Sightings:
If you have seen an unusual or rare bird or need
help identifying something you saw, please send us an email at
bcp@wildlifeofpakistan.com.
When sending a sighting report please add what you saw and when and
where you saw it.
We have compiled sighting reports by our members and
other individual birdwatchers below:
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Sociable Lapwings seen in Hingol National Park
Date: 19 November, 2006
Location: Hingol National Park, Baluchistan
Birdwatchers: Ghulam Rasool Mughal
Report:
9 Sociable Lapwings were seen by G. R. Mughal on 19 Nov 2006 at
Hingol NP, Baluchistan.
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Brown Rock Chats observed in Dera Ghazi Khan.
Possible range extension
Date: 25th October, 2006
Location: Tibbi Qaisrani, Dera Ghazi Khan, N.W.F.P
Birdwatchers: Muhammad Saad Nawaz Qaisrani
Report:
On 25th of October 2006, I came across at least 2 Brown Rock
Chats in my village near Tibbi Qaisrani, Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan.
Both the individuals were seen at quite a distance from each other.
Both the birds were positively identified.
The closest Brown Rock
Chats have been seen before is near Jhang. Dera Ghazi Khan is still
quite a distance from Jhang. Now both the birds seen were not
singing. It is to be seen that, this new range extension represents
what? Whether the birds are scarce passage migrants from the area,
rare winter visitors or are they taking up permanent residence.
Also, Brown Rock Chats were not seen in a trip to D G Khan in Nov.
2006. So the birds were most certainly passage migrants. This also
shows Pakistan's population of BRC's is also partly migratory.
It must be mentioned that
in countless visits to Dera Ghazi Khan before, this bird was never
seen in Dera Ghazi Khan or any place close. Nevertheless,
considering this birds' limited global distribution, sightings in
Dera Ghazi Khan of this near endemic specialty are very encouraging.
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Sind Woodpecker Feeding Habits
Date: 20th August, 2006
Location: Pindi Gheb, N.W.F.P
Birdwatchers: Muhammad Saad Nawaz Qaisrani
Report:
Muhammad Saad Nawaz Qaisrani reports an interesting feeding
habit of the Sind Woodpecker. According to the book, "The Birds of
Pakistan, T J Roberts writes he has never seen a Sind Woodpecker
feed on the ground. However, Muhammad Saad Nawaz Qaisrani
observed the Sind Woodpecker for a while, It flew and perched on an
electric pole. After trying to approach it closely, it flew and sat
on the ground for a while. When he left it was still on the ground.
The ground was recently gone over by a tractor, so you could expect
insects. But, he didn't observe any feeding.
T J Roberts's observation is confusing. Does he want
to say he never saw any feed on the ground, or that he means he
never saw any Sind Woodpecker sit on the ground ever, and so they
don't feed on the ground. If it is the 2nd case, then he is proved
wrong.
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Interesting major sightings for Islamabad and the
environs
Date: 15th August 2006
Location: Islamabad and the environs
Birdwatchers: Merilyn Browne and Muhammad Saad Nawaz Qaisrani
Report:
One female Crested Bunting was seen in the Pine forests on the
Margalla Hills. It is known to be only a scarce breeder in the
Margalla Hills.
One Large-billed Crow was seen on the Margalla
Ridge. According to Mikko Pyhala's book "Birds of Islamabad", the
earliest sighting of this specie on Margalla Ridge is on 14
November. The sighting of the bird on 15 August is nearly 3 months
earlier than before, and might be an indicator that the bird is now
trying to establish permanent residence in the Margalla Hills.
A Scaly-bellied Green Woodpecker was seen in the
woodland around Rawal Lake during this trip. This sighting of the
Woodpecker seems to be the first autumn record of this woodpecker in
the forests around Rawal Lake, as previously it is only known to be
a winter visitor to the forests around Rawal Lake.
Finally, a pair of Brown Rock Chats was seen once in
F-10 and a single bird was seen in Margalla Town, Islamabad in
August 2006. This confirms the fact that the bird is a resident of
Islamabad now as well. According to Mikko Pyhala's book, there is
only one previous record of its existence in Islamabad.
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Little cormorant sighted at Rawal
Lake
Date: 15 August 2006
Location: Rawal Lake, Islamabad
Birdwatchers: Merilyn Browne and Muhammad Saad Nawaz Qaisrani
Report:
A Little cormorant was sighted at Rawal Lake on 15 August 2006 by 2
birders, Merilyn Browne and Muhammad Saad Nawaz Qaisrani.
According to knowledge, this is only the 3rd sighting of this specie
at Rawal Lake.
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Jerdon's Babbler Rediscovered in
Punjab
Date: 10th-18th of April 2006
Location: Taunsa Barrage, Punjab
Birdwatcher: Ghulam Rasool Mughal
Report:
A photographer G R Mughal from Lahore while on a WWF trip to Taunsa
Barrage came across some specimens of the Endangered Jerdon's
Babbler. According to Mr. Mughal, Jerdon's Babblers are common at
Taunsa Barrage. These Sightings mark the rediscovery of this
endangered bird in Punjab province.
