Blyth's Leaf & Western Crowned Warblers at Nathia Gali
Sadly, one of our regular companions was unable to make this
trip but we left Islamabad at 0630 hours on Saturday 13 April 2013 and made our way to Nathia Gali, Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, . Nathia Gali is 8,200 feet above
sea level. Our intention was to, hopefully, find and photograph Orange
Bullfinches that I had discovered just outside Nathia Gali in April 2011. On
the road from Changla Gali, at 9,200 feet, we began to see the damage that the
winter’s snow had caused. There had clearly been a number of serious landslides
and in a couple of areas sections of the road had completely disappeared down
the adjacent steep drops. We were glad that we were undertaking this journey
during daylight hours as only some small boulders indicated areas of missing road. Deep snow had had reduced the road to a single track in many
places and we were pleased that the traffic was light.
On the way we had seen an ALEXANDRINE PARAKEET near the
entrance to Lake View Park on the Murree Road and numerous SLATY-HEADED
PARAKEET between Changla Gali and Nathia Gali. Having reached our destination
we setup the gear and began the challenging walk that forced us to clamber over
deep snowdrifts and around the snow that in places left only a precariously
narrow ledge above a precipitous drop. Looking for birds in trees at these
points was not a great idea. Birdsong filled the air that was considerably cooler than
that we had left behind at the lower altitude in Islamabad. Initially the most
numerous species was the dapper SPOT-WINGED TIT
Spot-winged Tit Sams Photography |
The areas within the evergreen woods that had been
penetrated by the warming rays of the sun had cleared the snow. However,
considerable amounts of lying snow remained in the shaded parts.
Disappointingly, our progress to the area within which I had previously seen
Orange Bullfinches was completely blocked by snow and we were forced to abandon
that idea, frustratingly!
We decided to find a suitable spot and wait to see what
appeared. The ‘whiplash’ song of the BROWNISH-FLANKED BUSH WARBLER resounded
around the woods. A flash of colour indicated the presence of a pair of
VERDITER FLYCATCHER. These, truly, are spectacular birds and their common name
perfectly describes their plumage colour, which is that of the verdigris corrosion on
copper.
Verditer Flycatcher Collecting Nesting Material Sams Photography |
Verditer Flycatcher Sams Photography |
As so often is the case in woodland, find a few birds and
there will be others nearby; some of which were brilliantly caught by our
photographer RMK, even in the poor light conditions. Others stubbornly tried
their best to remain hidden amongst the pinecones. Most of the RUFOUS-NAPED TIT
remained high in the canopies of the tall fir trees. Amazingly, the striking
YELLOW-BILLED BLUE MAGPIE for such a large and vociferous bird was remarkably
successful in staying out of sight.
We watched a pair of ULTRAMARINE FLYCATHER collect moss for
nesting material, another species whereby the common name aptly describes the
plumage well, of the male anyway. The female is a drabber bird and reminiscent
of an Asian Brown Flycatcher. On a nearby dead pine we suggested it would be
ideal for Woodpeckers. There were none but there was a HIMALAYAN TREECREEPER
(or Bar-tailed Treecreeper as it is more boringly known)
Bar-tailed Treecreeper Sams Photography |
Next we experienced a bit of a dilemma. There were several
Warblers in the area that, at first glance, I thought were Western Crowned
Warblers. As they darted in and out of the shade it was difficult to assess
whether the wash on the undersides was greyish or yellowish. Some of the birds
were incredibly bright. I played a short burst of the song of a Blyth’s Leaf
Warbler (sadly, I did not possess the song of Western Crowned Warbler) and I
thought one of the Warblers was going to land on my head. Instead it alighted
in a bush two feet above my head mimicking the song of the mp3 file. I know
that both species breed in the area but I had never (knowingly) seen Blyth’s
Leaf Warbler in Pakistan.
