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Three months have gone by since our last Garuda was sent to you. Koshi Camp now looks greener and fresher after the monsoon. We have opened our camp from since October 1st and have already hosted several visitors.
The sight of male Pied Harriers flying over the Koshi Camp every evening reminds the onset of winter in the lowlands of Nepal. Flocks of wintering buntings are seen in the camp and elsewhere. These often fly around, mixed with resident Baya and varieties of munia. Several Indian Flying Foxes (one of the largest fruit bats of the world) come every night to feed on fruiting trees of the camp. Grasslands across the mighty Koshi River are in white flowers and the distant views of Mount Makalu (world's fifth highest mountain peak in the world) on a clear morning is just awesome. We would like to invite you all to share this feeling and sight with us here at Koshi Tappu !
The most exciting news from the camp include continuous presence of globally threatened Swamp Francolin. One family with up to 5 individuals was seen in front of the dining hall resting on a grass tunnel. Dr Seb Buckton, Senior Research Scientist at Wildfowl and Wetland Trust was our opening guest for this season who witnessed the Swamp Francolin family and several other birds at our camp premises. Dr Buckton was on a wetland conservation mission supported by a grant from the Darwin Initiative, UK government. As an expert on wetland ecology, Dr Buckton has praised our effort to conserve the habitats.
Jungle Cat and a flock of medium sizedfruit bats are resident at Koshi Camp. Although rich in bat fauna, not much is known about their identity, status and distribution in Nepal. Koshi Camp could be an exciting centre also for those who would like to study bats. Similarly, butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies are found in plenty at Koshi but again not much is know especially about the latter two.
A visit to the Barrage in October revealed at least 3 Fresh Water Dolphins. Koshi Barrage continues to be an exciting bird watching destination with scores of birds. |