Black necked Crane Centre - Bhutan's national bird and their efforts to safeguard it.

 I did a lot of reading on Bhutan before we left for this wonderful country. But I was not aware of the road conditions in Bhutan. We were in for a real surprise! 

Distances appear close by but do not forget that Bhutan is a mountainous country. You need to go up a mountain and then come down that mountain. There are no tunnels or direct routes. Not once, but many times, before reaching your destination. From Thimpu to Phubjikha was 134 kms. One would think that we could do this in may be 3 hours?? Excluding a break for lunch and a pit stop, it took us actual travel time of SIX hours: an average speed of 22.50 kmph. The roads are being re-constructed. You pass major road work; you have to wait at certain places where the work is going on. You have to go at walking speed at certain places as the drop down is many thousand feet. So, reaching your destination is an activity where you need patience. Here are the actual driving times for the places shown along with distances. No stops included.

1. Thimpu top Phubjikha      134 kms       6 hours
2. Phubjikha to Punakha      73 kms         3.50 hours
3. Punakha to Paro    103 kms        3.00 hours

The worst stretch is that from Thimpu to Punakha before you go towards Phubjikha. Don’t travel in anything less than a 4 x 4 if you can. Travel in Eastern Bhutan is more difficult as we were told the roads are worse. To go there, you require 2 to 3 days by car though distance is not much. So, plan the trip carefully. 

So, to reach Phubjikha, 2,900 metres and around many mountains, it took us a total of 8 hours, including lunch and a pit stop, over roads that were dirt tracks, often full of slush, lots of mud, rocks and stones galore, and of course, the constant manoeuvring with other cars to stop falling thousands of feet into the valley – there are no road barriers. Nerve wrecking, true but in the end, FANTASTIC. Tired but happy. Our guest house, Yue - Loki Farm house where we for two nights, seemed to be at the very very end of the valley !!

We received a warm welcome – at 5.00pm, NO POWER. The whole area had power failure till next day. The room had a log burning stove, which had to be filled every hour or two. Nice and warm until midnight - then freezing cold till early morning when the young lady came and lit it up for us. We went around by torch light and in the room, we had candles. Romantic under different circumstances!! 

We came here to see some birds – even though we are not birders. Actually we wanted to see the valley. It’s unimaginable. I am writing a blog on the Gangtey Nature Trail – a 4 kms walk we did one day. It’s only then we really understood the vastness of this awesome beautiful valley.

The Black necked cranes, Grus nigricollis, come here to Phubjikha, Wangdue district, as it’s their winter habitat. We are at the periphery of the Black Mountain National Park. Each adult is around 1.15 m tall, with a 2 metre wing span. On average they weigh 5. – 5.0 kgs. When we arrived, the first cranes had just come a few days before. There were three adults out there in the valley and the injured bird in the cage. 

We saw the wounded young bird named Karma. He had been injured and they are looking after him for the last 2 years or so. For those who can’t see well, like me, it’s a blessing to have Karma there as we got a real close-up look of what these cranes look like!!

We reached the centre – what is amazing about Bhutan is that wherever you have a museum or local important place, you will see an excellent documentary on it. They have the equipment, the seating and the ability to show it with pride... we can learn a lot from them. The centre’s viewing gallery had a few telescopes centred on the birds.  They had a room for the documentary screening which explained in simple clear terms the reasons why these birds come and why they are so respected. There were many displays detailing out information on them too. The only negative was the exorbitant pricing of the shop’s items – to pay Rs 500 for a T shirt is absurd. The salesman said he gets only 10% for the centre – my point was sell more by reducing the prices! 

A whole storm of birds suddenly rose up from the fields below 

At first, I could not see anything – though my family went on pointing out the white spots to me. Finally, I saw them through the telescope!! Now, how to remember them?? A brain wave – I put my camera lens on the telescope and with great care took a few shots – which luckily came quite clear. Later that same day, returning from the farm house visit, (see blog published), we could clearly see the same three cranes just about 300 - 400 metres away. Now that made my day.

The Bhutanese respect these cranes, often referred as a heavenly bird – as gracious, beautiful and harmless. They are called Thrung Thrungs. Elders claim that their arrival each year heralds a good omen – their call is spiritually satisfying to the locals. Surprisingly, the arrival and departure dates of the cranes coincide with auspicious dates of the Bhutanese calendar. When they arrive they soar over the Gangtey monastery three times before landing. When they leave, they again circunambulate the monastery before heading north to Tibet. Its a regular routine and the monks of the monastery keep track of their numbers too.  

The development of this region, with an increase in potato farming and other activity has seen a need for the Govt to step in and create an awareness programme on the joint existence between man and bird. 

In 1999, the Integrated Black Necked Crane Conservation and development programme was begun. Various activities were begun – aimed at men, women, children and outsiders. An eco tourism plan featuring nature trails, crane observation centres, photography hides, cultural tours, and accommodation etc were all part of the programme.

                                                Phubjikha is blessed with diverse species of flora and fauna. Slopes adjacent to the valley floor are dominated by blue pine with hard woods such as birch, several species of rhododendron, and maple trees. Further up the slope, one sees spruce fir and suppressed hemlock trees.

The Black Neck Crane festival is held every year on 11^th November. It coincides with the birth anniversary celebrations of H M the King. Its primary purpose is to spread awareness on the cranes, and on local traditions and culture. A considerable number of tourists come as the travel trade is actively involved. Funds go to the conservation programme.

So what do the cranes do daily?  They are generally in family groups between 2 to 4 birds or larger groups. Some are in bachelor flocks!! During daytime, they are in the wetlands and by agricultural fields foraging. Local livestock also use the same grounds. The diet consists of roots, tubers, potatoes, wheat, buckwheat, insects, fish, snails and rodents.

Come night, they roost in small shallow ponds along the Nake Chhu rover saving them from predators. Around February, they socialize more and courtship begins with dancing including bowing, jumping, running, tossing of grass / sticks, and major flapping of wings. Anything to impress the female.

The local people have ensured that safe and comfortable roosts are maintained by restoration and artificial ponds maintained. They are very sensitive to humans so every care is taken to avoid them and not disturb them. 

IN CONCLUSION, A WARNING TO ALL VISITORS TO BHUTAN:

This country does not accept credit or debit cards. Bhutan is a strictly cash economy. The concept of credit or debit cards, as known in India or elsewhere, does not exist in Bhutan. The only places taking credit cards are those where sales are high value – e.g. high end textile / retail shops or 5 + star hotels. Everywhere else it’s CASH, cash and Cash (note my variations on spelling to stress importance of cash currency). If you were like us, as we had limited cash, be warned, you will have a tough time. So travel to Bhutan with lots of cash. If using Indian credit or debit cards, inform your Bank of the destination abroad else the card will be barred / stopped after the first transaction. I do not know the current status after demonetization of  high value Indian currency.

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