Saurama - Strike

Hi, just a quick post, we are currently stuck in Saurama as the road to Palpa (a few hours west) is blocked due to striking. I am a little frustrated as I am keen to carry on with the Vulture conservation work but this has slowed us down. It is important that we get to Palpa soon as the vultures will soon be fledging the nests so hopefully the strike will get resolved tomorrow. I have had a rest day today and took the opportunity to take an elephant ride through the Chitwan National Park which was great and saw two Asian one horn rhino which was a treat as there numbers are getting very low. I may be out of Internet contact for a good few days if I leave to Palpa in the morning, we will see what the morning brings..... Cheers Steve

More Pictures!

Please note for those who do not know,click on the image to get a higher quaility image 1) picture was taken on descending down the steep sided valley toward the river that is feed from the Phewa tal lake that is around Pokhara. 2) 3 children at the top of the valley after the bumpy 4X 4 drive which we did yesterday 3) the bridge to cross the river feed from Phewa tal.

Leaving Pokhara

Pictures - 1.) This is the vine/bramble covered tree with the nest perfectly formed in the top of the tree (as mentioned in an earlier post.) 2.) This is me looking my very best (before tree in pic 1) 3.) Team Vulture (in Butwal) - From left , am bad with names (sorry who I have forgotten!) our driver, Anand from Bird Conservation Nepal , Richard Cuthbert from RSPB, Tulsi from Bird Conservation Nepal and another person who helped us with carrying equipment etc - everyone has been great in looking after me and educating me in all areas of Nepal..Thanks! 4) Tulsi - he was a natural tree climber 5) children. I may try attaching a few more pictures if I have time.

Hi, ok making the most of good Internet access, great coffee and danishes. This morning was the last part of the work to be completed in Pokhara and went well. I woke to perfect views of the whole Annapurna mountain range and they really did knock me off my feet. They are soo big that the scale looks unreal and like there superimposed onto the background. I have taken many pictures but have not got access to them at the moment. We then head up into the steep side valley where we had been working for the last few days. The last nest we were to gain access to was tricky as was on a steep side of a small water fall and the large tree was leaning away from the bank. We had to use a few different skills where i was sorting out gaining access lines into the tree and manageing ropes down on the side of the bank as Richard climbed the tree. We work well together and by early lunch time all was completed and we head back into Pokhara for lunch. I am not 100 percent ready to leave Pokhara to return to Saurama for a few days. We then have many different areas to cover in the next few weeks. I will make the most of good internet access by attaching a few pictures. Thanks Steve

Pokhara - After the thunderstorm

hi, A good storm passed through last night with much thunder and lighting. This morning got going early and set off to a similar site as yesterday. In stead of the big walk in up the valley we decided to take the Hilux 4 By 4 up a steep rocky muddy track to get to the top of the valley. This proved a little bit tricky with wet clay soil and many boulders making the going very bumpy and slow (having to get out and push). We eventually arrived at the top of the valley and then we set off down with many hundreds of paddie field all glued to the contours of the steep sided valley (the amount of work to build, maintain and farm these must be mind blowing). We soon arrived at the site and the work was soon completed there. We then headed to the next area following the valley further down. It took some time in finding the area even with GPS and was hard going but great scenery as we moved into thicker wooded areas. I started climbing the tree which had no really difficulties but on arriving near to the nest I could see that with one was very ready to fledge the nest. I climbed closer but getting within a few feet of the nest the chick fledged the nest. It flew very well and when I descended back to the ground the chick soon returned to the nest. Best leave this one for another year. We then continued to descend further down the valley and then crossed the river to ascend a massive set of steps to meet the driver with the beatern up hilux. Now back in Pokhara where I think after tomorrows work we will be leaving back to Saurama for a few days and then we are going deep into the wilds for around 5-6 days. I am now making the most of my creature comforts as I think that soon may change. Its all good and things are going great. Thanks again and will post a few more pictures but memory stick is saying NO.

Pokhara - A dusty Llanberris

The Pictures from top left to right (1-children , 2- I was unsure about publishing this picture as I feel what we are doing is sensitive work and slightly distressing to the bird and myself, but this chick would have had less than 20% survival chance in it first year if left in the wild, with out this work they may well be extincted in around 5 years time (for the record this is a small chick), 3 - one of the harder trees (35m) with nest in view mid top right, this is the tree that I mentioned in an early post with aid climbing etc (this is the tree with the nest in pic 2), 4 - one of the easier trees with two nests!......both trees sadly had many ants nests!)

