Birding Islamabad

Hot off the Press; 137 years after it was found! A juvenile male Red-footed Falcon ( Falco vespertinus ), collected on 19 October 1880 at Gilgit, Northern Areas, and deposited as a skin at the Natural History Museum, Tring, United Kingdom has just been confirmed by molecular analysis as the first record for the species in Pakistan and the Indian Subcontinent. ( per José Luis Copete on Jul 12, 2017 ) What other ornithological discoveries will advances in modern science reveal? DNA is already being used to identify “difficult” species.

Hello everyone, RMK here! After having a wonderful birding season during the early months of the year, finding summer birds in Islamabad became difficult due to the heat. So, yours truly, Swabi Birder , decided to undertake a long journey to the see the majestic mountains of the Northern Territories, with the hope of seeing new species of birds to add to my Pakistan Birding List. Rufous-naped Tit Dark-sided Flycatcher This trip to the north was unique in that I was accompanied by my family and my dog in the same jeep from which I thought I would photograph birds using it as a hide. Anyhow, I started my trip on Eid Day to avoid the rush on road to Naran, situated in the Kaghan Valley in the Mansehra District of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. To my surprise even on the Eid Day I found that all the roads were full of cars. The usual species found along the roadside were hardly there. Disappointed I drove fast to Gilgit and reached Serena Hotel in the administrat