Russet Sparrow is a bird of sparrow family. It is generally found at Himalayas in India. It is very common at himalayan birding sites. House sparrow bird is now moved from city areas because of croweded area and pollutions and mobile towers. Russet sparrow i found during my trek to Manali and Har ki Dun trek also. So it is resident bird of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. It is small size bird and very friendly bird even you get very close to it.

About Russet Sparrow :

• Russet Sparrow is seed eating bird.
• Russet sparrow has thick bill.
• Russet Sparrow length is about 12-15 cm.
• There are three subspices of it recognised. Rutilans, intensior, cinnamomeus.
• Rutilans and intensior breeds in eastern Asia and cinnamomeus breeds in Himalayas.
• Sparrow feed seeds of grains and hurbs.
• They lay 5-6 eggs at a time.
• It is warm rufous in color. 
• Among all subspices the Himalayan Russet sparrow is little larger then others.
• Russet sparrow call is Cheep or chilp...

Sparrow is very familiar bird. House sparrow is very common in city areas. But now a days because of mobile towers and architectures and highrise building made them migrate from city. Russet Sparrow i found during my trek to Manali and also Har ki Dun trek. When i was on trek of Chandrakhani pass i frequently found russet sparrow in villages . Same thing during my har ki dun trek i found russet sparrow in small villages as a resident bird. 

Har ki Dun and Manali both from differant state Uttrakhand and Himachal Pradesh. So it shows russet sparrow widely spread in Himalayas. Actually Himalays are heaven for birding. There are huge number of spices of different birds in Himalayan range. Most popular places for birding in Himalayas are Manali, Har ki Dun, Pangot, Sattal, Nainital etc. 

Location : Har ki Dun trek, Manali Trek to Chandrakhani pass

Gear : Canon 6D, Canon 1000D, Canon 100-400 mm lens

Where is Spiti Valley ? : Before some years ago no one knows about Spiti Valley only bikers and trekkers go their but now a days it is most popular destination in Himachal Pradesh. Spiti valley  located in Himachal Pradesh India. It is near to indo Tibet (china ) border. Spiti means the middle land. Spiti valley is cold desert mountain valley of Himalayas. Spiti valley distributes in two parts one is Lahaul and other is Spiti district. Kaza is sub divisional headquarter of spiti district . Kaza is situated at 12500 ft from sea level and on spiti river. Spiti valley is one of the best place in Himachal Pradesh to visit in summer.

Spiti Valley Circuit  Tour :

Spiti valley tour is managed easily. It’s a round tour starts from Delhi or Chandigarh. The route to spiti valley is Delhi- Chandigarh- Kalpa- Tabo- Kaza and return back to same route and second route is Delhi – Chandigarh – Kalpa – Tabo – Kaza – Manali – kullu – sundarnagar – Chandigarh –Delhi

How many days need for Spiti valley Tour :

Well depends on your how many days you want to spend. I spend Total 7 days to spiti vally tour from Chandigarh. And also 2 days in Chandigarh before and after. If you want to explore more areas during Spiti valley tour you need at least 10-15 days . In this you can explore each and every places which come on route of Spiti Valley from Delhi or Spiti Valley from Chandigarh. The best explore of Spiti Valley i had seen in youtube is visatoexplore but i had not much days to explore that much. So if you go for 7-9 days then follow my itinerary so you can easily manage your trip.

Spiti Valley Package cost :

Well I would recommend you not to book any package for spiti valley. We also search for spiti valley package from Chandigarh with Innova car and it bit expensive. I suggest if you are from near by destination like Delhi , Chandigarh etc then go with your own car (SUV ) its cost you very cheap for your trip. We do our trip by own not a single hotel booking. We just book a car from Chandigarh to Chandigarh for 7 days.  Our total package with Car, Hotel rent, Food and other expenses cost around 21k Per person. We start from Chandigarh to Kaza via kinnaur , Kalpa , Nako, Tabo , Kaza and return from Kaza , Manali, Sundarnagar, Chandigarh. In winter return route from kaza to manali may not open. It open during summer after mid may or end of may. That route cost extra 7k of our car because its very bad road condition.