Probable Blyth's Leaf Warbler (with yellowish wash on underparts and lacking greyish throat Sams Photography |
I knew that in the breeding season Western Crowned Warblers
habitually flick their right wings at rival males in what looks like a
territorial display. At least one bird was doing just that and we were to see
others doing the same later in another part of the woodland. So, I was
confident we had seen some WESTERN CROWNED LEAF WARBLERS and I had heard the
familiar, almost Great Tit, like call. However, we were also watching a BLYTH’S
LEAF WARBLERS. One bird, at least, had responded to and mimicked the playback
call; another shimmied down the trunk of a tree like a Nuthatch. I didn’t know
this until later but this is a habit typical of Blyth’s Leaf Warbler. So, based
on that evidence I was sure we were watching both species.
Western Crowned Warbler Sams Photography |
Some birds looked slightly larger, although it was difficult to be
sure and some did have longer bills, which were definitely the Western Crowned
Warblers. Others looked incredibly bright. However, in sun and shade it was
difficult to establish the wash, if any, on the underparts of these restless
birds. In the above bird there is a greyish colour to the nape and upper mantle.
A characteristic of Western Crowned Warbler and this is what I believe this
particular bird actually is.
We made our way to another part of the woodland where
birdsong again resounded. Here we watched a GREAT BARBET that played a little
camera shy, only poking his yellow bill our of the pine needles. There were a
number of RUSSET SPARROW on the woodland edge and surprisingly, the Woodpecker
in the photograph below was the only HIMALAYAN WOODPECKER we saw during the
whole day.
Himalayan Woodpecker Sams Photography |
Several pairs of Spot-winged Tits were nesting in holes in
walls but RMK in a stand for his artistic integrity refuses to photograph birds on man-made
structures, including wires! I admire his stance but I hope we don’t find a first
for Pakistan on a telephone wire! Thankfully, the stunning GREEN-BACKED TIT
alighted upon a natural substance. Now these can be confusing for those newly
acquainted to Pakistan birds. The Green-backed Tit is very similar to the Great
Tit of Western Europe. However, the Great Tits in Pakistan lack any bright
colour in that they are only black, grey and white and since the taxonomic
split have become Cinereous Tit.
Green-backed Tit Sams Photography |
We were thinking about moving on when Mrs Islbirder
exclaimed she was watching a Thrush sp. I asked whereabouts to which Mrs I
stated “in the tree”. The fact that a Thrush of any species would be
interesting in Nathia Gali and I was looking at a vista of a thousand trees was
neither good for my blood pressure or our marital bliss. Mrs Islbirder’s attempts
to paint the picture in words seemed to take forever. Needless to say just as I
was about to get onto it, the bird flew into oblivion and remained
unidentified. However, from Mrs Islbirder’s description and later use of a
field guide confirmed it as a Plain-backed Thrush. So close to a lifer and yet
so far; I am pleased to announce that there is still in
harmony in the Islbirder household; it was only another Zoothera after all!
We decided to move down to Dunga Gali and have lunch in the
garden of the Mukshpuri Hotel, not only good food but also a regular haunt of healthy numbers of Slaty-headed Parakeets. Before we did we visited the huge water
tanks nearby thinking that they may have attracted a Red-rumped Swallow or
Asian House Martin. Sadly, Hirundines were only noticeable by their absence. In
the nearby garden of the Rest House there was a pair of GREY BUSHCHAT and we
noticed a couple of BROWN-FRONTED WOODPECKER one of which was brilliantly
captured in the below image.
Male Brown-fronted Woodpecker Sams Photography |
We returned to the garden of the hotel where we watched a
pair of Green-backed Tits and another pair of CINEREOUS TITS. Although they completed
a few low level passes the SLATY-HEADED PARAKEET did not land in the hotel
bushes as they are disposed to doing; some did alight in the nearby trees to
feast on pine nuts.
Slaty-headed Parakeets Sams Photography |
As the storm clouds gathered and distant rumbles of thunder
were heard our thoughts turned to the unsound rock faces we needed to pass on
our way down the mountains so we elected for an early departure following an
excellent lunch! My thanks once again to my companion for some outstanding
photographs taken in less than ideal conditions.