Birding Islamabad

Hello Dear Readers, RMK reporting from Islamabad. The long awaited time has finally arrived with a few interesting winter birds visiting Rawal Lake and some birds from the Himalayas have arrived in the Margalla Hills.   Eurasian Bittern RMK The leaves of some trees have started turning into their autumnal hues and the weather is dry following the monsoon season. My colleague ZR and I have been searching the Margalla Hills trails and some of the wetlands surrounding Islamabad. However, it was mostly the more common species we encountered. Bar-headed Goose ZR Although and exceptionally, we encountered five pairs of Crested Kingfishers in the valleys, which is assurance that some wintering birds are around the capital city and the coldest season might be early this year. However, currently the temperature is still warm but that hasn’t halted migration. Juvenile Black-winged Stilt ZR Little Grebe ZR   Spotted...

During each monsoon, amid all the humid and warm weather ZR and I continue to visit the southern slopes of the Margalla Hills in the hope of finding the gorgeous Indian Pitta. Islbirder did the same when he was in Islamabad but none one of us has succeeded so far. I am sure one day we will find this elusive species. In Islamabad these days you will see juvenile Green and blue-tailed Bee-eaters, Brown Rock Chat, Indian Robins and Asian Paradise Flycatchers along with many other local birds. A bird of the Monsoon Grey-bellied Cuckoo Riaz The birds of prey have plenty to eat and I spent 40 minutes with a female Shikra that was determined to and succeeded in extracting a Common Myna chick from the nest in a pine tree. Shikra thinking about it! Riaz Nearly got it! Riaz Lunch! Riaz However, the most surprising of all the birds that we are following recently was the Crested Kingfisher. This bird is rare but usually seen around Islamabad during...

Hi Blog Readers this is RMK reporting from Islamabad. The temperature here in Islamabad is somehow very different from last year. The monsoon rains have started early and it’s not very hot currently. The rainstorms have filled the streams and avian migration appears to have been affected. Species like the Yellow-billed Blue Magpie and Verditer Flycatcher that are normally associated with the Murree Hills have preferred to remain in the Margallas it seems. Whilst I was getting less time to move around in search of birds, my friends and the organisers of the Birds of Islamabad page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/Birds.of.Islamabad/ ZR and RJS have busily been searching for birds around Islamabad. ZR has been regularly walking the trails and found some lovely birds. Some of his images are displayed here and exemplify ZR’s photographic skills and his love for birds. On Sunday 12 June 2016 ZR and I decided to travel to the village of Kharian, deep into the Margalla Hil...

Dear Readers, RMK has been spreading the birding word to wildlife photographers based in Pakistan and his efforts are paying off handsomely with some fantastic records. This time its a second record for Pakistan in the form of an Oriental Pied Hornbill. I'll let Muhammad Babar describe this exciting discovery in his own words: "I would like to share my experience of spotting/watching "Oriental Pied Hornbill" in Lahore with you. On 21 May 2016, 6:40 am, a typical warm day , we (Me and my couple of friends) were observing nesting behaviour of White-browed Fantail in my garden. While scanning the surroundings for more small birds, we were looking around. Suddenly we noticed a crow was chasing a bird, comparatively large with huge beak. We initially though this was another bird probably another Crow with something in his bill. But when i checked it from my Lens, i was surprisingly shocked to see a Hornbill , and not just a Hornbill, Oriental Pied Hornbill. It was i...

I am extremely sorry for the late write up of the blog for two reasons. Firstly, I don’t have my buddy Islbirder by my side and, secondly, life has made me busier with business; these are two very genuine reasons. Anyhow, that doesn’t mean that I have not done anything at all for the birds. A few of my fellow birders have been busy moving around Islamabad, finding new birds and sharing it with us on the face book pages, whilst I have been appearing on different TV channels to pass on my conservation messages to as many people as possible I am so excited to share a very strange image of a bird, that was my pet for two years. It is a Canary that I bought from Afghanistan a long time back. It used to sing so many different voices but when I realised that it shouldn’t be in cage, I decided to take the Canary and its mate to Islamabad and released them in the Margalla Hills, with the hope that they may breed.   Blue Rock Thrush RMK During last weekend...