In the third week of September 2009, my friend Sahastra and I trekked through the alpine forests and grasslands of Chopta and Tungnath. But all along, I felt guilty that my sighting was of such low quality that it hardly merited an entry. Out of reluctant pride, I ticked my checklist. Fighting altitude sickness in the foggy heights of Bedni Bugyal, I was offered a tachistoscopic glimpse of a metallic blue streak with a white rump and an orange tail. In May 2007, on my first visit to the Uttarakhand Himalaya, the Himalayan Monal ( Lophophorus impejanus) proved utterly elusive. Since having trouble in achieving that, it won’t let this beautiful bird exercise its basic right too.Even a peacock must bow to this unchallenged monarch of Himalayan fowls I guess, it must be the humans’ inborn jealousy to deprive this bird of the freedom, which man desires for himself. The freedom to dominate the skies and using the available land that suits the bird is, exactly what we as humans would like to have. That day, when I saw the bird for the first time, the surrounding environment suddenly became incomplete after it vanished beyond a neighboring mountain. But a developing threat to the species is overwhelming pressure from the hunters who pursue the bird as a game for its meat and use the feathered-body as stuffed specimen to be demonstrated in their households and gifts to friends and family. However, major threat to the species is poaching, as the crest is valuable to certain communities and is considered a symbol of pride. The Himalayan Monal is not considered a threatened species and can be found as much as five pairs per square mile. In Pakistan the bird is most common in the province of KP but can also be found in Kaghan Valley, Palas valley of the Indus Kohistan and AJK. It is a high-altitude bird that remains between 2,100 and 4,500 meters above sea level. When the summer starts, the Himalayan Monal ventures above the tree-line to wander on the grassy slopes as opposed to winters where they are mostly found in coniferous and mixed forests to take shelter from the weather. Only the female is responsible to incubate the eggs alone and the male will stand guard throughout the twenty seven (27)-day incubation period. A monal female would lay between three and five eggs. Once a female in the vicinity notices the calls and visual display that includes bobbing his elegant crest and swinging around, the bonding begins until they become a pair and start scraping a nest in the ground. During this season, the male will sing throughout the day as opposed to morning calls in the rest of the year. Monal’s breeding season begins in April when they are at higher altitudes. It makes use of several calls to express meaning to its surroundings and especially its mate, other birds in its foraging group, or intruders. Himalayan Monal is a highly communicative bird. Each time, I would read through the word Simorgh, Himalayan Monal would be the only bird that could fit the elegance and grandeur of Simorgh described in the book. At the end of their journey, led by the wisest Hoopoe, all they find is a lake in which they see their own reflection.Īll through the book, apart from the commonly known birds, Simorgh being a mystical character left a very prestigious impression on my mind. The book was about the pilgrimage paid by a group of birds each of whom represented a human weakness, to their lord known as Simorgh. I once read a book by the 12 th century Persian Sufi poet, Fareed-ud-Din Attar R.A, titled as, “Conference of the Birds”. A chestnut brown tail, light brown wings and a white rump are visible features in flight. The male has a gorgeous metallic green head-crest, a reason why human species become a direct threat to its existence. Known for its habitat in high altitude grasslands and human-shy nature, Monal is still for many, a fantasy bird in the real world.Ī strikingly colorful member of the pheasant family, Himalayan Monal has iridescent rainbow-colored plumage. Frightened at one moment due to its sudden air-drag, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was in fact the mesmerizing encounter with a beautiful bird that maneuvered through the open sky and passed within 50 meters as I was absorbed in the nirvana of surroundings. But it’s not just the beauty of forest or the grasslands that came to my mind. Beyond the tree line are the grasslands mostly occupied by the nomadic communities known as Bakarwaal. The village offers one the most beautiful forests of Pakistan with veins of fresh water flowing all across. On just an ordinary day with random thoughts floating through my mind, I recalled a visit to one of Swat Valley’s exotic villages in the far north that connects with Kohistan range. From landscapes to weather and from its forests to the flora and fauna, Pakistan truly is a country full of colors. Pakistan’s diversity is remarkable in every aspect.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |