Himalayan Monal

Himalayan Monal

The great Himalayan Monal, what can I can say about this beauty. Its a sight for sore eyes and if you are visiting this part of our country its one bird which is a top priority in everyone's click list. However, the weather during this time of the year made it a tough ask to photograph it. Let's start off with the journey- We 5 people left our home to witness some awesome and colorful Birds of Himalaya. Our Itinerary was Mandal-Chopta-Tungnath-Dhikala. The trip started on Dec 13 from Haridwar. It was 7-8 hours long road journey but due to road construction work it takes extra 2 hours to reach our first destination, Mandal. We did some good en-route birding. Highlight was Wallcreeper, Asian-barred Owlet, Blue-throated Barbet and Black Bulbul. After reaching Mandal, our guide informed us that the snowing has started early this year and the entry point to lot many places were closed. We were totally disappointed as the snow not only dropped the temperature to super cold but also dropped our excitement and hope of getting a chance to picture Monal. Next night (14 Dec) after discussing with guide about the Chopta road condition, we all decided to go by vehicle till the motorable road after that we decided to walk to our stay. Next morning (15 Dec) we started early, our vehicle dropped us 12KM before Chopta. From that drop point, it was difficult to drive. we walked on snow and enjoying every minute of it. By 11 we reached the hotel. Thank to Harish Mitahni for the shortcut road it saves around 4-5KM walk and our energy. On the way we saw Red-headed Bullfinch flock, 3 Peregrine Falcon's fight and 2 Himalayan Monal flying away over our head. In evening again walked till the Monal Point. Due to Snow cutter vehicle the nearby area was disturbed and we could only see Female Himalayan Monal. Next morning (16 Dec), this was our last chance to see and photograph Male Monal. We started our walk to the drop point and to our excitement we found 2 Male and 4-6 Female Monal from a distance. We decided to wait in shadow till it came out on the road. Guide was behind us and Assit. guide was on another road bend to check the Monal activity. Assit, Guide finally signaled us that male Monal is behind us and climbing the mountain. The moment it showed up in front of us we did not waste any time to photograph it and to enjoy the true beauty in front of us. This is not the first time that I have clicked this bird, but each time you see it, you are just in awe of its beauty and you just cannot stop yourself from getting one more shot. And like any other Bollywood movie we had a happy ending to our trip. Our long walk paid off by watching and photographing The Himalayan Monal. Happy Christmas to all friends Thanks Avian Trips