Awesome Birdwatching in Pakistan (Index)

Pakistan is nothing but a heaven on earth. From seashore of Arabian Sea in the south, one travels gradually up north through windswept deserts, fertile and green plains and then stepping into the world of mountains. From small hillocks, the landscape changes continuously, taking a tourist to some of the mightiest snow capped mountain peaks of the world, including the five Eight-Thousanders, inclusive of the K2, the second highest peak after Mt Everest. 

These diverse types of land soil attract birds from many countries who find nesting abodes in summers in the large wetlands that could be found in the foothills of its mountains in the plains. Some of the wetlands include the Uchali Lake near the town of Sargodha, the Manchar and Haleji Lakes in the province of Sind, down south. And here one finds the migratory birds from far off lands while the wooded lands around capital Islamabad and up north abound in indigenous birds and pheasants.

We have been sharing these beautiful birds and their habitat in Pakistan in our previous posts. This post will take you to all our previous posts to see and enjoy watching our beautiful birds:

• Beautiful Birds of Pakistan - 1
• Beautiful Birds of Pakistan - 2
• Beautiful Birds of Pakistan - 3
• Beautiful Birds of Pakistan - 4
• Beautiful Birds of Pakistan - 5
• Beautiful Birds of Pakistan - 6
• Beautiful Birds of Pakistan - 7

And do not forget to see mighty flamingos that fly in large flocks from cold habitats to Pakistan each year, specially to Uchali Lake.

We are thankful to all those photographers, birds watchers and nature lovers who allowed us to share their photos so that world could see the treasure we have for birdwatchers from across the world.

If you like Jaho Jalal, please follow us on Facebook

Follow @JalalsPages

Read More

My memories of Sakesar and dinner of a Siberian Duck at Uchali Lake

When talking of Ramsar sites in Pakistan, beside many wetlands, the name of Uchali Lake prominently figures out. Each year a large number of migratory birds fly over a long and arduous journey of some 3500 kilometres from Siberia and other Central Asian republics (CARs) fly over th Pakistan and nestle and hatch their young ones in many wetlands that are stretched across the country for the duration of the winter season, when in their natural habitat back home it is all snow and cold winds. The migratory birds stay here till march, when their young ones are able to fly with their parent back home.

Satellite view of Uchali Lake (extreme right) and Sakesar on the left [Map: Google Earth]

Awhile ago I got a chance to visit Uchali Lake on my way to Sakesar, a mountain top located at an altitude of 1,520 metres (4,990 ft), over looking Uchali Lake. I boarded a bus from Sargodha where I was posted for Sakesar one fine day. However by the time I reached the foothills of Sakesar, it was almost evening and to my horror, the bus driver announced that this was the last stop and I was on my own from here onward. This was rather irritating as I was new in the area and soon I was standing on the roadside, besides a large tract of water which I later came to know was the Uchali Lake, all by myself. I could watch countless number of birds, mostly ducks calmly nested on the blue waters of the lake. In the setting sunlight, the whole scene looked dramatic and romantic. 

The winding road from Uchali Lake going up to the Sakesar Mountain Top

To my good luck there was a check post on the road that goes up to the Pakistan air Force Base located atop the Sakesar mountain top. I walked up to the check post and introduced myself to the watchman, who was surprised to find a visitor at this time of the hour as I was later to know that all transport going up or down cease by late afternoon and it would be my good luck to find some vehicle going up and get a lift. However, pending which he reassured me of his hospitality till next morning. Since it was winters, I had no choice but to accept the invitation, lest I was frozen in the cold outside, specially in the presence of Uchali Lake, that made it more colder.

Uchali Lake

I had taken my lunch quite early in the noon and was famished by now. Realizing my state and being the dinner time, and it being the dinner time, the guard took his 12-bore shot gun and went out. After sometime, I heard and a thud and then my cowboy host came back with a duck in his hand - the one unlucky duck from those thousands and thousands ducks which were resting on the rather warm water of Uchali Lake. He hurriedly undressed the duck and put some oil, onions, tomatoes, chilies and salt along with the duck, added some water and put the utensil on the stove. While I had my hands warmed up up from the fire of the stove, the duck curry got ready. In the meantime, the guard and gone out once again to a nearby 'tandoor' to collect hot bread/roti. When he came back, he put the entire duck curry in a bowl and we both devoured it to the last drop. Believe me I have never eaten something so delicious in my life.

