The morning was sunny and warm, but during all the day the middle-power wind was blowing, it brought the coldness and rain in afternoon. The upper Kimasar gorge and its eastern slope are yet snowy, but the western slope is almost dry. Birds are as usually absent (in spite of Magpies and Carrion Crows) if you don’t watch and hear carefully. Today I arrived to the gorge at about 10am, it is a good time, not early and not later. Almost immediately I noticed the pair of Grey Wagtails, the first this year. In the mouth of gorge I recorded Dippers both Brown and White-bellied but didn’t try to take photo of them. When I reached to the spruce-forrest I see the singing Black-throated Accentors; further I saw more Black-throated Accentors, each time either singing bird or couple. I watched the singing Mistle thrush too and thought that I first time watch the singing Mistle Thrush. I was going to make video but Thrush flew away. By the way Mistle Thrushes are numerous, I saw about twenty birds, [...... read more ]

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Today is sunny, warm and windless, so the nice in all sides day. At 8.30 am there are no birds in Republic Square. Even Magpies were quiet, probably already sit on the nest. Then the singning male of Greenfinch appeared, after the short time the singing female appeared on the next oak. It is surprisingly to me, because I thought female doesn’t sing. Then female flew to male and they flew away together.As the birding in Republic Square is ineffectual I went on Dendropark aka Park of the first president. First I saw (hear) here is the singing Kestrels. Couple of Kestrel was quite active playing, birds were flying one to another, then were moving from the top of one little spruce tree to another one, and all the time they were very nice singing. In the far (most interesting) part of Park I again noticed the pair of Buzzard, the seemingly long familiar birds. One of them (dark-brownish patterned, with pale eyes, without rufous) was observed here during last several winters; usually I watch [...... read more ]

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At 8.30 am I noticed Hoopoe on the birch-tree near City Hall. In the moment I wondered so high perched Hoopoe I saw the second Hoopoe flew by and landed also to birch-tree at the distance about 200 meters from the first bird. Latter didn’t stay a long and flew to second Hoopoe. Then both birds flew away in direction of Telecenter. I was without camera but the weather was a mist. [...... read more ]

Go home from Zhabagly. Today is sunny, almost windless weather, but Black Kites are migrating via Chokpak Pass. Kites fly alone but regularly. In the roadside thickets we take photos of Tits at sunny light at last. Feeling that there are no one thoroughbred Great Tit and no one thoroughbred Turkestan Tit, but only different Hybrids. When you are near Zhualy village you must visit Ters-Ashybulak reservoir. Near Ters-Ashybulak always can to see flying birds. Probably each time can see either lfocks of Cranes or birds of prey or flying groups of little passerines. Today we saw some large flocks of both Common and Demoiselle Cranes, also Osprey, Peregrine Falcon, Black Stork. In Aspara we stopped to lunch not far from the nest of White Storks (we watched both Black and White Storks during one day!). The distance to the nest of Storks was so large that birds didn’t shy us. It was very surprisingly to view the third Stork. When latter appeared, the couple on the nest begins snapping beaks. [...... read more ]

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My Groundhog Day starts from the singing of Blackbirds, then couple of Chaffinches appears, then Tits, Starlings come, and White-winged Woodpecker pounds the pole. New event is only displaying of Wood Pigeon to the Collared Dove.Today is warm and cloudy. Our guided group visited the Kishi-Kaindy gorge of the Aksu-Zhabagly Reserve. Gorge on the side of track is the rare forest of high juniper-trees. Another side is more than half covered by rocks. The final destination of our rout is the waterfall. My own targets of this tracking are Black-breasted Tit and Tawny Owl. Both of them were found. The most popular today bird is Black-throated thrush which was hearable all the time, and some times visible in the junipers. Also we often saw the flocks of Waxwings. Other little passerines were observed by one at time, of latters we saw Tits, Blue-capped Redstarts, Black-throated Accentor, Red-rumped Rosefinch, Wrens. Waxwings, some of thrushes and Redstarts were catching insects in fly like Flycatchers [...... read more ]

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Today is cloudy, morning is even misty. Significant wind is almost all the day. Zhabagly – Chokpak. Morning is again started from the songs of different birds and drumming of Wood pecker. In addition to yesterday birds we saw Wood Pigeion and two Yellow-brested Tits. Tits very active came to the sound but light was a bit to take photo. Yellow-breated and Hybrid Tits also were observed later in the roadside thickets in Chokpak Pass. Also here we saw the large (perhaps more than one hundred birds) mixed flock of Chaffinches and Bramblings, and we saw the Jackdaws building the nests.Ters-Ashybulak. When we arrived to reservoir in the mist we saw Greylag and White-fronted Geese, Great grey Shrike, Sparrowhawk and Little Bustards. Further the significant records during the road to Akkol lake are two Black Redstarts near Karakemer and Pygmy Cormorants in the lake near 27th station.Akkol lake is located to westward from Taraz city and very large, the birds on the another side of lake are not [...... read more ]

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Zhabagly village. Today is sunny, sometimes slightly cloudy, windless day, all we need is this day. As soon as the sun rise, immediately there were birds. In the garden Blackbirds and Starlings started to sing the songs, Woodpeckers started to drum, Chaffinches and Bramblings landed to ash-tree, Collared Doves began to fly one to another, Mynahs, Jackdaws, Rooks started to be active too. We take some photos, had breakfast and go to Ters-Ashybulak reservoir.Ters-Ashybulak. The morning Talas Alatau ridge is very beauty, it is very white with clouds in foothills, perhaps yesterday rain in plains was the snow in mountains. During the branch road from highway to reservoir there are some little lakes on which Ducks were feeding and resting, on the one lake together with Lapwings and Shovellers. Also I saw the large flying flock of Lapwings. I saw the flying flocks of Cranes too. In the roadside thickets there were Kestrels and little passerines including the first in this spring Isabelline Shrike [...... read more ]

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Today is warm, sometimes cloudy, with rain in evening. We drove fast, watching birds on roadsides, but didn’t stopped due to each bird. In the Avraisa we stayed to watch and take photo of House Martins and immediately see them. Martins already built new nests which are wet but full constructed. From the car window in Kurdai we noticed flying Swifts but didn’t stay due to absence of light so photos couldn’t be good. In Aspara we stayed near the nest of White Storks; near the highway already there are no nests, I think due to active construction of the new road. But on the main large nest which is located far from the road there is the couple of Storks which are mated even when we are present. We approached very close and Storks landed from the nest to ground and further flew away. One more staying was in waterless Komsomol lake in Taraz city where we saw a bit of birds. But this time the rain was started and chased us all the rest way to Zhabagly village. It was curious to watch the [...... read more ]

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Yesterday I heard buzzing of Greenfinches but today I watched the singing Chaffinch. Unfortunately I have no camera, in this case I could to make nice video. [...... read more ]

Today is sunny, slightly windy, +15C. I went to Dendropark especially to Buntings. I brought food, tea and sleeping pad, so I was ready. I was sitting on the sun and watching the butterflies (Small Tortoiseshells and Common Brimstones), twice I saw Shrews. But I saw a bit of birds, the Rock Buntings were only three and they didn’t approach to me. Only Eastern Buzzards were the significant record of day. In the beginning I noticed one bird perching on the pole, then I a long time was watching same bird on the poplar trees. Then second Buzzard suddenly appeared and already two birds began to play the air games in the sky. After some time Buzzards separated and began to soar each alone. Buzzards are very similar, one is some darker with uniform belly. [...... read more ]