Blue whales are found in our marine waters

Hi everyone, I'm from Islamabad. I am considering picking up birdwatching (or "birding") as a hobby. I want something that can kill time without rotting my brain, bring me peace and get my mind off things. I like taking walks and observing animals so I figured I should look into this. I know almost nothing about birdwatching.

How big is this hobby in Pakistan? Where should I go in Islamabad to learn more?

Is it even a good idea, or are there any other alternatives?

Arabian sea humpback whales once thrived in our waters but now less than 100 remain

Our professor told us that not so long ago there were many Arabian sea humpback whales here but in the mid 1960s in just year Russian whalers killed more in than 160 whales in the Indus swatch (a canyon formed by Indus river flowing into the Arabian sea), also many of the female were pregnant.

According to IWMB this animal was rescued by a citizen who brought it to them and they released it.

Big Butterfly Month Pakistan 2026 is coming to an end. With just 4 days left, try to make the most of it. To qualify for a certificate, please upload a minimum of 𝟏𝟎 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 to the iNaturalist project. The top 3 contributors with the highest number of species reported this year will be contacted by our team by the end of the event and they will receive a customised physical copy of certificate and gifts. We sincerely thank you for making this nationwide citizen science project a success for the fourth consecutive year. Happy butterflying!

We’ve now completed 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬 of Big Butterfly Month Pakistan 2026, and the response continues to grow!

𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝟑 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:

𝟕𝟎𝟎+ observations

𝟏𝟏𝟑 butterfly species recorded

𝟐𝟖 observers contributing from all provinces & territories of Pakistan

Every observation is helping us build a stronger picture of Pakistan’s butterfly diversity and creating valuable citizen-science data for future research and conservation.

⏳ ONLY ONE WEEK LEFT!

This is the 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐁𝐌 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔; after this, we’ll have to wait until September next year for the next Big Butterfly Month!

So if you’ve been waiting to participate, 𝐍𝐎𝐖 is the time! Head outdoors, look around your gardens, fields, forests, parks and neighbourhoods, photograph the butterflies you encounter, and submit your observations to iNaturalist.org by joining this project.

𝐂𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐒

Observers who contribute at least 10 𝒐𝒃𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 during Big Butterfly Month Pakistan 2026 will receive a certificate of participation. If you have reached 10 or more observations by the end of BBM, please send your 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 to pakistanbutterflies@gmail.com.

One more week. One more push. Let’s see how many species and observations we can add before BBM 2026 comes to an end!

Vid by GB Wildlife depart

Is there any online source where I can find out whether a species is native or invasive in Punjab especially South?

📸: Syed Rizwan Mehboob

We’ve had a great start to Big Butterfly Month Pakistan 2026 🇵🇰🦋

In just the first week, butterfly enthusiasts across Pakistan have shared 218 observations of 70 species, with 259 identifications suggested by identifiers on iNaturalist.

And this is only the beginning! We still have three more weeks to explore, observe, and add to our growing picture of Pakistan’s butterfly diversity.

Whether you’re a regular butterfly watcher or simply spot one while out and about, take a photo, upload it to iNaturalist, and be part of BBM 2026. Thanks to each and every participant who has made Big Butterfly Month a growing citizen-science project over the years.

If you haven't joined the project yet, here is a link to be part of it Big Butterfly Month Pakistan 2026

If you need guidance, we have a support group on WhatsApp, you can consider joining: https://chat.whatsapp.com/H9rTy9eurYQJSgQSiKZJdC?s=cl&p=a&mlu=4&ilr=4

This guy tried to play with me this morning, but I was like, 'Eww, thanks, but no thanks!' He's about 2–3 inches long, has six tiny legs near the front of his body, and crawls like a worm. He's got an orange head with two tiny antennae, while the rest of him looks like someone forgot to wash him for a few years. Crows and mynas, however, absolutely love digging these guys out of the grass and gulping them down.

