KARACHI: In our blind quest for building lavish housing projects, we are destroying nesting and resting places of other creatures. This is tragic. The Defence Housing Authority (DHA) will do a great service if it protects the few birds’ habitats left in its fast expanding Phase 8, currently home to more than 35 bird species.

These views were shared by a group of photographers participating in an exhibition which opened at the Pakistan American Cultural Centre on Friday.

Titled ‘Birds of Sindh’, the exhibition is the fourth on the same subject in two and a half years by veteran wildlife photographer Mirza Naim Beg and his team that included mostly amateur photographers. So far, the group has recorded more than 270 bird species over the past four years.

This time, however, three female birders have also joined the group.

“I have always enjoyed photography and often captured birds visiting my garden. Later, I got in touch with Mirza sahib and have had birding trips to various places,” says Zeenat Bayat, once an active journalist now involved in many community-based projects.

So far, Bayat has photographed over 100 birds’ species of Sindh. Her pictures on display included a black-shouldered kite, a rosy starling, a Brahminy kite and a yellow-wattled lapwing, all shot in the DHA.

Pharahnaz Naveed, an educationist based in Rawalpindi, ventured into photography about three years back and later, inspired by wildlife photographers, took up birding.

Her collection included a blue throated barbet, a common kingfisher, a little egret and a Brahminy starling, all photographed in the Lake View Park, Islamabad.

Some amazing shots by Hina Rizvi, a teacher, included flying red-wattled lapwing, a long-legged buzzard and pied kingfishers.

Asked about conserving birds’ habitat in the city, Mr Beg said wildlife conservation was not a hi-tech science and could be as simple as making no disturbance in their habitat that meant that the trees, the thorny bushes where they live shouldn’t be destroyed.

“The way construction is taking place, DHA Phase 8 will soon lose its bird diversity and will be left with only crows and kites,” he lamented.

The species Mr Beg recorded in DHA Phase 8 included the yellow-wattled lapwings and the grey Francolin teetar.

“The exhibition is not only to admire the beauty of these feathery friends, but also to reflect upon the ways how we, as individuals, can play a role in providing a safer environment and habitat to these ornaments of nature for our neighbourhoods,” he said.

The show was inaugurated by 14-year-old Zafeer Shaikh, who was introduced as one of the best in bird identification from even blurred shots.

Also participating in the exhibition were Waqar Mursalin, a chartered accountant, Asad Farooq, the youngest in the group and a university student, Shahbaz Alam, a human resource professional, Umair Siddiqui, a businessman and Farhan Khursheed, who is based in the US but frequently travels to Pakistan.

The show will continue on Saturday from 11am till 8pm.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2018