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.

Text and photographs copyright of the author. No part of this article or photographs maybe transmitted or reproduced by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without written permission. Do contact the author on email -- helpthesun@gmail.com

Bhutan - inside a farming family's house - a close insight on their life

We were in Phubjikha for a few days essentially to see the famous black necked cranes which come from Tibet for the winter.
One of my real keen interests was to see a local farmer's house. We had gone for a drive as my wife wanted to see the other side of the valley away from the Centre's side. 

Here we were in the village of Kilkhorthang. We saw a seller of vegetables and other items parked alongside a lane. We walked down it. Gradually it became more and more muddy. 




I told our guide to ask any house holder if we could visit their home. We werent going to see any farmer's homes in the city!

We saw a lady coming from a house nearby and he went up to her and requested her if it was possible. It was amazing - she willingly agreed. Photo above is the religious icon as you enter Mrs Budda's house.                                

We climbed a steep staircase to get to her living area. Generally livestock is kept down below but in her case, she used her rooms below as a godown. 

The living room was an amazing sight - hanging like laundry, were rows of turnip leaves. The turnips are used as feed for the animals. The leaves are dried and eaten as a vegetable in the cold winters. 

The room as you see is well organised. TV and special items on one side. 


In the centre is a wood stove which keeps the whole house warm. 

Just off the living room are two rooms where the family stays. There is Mrs Budda, her husband and her family. she has six children - 3 girls and 3 boys. 

Staying with her in her ancestral house, as this is a matrilineal society, are her husband, one son, two daughters and one son in law. 
The picture above and to the right is of one of the bedrooms. There is a large space devoted to the various icons and gods who look after the family. 

                                           











Like most human beings who are not obsessive compulsive, there is clutter in different places around the house - more so as they have little furniture. In a wall space are the music items - a radio and a music system which seemed so unexpected in such surroundings as did the large TV in the other room.                                                                                                                                                                                          Here we have the other view of the living room area. 

True to local custom, Mrs Budda insisted on serving us tea and snacks.  I forgot that they drink butter tea! It took some time and then she used the stick to churn the butter.       
The tea was salty and tasted of butter, naturally. i could just about manage half a cup. The snacks were of three types. the one i had was basically rice crispies.                                                                                                                                                           Bhutanese take red rice and make it crispy by roasting it over a hot fire. Delicious.  I did not try the other items. 
Very sensibly, to keep the tea hot, the cups have covers. Naturally, my wife liked this idea and we bought some to try out at home!!   The tea is strong and reddish in colour.                                  

 

i just love the photo above of the turnip leaves hanging over head. 


The photo on the left is of all the cleaning equipment used in the household. 

The steep stairs to the house


























We spent nearly 30 minutes with our kind hostess. It was a wonderful experience. As you see the final photo with its caption, think of the family in the depth of winter when they have to go outside to sort out their needs!! 


Text and photographs copyright of the author. No part of this article or photographs maybe transmitted or reproduced by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without written permission. Do contact the author on email -- helpthesun@gmail.com