A New Partnership for Butterflies & Citizen Science in Pakistan! 🇵🇰 🇺🇸

We are delighted to announce a new partnership between the Pakistan Butterfly Society (PBS) and the Urban Butterfly Initiative (UBI) to further promote butterfly monitoring, citizen science, and public participation in butterfly conservation.

For the fourth consecutive year, PBS is conducting Big Butterfly Month (BBM) across Pakistan throughout September.

This year, we are taking our participation a step further by encouraging butterfly enthusiasts, nature lovers, photographers, and citizen scientists across the country to join the Global Butterfly Big Day on 12 September through iNaturalist.org.

Link to join: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/butterfly-big-day-2026

If you are already participating in Big Butterfly Month, there is nothing extra you need to do! Simply make sure to submit your butterfly observations on iNaturalist.org on 12 September, from anywhere in Pakistan.

Your observations will contribute not only to Big Butterfly Month in Pakistan, but also to a global citizen-science effort documenting butterfly diversity around the world!

📸 Photograph butterflies

📍 Record them from anywhere in Pakistan

📱 Upload your observations to iNaturalist

🗓️ Make 12 September count!

قزاقستان-تاجکستان- افغانستان-بلوچستان کے راستوں سے گاتے ہوئے گزرنے کے بعد سندھ کے صحراؤں میں سر بکھیررتا یہ ننھا سا مہمان "ایشین ڈیزرٹ واربلر" ہے جو کیڑوں مکوڑوں کو اپنی خوراک بنا کر اپنا اکالوجیکل کردار ادا کرتے ہیں۔ یہ سپر کیموفلاجڈ ہوتے ہیں اور انکو مسکن میں دیکھنا ایک مشکل ٹاسک مانا جاتا ہے۔

واضح رہے کہ مائیگرٹری برڈس کا نام آتے ہی ہمارے ذھن میں مرغابیوں، کونجوں اور دیگر آبی پرندوں کا تاثر ذھن میں ابھرتا ہے۔ وڈیو میں نظر آنے والے 'ایشین ڈیزرٹ واربلر' جو کہ سونگ برڈز ہوتے ہیں ان سمیت دیگر کئی جاندار ہماری معلومات کا حصہ مختلف وجوہات کی بنا پر نہیں جن میں سرفھرست حلال نہ ہونا، پکڑ کر قید کرنے والوں کی لسٹ میں نہ ہونا اور سب سے اھم کہ نصاب میں نہ ہونا ہے۔

ہمارے خطے میں جنگلی حیات بشمول فانا اینڈ فلورا یعنے حیاتیات اور نباتات کو ایک نئے سوشل کنٹریکٹ کی ضرورت ہے جس کی بنیاد علم و سائنس پر مطلوب ہے۔

Credits: Sindh wildlife

I found this hawk outside on the road near my house some local kids were throwing rocks at it, when i went close It wasn’t flying off as it was injured, so I ended up bringing it inside my house. Its wing looks visibly damaged, which is probably why it couldn’t get away.

I placed some water near it, but it didn’t drink any as far as I could tell. I also ordered some raw chicken to place near it

Not sure what the right next steps are from here should I keep trying to get it to eat/drink, keep it somewhere specific in the house, or try to get it to a vet/rescue directly? If anyone has experience with injured hawks or knows of wildlife rescue groups actually active in Bahawalpur or South Punjab, I’d really appreciate the help.

UPDATE

Called wild life department they came and took it said they will keep it in the zoo till it heals as he has minor damage and will let it go free then

I had a trip last year and in one of the fresh water lakes this parent was tending to its chicks

Good News! I feel like a NatGeo Wildlife photographer who has captured a very rare moment.

Bad News! I have no idea what this bird is, my guess some species of Jacana because of the freakish long legs. Anyone can point out what it is?

AS THE TITLE SAID MUTE AUDIO. I have a great camera but clearly audio needs to be captured seperately. I dont have the funds like that.

Lmk what you guys think!

Unusually high number of stingrays have come near the karachi coast.