The word Rediscovered might seem a little out-of-place, because T J
Roberts, in his book "Birds of Pakistan" never calls this bird
extinct, However it is worth mentioning that the Jerdon's Babbler
had not been seen in Punjab since the past 63 years. The last time
this bird was seen in Punjab was in 1943 when H. Waite came across
it near Bhamb in Mianwali. Other than Taunsa Barrage, this bird
occurs in Pakistan in Sind near East Narra.
Please read Mr. G.R. Mughal's personal account
here
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Marbled Teal seen in Sind
Date: 31st January 2006
Location: Lung Lake, Sindh
Birdwatcher: Ghulam Rasool Mughal
Report:
A photographer G R Mughal from Lahore while on a trip to Lung Lake in
Sind came across at least one specimen of the Marbled Teal.
The bird was photographed on 31st January 2006. It would be worth
mentioning here that last year in July/August some 30 pairs of this
rare duck were found breeding in Sind. However, this sighting seems to
be the 1st winter sighting of this duck in Sind since quite a while.
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Brahminy Starlings in Dera Ghazi
Khan
Date: 27 August 2005
Location: Dear Ghazi Khan
Birdwatcher: Muhammad Saad Nawaz Qaisrani
Report:
While searching for button Quails in my area
on 27 August 2005, I came across a pair of Brahminy Starlings.
According to Roberts this bird doesn't occur south of Pindi. D.G
Khan should be a good 350 kms south of Pindi.
According to Roberts there is a small resident population of this
bird in Southern Sindh. So the Nara sightings are a rather small
Northward extension of this small population. However the birds seen
in D. G Khan are a southwards
extension of the northern population. And D. G Khan to Pindi is a
huge distance. The date of Brahminy Starlings sighting and
subsequent visits to the area show this bird is a passage migrant
through D G Khan.
Other noticeable birds seen were Eurasian Wryneck, Golden Oriole,
Red necked falcon and Black Bittern.
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Houbara Bustard, Marbled teal,
Lesser whistling teal and Brahminy starling at Nara Desert Wildlife
Sanctuary and the Nara Game Reserve
Date: 26 August 2005
Location: Nara Desert Wildlife Sanctuary and
the Nara Game Reserve
Birdwatcher: Abdul Razzaque Khan and Hussain Bux Bhagat
Report:
Birdwatcher Abdul Razzaque Khan and Hussain Bux Bhagat, deputy
conservator of the Sindh Wildlife Department visited the area.
Mr Bhagat said during the visit to the Nara Desert locally known as
Achharo Thar (white desert), a group of four houbara bustards (chlamydotis
undulata) was sighted on Aug 7 in the Nara Desert Wildlife
Sanctuary.
He said houbara bustards were sighted during the first week of August.
A pair of a rare duck species like lesser whistling teal (dendrocygna
javanica) was sighted at Jari Lake in the Nara Game Reserve on
August 6.
Previously, this bird was seen at the Haleji Lake in 1986 and in Sanghar
in 1994.
It is the first time that it has been sighted in the upper Sindh where
it nests and breeds from June to August.
This is oriental species found in South-East Asia from Pakistan to
Indonesia, West Borneo, South China and South India.
While globally threatened duck species Marbled teal (Marmaronetta
angusterostris) is still present in lakes of the Nara Game Reserve
whereas four pairs at Jagir Lake, two pairs at Dangi-wari Lake and two
pairs at Kathore Lake were seen on August 7.
Another pair of Brahminy starling (Sturnus pagodarum) was sighted
during its breeding time in the Nara Desert Wildlife Sanctuary on other
forest patch at distance of 14 kms North from the first breeding pair
observed during the month of July.
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Sirkeer Malkoha discovered in Azad
Kashmir
Date: 9 October 2004
Location: Near Muzzafarabad, Azad Kashmir
Birdwatcher: Muhammad Saad Nawaz Qaisrani
Report:
Sirkeer Malkoha was seen by me near
Muzzafarabad during a single day trip to Azad Kashmir on 9 October
2004. This seems to be the 1st sighting of this specie in Azad
Kashmir, as it has not been reported there before. The Sirkeer
Malkoha is a rare bird in Pakistan. Extra-limitaly it occurs only in
India and Sri Lanka. It's previously known distribution in Pakistan
consists of small populations near the Indian border near Sialkot, a
small but viable population in the Margalla Hills and small numbers
that occur in a few restricted localities of Sind. Although only 1
bird was seen and observed, it is hoped that more do occur in that
region.
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Common Wood Pigeon in Murree
Date: 1 May 2005
Location: Baarian, Murree Hills
Birdwatcher: Muhammad Saad Nawaz Qaisrani
Report:
Common Wood Pigeons were seen by me while
searching for Kalij Pheasants near Baarian, a hill station about 8
kms from Murree. Previously it was not known to occur in the Murree
Hill Range. The
area was again visited in July 2005, and the birds were not
observed. So they were possibly passage migrants. The Common Wood Pigeon is the largest of all Pigeon
species occurring in Pakistan. It is a Scarce specie in Pakistan. Its
previous distribution ranges from a viable population in the Kala
Chitta hills in Attock, small numbers occurring in the Juniper
Forests of Balochistan, with some numbers occurring in Waziristan and
some numbers occurring in the Northern areas.
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