Phobjikha Valley is known for the black neck cranes that migrate from Tibet to the Valley every Winter. The cranes spend roughly end October to mid-February in Phobjikha valley, which is a declared protected area for the cranes. Their arrival is said to signal the end of the rice harvesting season.
Black Neck Cranes have a sacred identify in Bhutanese culture, and often appear in folklore, dances & historical texts. Each mid-November the valley holds the Black Crane Festival. We missed that by a matter of days, but still managed to see a few and learn about them. We went to the Black Neck Crane Visitor's Center and learned more about why the cranes are protected, their migration patterns, their predators, etc. We also used the telescopes to check out black neck cranes up close in their natural surroundings (the same valley we overlooked in our awesome hike the day prior).
We got to see Kharma the Black Neck Crane, who lives at the visitor's center. He was found injured a few years ago & was brought to the center to be nursed back to health. The injuries he sustained (likely from a predator) unfortunately are permanent, so he cannot be released back into the wild. He's the only animal in captivity in all of Bhutan. There are mirrors all around his fence so that he doesn't realized that he's alone. Poor little guy!
The girls were reasonably into Kharma. Glad we had a chance to see him & learn about his Black neck crane peers. Maybe one day we'll be back, coordinated with that black neck crane festival :)
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