Merilyn Browne's 2006 Pakistan
Trip Bird List
By Merilyn Browne
Birds seen in Pakistan
August-September 2006
ISLAMABAD
15-16/08/06
City,
Margalla Hills, Rawal Lake
Black Francolin
Francolinus francolinus
Grey Francolin
Francolinus pondicerianus
Little Cormorant
Phalacrocorax niger
Indian Pond-Heron Ardeola
grayii
Cattle Egret Ardea ibis
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Black Kite Milvus migrans
Shikra Accipiter badius
Rock Dove Columba livia
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Streptopelia decaocto
Laughing Turtle-Dove
Streptopelia senegalensis
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Psittacula krameri
Pied Cuckoo Oxylophus
jacobinus
Common Hawk-Cuckoo
Cuculus varius
Eurasian Cuckoo (hepatic
form) Cuculus canorus
Common Koel Eudynamys
scolopacea
House Swift Apus affinis
White-throated Kingfisher
Halcyon smyrnensis
Green Bee-eater Merops
orientalis
Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa
epops
Blue-throated Barbet
Megalaima asiatica
Coppersmith Barbet
Megalaima haemacephala
Scaly-bellied Woodpecker
Picus squamatus
Black-rumped Flameback
Dinopium benghalense
Asian Paradise Flycatcher
Terpsiphone paradisi
Black Drongo Dicrurus
macrocercus
Eurasian Golden Oriole
Oriolus oriolus
Rufous Treepie
Dendrocitta vagabunda
House Crow Corvus
splendens
Large-billed Crow Corvus
macrorhynchos
Long-tailed Shrike Lanius
schach
House Sparrow Passer
domesticus
Scaly-breasted Munia
Lonchura punctulata
Purple Sunbird Cinnyris
asiatica
Barn Swallow Hirundo
rustica
Himalayan Bulbul
Pycnonotus leucogenys
Red-vented Bulbul
Pycnonotus cafer
Black Bulbul Hypsipetes
leucocephalus
Grey-hooded Warbler
Seicercus xanthoschistos
Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia
curruca
Jungle Babbler Turdoides
striatus
Common Babbler Turdoides
caudata
Great Tit Parus major
Oriental Magpie-Robin
Copsychus saularis
Brown Rock Chat Cercomela
fusca
Common Myna Acridotheres
tristis
Brahminy Starling Sturnus
pagadorum
Crested Bunting Melophus
lathami
SKARDU
17-19/08/06, 5/09/06
2290 m
Rock Dove Columba livia
Common Swift Apus apus
Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa
epops (This
was quite common at all the camps alongside the river and glacier.)
Black-billed Magpie Pica
hudsonia
Rufous-tailed Shrike
Lanius isabellinus
Bay-backed Shrike Lanius
vittatus
Long-tailed Shrike Lanius
schach (The
birds in the second and third photos appear to be young birds.)
White Wagtail Motacilla
alba (This
was an all-black bird. Most of the birds I saw further up the valley and
on the Baltoro Glacier had black heads and grey backs. White Wagtails
were probably the most common bird we saw, as there were some at
virtually every place we stopped.)
House Sparrow Passer
domesticus
*Himalayan Accentor
Prunella himalayana
Western Crowned-Warbler
Phylloscopus occipitalis
Streaked Laughingthrush
Garrulax lineatus
Great Tit Parus major
Black Redstart
Phoenicurus ochruros (This
was also a fairly common bird, though it didn’t appear on the glacier,
only at the camps alongside the river and glacier.)
*Variable Wheatear
Oenanthe picata
THONGAL
19-20/08/06, 3/09/06
2900 m
Note:: from Thongal on,
species were seen between locations as well as at them, as this was
where we began trekking. We returned via the same route but stopped at
fewer places, hence the later dates for some locations.
Green Sandpiper Tringa
ochropus
Black-billed Magpie Pica
hudsonia (There
were a few of these here and further on.
Red-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax (These
were all the way up the valley and on the glacier. Sometimes they were
by themselves, sometimes in mixed flocks with Yellow-bills.)