Chandigarh to Spiti Valley Tour Itinerary:

Day 1 : Arrive at Chandigarh and stay at Chandigarh 

Day 2 : Early morning leave to Kalpa or Reckong Peo . ( 307 Km almost 13 hours drive )

Day 3 : Kalpa to Tabo Via Nako sight scene ( 200 km approx including nako sight scene and take almost 8 hours)

Day 4 : Tabo To Kaza via Dhankar ( approx 50 km but if you go Dhankar lake then it will take almost 4 hours in Dhankar , So total it will take almost 6-8 hours depends on you where you stay more  time or not )

Day 5 : Stay at Kaza ( local sight scene )

Day 6 : Kaza to Manali or Kullu ( Total 182 km approx and it will take almost 10 hours or more , Google shows only 4 hours but road condition is very bad after Losar village so it will take more time to reach manali )

Day 7 : Manali to  Sundarnagar ( 130 km approx but you can do river rafting and paragliding at kullu in between and after noon drive to sundarnagar it will take almost 4-5 hours depends on traffic )

Day 8 : Sundarnagar to Chandigarh . Stay at Chandigarh (176 km almost 4-5 hours drive )

Day 9 : Leave to your Destination

From Kaza to Manali via Kumzum Pass Chandratal Lake is famous but it open only after mid may or end of may. If you drive from Delhi then you have to add more days before and after it around 300 km distance Delhi to Chandigarh .

Where to Stay in Spiti Valley : Accommodation In Spiti Valley 

• Chandigarh you can stay lots of hotels near airport and outer airport but i suggest you to book hotel near zirakpur so next day you can go direct to the kalpa route via kinnaur valley
• Kalpa : we stay at Alpine Nest hotel in kalpa or Rekong Pio. Hotel is very good and rooms were very neat and clean. Also it is on height so in the morning you can see beautiful view of Himalayas.
• Tabo : At tabo we stay at Green tara homestay and its a good homestay with good hospitality. Also cheaper than hotels.
• Kaza : We stayed at Kunga Hotel in kaza which is on the road after kaza city to kumzumpass route. It is also a good hotel with good rates.
• Manali : We stay at Gezelling Hill Tree hill cottages . It was amazing cottage with spacious rooms and a sitting area. 

This itinerary is managed by us by own. We do not book any hotel and any package for travel and sight scene. There is no need to book any package for Spiti Valley from Delhi . You can go by own with book of Car or by own car. As per your capacity you can drive car. We travel a lot almost every day. 

Spiti Valley Tour can managed from Delhi , Chandigarh, Manali too. But Manali route may open in mid of May so best route for Spiti Valley is from Chandigarh to Kinnour via sarahan, Kalpa, Chitkul.

Best Time to Visit Spiti Valley :

Best time to visit Spiti Valley is in Summer during May to July. All route and roads are open during this season. Also return route from Kaza to Manali via Kumzum pass is open after mid may and it is one of the best route for nature lovers. Chandratal Lake is open after end of May so you can visit in Jun. Also some peoples visit Spiti Valley in Winter too. During winter its very very cold and if you can control extreme cold condition.

Temperature in Spiti Valley :

During winter Spiti Valley temperature fall down up to -20 to -30 degree. Also roads are not clear due to snow fall. BRO ( Border Road Organization ) maintain roads in all seasons. Weather in summer is pleasant and temperature in Spiti Valley in summer is around 5-15 degree in day time and at night it 0-10 degree. Weather is not sure so temperature may different during entire season. But one more thing here UV index in spiti valley  is High  .

How to reach Spiti Valley : 

Best route for Spiti Valley is from Kinnaur side and return from manali side. The road condition from Kinnaur side is excellent so you can choose that route and also visit Chitkul, Kalpa, Nako, Tabo from that route. Return route if kumzum pass route is open then you can come back from manali side and visit Chandratal lake. Otherwise come back from same route of Kinnaur side.

Spiti Valley from Manali :

Most peoples take Manali route in Return from spiti valley. Also that route is open during summer. Road condition of that route from Losar Village to Spiti Cut - Koksar is very bad and you can take atleast full day for it. Google shows Kaza to Manali 4 hours but it won't. From Losar to Koksar you find only one Dhaba for lunch or something to eat like meggy. No other services if your car/bike has some issue then you have to go either koksar or Losar. So plan early morning leave for this route. The route has awesome scenery to see so you may take lots of break during this route. In summer at kumzum pass feel very cold. We found some bikers and cars they came from manali to visit chandratal at 3-4 pm. So i suggest if you will go from Manali to Kaza then leave early morning around 6-7 am from Manali. 

