The fear I have of not being able to venture outdoors due to work came alive in February. One of those months where it was all about work. Organizing a Bicycle Expo and also helping set up an artisanal café was the top priority. Writing about What I saw – February 2022 felt a bit hard.

February also brought in some gloomy weather with the first-week bringing snow in some of the hills surrounding Kathmandu. Grabbing the opportunity my cousin brother and I along with my nephew went to the south side of the valley where the crowd was at its minimum. The sun would play hide and seek as the clouds danced around and momentarily the valley would be seen in the distance. Snowfall happens once in a while on the peaks of the tallest hills around Kathmandu and when it does it becomes a sight to see. The branches of the Pine and the Rhodondran trees could be seen holding snow as it slowly melted away.

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The dry months of winter finally getting some moisture was a welcoming sight. Warblers could be heard in the distance singing so was the song of the Great Barbet. Terraces of grassland now seemed like a big patch of land with snow. The cold refreshing air was quite a change from the pollution down below. It was worth venturing out even though it was just for a couple of hours.

Preparations to organize the event kept me busy most of the time and I also was working from home. The best part of this was I could hear the birds sing all day. Oriental Magpie-Robin, a prolific singer was singing on top of its voice. The tunes would change most of the time. The small Oriental White-eye would come in groups to the tree nearby to forage. Similarly, the Common Tailorbird could be heard as it would hop from one branch to the other.

I made a point one morning to view the birds outside my window. A good decision for sure. On a tree just 4 meters away a Crimson Sunbird was busy feeding on the nectar from the flower. As the Sunbird flew to another tree, the Oriental White-eye took over the branch. I could also see Spotted Doves perching on the Bakena tree far in the distance. Red-vented Bulbul is a common sight around the house and could be seen foraging around.

Nature does provide motivation to get inspired and motivated. Walking around the kitchen garden I could see a lot of new tiny wildflowers popping out from the dry soil. The intricate shape and size of these tiny flowers came alive as I photographed them in the morning breeze. Spring has finally come.

February had its limitations but there will be some outdoor moments in March that I’m waiting for. Thank you so much for following this blog and motivating me to continue documenting and writing about the flora and fauna of Nepal.

With the limited movements below are some of the flora and fauna I was able to see in February.      

Birds:
Great Barbet, Black-throated Tit, Blue-whistling Thrush, Spotted Doves, Oriental Magpie Robin, Crimson Sunbird, Oriental White-eye,  Red-vented Bulbul, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Common Tailorbird.   

Flora:
Lantana bush, Rhododendron trees, Nepalese alder (Utis tree), Simal trees (Bombax ceiba), Lantana, etc.