Yellow-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax graculus
White Wagtail Motacilla
alba
House Sparrow Passer
domesticus
Plain Mountain-Finch
Leucosticte nemoricola
Common Rosefinch
Carpodacus erythrinus
Eurasian Crag-Martin
Hirundo rupestris
Mountain Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus sindianus
*Hume's Warbler
Phylloscopus humei
Great Tit Parus major
Black Redstart
Phoenicurus ochruros
KOROPHON
20-21/08/06
3100 m
Green Sandpiper Tringa
ochropus
Common Sandpiper Actitis
hypoleucos
Temminck's Stint Calidris
temminckii
Black-winged Stilt
Himantopus himantopus
Common Swift Apus apus
Black-billed Magpie Pica
hudsonia
Red-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
Hume's Lark Calandrella
acutirostris
White Wagtail Motacilla
alba
Citrine Wagtail Motacilla
citreola
Fire-fronted Serin
Serinus pusillus
*Rock Bunting Emberiza
cia
Black Redstart
Phoenicurus ochruros
SKAM TSOK
21-22/08/06
3200 m
Common Swift Apus apus
Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa
epops
Red-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
White Wagtail Motacilla
alba
Black Redstart
Phoenicurus ochruros
PAIYU
22-24/08/06, 1/9/06
3400 m
We had two nights here
going up, as it is traditional for the porters to rest here. There are
several large belts of trees and areas of shrubs, so there were quite a
few birds here. There are also some wetland areas alongside the river
and at the snout of the glacier.
Black Kite Milvus migrans
Eurasian Kestrel Falco
tinnunculus
Green Sandpiper Tringa
ochropus
Temminck's Stint Calidris
temminckii
Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa
epops
Eurasian Golden Oriole (j)
Oriolus oriolus
Red-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
Yellow-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax graculus (There
was a flock of about 100 of these birds here.)
Common Raven Corvus corax
Bay-backed Shrike Lanius
vittatus
Hume's Lark Calandrella
acutirostris
White Wagtail Motacilla
alba
Citrine Wagtail (j)
Motacilla citreola
Common Rosefinch
Carpodacus erythrinus
Fire-fronted Serin
Serinus pusillus
Eurasian Crag-Martin
Hirundo rupestris
Barn Swallow Hirundo
rustica
Mountain Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus sindianus
Sulphur-bellied Warbler
Phylloscopus griseolus
*Greenish Warbler
Phylloscopus trochiloides
Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia
curruca
Black Redstart
Phoenicurus ochruros
White-winged Redstart
Phoenicurus erythrogaster (I
only saw one bird of this species in the whole trip.)
Rosy Starling (j) Pastor
roseus
(There
was a small flock of these, about 10-15, all juvenile birds. I didn’t
see any adult birds of this species.)
KHOBUTSE
24-25/08/06
3800 m
Eurasian Kestrel Falco
tinnunculus (We
watched this make a kill, probably a Pika, and then eat it.)
Red-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
Yellow-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax graculus
Common Raven Corvus corax
White Wagtail Motacilla
alba
Fire-fronted Serin
Serinus pusillus
Mountain Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus sindianus
Sulphur-bellied Warbler
Phylloscopus griseolus
Black Redstart
Phoenicurus ochruros
URDUKAS
25-26/08/06
4000 m
Snow Pigeon Columba
leuconota
Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa
epops
Yellow-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax graculus
White Wagtail Motacilla
alba
Fire-fronted Serin
Serinus pusillus
Wallcreeper Tichodroma
muraria
Eurasian Crag-Martin
Hirundo rupestris
Black Redstart
Phoenicurus ochruros
Rosy Starling (j) Pastor
roseus
GORO-2
26-27/08/06
4300 m
Yellow-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax graculus
Horned Lark Eremophila
alpestris
White Wagtail Motacilla
alba
CONCORDIA
27-30/08/06
4600 m
Red-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
Yellow-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax graculus
Common Raven Corvus corax
Horned Lark Eremophila
alpestris
White Wagtail Motacilla
alba
Black-headed (Brandt's)
Mountain-Finch Leucosticte brandti
(These
are all juvenile birds but I did see an adult bird with them, so am
certain of the identification.)
JHOLA
2/09/06
3200 m
Red-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
Yellow-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax graculus
White Wagtail Motacilla
alba
Common Rosefinch
Carpodacus erythrinus
Black Redstart
Phoenicurus ochruros
CHILAS
Karakoram Highway
6-7/09/06
Hill Pigeon Columba
rupestris
House Sparrow Passer
domesticus
Himalayan Bulbul
Pycnonotus leucogenys
* Birds with asterisks
are not 100% certain identifications. They were either seen very briefly
or are difficult to identify. The Accentor was seen clearly but differed
from the Field Guide as it lacked the black markings under the chin,
having a buff malar stripe instead. It had very definite russet
spotting on the breast and there is nothing else with this. It may
have been a young bird.
Because of the time of
year, there were a lot of young and juvenile birds to be seen. This made
identification a bit more difficult, but I ended up being happy with my
decisions, except as noted above.
Merilyn Browne
24 September 2006