Panorama View Spiti Valley :

Here some panorama images taken with mobile and also from dslr camera which mearged after gives you better ideas about spiti valley landscapes. 

Spiti Valley Drone Images :

Himalayan Mountains are really beautiful if you shoot them from Drone. Here my cousine came with Drone and get memorable moments capture from drone. Below image is way to kalpa from Chandigarh.

Above and below image of Tabo village Himachal Pradesh. We stay one night at Tabo at Green tara homestay taken good night starts and at morning we shoot from drone. Tabo Village is near to river so we try to capture whole village and river in one frame.

Dhankar Lake in below image looks amazing from drone image. Dhankar lake is at around 11500 ft height and approx 3-4 km from Dhankar Village and Dhankar monestery. Trek route is moderate if you aclamite weather. Wind is strong blowing here so do not prove yourself infront of weather that you are so strong. Because you are travelling by car and then go for trek at 11000 ft height may be difficult for anyone. My cousine also get low level oxygen problem when we come back from trek. So be safe .

Kaza to Kumzum Pass : One of the best route during Spiti Valley Tour is Kaza to Kumzum pass to Manali. Weather changes every hour do not pridicted. But definately you will get thrill during route. We face snowfall during the way and the feel was amazing. But The road is too bad that you will travel whole day around 10-12 hours. Also i would suggest 4 x 4 cars for this route. Low ground level cars may damaged during route. Also there is no service during 50 km in between.

For Places to visit During Spiti Valley i will make new post with photos. 

If you need any assistence about spiti valley tour feel free to ask nirajhack@gmail.com

Rock Bunting is sparrow size bird and it looks beautiful small size bird. It is Passerine bird. It is in the bunting family Emberizidae. In India it found in Himalayan range. I found and shoot it at Chandrakhani Pass area during my trek to manali. 

Description Of Rock Bunting :

• It is small size bird about 15-16 cm in length 
• Male rock bunting has chestnut upperpart during breeding season.
• It has a pale grey head with black stripping mark.
• Female rock bunting has paler underpart and grey brown back which is simillar to male but dull from male.
• In Africa and Turkey rock bunting has white wing bars.
• It generally found in  Afria, Europe , Asia many parts
• It is partially migratory bird.
• It breeds in dry and rocky mountain areas.
• It lays 3-5 eggs which are greyish in color.
• Call of Rock Bunting is tseee and it sing like churrr... chirrriii...itt

During my trek to manali we go to chandrakhani pass and i found more than 30 spices of birds during my trek. Different spices of birds found here so if you go for birding go by trek i recommand. Some birds i missed because of small size birds and difficult to capture with my lens and some birds images are not clear but can identify easily. Himalayan mountain range is best place for bird watching and bird photography. Some destinations like Sattal , Delhousie and Singalila National Park are heaven for birding and bird watching. Chandrakhani pass is high altitude pass where you can find rare spices of bird like Himalayan Monal but i am not luck so i could not found it. Amazing snow in june month when we went their at chandrakhani pass. Manali Trek open from May  to  July - August . 

Trek start from Dobhi and return to Dobhi takes 4-5 days. I went with YHAI - youth hostels association India who manage different treks in all over India. Cheap and well managed trek they arrange. You can book in advance from direct website of https://www.yhaindia.org/ 

Gear used : Canon 1000 D with Canon 100-400 mm lens

Location : Near to chandrakhani pass , Manali

During my trek to manali and Har ki Dun i got lots of birds spices and also good numbers of flycatcher birds. Himalayan mountain range is one of the best place for birds and thats why it called birds paradise. Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand states in India are best place for birding. Places above 7000 ft height are really heaven and pollution less and noice less. 

Flycatcher is a beautiful bird . there are lots of spices of them. Little pied flycatcher is found in asia , bhutan,nepal, malaysia,myanmar,laos etc. In india it found mostly in Himalayan Mountain range. Its color is black and white. Black on top body and white in bottom from neck to tail. Also white strip on eye and wings also.I shot it in manali and also in Har ki Dun trek.

