Bhurban Murree Wildlife and Nature Guide — The Cedar Estate Ecosystem

The Resident Birds (Year-Round)

The Koklass Pheasant is the signature resident of the Bhurban cedar estate — the bird that the cedar estate's long-term visitors most consistently mention and return to hear. The Koklass's territorial call begins at 5:30am throughout the year, though the frequency and intensity peaks in the March-June breeding season. The bird itself (hen-sized, cryptically patterned, on the forest floor) is difficult to see despite the loudness of its call.

The Kalij Pheasant is the Koklass's companion species on the Bhurban cedar estate floor — similar habitat, more variable plumage, slightly more often seen crossing the maintained estate paths in the dawn hour.

The Summer Visitors (April-September)

The Verditer Flycatcher is the most visually striking summer visitor to the cedar estate — the male's metallic turquoise-blue plumage is unmistakeable when it perches at canopy level in the morning light (May-August). The Blue Whistling Thrush, the Large Hawk-Cuckoo (whose call builds to an extraordinary crescendo in June-July), and multiple warbler species arrive with the spring-summer season.

The Winter Birds

November-February: several highland species descend to the 6,800-foot Bhurban elevation in winter, making the cedar estate a productive winter birdwatching site. Himalayan Griffon Vultures use the thermals above the cedar ridge from mid-morning.

Deodar Cedar (Cedrus deodara) — The Dominant Species

The deodar cedar on the Himalaya Villas estate is the primary structural species — the 100-200 year old trees that define the estate's physical character. The oldest trees have trunk circumferences of 1.0-1.5m, suggesting establishment in the 1820s-1870s. The deodar cedar is the longest-lived and largest tree species in the sub-Himalayan range — specimens over 300 years old have been recorded in undisturbed forest. The Bhurban estate trees are mature but not at the maximum of the species' longevity.

Blue Pine (Pinus wallichiana) — The Companion Species

The blue pine (also called Bhutan pine or Himalayan white pine) is the second dominant species on the estate. The long drooping blue-grey needles in clusters of five distinguish it immediately from the cedar's shorter needles. Blue pines are taller and more open-crowned than the cedar — they often grow at the estate margins and on the upper ridge where the cedar is less dense. The blue pine cones (20-30cm, resin-coated) dropping to the estate floor in late summer produce the pine resin scent that accompanies the cedar resin in the autumn forest.