Bird Watching Areas

Buleji Beach and Cape Monze (Karachi)

                               On the outskirts of Karachi city along the western seaboard. Buleji is about 39 km from the city centre and Cape Monze about 45 km. Rocky coastline with intervening sandy beach and some degraded mangrove at the southern end.

Ghizri Creek (Karachi)

                               On the southern outskirts of Karachi, about 12 km from the city centre. Tidal creek with mudflats and limited salt marsh, surrounded by sand dunes.

Haleji and Hadiero (Karachi)

                                Haleji reservoir is about 60 km west of Karachi on the old highway to Hyderabad city. Hadiero is further north on a branch road to Jamshoro and about 73 km from Karachi. Haleji has a tree-lined embankment (suitable to drive on), with seepage pools and wetlands along its fringes, dense patches of typha and lotus lilies, and a steep rocky island towards the north end.

Hab Dam and Valley (Karachi)

                                30 km north of Karachi city. The reservoir is flanked by desert scrub, with some flash-flood gullies and higher rocky hills on its western side.

Kandkhot and Ghauspur (Upper Sindh)

                                109 km northeast of Sukkur. A series of flood-protection embankments and seepage swamps or temporary pools, plus the permanent Ghauspur Lake. There is a rest house at Kandkhot.

Hingol National Park (Baluchistan)

                                Though it is in Baluchistan at the mouth of the Hingol river, the park is best reached from Karachi. It lies approximately 252 km west of Karachi on the Arabian sea coast. Arid rocky hills down to the sea, with the Hingol river providing some scattered oleander and deciduous tamarisk. On the surrounding hills grow Artemisia and the Dwarf Mazri Palm.

Hazar Ganji National Park (Quetta)

                                 20 km southwest of Quetta. The Chiltan range of hills, with the highest peak at 3264 m, falling steeply to stony screes and slopes at the eastern end of the park at 2000 m. Dotted with juniper at higher elevations and at their foot with scattered pistachio and Mountain ash (Fraxinus xanthoxyloides), Artemisia and dramatic yellow globes of Ferula oopoda.

Ziarat (Quetta)

                                 96 km west of Quetta. This is a high-altitude valley, situated at about 2400 m, with the highest nearby peak Mount Kaliphat 3945 m. A climax habitat, exceptionally restricted on a worldwide basis, it comprises open-canopy tall juniper forest with flowering tulips, Foxtail Lilies and purple tussocks of Onobrychis in summer. There is some deciduous fruit cultivation in the valley.

Torghar Wildlife Preserve (Baluchistan)

                                 52 km west of the town of Zhob, which is about 334 km northwest of Quetta. Bush-dotted mountainous country with scattered Wild Olive, pistachio and Mountain Ash, Sophora and Ephedra bushes and Foxtail Lilies adding colour to the scene in summer.

Lal Sohanran Desert Park (Punjab)

                                 26 km east of Bahawalpur city. A series of tamarisk-fringed lakes where surplus summer canal water is stored, bordered to the south by the Cholistan Desert, with much lopped Prosopis, acacia trees, tamarisk and calligonum bushes.

Kal Chitta Hills (Punjab Salt Range)

                                 75 km west of  Islamabad. Low rocky hills with a good ground cover of stunted Wild Olive, Acacia and bushes of Adhstoda (Baikar) and Dodonaea (Sanatha).

Uchchali Lake and Khabbaki Complex (Salt Range Lakes)

                                  From Sargodha town on the plains, approximately 99 km to Khabbaki Lake and 130 km further west to Uchchali Lake. Brackish lakes surrounded by scrub-covered hills.

Balloki Headworks (Lahore)

                                   Irrigation barrage on the Ravi river 69 km southwest of Lahore. Seepage swamps alongside flood-protection embankments.

Changa Manga Forest Plantation (Lahore)

                                   86 km southwest of Lahore. Reputedly the oldest irrigated forest plantation on the subcontinent planted in the late 19th century to provide for railway sleepers. Planted today with Dalbergia (Shisham) and white mulberry for manufacturing sports goods.

Rawal Lake (Islamabad)

                                    East of city outskirts and adjacent to the old Murree road, about 0.8 km from the city centre. Western edges of the lake are reed-fringed with Typha and Phragmits and surrounded by scattered trees, mostly acacia (Babul or Kikar), mango and Bauhinia. The exotic paper mulberry (Broussetia) is rampant everywhere.

Margalla Hills (Islamabad)

                                    A national park lying on a north-south axis along the western boundary of the city, accessible on foot from the northwestern urban area. Rising from about 500 m at the base to 1600 m on the heights summit ridges, these hills are arguably the most diverse area. They have a good mixture of Indo-Malayan plants, mostly rather stunted, but with thick undergrowth of Carissa (Garunda) Adhatoda (Baikar) and Zizyphus (Ber). Taller trees include indigenous Silk Cotton, Ficus spp, Indian Laburnum and various acacias.

Outer Murree Foothills

                                   Lying to the north of Islamabad, varying from 20 km to 32 km in such directions as the Tret Velly, Kahuta and Lehtrar. Lying between 900 m and 1500 m. Predominantly subtropical long-leaved pine (chir) with a good mix of deciduous trees in sheltered ravines, including pistachio, Silver Oak (Ban) and an understorey of barberry, wild pomegranate and zizyphus.

The Murree Hills and Galis

                                   Nathia Gali 42 km north of Murree town and at 2400 m elevation has many tourist hotels and is the best place to survey the area. On warmer south-facing slopes, Blue Pine and Deodar forest and on northern slopes Silver Fir and a mix of deciduous trees such as Himalayan Horse Chestnut, elm and Bird Cherry. The understorey include Viburnum, Bush Honeysuckle and attractive climbers such as the White Rose and Mountain Clematis.      

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Information Source: Birds of Pakistan (Helm Field Guides)