About Little Pied Flycatcher Bird :

• It is Resident bird of Himalayas, NE India and Bangladesh.
• It is small and compact in size.
• It has Bull headed with small dark bill.
• Male is striking with mainly black upperparts and white underparts.
• It has long and broad white supercilium, white patch on wing, and white sides to base of tail.
• Female has brownish grey upperparts and whitish underparts with brownish grey wash to breast and flanks.
• Juvenile has buff spotting on upperparts and tips to coverts and whitish underparts with dark scaling on breast.
• Sound of Little Pied Flycatcher is series of thin, high pitched notes.
• It breeds in broadleaved deciduous and evergreen forest.

Manali Trekking : Manali is heaven for birders. Lots of spices of different birds found here. Just go for trek to manali and you will have lots of birds spices in your memories and also Amazing Himalays. Himalayan mountains are best place to see in India. If you go by trek to himalaya you will see beautiful scenery of Himalaya with full of snow mountains in summer also. At 11000 ft height you will definitely found snow in your trek. When you wake up in the morning you will have beautiful sounds of different birds. 

Camera Used : Canon 1000 D, Canon 100-400 mm lens

A bird with long tail Yellow Billed Blue Magpie bird found in NE India and mostly in Himalayas. During my trek to manali chandrakhani pass our base camp dobhi is beautiful place and i found lots of birds around my base camp. Yellow Billed Blue Magpie Bird is easily identify because of its long tail. A beautiful bird with long tail looks blue in color and strips on tail. It founds mostly in himalayan range. It is resident bird of Himalayas. It belongs to crow and jay family.

Description of Yellow Billed Blue Magpie :

• It has Yello bill and small white crescent on nape.
• Duller blue Grey Mantle and wings.
• Juvenile similar to adult but has duller head and upperparts also more extensive white on nape and dull olive yellow bill.
• In western himalayas has white underparts and bluer mantle and wings than Eastern Himalayas which has greyer mantle and wings and primrose yellow wash to underparts.
• Call of Yellow billed blue magpie is A wheezy bu - zeep - peck - peck , pop - upclea , pu- pu -weer and a high clear - clear.
• Usually its in pairs or flock of up to ten.
• They build nest on fork of tree and made by roots and grass.
• The clutch consists 3 or 4 eggs.
• They eat small mammals, fruits, insects etc.
• Breeding zone in between 5000 ft to 9700 ft approx.
• Its length about 66 cm and tail length 45 cm approx.

Himalayan Mountain range is best place for birding and landscape photography. Different areas of NE himalayas and E Himalayas have different landscape views of Himalayas. Some good places to go by trek are Manali chandrakhani pass, Har ki Dun trek, Valley of Gods, Sattal, Valley of Flowers, Kaza, Spitti Valley , Singalila National Park etc... 

Gear Used : Canon 1000 D , Canon 100-400 mm lens

Plumbeous water Redstart is pesserine bird and also old in Flycatcher Family. Generally it founds in Asia and China. This spices also have two subspices Phoenicurus fuliginosus fuliginosus and Phoenicurus fuliginosus affinis. In India it found in verious places in Himalayan range. Generally it found near to river in search of food. It found on stones which are in river water. I found it during my trek to manali chandrakhani pass. Also during Har ki dun trek i found it.

Description and Habitat Plumbeous Water Redstart  :

• Male Plumbeous Water Redstart are slate blue in color and females are grey.
• Total length of Plumbeous water redstart is  14-15 cm approx.
• Weight of Plumbeous water redstart is around 20-23 gms
• Male Plumbeous Water Redstart color in slate blue and tail is rusty red. 
• Female Plumbeous Water Redstart are grey and white rump.
• Plumbeous water redstart found in India, China, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Taiwan etc. It covers all Asian country almost.
• Plumbeous Water Redstart feed small insects like mayflies.
• Plumbeous Water Redstart lives in between 2000 meter to 4000 meter height.
• Plumbeous Water Redstart is very protective in its habitat.
• Plumbeous Water Redstart flies above 20ft from river to catch flies.
• Plumbeous Water Redstart population remains stable within last 10 years.

