Blyth's Leaf & Western Crowned Warblers at Nathia Gali

Sadly, one of our regular companions was unable to make this trip but we left Islamabad at 0630 hours on Saturday 13 April 2013 and made our way to Nathia Gali, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, . Nathia Gali is 8,200 feet above sea level. Our intention was to, hopefully, find and photograph Orange Bullfinches that I had discovered just outside Nathia Gali in April 2011. On the road from Changla Gali, at 9,200 feet, we began to see the damage that the winter’s snow had caused. There had clearly been a number of serious landslides and in a couple of areas sections of the road had completely disappeared down the adjacent steep drops. We were glad that we were undertaking this journey during daylight hours as only some small boulders indicated areas of missing road. Deep snow had had reduced the road to a single track in many places and we were pleased that the traffic was light.

On the way we had seen an ALEXANDRINE PARAKEET near the entrance to Lake View Park on the Murree Road and numerous SLATY-HEADED PARAKEET between Changla Gali and Nathia Gali. Having reached our destination we setup the gear and began the challenging walk that forced us to clamber over deep snowdrifts and around the snow that in places left only a precariously narrow ledge above a precipitous drop. Looking for birds in trees at these points was not a great idea. Birdsong filled the air that was considerably cooler than that we had left behind at the lower altitude in Islamabad. Initially the most numerous species was the dapper SPOT-WINGED TIT

Spot-winged Tit Sams Photography

The areas within the evergreen woods that had been penetrated by the warming rays of the sun had cleared the snow. However, considerable amounts of lying snow remained in the shaded parts. Disappointingly, our progress to the area within which I had previously seen Orange Bullfinches was completely blocked by snow and we were forced to abandon that idea, frustratingly!

We decided to find a suitable spot and wait to see what appeared. The ‘whiplash’ song of the BROWNISH-FLANKED BUSH WARBLER resounded around the woods. A flash of colour indicated the presence of a pair of VERDITER FLYCATCHER. These, truly, are spectacular birds and their common name perfectly describes their plumage colour, which is that of the verdigris corrosion on copper.

Verditer Flycatcher Collecting Nesting Material Sams Photography

Verditer Flycatcher Sams Photography

As so often is the case in woodland, find a few birds and there will be others nearby; some of which were brilliantly caught by our photographer RMK, even in the poor light conditions. Others stubbornly tried their best to remain hidden amongst the pinecones. Most of the RUFOUS-NAPED TIT remained high in the canopies of the tall fir trees. Amazingly, the striking YELLOW-BILLED BLUE MAGPIE for such a large and vociferous bird was remarkably successful in staying out of sight.

We watched a pair of ULTRAMARINE FLYCATHER collect moss for nesting material, another species whereby the common name aptly describes the plumage well, of the male anyway. The female is a drabber bird and reminiscent of an Asian Brown Flycatcher. On a nearby dead pine we suggested it would be ideal for Woodpeckers. There were none but there was a HIMALAYAN TREECREEPER (or Bar-tailed Treecreeper as it is more boringly known)

Bar-tailed Treecreeper Sams Photography

Next we experienced a bit of a dilemma. There were several Warblers in the area that, at first glance, I thought were Western Crowned Warblers. As they darted in and out of the shade it was difficult to assess whether the wash on the undersides was greyish or yellowish. Some of the birds were incredibly bright. I played a short burst of the song of a Blyth’s Leaf Warbler (sadly, I did not possess the song of Western Crowned Warbler) and I thought one of the Warblers was going to land on my head. Instead it alighted in a bush two feet above my head mimicking the song of the mp3 file. I know that both species breed in the area but I had never (knowingly) seen Blyth’s Leaf Warbler in Pakistan.

Probable Blyth's Leaf Warbler (with yellowish wash on underparts and lacking greyish throat Sams Photography

I knew that in the breeding season Western Crowned Warblers habitually flick their right wings at rival males in what looks like a territorial display. At least one bird was doing just that and we were to see others doing the same later in another part of the woodland. So, I was confident we had seen some WESTERN CROWNED LEAF WARBLERS and I had heard the familiar, almost Great Tit, like call. However, we were also watching a BLYTH’S LEAF WARBLERS. One bird, at least, had responded to and mimicked the playback call; another shimmied down the trunk of a tree like a Nuthatch. I didn’t know this until later but this is a habit typical of Blyth’s Leaf Warbler. So, based on that evidence I was sure we were watching both species.

Western Crowned Warbler Sams Photography

Some birds looked slightly larger, although it was difficult to be sure and some did have longer bills, which were definitely the Western Crowned Warblers. Others looked incredibly bright. However, in sun and shade it was difficult to establish the wash, if any, on the underparts of these restless birds. In the above bird there is a greyish colour to the nape and upper mantle. A characteristic of Western Crowned Warbler and this is what I believe this particular bird actually is.

We made our way to another part of the woodland where birdsong again resounded. Here we watched a GREAT BARBET that played a little camera shy, only poking his yellow bill our of the pine needles. There were a number of RUSSET SPARROW on the woodland edge and surprisingly, the Woodpecker in the photograph below was the only HIMALAYAN WOODPECKER we saw during the whole day.

Himalayan Woodpecker Sams Photography

Several pairs of Spot-winged Tits were nesting in holes in walls but RMK in a stand for his artistic integrity refuses to photograph birds on man-made structures, including wires! I admire his stance but I hope we don’t find a first for Pakistan on a telephone wire! Thankfully, the stunning GREEN-BACKED TIT alighted upon a natural substance. Now these can be confusing for those newly acquainted to Pakistan birds. The Green-backed Tit is very similar to the Great Tit of Western Europe. However, the Great Tits in Pakistan lack any bright colour in that they are only black, grey and white and since the taxonomic split have become Cinereous Tit.

Green-backed Tit Sams Photography

We were thinking about moving on when Mrs Islbirder exclaimed she was watching a Thrush sp. I asked whereabouts to which Mrs I stated “in the tree”. The fact that a Thrush of any species would be interesting in Nathia Gali and I was looking at a vista of a thousand trees was neither good for my blood pressure or our marital bliss. Mrs Islbirder’s attempts to paint the picture in words seemed to take forever. Needless to say just as I was about to get onto it, the bird flew into oblivion and remained unidentified. However, from Mrs Islbirder’s description and later use of a field guide confirmed it as a Plain-backed Thrush. So close to a lifer and yet so far; I am pleased to announce that there is still in harmony in the Islbirder household; it was only another Zoothera after all!

We decided to move down to Dunga Gali and have lunch in the garden of the Mukshpuri Hotel, not only good food but also a regular haunt of healthy numbers of Slaty-headed Parakeets. Before we did we visited the huge water tanks nearby thinking that they may have attracted a Red-rumped Swallow or Asian House Martin. Sadly, Hirundines were only noticeable by their absence. In the nearby garden of the Rest House there was a pair of GREY BUSHCHAT and we noticed a couple of BROWN-FRONTED WOODPECKER one of which was brilliantly captured in the below image.

Male Brown-fronted Woodpecker Sams Photography

We returned to the garden of the hotel where we watched a pair of Green-backed Tits and another pair of CINEREOUS TITS. Although they completed a few low level passes the SLATY-HEADED PARAKEET did not land in the hotel bushes as they are disposed to doing; some did alight in the nearby trees to feast on pine nuts.

Slaty-headed Parakeets Sams Photography

As the storm clouds gathered and distant rumbles of thunder were heard our thoughts turned to the unsound rock faces we needed to pass on our way down the mountains so we elected for an early departure following an excellent lunch! My thanks once again to my companion for some outstanding photographs taken in less than ideal conditions.