Himalayan Monal

Have you seen one?

One bird that catches the eye of every one is this most beautiful Himalayan Monal. A bird that is on the wish list of every bird photographer, birder and a tourist.  The metallic colours on the bird attracts and fascinates everyone. I am often asked when is the best time to see one and where can we find them. Felt it will be good to cover it in this week's blog.

Monals in general are high altitude dwellers. In India, there are mainly two different Monal species that are found. One is the Scalters Monal which is seen around Mishmi hills in the early weeks of Nov ( now dont ask me why only this particular period as I am always still figuring out) and the other is the more common Himalayan Monal. The range of the Himalayan Monal extends all the way from the western Himalayas to the eastern and across various states in India and even beyond including Bhutan and China. 

Two best places where the bird is more common is Chopta valley ( Tunganath Trek) in Uttarakhand and Zuluk (old silk route) in Sikkim.  The landscape in itself is beautiful and the bird adds the charm to the same. To be honest these are not rare and difficult birds to see but the terrain and weather makes it slightly challenging. I saw this bird in 2016 during my first trip to Chopta and ever since I have had numerous occasions where I have seen them. In 2022 I had the opportunity to explore the old silk route and magnificent Zuluk area and this is by far the best place to see the Monals.  Every hair pin bend provides an opportunity to spot one and what more can one ask for.

To see the bird in Uttarakhand the best way is to take the 3 km long Tunganth trek that leads you up from Chopta to the temple. As you start hiking up on the trail, there are large meadows that are home to these birds and early mornings are best time. I recommend Nov - Apr as the best time if you want to see the bird against the mighty snowy ranges of Himalayas as the temple is closed for winters and generally there is no crowd. But be ready to brave the cold and take it slow to acclimatise. The roads from Rishikesh has been well laid and makes it easier for people to reach Chopta these days.  

Zuluk on the other hand is accessible from Bagdogra / Siliguri and there is not much of trek required. The curvy Silk Road reaches all the way to the top and spotting the bird from the vehicle maximises chances . Zuluk has better chances mainly as each hairpin bend that you take allows you to see the wider area below and spotting one in that is easier. Even here the best time would be the winter months of Nov-Apr . Feel free to reach out to me if you need more details

For photographer friends - once you see the bird allow them to get accustomed to your presence. This increases chances of them coming closer as they continue to feed on those short grasses  and being around for a longer time allowing you to make your dream frames. 

Best time to see them would be early in the morning before human activity increases and its warm. So ensure you reach the place early.

Now let me add some background story behind the image above. This was taken in Nov in the Tunganath trek. We started the trek at 6 AM and after an hour of steady uphill trek we spotted the bird feeding in a fair distance. We waited for the sun to raise and as light got better the bird too felt more comfortable by our presence. I always wanted to have a frame where I can add a bit of the habitat and when the Bird started moving we felt a path that it might take be the best chance. We positioned ourselves and waited for some time to let the bird slowly come on this track. Luck to our side the bird moved in the exact path where we wanted it to and stopped at this small patch with lovely small flowers and grass . Such a myriad of colours in the frame is all I can expect and after almost two hours with the bird we left but not before some satisfying images. 

This image now is the centre of attraction at my home and the living room has a large size print right at the centre. Visitors home often repeat this question of is this bird really real and are they seen in India and now hope this blog answers it.

Happy Sunday Folks !!