Manali is very good place to visit during winter and also during summer. Both season weather is different. In winter you enjoy snowfall and in summer you can play with snow. I visited manali in good hotels during winter and also by trek in summer. Both time i enjoy lot. During manali trekking i found more than 30 spices of birds and also amazing himalayan landscapes. At that time i had not good enough camera but still i got good images of birds and landscapes. 

Gear Used : Canon 1000 D, Canon 100-400mm lens

I found two types of Bulbul Bird in trek of Manali. During my trek of manali i found more than 30 spices of different birds and among them i found two types of bulbul Black Bulbul And Himalayan Bulbul. Both bulbul are different from bulbul found near to my home red wented bulbul. Manali is heaven for birding and also for landscapes. Himalayas is my fevorite destination. 

Himalayan Bulbul :

• Himalayan bulbul is resident in north pakistan hills and Himalays.
• It has white cheeks, brownish grey upperparts, and yellow went.
• It has brown crest, brown nape, smaller white cheek patch with black crescent at rear.
• Call of Himalayan bulbul is we - did - de - dear - up , who - lik - lik - leer . 
• It feed small insects and invertebrates.
• Its size about 18 cm length and wing span around 25-30 cm. weight around 30 gm.
• It built nest in bushes and low branches.
• Female lays generally 3 eggs and they incubates in 12 days.
• Cheeks leave nest when they are 9-12 days old.

Black Bulbul :

• It is known as Himalayan Black Bulbul or Asian Black Bulbul.
• Slate grey to blackish bulbul with slight crest.
• It  has bright red bill, legs and feet, pale fringes to undertail coverts and shallow fork to tail.
• Juvenile lacks crest, has whitish throat, grey breast band, brownish cast to upperparts, bill and legs.
• Call of Black bulbul is repeated series of three or four rising and falling notes.
• Length of black bulbul is 25 cm .
• They have black streak behind the eye.
• Black bulbul is also known as Malagasy Bulbul.
• It found in Himalays and Southeast Asia.

Himachal Pradesh Birds :

Himalayas is the heaven for bird watching and birding. During trek you can found lots of spices of beautiful birds. Himachal Pradesh is very good for trekking too. Manali is best for trekking in Himachal Pradesh. Chandrakhani Pass is the last destination for manali trekking. During the trek you can found lots of spices of birds very closely. It is also good to see their behaviour and understanding their life. Visit in april to july so you can find lots of birds. Best season is April to July for trekking to Himalayas.

Gear Used : Canon 1000 D, Canon 100-400 mm lens

The Indian White Eye bird actually name changed from Orientle White Eye. It is small passarine bird from white eye family. This bird can easily identify because of its white ring on eye. A small bird with white ring on eye looks beautiful. Its a resident breeder in India. I found it at Himachal Pradesh when i was on trek to Manali. Small bird found in small trees and woodland. 

Description About Indian White Eye :

• Size of bird is very small about 8-9 cm.
• Color is yellow on upper parts and yellow throat and vent and white ring on eye.
• Belly is white grey also yellow in some subspices.
• It feed nectar and small insects.
• Total 11 subspices recorded.
• Breeding season is February to september and April is peak.
• They build nest in very short time and lay pale blue eggs.

Birding At Manali : 

Manali is one of the best place for birding. Bird watchers oftenly came here and do lots of bird photography. There are lots of birds spices are found here. Better you go by trek so you can explore more birding area of manali. Chandrakhani Pass is very good place at height of 9000 ft above where you can found Himalayan Monal. Also lots of snow at this place so you can enjoy the nature beauty of the place. Amazing Landscapes you can take from here of Himalayan Mountain Range. 

Indian White eye is Least concern bird in the IUCN bird list. It found in many areas.

Gear Used : Canon 1000 D, Canon 100-400 mm Lens

Photo Taken at Dobhi Base camp outskirts of YHAI.

Verditer Flycatcher is summer visitor to Himalayas and North East India. I found it at Manali when i was on trek to chandrakhani pass. Flycatchers are really beautiful birds to see and to catch. The color of Verditer flycatcher is really amazing blue. Its attract to your eyes. Himalayan range is full of birds. Specially birds are migrated and also winter visitors.

