Birdwatching

The Jaldhaka Valley is exceptionally rich in avifauna. The river corridor, with its bouldered banks, fast water and overhanging forest, is ideal habitat for the specialised community of riverine birds: species that spend their lives along turbulent mountain rivers and are found nowhere else.
The best locations for birdwatching are the riverbank below Jhalong (ideal times are pre-dawn or the hour before dusk), the Paren forest tracks (best visited in the mornings with a local guide) and the forest edge at Rongo. Rongo is about 10km from Jhalong and makes for a good half-day excursion. Serious birders should allocate at least three days to do the valley justice.

Key Bird Species of the Jaldhaka Valley

• Crested Kingfisher: large, pied, unmistakable; perches on midstream boulders
• Brown Dipper: small, rotund, walks underwater along the riverbed to feed
• Eurasian Wryneck: cryptically camouflaged woodpecker; listen for its call
• Slaty-backed Forktail: slate-grey and white; bobs on wet rocks
• Little Forktail: smaller forktail, closer to the water edge
• Hodgson’s Redstart: flicks its chestnut tail constantly; common on boulders
• Rufous-necked Laughingthrush: forest interior, travelling in noisy flocks
• Great Hornbill: occasional sightings at Paren and Rongo forest edges
• Himalayan Bulbuls, Minivets, Flycatchers (numerous species at Paren and Rongo)
• Cormorants: diving for fish in the deeper Jaldhaka pools