Jagdishpur Reservoir

Jagdishpur was built for farming, not for birds, but birds found it anyway. The reservoir, created in the 1970s to irrigate the fields of Kapilvastu, now hosts some of the largest gatherings of wintering waterbirds in Nepal.

What to see

From December to February, look for bar-headed geese that migrate over the Himalaya, ruddy shelducks, pochards, pintails and other ducks, along with cormorants, herons and waders. Sarus cranes — tall grey birds with red heads, sacred in local culture — feed in the surrounding paddies.

Recognition

Its importance for birds earned Jagdishpur a listing as a Ramsar wetland of international importance in 2003.

Visiting

Walk the embankment at sunrise with binoculars. It pairs perfectly with a morning at Tilaurakot.