Searching for the Pheasants of Pakistan
After accepting the invitation to become a Board member for WWF Pakistan, Swabibirder has been given more responsibilities. Not only will he continue to photograph birds, he will also undertake a special task as the youngest board member. This time the mission was to find the elusive Cheer Pheasant ( Catreus wallichii ) in the mountains of Hazara division and a short survey to confirm the observations. On the 15 October 2022, I left Islamabad along with the team at 0400 hrs. Thanks to the motorway network, we crossed Manshera district in two hours and after driving for another two hours, we reached Panja Gali. Panja Gali is at 2200 feet above sea level. The only forest left is a few square kilometres, and the area is the place to search for Cheer Pheasant. Cheer Pheasant was once on the verge of extinction due to poaching, hunting and grass burning. Now with the help of WWF Pakistan and KPK Wildlife their number has grown and an estimated 20 pairs have been recorded. We spent th