Two banded cranes are back in the Phobjikha valley. In the winter of 2010-2011, RSPN in collaboration with the Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment, Bumthang, banded four adult cranes with GPS Accelerato-meter in Phobjikha valley.

7 November 2011 - The first group of black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis) arrived today in Phobjikha. At around 10.AM BST, a group of 4 cranes with two juveniles are the first group  of cranes in Phobjikha this winter. As of today afternoon, the total number of 33 cranes including 5 juveniles. The weather today in Phobjikha was bright and clear sunny day.

It is truly said that “Life imitates Art”. With a couple of weeks remaining for the 13^th Black-necked Crane festival, the local community of Phobjikha eagerly awaits the day with preparations in full swing.

The day brings community together and rejoices the arrival of Black-necked Cranes in the valley besides marking the importance of crane conservation. Hundreds of international tourists also join the celebration.

With less than a month remaining for the Black-necked Cranes to fly into the valley, preparation of a proper roosting area has been carried out as usual. Observations in the past years showed that the roosts maintained in the previous years couldn’t accommodate all the cranes in one spot, therefore this year a new spot was chosen for the roost with an area of approximately 40m x 50m.

Dasho Dzongrab and Representative from JICA inaugurate the community waste management in PhobjikhaThe Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN) as conservation and development partner to the Phobjikha valley had initiated a Community based Solid waste management project in the valley. The project aims to keep Phobjikha valley clean and free from waste and to make the place environment friendly. The project was funded by JICA office in Bhutan.

Bumitsawa, Pho Chu, Punakha

It was hatched in captive breeding on May 7th, 201117^th September 2011. At 7.58 am, a White-bellied heron weighing 5.6 kilograms was released from its flight pen at Bumitsawa in Pho Chu, Punakha. It was 134 days old at the time of the release from the research site. It was the first white-bellied heron chick hatched in a captive breeding.

The juvenile heron is tagged with a band numbered 32 on its right leg. It is also mounted with a 35gms Platform Terminal Transmitter (PTT) that will be useful in monitoring its whereabouts through a satellite data.

Members participated and visited the site

16^th and 18^th August 2011 - About 30 people representing various agencies (Government and non-government) such as Nature Recreation and Ecotourism Division (NRED), Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators (ABTO), Guide Association of Bhutan, Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB), Phobjikha Environment Management Commission (PEMC), Wangdiphordang Dzongkhag Administration, Gross national Happiness Commission (GNHC) local business community, Local Government (LG) and the local communities attended the study tour cum consultative workshop in Phobjikha.