Ok in Pokhara and managed to have early morning views of the mountain Machhapuchhre (6993m)..amazing. It looks very much like the matterhorn but bigger. I believe that all climbing is banded on the mountain for religious reasons so that my excuse for not climbing it!...Feeling a lot better today as have not been 100 percent for the last few days (food). But waking up to the sight of the mountains automatically made me feel better. We headed shortly out of Pokhara (a haven for all extreme sports people - parraglydling with hawks (I am on the case), trekking, rafting, mountaineering etc so like a warm dusty Llanberris so I am feeling at home). So we left early after an healthy breakfast and traveled a short distance out of Pokhara. Then we had to tackle many steps and crossing steep sides of Paddie fields (spelling sorry)to arrive at the nesting site after over an hour of slogging with heavy packs (which i always surprizing enjoy). The tree was largeish (30+metres) and tricky as was covered in vines and massive brambles so I decided to take one for the team and climb the tree to get to the vultures nest. It was difficult to get a rope high into the tree but managed with a little bit of flicking and pulling to get the rope into position. Then it was a case of battle through the dense shrubby layer to get into the bottom part of the tree. To climb further it was a jungle in the tree so had to use many different skills of pulling vines and minimal cutting to find a way through the sharp brambles and vines ( i am now one shirt down). All went well with the climb and never got frustrated with the brambles as its too hot for that. Soon with a bit more battling I returned to the ground with the chick (4.8kg!) and a hour and half after leaving the ground. I am now resting and licking my wounds. Hopefully I will attach some pictures. Thanks again Steve ps thunder is building loud in the mountains!!! pps ok we have reached the half way mark with the Vulture conservation work but the sites are getting further a field and spread out and numbers as very much down on last year (further knowledge of the mass decline in there numbers) ....i have become very aware that time is running out. thanks again and hope everyone is good.

Pokhara

Hi, we left Saurama this morning after packing all the kit for the next part of the project. We drove out of Saurama heading west to Narayangadh and then onto Pokhara. The scenery soon changed from the flat lowlands to the steep tree covered valleys heading up towards the mountains. One part of this trip I enjoy the most is the driving and absorbing the scenery. We stopped off on the journey on an old bridge to watch many different species of birds. Every time a lorry went passed the bridge swede up and down which was quiet nerving. So now preparing for an early start in the morning. No sites of the BIG mountains yet but hopefully clear weather in the morning will reveal them. Cheers for the comments and will attach pictures in the next few days Steve

Butwal to Saurama

ok, I am back in Saurama on the edge of the Chitwan National Park now and should have a pretty steady supply of electric and internet connection so will write a bit about the trip as a whole.....Yesterday was the fifth day of vulture conservation work and was a slow start ....on driving early out of Butwal for the last time and heading East....we headed to many sites in the pick up truck on very bumpy dusty tracks with great scenery the whole time......sadly there were no vultures in the nests and moving from one site to another made the decline in there numbers very much apparent to me and i could feel sober feelings and frustrating in the team....luckily the last site we visited there were a few nesting birds but by then the heat had picked up.....i managed to gain some shelter from climbing the back of the tree in the shade but still was very hot work....we have taken to a supply of water, sugar and salt strapped to out harness in a bottle to keep all our levels up.....the day finished well but felt a little numb and exhausted from the last 5 days toll.....today and tomorrow we will be resting and heading (4 hours) North West to Pokhara on the edge of the Annapurna Conservation Area (Great views of Annapurna and Machhapuchhre, if time allows may try and squeeze a few day trek in)...the rate of our work will drop as there will be longer walk into the site in hilly areas where the trees are even bigger....we have achieved nearly half of the required work already and could not really ask for a better start...things now may change as we gain height but will be a little cooler.....today I have been helping out with work at the Biodiversity Conservation Centre (BCC) and the rest of the day I will be stenching out my aching limbs.......

A few other points of interesting...sorry if I sound very British but have noticed a further rule to driving Nepal if you want to over take then u beep your horn, then when the car in front signals right then over take...or overtake any way....but they also signal right to turn right....again if there is a car crash then the person who wants to claim compensation blocks the road( what they call a strike here) until they get paid!

One last amusing thing that I am ashamed to admit is that I have spoken to many different people in BCC whos english is very good and Surya (A Vet) who has been great has started using "IS IT".....hmmm cant think where he gets that from!

Thanks for the support from everyone Cheers Steve