The Beautiful Pakistan Bee-eaters


Hello Readers

I know you are asking why the Blog has not been updated for such a long time.  I say this because a lady, who is a serious ornithologist, asked me the same question during a very formal gathering and I was a little bit embarrassed.

My excuses are that I was being a bit lazy for not updating the blog and secondly, I have spotted no new birds in Islamabad and surrounding areas as the migration has started and winter birds have now left.  However, I will share with you the few images I have managed to capture.

Asian Green Bee-eaters arrived during April in; apparently reduced numbers and I have only seen a few in and around Islamabad.

 
Asian Gree Bee-eaters Riaz Khan
Surprisingly, two other species, the Blue-tailed Bee-eater and the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater that visits Sialkot and Tala Gang in Punjab have been just seen in good numbers. What does worry me, however, is that many of the traditional nesting areas used by these species have been destroyed to make way for house building.

Blue-tailed Bee-eaters Riaz Khan
On 27 May 2017, I went to Kalar Kahar off the M2 Motorway to look for the presence of Asian Paradise Flycatchers that regularly nest in the area in significant numbers. Sadly, I was surprised to see only two pairs: one busy making a nest and the other had already completed the task.

Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters Riaz Khan
Islbirder doesn’t like me posting images of birds at nests but this is all I got from the place which used to be full of birds and their breeding activity. This makes me worried, as the numbers of this summer visitor to Pakistan appear to have reduced significantly.

Male Asian Paradise Flycatcher Riaz Khan
At the moment I am planning a trip to the north of Pakistan in the coming month to find new birds. Hopefully my trip materialises and I can share some images from my journey towards the end of June.  Good Birding!

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