A Checklist of Birds of Prey of Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Adjacent Areas

Wildlife is declining worldwide due to loss of habitat, pollution, introduction of exotic species, climatic changes etc. Birds of prey are believed to be rapidly declining in Pakistan though no reliable recent data is available and the available literature suggests its previous wide distribution throughout Pakistan. This current study was carried out in the Rawalpindi, Islamabad and some adjacent areas (latitude N 33o27.34-33o48.05 longitude E 72o59.34-73o27.30) to make a checklist of previously and newly existing prey birds as well as to study their general behaviors and biology. Targeted areas were studied at different times of day in different seasons of the year. After identification of prey birds through photographs taken during the study, presence and absence of prey birds was also recorded. Some species, which were formerly not reported in region, were also identified and the relative abundance among different species was calculated

Comment: Probably A Good News: Covid-19 Is Not Spreading Fast In Tropical Region Like In Temperate Region

My understanding of Covid-19 is that, there are some climatic factors involved in seed spread of this virus. As it started from the area of China which falls under temperate zone, its second victim was Iran’s city Qom which also falls under temperate zone and third is Italy which is completely in temperate zone. Data from two countries from Temperate zone and three countries from Tropical zone was compared. The days counted from the 100 cases each country reached as day one and further days studied on equal basis

Prevalence of Flying Squirrels Recorded from Selected Areas of AJK

Squirrels belong to the Sciuridae family. This family comprises of small and medium-sized rodents. They are native in regions of US, Eurasia, and Africa. Different nature parks were selected for survey. Dhirkot Nature Reserve (DNR) was observed in February, 2008, Banjosa Nature Reserve (BNR) in May to June, 2009), Tolipir National Park (TNP) in April to May, 2008, Pir Chanasi National Park (PCNP) in April to May, 2010 and Pir Lasura National Park (PLNP) in June to July, 2009. Only two species from the family Sciuridae were found in the study area; Hylopetes fimbriatus (Small Kashmir flying squirrel) and Petaurista petaurista (Giant red flying squirrel)

Status and Food Preferences of Bears in Sub Alpine Scrub Forests, AJK

Bears belong to the family Ursidae, under the order Carnivora with eight extant species (Grzimek, 2003). Roberts (1997) cite the presence of Himalayan brown bear, Himalayan black bear and Balochistan black bear in Pakistan. Dhirkot National Park (2008), Banjosa Nature Reserve (2009), Tolipir National Park (2008), Pir Chanasi National Park (2010) and Pir Lasura National Park (2009) were surveyed. A broad-spectrum investigation was conducted where the number of bears observed directly; pictures from surveillance cameras (Arc View GIS 3.3, 1992-2002) and at the same time indirect indicators such as bear scats, walking trails, paw prints and fur samples were noted for presence of bears. Only two types of bears, the Asiatic black bear and brown bear were reported from the study area. the Asiatic black bear was observed in four of the five study areas (Banjosa Nature Reserve, Dhirkot National Park, Tolipir National Park and Pir Chanasi National Park). Pir Chanasi had the highest numbers of bears observed while only four bears were reported from Dhirkot National Park. From the whole study site, seven brown bears were sighted only in Pir Chanasi National Park

Relative Abundance and Diversity of Rosaceae from Protected Parks in Northern Areas of Pakistan

The Rosaceae family is also considered as the rose family. There are 27 genera and nearly 160 species from this family in Pakistan. This study was carried out to determine the diversity and population size of species belonging to the Rosaceae family in selected national parks from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. Unbiased stage-sampling was carried out. Four species belonging to the Rosaceae family were observed in Banjosa Game Reserve. Rosa brunonii and Duchesnea indica present, were not enough to calculate relative abundance. Only two species from this family were recorded from Dhirkot National Park, Rubus fruticosus and Fragaria nubicola. Pir Chanasi National Park and Tolipir National Park had the most diversity out of all the National Parks surveyed

Distribution of A. modesta, A. julibrissin And M. himalayana Gamble In Pir Lasura National Park

Pir Lasura National Park (PLNP) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan is located in the Kotli Forest division and spans across an area of 13,900 acres. The list obtained through this study included 46 tree species of angiosperms, out of which only 3 species belong to the family Mimosaceae; A. modesta, A. julibrissin and M. himalayana gamble. A. modesta had 1.6 % constancy and belonged to class Ⅰ, A. julibrissin had 3.3% relative cover and belonged to class Ⅰ, whereas the relative vegetative cover of Mimosa himalayana gamble was too less to be tabulated. All the three species of the Mimosaceae family were scantily available. However, A. modesta and A. julibrissin had enough vegetative cover with respect to other species for them to be reported whereas M. himalayana gamble didn’t have any significant distribution in the selected area

A Check list of the Avifauna of Loi-Bher Wildlife Park Islamabad

Despite its relatively small area, Loi-Bher wild life park is quite diverse with respect to the avifauna. The common bird species found in the area are: bulbuls, pies, pigeons, parakeets, mynas, babblers, warblers, rollers, bee-eaters, doves, crows and pheasants. Over 40 species of Broad-leaved trees, shrubs and woody climbers have been identified in this zone e.g. Acacia modesta, Morus alba, Bauhinia variegata, Punica granatum, Aristida cynnantha, Acacia nilotica, Dalbergia sisso, etc. Human settlements in designated natural areas of the Loi-Bher wild life park constitute the most serious threat to the park resources

Short Report: Description and Distribution of Wagtails Family \u3cem\u3eMotacillidae\u3c/em\u3e with Reference to Pakistan

In the current study, Wagtails of the Family Motacillidae were studied in Pakistan. Thirteen species and sub-species were found in different regions. Their characteristics were observed, photographs were taken, previous distributions of these species were analyzed, and a new distribution of each species was reported in this study. During study, the scavenging role of these birds was identified, and it was hoped that wagtails may play an important role in the absence of the vultures after recent downfalls in major scavengers. However, these important effects were not observed in the wagtails, and probably will not occur until their populations increase considerably

An Annotated Checklist of Butterflies at Elevated Protected Areas of Pakistan

Different vegetation types, cater to the needs of butterflies at different stages of their life cycle. Some caterpillars are specific in their diet and egg-laying, such as the caterpillar of the Monarch butterfly, which mainly consumes leaves of milkweed and hence prefers laying eggs on this plant (Faldyn et al., 2018). This entomological research was undertaken at protected areas of Pakistan that include Dhirkot Nature Reserve, Pir Chanasi National Park, Banjosa Game Reserve, Pir Lasura National Park and Tolipir National Park. Forty-four different species of butterflies were recorded from the study area. The highest diversity of butterflies was observed from PCNP (34) and least from PLNP (15)

A Revision and Pectoral Guide to the Checklist of Birds of Salt Range

Birds as major important component of biodiversity provide a vital aspect of nature’s beauty and completes important ecological role in ecosystem. Current study was designed to gather baseline information about birds of salt range which tends to be modifying with the passage of time. The area was surveyed, pictures of birds were taken and after identification a checklist was formulated and changes in biodiversity was notified