There are places where you have to search for birds. You scan the treeline, you wait, you strain your ears. And then there are places like Kewzing, where the birds find you first.
Honestly, I hadn't even heard of Kewzing until I was in Ravangla. When I was searching up birding spots in the area I kept drawing blanks — until I saw the striking name. And let me tell you, the spot was much more striking than the name itself.
When I reached the exact spot where we had to start our bird watching trail that morning, the first thing I noticed was the calmness around me. The surrounding untouched forests made it a haven for exotic Himalayan bird species — the kind of stillness where you feel like the whole forest is holding its breath with you.
Himalayan peaks · Kewzing, Sikkim
The first bird I looked for was the elusive Black-tailed Crake — which unfortunately I only heard and did not see. We also tried for wren babblers, with the same result. But even the misses felt like part of the magic. Because the birds I did see more than made up for it.
And then — the Asian Emerald Cuckoo. The spellbinding bluish-green plumage and the bright orange beak against the morning sun. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
While on the trail we spotted around 18 different species. Here's what we found in the canopy that morning:
Everyone else was talking about the Asian Emerald Cuckoo — and rightly so. But as we were leaving the trail, I told my mum how much I wanted to see a Common Green Magpie. And as soon as I sat down in the vehicle, there it was — flying from one tree to another, right above the car. Just like that.
That bird stayed with me more than any other from that day. It just had something riveting about it. Something I can't quite put into words.
Here's the thing about birding: it's never the bird everyone else talks about that stays with you. It's the one that chooses you.