March 29: The black necked cranes in Bumdeling in Trashiyangtse have left for the Tibetan plateau where they spend the summer. They spend three months in winter in Bhutan.

Enclosed with snow capped mountains and lush green forests, the spectacular valley of Bumdelling is an ideal winter roosting ground for the endangered black necked cranes. The cranes migrate from their summer habitat on the Tibetan Plateau to Bhutan during the winter.

A senior forest officer at the Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary Pema Gyeltshen said the first group of 15 cranes left Bumdeling on February 21. The second group of 65 cranes left about a week later. The last group of 80 cranes left on March 1.

Pema Gyeltshen said 130 cranes came to roost in Bumdeling this winter compared to 123 the previous year. Of that, 20 were juvenile cranes.

He said the management is making every effort to protect the endangered species. He said every year following the monsoon season the roosting area is littered with debris, logs, boulders and gravel. He said the management with the help of students and local people clear the debris and level the ground.

People are not allowed to graze their cattle in the paddy fields where the cranes roost. Our reporter Dorji Dema says the roosting area has been fenced to prevent passersby from coming near the roosting area.

The cranes start arriving in Bumdeling in November and leave by early March.