Boasting Over 400 Species, These Are The 5 Best Places For Bird Watching In & Around Nainital

Towering heights, flushed greenery of the hills, fresh air and open skies makes for the perfect ecosystem for various animals and birds to inhabit the green forests of Nainital. While the scenic beauty of the place and lower temperatures throughout the year draws the most number of visitors, any trip to the city of lakes is incomplete without exploring its abundant birding opportunities! These is where you should be headed for the best birdwatching experience:

1. Pangot & Kilbury Bird Sanctuary

Located on Kilbury Road and at a distance of 3 kms from Pangot and at an altitude of 2528 meters, the Pangot and Kilbury Bird Sanctuary is a bird watcher's paradise! One can only remain in awe of the innumerable species of birds that inhabit the place. Being surrounded by the lush dense forest of oak, pine and rhododendron provides ample opportunities for bird watching with over 580 species to spot *woah*! 

2. Jungle Lore Birding Lodge, Pangot

With a record of more than 250 species of birds in the area, one can expect excellent bird watching opportunities in the lodge itself. Apart from that, there are a number of walks through the terrace fields into the thick woods which can be extremely rewarding. Try to explore the trails along Timla Pani, Ghughu Khan, Kilbury Forest Rest House moving on to Cheena Peak.

3. Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary

Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary is famous for its rich display of exotic flora and fauna. While the Binsar region is known for its magnificent views of sunrise and sunset, the sanctuary itself has a dense forest cover dotted with special trees, making it the perfect place for bird watchers while out on a trek. The sanctuary boasts of a great variety of bird species with close to 180 species of birds visiting Binsar every year.

4. Sattal

Bhimtal and Sattal known as the twin lakes in Kumaon and located at about 25 kms from Kathgodam Station, they’re often visited for bird watching and a nature centric experience. With over 230 species of birds found in the Sattal region itself, one can spot Babblers, Bulbuls, Warblers, Minivets, Woodpeckers, Pigeons, Mynas and Barbets besides others. The combined number of birds in Bhimtal and Sattal is said to cross the 400 mark easily!

5. Ramgarh (Bhallar Village)

Another prominent site is this quaint town that’s also known as “the fruit bowl of Kumaon” because of its resplendent orchards filled with luscious fruits! With many forests and innumerable trekking trails, the area is also known to have a huge number of species of birds where one can hope to spot Woodpeckers, Mynahs, Pipits, Red & Jungle-fowls, Indian Peafowl, and Blue Whistling Thrushes besides many more.

So grab those binoculars and head out into the wild!