Storm Delays Birding

Our intention had been to start on Trail 2 of the Margalla Hills at 0400 hours today, Saturday 7 July 2012, and look again for Indian Pitta but the alarm did not need to wake us. That was done by the magnitude of the electric storm that was raging outside. There were no gaps in the lightning that provided an incredible show and was accompanied by continuous thunder. The wind was strong and the rain was incredibly heavy. I suspect this year’s monsoon has arrived. There was nothing else to do other than switch off the alarm and go back to sleep.

By the time we woke there was little sign of the precipitation of the early hours; only a few puddles but it was mostly dry and the sun was shining. There was no doubt the humidity had increased but ten degrees Centigrade had disappeared and the midday temperature was only 35 degrees C.

The middle of the day would not normally be associated with good birding and there is no doubt we saw fewer species than we had observed when we have started very early. We walked Trail 5 today as far as the spring. As we started the trail a bird flew from the side of the path and into the undergrowth. All we saw were chestnut coloured wings and we suspected we knew what it was. After a few seconds we found the bird foraging on the ground. It was a male CRESTED BUNTING and a good start.

Bulbuls are common along this Trail and all three of the commoner species are represented; RED-VENTED BULBUL, WHITE-EARED BULBUL and HIMALAYAN BULBUL. However, with a little patience further along the trail one can usually encounter BLACK BULBUL and we did so again today. They have an almost comical appearance with their punk hairstyles and scarlet red bills and feet.

A weak drumming and a disyllabic contact call alerted us to the presence of a woodpecker nearby. After some searching we found the origin of the noises, a FULVOUS-BREASTED WOODPECKER. It was a female identified by its black crown colouration. This is not a common species in Pakistan and is restricted to dry deciduous scrub woodland at lower elevations. The early stages of Trail 5 offer perfect habitat for this species.

When walking along the Margalla Trails if one hears the rustling of dried leaves there is one species more than any other that is the originator. We got down low and scanned the ground beneath the tangle of bushes. It was not too long before we found the RUSTY-CHEEKED SCIMITAR BABBLER flicking over fallen leaves looking for a tasty morsel.

In the distance the familiar call of a BLACK FRANCOLIN was being echoed across the valley. This particular Black Francolin is a regular performer around this section of the Trail. Another member of the Phasianidae was also vocalising adjacent to where the trail crosses the bed of the dried streambed. On this occasion it was a male KALIJ PHEASANT.

Other than the bases of some of the rocks looking damp there was no sign of the earlier deluge that had descended on the area only a few hours before. The water level at the spring appeared unchanged from our last visit. What had changed were the number of singing Cicadas and the most infuriating flies that insist of either landing on your end of your nose or trying to fly up inside it; normally just as you are about to lift your bins to look at a bird. As we arrived at the spring we were greeted by the singing of a male ORIENTAL MAGPIE ROBIN. The Trail 5 Spring is a great place to see WHITE-THROATED FANTAIL. Today was no different as two birds displayed their dancing ability in-between bouts of fly catching. There were plenty of ORIENTAL WHITE-EYE and GREY-HOODED WARBLER around the spring, the yellow on the plumages of both species shone brightly in the dappled light.

We had superb views of a white morph adult male ASIAN PARADISE FLYCATCHER. How this bird flies through the dense woodland is a conundrum. This amazing bird is a wonderful sight as it makes its was through the trees shining with its brilliant white body and tail plumage contrasted with its inky blue/black head.

I have heard a bird calling at the spring on a couple of occasions and I have been struggling to nail it down. However, I am almost sure, and that little doubt prevents me from ticking it, the bird is a Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher. It is a species I have seen elsewhere in South-east Asia but never heard it singing. The call I have transliterated as a high-pitched and rapid “why-did-you-do-it”. We looked but could not find the songster and I need to carry out some more research before this species is added to my Pakistan List. Islamabad observers during the 1980s came across Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher regularly and I am surprised not to have found it yet.

On the way back down the trail we saw and heard both GRACEFUL PRINIA and GREY-BREASTED PRINIA. However, the star of the show during the return journey was a SPECKLED PICULET that provided the most stunning views on the branches of a couple of leafless trees. This diminutive Woodpecker is described in the literature as very rare in Pakistan but we have been fortunate to have recorded several different individuals. This particular bird was a male identified by its orange forehead.

We checked out the campsite on the return journey and the BLACK FRANCOLIN was still calling and at the top of a nearby tree a male CRESTED BUNTING was singing wholeheartedly unperturbed by the increasing temperature. Still no Indian Pitta but nonetheless not a bad three hours of birding.