About Verditer Flycatcher :

• It is blue in color and dark patch between the eyes and above the bill base.
• Male is Entirely greenish blue, brighter forehead and throat and black lores.
• It is not confusable with any other flycatcher.
• Female is similar but duller and greyer and dusky lores.
• Pale blue flycatcher is confusable with female verditer flycatcher.
• Voice song comprises series of rapid, undulating, strident notes ascending the scale.
• It found in open forest, tall trees in open areas, groves and gardens.

Himachal Pradesh Birds / Manali Birds :

Manali is very good to bird watchers. Go by trek from Dobhi to Chandrakhani Pass. Trek organized by many but i suggest go with Youth Hostel YHAI. From Dobhi you can get good birds and by moving to chandrakhani pass about 10000 ft height you can get lots of birds. I found more than 35 spices of different birds during my trek. Trekking is good experience to get in touch with nature closely. You can get amazing landscapes here of Himalayas and Himalayan Range with beautiful sunrise and sunset.

Gear Used : Canon 1000 D, Canon 100-400 mm lens

Great barbet or asian barbet generally found in himalayas. It is the largest barbet in barbet family. It lives in forests above 3000 m height. I found it during my Manali trekking at 8000 ft height. There are about 80 spices of barbet. More than 10 spices found in India. It generally found at tall tree branches so difficult to see and take a photos. But sometimes you are lucky that you get better pictures too. 

Description About Great Barbet :

• Size of Great barbet  is 12-13 inch and weight aprox 190-290 gm.
• They eat fruits and insects.
• The adult has brown back ,blue head ,large yellow bill and red went.
• Nesting season is April to July.
• The color of this barbet is really a great combinations by god.
• They also found in Nepal , Bhutan and bangladesh.
• They generally found in lower to middle altitudes of himalays.
• Great Barbet male territorial call is kay-oh very loud.
• Also Great Barbet call is repetitive piou-piou-piou .

Birds of Manali :

Manali is one of the best place for birding. While you go with leisure tour you cannot get much birds but when you go in trekking then you get most of birds in unexlpored areas. Also trekking is good for your fitness too. Himalayas are really amazing for trekking and birding. 

Camera Used : Canon 1000 D, Canon 100-400 mm lens

Flycatchers are really beautiful birds. All species have their different specification and different from other birds. Rufous Gorgeted Flycatcher bird is one of them.In India it found in north side at Himalayan Mountain range.I got shot at manali when i was on trek of chandrakhanipass. Beautiful Bokeh with Flycatcher bird is really cool.

Binominal name : Ficedula Strophiata 

Family :Muscicapidae 

About Rufous Gorgeted Flycatcher Bird: 

• Rufous Gorgeted Flycatcher is resident bird of Himalayas.
• Male Rufous Gorgeted Flycatcher has dark olive brown upper parts, blackish face and throat.
• Male  flycatcher has prominent white forehead and eyebrow.
• Small rufous patch in center of grey breast and large white patches at sides of tail in male Rufous Gorgeted Flycatcher. 
• Female Rufous Gorgeted Flycatcher has less distinct eyebrow, duller and less distinct rufous.
• Also female has paler grey face and throat.
• Juvenile Rufous gorgeted flycatcher has tail pattern as adult, underparts spotted with orange buff and orange buff throat and breast.
• Rufous Gorgeted Flycatcher bird call is a thin zreet-creet-creet-chirt-chirt ......

Manali is beautiful place to visit during winter and also in summer. If you go in winter you can see live snowfall and that is amazing experience. While if you are nature lover then go by trekking and enjoy untouchable nature. You can find lots of birds around you while you are on a trek to manali. It was my first long trek experience when i go. But i must say it is the only way to feel nature closely you go by trekking. And if it is Himalayan trek then no word to say, it is marvelous. 

Photos taken at chandrakhani pass manali. Chandrakhani pass is the last point of our trek at about 10000 ft height. Its  a heaven for bird watching and bird photographer. We really want Himalayan Monal at this point but we are not lucky enough to get it. But we are not disappointed because we found more than 30-35 spices of birds during our trek. We found good number of flycatchers at manali himachal pradesh. Rufous gorgeted flycatcher is beautiful bird and its color is grey so it mix up with tree so difficult to find. 

Camera used : Canon 1000 D with 100-400 mm lens.