A view of Uchali Lake during the bird season - a lor of Flamingos can be seen in the lake

Uchali Lake is part of the conserved wet lands under the Ramser Convention. The lake is home to a number of migratory birds like Marbled Teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris), White-headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala), Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia), Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus), Pallas's Fish-eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus), White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis), Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) and Common Coot (Fulica atra).The Pakistan Wildlife Department has established its office on the lake and for the bird watching lovers, has erected concealed bird watching hives during the nesting in Pakistan, as can be seen in photos given below:

 

 

 

And after the duck-dinner, the guard made tea for me and we both sipped and talked about many things, till we heard a car horn. The guard went out and came back smiling to give me the good news as one air force truck was going up with supplies and there was room for me too. So joyfully I thanked the guard for his hospitality and mounted the truck that after going through the winding road with rather steep gradient finally reached the top and offloaded me at the air force officers' mess.

The faintly visible winding road from the Uchali Lake to Sakesar

For next three months, I was the guest of the Pakistan Air Force and I really enjoyed their hospitality. Besides my official commitments, I read almost all book so the small library of the base. But one experience that I want to share would be something new for many of my readers, specially those who are familiar with the surroundings of the area.

The Soon Valley, on which I would soon write a separate post, is located in the heart of the Punjab province, which is utterly hot during summers. Therefore, one cannot imagine how sweet the winters could be in these otherwise rocky mountains with least vegetation. As I mentioned earlier that Sakesar is located at an altitude of 4990 feet - almost similar to the height of Murree, where people each year go in winters to enjoy he snow fall. And on day, when it was quite sunny, but extremely cold, suddenly clouds started gathering and then to my surprise, it started to SNOW - yeas, it really did snow for hours together and soon the entire mountain top was painted in white. I had never imagined that in the barren and rugged mountain of Punjab, I would get to see the snow fall. In those cellular telephone cameras had not come our part of the world, depriving me of taking any snaps of the snow fall or my visit to the area.

A beautiful video of Uchali Lake [Video courtesy: YouTube / Majicboy1 ]

I do not know if I would ever go to Uchali Lake and Sakesar again, but my memories of the area would always remind me of those three wonderful months of my life that I spent on Sakesar and ate that freshly cooked Siberian duck.

Photos of Bird Watching Havens Courtesy: Asif Saeed [Flickr]
Related: Bird Watching in Pakistan [Pakistanpaedia]
If you like Jaho Jalal, please follow us on Facebook
Follow @JalalsPages

Read More

World Migratory Bird Day – Land use changes from a bird’s eye view

The flight of millions of birds migrating from the colder regions to warm natural habitats around the world is a phenomenal event that takes place every year. This provides an annual opportunity to the bird lovers and bird watchers to find beautiful birds from far across the globe in their countries for a period lasting almost six months. I have myself witnessed black swans and many other types of birds flying overhead in a wetland in the desert area down south Rahim Yar Khan, almost on the border of Sind and Punjab provinces of Pakistan. This was one such sanctuary that attracts migratory birds from CARs to Pakistan.

The World Migratory Bird Day is dedicated to these guests that visit countries far from their own for their protection, egg laying and hatching. The day was initiated in 2006 as a global awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the protection of migratory birds and their habitats.  The day is observed on the second weekend of May, which involves bird lovers to help raise awareness around a specific theme.

The theme for 2011 is "Land use changes from a bird's-eye view", that centres dangers imposed on the natural habitat of the migratory birds in the form of wetlands that are fast shrinking due to conversion of these areas into agricultural land, expansion of cites and building of roads and other infrastructures, dams. Migratory bird populations are particularly sensitive to land use and studies reveal that this is the major threat they are facing.

In Pakistan, there is much more to be done as the wetlands spread all over the country in extreme danger in falling prey to expanding cities and converting these areas for agriculture and other uses.

Although the day is almost a month ahead, the purpose of this post is to create awareness of the people on the importance of conservation of the wetlands to allow our guests safe habitats on their arrival and provide a second home each year, lest these divert to other lands depriving us of their hospitality.

Related Links:

Come November – the guest’s season starts

Bird watching in Pakistan
Pakistan- bird watchers' haven

WMBD- 14-15 May 2011 (Official website)
Birds come flying in this season

Read More

Come November - The guest’s season starts

I have added another two months to the famous movie Come September’s title and made it Come November – a month that brings us our guests from the frozen and freezing frontiers of Siberia, Central Asian Republics and Mongolia. Yes I am talking of the thousands and thousands of the migratory birds that evade the sever winter conditions of their natural habitat and come to rather lesser cold climate of Pakistan. We will be host to these beautiful birds till March-April, when they again fly back to their homes when it is relatively warm out there.

