Birds' Paradise in Maenam - Tendong, Sikkim

[Sandipan Ghosh]

The Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary is a treasure house of Medicine and it covers an area of 36.34 sq km. This sanctuary is located on the Maenam-Tendong ridge (2,100 m - 3,300 m ). The entry point is located at Ravangla, Sikkim. The distance from Siliguri station to Ravangla is 120 km via NH 31A and the journey takes almost 2 hour 30 minutes from Siliguri. Recreational tourism within the Sanctuary is picking up and the magnificent mountain views are a great attraction for tourists (having a trekking route to Maenam top also). Though this is store-house of Himalayan birds but the major attraction is Red Panda and Satyr Tragopan. In this region two distinct biomes are observed - (1) Sino-Himalayan Temperate Forest and (2) Sino-Himalayan Subtropical Forest. A collaborative biodiversity survey was carried out by World Pheasant Association (WPA)-India and the State Forest Department in 1996. Almost 143 types of bird species are found here.

The few major visible birds of this sanctuary - Common Hill Partridge, Red-breasted Hill-Partridge (Vulnerable), Greater Spotted Eagle (Vulnerable), Rusty-bellied Shortwing (Vulnerable), White-naped Yuhina, Darjeeling Pied Woodpecker, White-collared Blackbird, Red-tailed Minla, Chestnut-headed Tesia, Rufous-bellied Niltava, Fire-tailed Sunbird, Green-tailed Sunbird, Blanford’s Rosefinch, Grey-faced Leaf-Warbler, Rufous Sibia, Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, Maroon Oriole, Red-billed Leiothrix, Slaty-backed Forktail, White-tailed Robin, Short-billed Minivet, Indian Blue Robin, Black-winged Cuckoo-Shrike, Blue-naped Pitta, Verditer Flycatcher, Blue-fronted Redstart, Cutia etc.

Other illusive key fauna - Leopard, Leopard-Cat, Asiatic Black Bear, Yellow-throated Marten and Particoloured Flying Squirrel.

Note: This place is one of must visited sanctuaries for close observation of Eastern Himalayan wildlife and this sanctuary is also paradise for Bird Watchers and Photographers.

Exif Info of Photograph: Canon EOS 600D, 55 mm, 1/250s, f/7.1, ISO 200, Date: 10/09/2014