Bagmati & Manohara

Bird watching begins right in kathmandu by the banks of the Bagmati and Manohara rivers.

Though unchecked pollution has reduced the number of visitors, especially cranes, many species still occur. Birds sighted along these rivers are the Egrets, Herons, kingfishers, Ibisbill, Wood Sandpipers and Plovers to name a few. The Chobar gorge and Tanda are recommended sites along these rivers. Away from human distrubances many birds are seen here.

Nagarjun

The other recommented site is Nagarjun (2105 m) which lies north west of kathmandu. It is only a ten minute drive from Thamel and lies just above Balaju. One can walk from Balaju and to reach the top on foot, take the road that goes right just after the entrance. The one going left is long and winding and better for a drive. Pheasants, Magpies, Sunbirds, Ruby- throats are some of the birds found here. However, it is not as good as phulchowki.

The Shivapuri

The Shivapuri Wildlife Reserve is another destination for the birs-watcher. It lies 12km north of kathmandu and can be reached either from Sundarijal or Budhanilkantha. Both are easily reached by taxi or mini-bus. Mini buses leave for Budhanilkhantha from Jamal(Rani-Pokhari). Some of the birds sighted here are the Laughing Thrush, Crested Serpent Eagle, Little Pied Flycatchers, Ruby throats, Babblers, etc.

Phulchowki

An ideal location to start around the valley is phulchowki which is teeming with a wide variety of birds. Phulchowki at 2760m lies 20 kms south east of kathmandu. At the foot of the approach to this mountain lies the Botanical gardens of Godavari. Godavari is only a half hour drive from kathmandu and one can go by taxi. Mini buses and vans are also available and leave for Godavari from Lagankhel bus park.

Jagadishpur Reservoir

The 225 hectares Reservoir in Kapilvastu was also designated in 2003 in the list. This reservoir was constucted in the early 1970s over the Jakhira Lake and agricultural lands for irrigation purposes. The water is fed from the Banganga Lake in the Churia hills. The reservoir is surrounded by cultivated land and a few smaller lakes serving as a buffer zone for bird movements.

The site provides shelter for an assemblage of some rare, endangered species of conservation importance species, which include plants such as endangered Serpentine (Rauvolfia serpentine), rare pondweed (Potamogeton lucens), threatened Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), and endangared and the tallest flying bird species Indain Sarus Crane (Grus antigone ).

Beeshazar and Associated Lakes

Listed as a Ramsar site in 2003 this lake is situated in Chitwan and covers 3,200 hectare area. Beeshazar and Associated Lakes lie in Bharatpur and Ratnagar Municipalities,15km south of Narayangadh town. It falls inside the buffer zone of Royal Chitwan National Park, a world heritage site. It is situated between the Mahabharat mountain range to the north and the Siwalik range to the south . It is a forested wetland.

It provides excellent habitat as a water hole and corridor for endangered White-rumped Vulture, endangered tiger, one-horned rhinoceros and Gharial, vulnerable Smooth-coated Otter, Sloth Bear, Marsh Crocodile, Lesser Adjutant Stork, Ferrufinous Duck and Band-tailed Fish Eagle.

Gokyo and Associated Lakes

Gokyo is an oligotrophic lake series covering 42.69 hectares in the Everest region. Partially fed by Ngozumpa glacier, it lies on the head of the Dudh Koshi River which descends from world's 7th higest mountain - Cho Oyo creating a unique and representative wetland in the world's highest freshwater lake system. There are 6 main lakes in Gokyo series, out of which Thonak Lake is the largest lake at 4834m followed by Gokyo. Dudh koshi is a sub-basin of Koshi River in Nepal, which feeds the Ganges river basin, safeguarding the livelihood of millions of people downstream. It was enlisted in the Ramsar list in 2007.

The alpine pasture meadow and sloping mountain terrain support a number of IUCN Redlisted are and vulnerable species, such as the kutki plant(Neopicrorhiza scrophulariifolai), the Himalayan thar or goat, the Snow Leopard, Wood snipe, endemic species like the flowering plant Kobresia fissiglumis, and many important birds like Aythya nyroca and Grus vigor. The3 system is a vital source of water for downstream communities. The site is two days' walk from Namche, the nearest town.