One of these birds is the Houbara Bustard – a majestic bird on the verge of extinction which along with others flies from faraway lands, as far as 5000-6000 kilometres from Central Asian Republics and even China, and land in a numerous wetlands stretched from D I Khan in the north, Ucchali in the Salt Range to down south in the Cholistan Desert. These Bustards fly at an amazing speed and make to Pakistan in just about 5-7 days.

With the arrival of Houbara Bustard, the rich and famous from the Gulf States also start to arrive into Pakistan with their teams of falcons, specially trained to hunt the bustards while in flight. I was once deputed to accompany a high profile royal dignitary who had come for the Bustard hunting. They had camped in general area Jhampir near Thatha in the Sind province. Each day they would go out with their falcons and come back with a few hunted Houbara Bustards.

Besides Houbara Bustards, Flamingos, Swans and many other species of birds like the Marbled Teal, White-headed Duck, Eurasian Spoonbill, Dalmatian Pelican throng the wetlands in Pakistan. The migratory birds’ arrival in Pakistan provides an opportunity for the bird watchers to flock the wetlands and enjoy their presence amongst themselves. Once on a reconnaissance in the areas south of Rahim Yar Khan, I also got a chance of bird watching of a large flock of migratory birds perched on an artificial lake in Sandh and Gabbar villages inside the desert. Once they took off, it was a breathtaking lifetime scene to watch them flying, rather floating against the blue sky majestically. It was here that I saw black swans flying overhead me with their grace, charm and majesty.

Related Reading: Bird Watching in Pakistan (Pakistanpaedia)

Read More

Bird Watching in Pakistan

-->

-->

I am not an avid bird watcher. But a few years back, I happened to have visited areas south of Rahim Yar Khan and there in an artificial canal, near the villages of Sandh and Gabber,  created to divert the saline water, I for the first time in my life came across millions of migratory birds over the deep blue water of the canal. Black Swans flew majestically over head. And then I started reading about birds, specially those who are indigenous to Pakistan and those who are migratory and visit us each year in abundance, especially from Siberia.

I also got a chance to see the Houbara Bustard, in the coastal area near Jhampir/Thatta of Sind province when I was detailed as a conducting officer with the royalties of a friendly country. They royal guests had come for the falcon-hunting of Houbara Bustard. I also came to know then the Houbara Bustard has been declared as one of the endangered species. 

Pakistan’s diverse weather and varied land attracts some of the rare and exclusive birds of the world to its wetlands and lakes that are stretched all over the country. The migratory birds, besides native birds in their natural habitat in the jungles and mountains, provide an excellent opportunity to the bird watchers around the world. Western Tragopan pheasant (Tragopan melanocephalus - pictured above) is one of the rare species that exists in the northerly mountains and the Macharia National Park , where it is being bred and chances are that this beautiful bird will be able to be saved of its near extinction in Pakistan.

Besides Siberia, birds from Europe and Central Asian states also fly to the Pakistani wetlands for winter. They said that migratory birds flew over Karakorum, Suleiman Ranges and Hindukush along the Indus River, which is called the Indus Flyway or Flyway Number 4. It may be added here that there are seven flyways all around the world followed by the migratory birds every year in the search of warm waters during winters. The volume of birds on Indus Flyway ranges between 700,000 to 1,200,000 birds each year.

-->

Some of the many birds that one comes across include Lammagier and Griffon Vulture, Laggar Falcon, Kestrel, Black-tailed Godwit’ Dalmatian Pelican, Mallard, Northern-Shoveler, Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga), Imperial Eagle (Aquila Heliaca), Indian Skimmer (Rynchops Albicollis), Brooks's Leaf-warbler, Spectacled Finch, Ruddy Shelduck, my favourite Flamingos and many other species.

The mangrove forests along the Arabian Sea coast also attracts 30,000-50,000 migratory birds. Among the birds that visit mangroves are gulls, coots, terns, dalmatian pelicans, flamingos, osprey dowitchers, dunlin oystercatchers, waders and duck. Birds that are permanent residents of the mangroves are herons, egrets, black-winged stilts and cormorants.

For the bird watchers, Pakistan and its wetlands await them to come and see some of the rare and beautiful birds of the world. The time-in of the birds flow is between September to November, while the time-out is between February to March, when finally it is warm enough back home for the birds to fly back.

Related Sites:

Bird Watching in Pakistan

Wetlands of Pakistan

IBAs in Pakistan

Read More