With the dense fog that has been plaguing Islamabad recently
we were lucky to be able to go birding on Saturday 5 January 2013 that turned
out to be a beautifully sunny day. Following the holiday this was my first real
birding outing of 2013 and a chance to begin the New Year List that currently stands
at 75 species. We stayed local and visited a marshy and agricultural area to
the south of Rawal Lake. We hadn’t even got out of the vehicle before the
photographers were doing their stuff as can be seen from the super photograph
of a Red-wattled Lapwing taken in
the early morning light.
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| Red-wattled Lapwing Sarel van Zyl |
We also had great views of a pair of GREY FRANCOLIN and
several WHITE-BREASTED WATERHEN. We mistakenly flushed a COMMON SNIPE from a
small reedbed. There were large parties of GREY-BREASTED PRINIA and one or two
GREENISH WARBLER and ORIENTAL WHITE-EYE amongst them. No matter how many
over-wintering SIBERIAN STONECHAT we see, the guys cannot resist this obliging
and photogenic species as can be seen from the following montage.
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| Siberian Stonechat Riaz Khan |
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| Siberian Stonechat Sarel van Zyl |
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| Siberian Stonechat Sarel van Zyl |
There were several LONG-TAILED SHRIKE that were actively
hunting including one that narrowly missed a Stonechat. A BLACK-SHOULDERED KITE
put on an impressive aerial display for us before settling in the canopy of a
tall tree. A RUSTY-CHEEKED SCIMITAR BABBLER was an unusual occurrence at this
site but welcome nonetheless. Another bird that always attracts the lenses is the GREY
BUSHCHAT and today was no exception as can be seen below.
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| Grey Bushchat Sarel van Zyl |
This area has been reliable for wintering SLATY-BLUE
FLYCATCHER in the past and after some searching I found a stunning male having
first located its presence by its tek tek
tek call. The birding paparazzi were otherwise occupied by a group of
YELLOW-EYED BABBLER.
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| Yellow-eyed Babbler Sarel van Zyl |
Moving away from the marsh we skirted the southern shore of
Rawal Lake. The guys tried to photograph one of several INDIAN ROBIN without
success but we did find this Prinia that has caused me a few identification
problems. My first impression was PLAIN PRINIA but it is RUFOUS-FRONTED PRINIA
that spends more time on the ground. However, the obvious white tips to the
tail feathers aren’t that apparent. The supercilium is indistinct as is the
rufous colour to the forehead that does not extend over the top of the head. In
RUFOUS-FRONTED PRINIA the rufous-brown crown is not always distinct. The lack
of upper and lower bordering to the supercilium also suggests RUFOUS-FRONTED
PRINIA. The answer is I’m not sure but will probably plump for RUFOUS-FRONTED PRINIA;
possibly a bird in worn plumage. I will do some more digging and readers can
make up their own mind whilst looking a Sarel’s outstanding composition. Let me
know what you think? Sadly, it didn’t call.
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| Putative Rufous-fronted Prinia Sarel van Zyl |
Further on we came across a large group of STRIATED BABBLER
that were loitering in the now dry reedbeds at the lake’s margin. We moved on
to the eastern shoreline and paused to watch a couple of ZITTING CISTICOLA and
a large group of winter EURASIAN SKYLARK, the call of which is very
distinctive. PADDYFIELD PIPIT and WATER PIPIT shared the grassy areas that used
to be underwater but are some way from the lake’s current shoreline.
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| Paddyfield Pipit Sarel van Zyl |
Whilst the guys tried to photograph some of the several PIED
KINGFISHER, I searched the area for other species. There were some waders,
COMMON GREENSHANK, a few BLACK-WINGED STILT and two NORTHERN LAPWING. Most of
the ducks were on the dam wall side of the lake and not discernable due to the
haze but there were some NORTHERN SHOVELER
and NORTHERN PINTAIL close enough to see well. Three GREY HERON kept the
visiting GREAT CORMORANT company; the latter dwarfing their cousins the LITTLE
CORMORANT. An over-wintering YELLOW WAGTAIL provided a distraction as did the
aerobatics of the numerous BLACK KITE that loaf in the area.
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| Black Kites Sarel van Zyl |
In all we recorded 55 species. We were again disappointed
not to find a Bluethroat or a Wheatear. However, there is still plenty of
winter left to do so.
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| Indian Pond Heron Sarel van Zyl |
