An Unexpected Birders’ Paradise

Most people would think you’ll see nothing but Kites, Crows and Sparrows in Karachi and this is exactly what I thought too. That is, until I started looking around more with a birder’s eye and realized how much diversity of species there actually was. One thing that saddens me is the lack of greenery in our city which has limited the wildlife to specific areas but the more variety of greenery that people plant, the more diversity is seen in the city. Sadly, most of the city is overrun with conocarpus plants. In fact, in my own garden I have photographed 15 different species of birds! 15 different birds that I’d never even noticed before.

Common Tailorbird, our regular visitor

Purple Sunbird, sitting peacefully on our Christmas tree

The main spots for birding within the city are Phase 8 in Defence and Malir district while the beaches and creeks are good areas for photographing shore birds. A good area for pictures of black kites is the Native Jetty Flyover because of the eagle feeding people do regularly. The Phase 8 area also has been covered in local newspapers for its birding potential and most people are surprised to hear how many birds can be found there.

Another area we discovered recently is the route from hawke’s bay to Mubarak village. It a paradise for raptors and vultures. So if you are interested in taking pictures of birds of prey, this place is a must visit destination.

A Black-winged Kite, shot at Phase 8

Shot at Phase 8, an Indian Robin victoriously perched on a rock with its prey

A Little Stint looking for its food at Hawks’ Bay

I’ve managed to photograph more than 50 bird species in Karachi along with a variety of other wildlife such as an Indian Grey Mongoose, Indian desert jird and Oriental garden lizards.