Night was with rain, morning is overcast. But already when we had breakfast (many thanks Malik and Kuralai) the sun appeared. So we went to the nests of Little Bustards with the perfect weather. Grass after rain was wet and my shoes became fully wet too with my first steps on field. Malik marked the nests found in fields by the stick, stuck into the ground (he calls it “my GPS”). But it’s impossible to view the nest even staying directly near Malik’s “GPS”, because nest is covered by the high grass. But Malik finds the nests by himself method (it’s secret to me how he do it) and begins the shamanic ritual of opening of bird. Malik very carefully clean up grass from the female sitting on nest. Malik said if you don’t touch bird by stick, bird don’t flush but continues to sit on nest. It’s really true, we saw how Malik almost full opens Bustard but bird only watch to the humans staying at one meter from nest. Fantastic! Then Malik carefully covered bird on nest by grass [...... read more ]

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Trip with Gennady and Elena Dyakins to visit Malik’s village for watching the Little and Great Bustards. Day was cloudy during all road. We departed Almaty at 7.00 am, and decided to stop only near the nest of White Strok or in case of very significant record, because road is long. Before the bridge over th Chu river we didn’t see any extra interesting birds, also we didn’t notice some birds from the list of common birds, such as Eurasian Bee-eaters, Long-legged Buzzards. This two species became rare recent two years. Probably Bee-eaters were rare due to building of many brick factories which use the clay from the ravines. It’s only suggestions but the absence of bee-eaters is fact. After the Chu bridge we noticed the couple of Spoonbills flying cross the road in direction of Tasukol reservoir. Unfortunately we can’t take photos. We made stop to lunch near the nest of White Stork. There were one adult Stork (probably female) and 4 chicks. We didn’t approach close to nest but [...... read more ]

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Yesterday I saw Black kite from the window in my office (Temiryazeva - Aimanova crossroad). Before yesterday I saw it twice in April. Raufael Bairashev saw it in this area too. Black kite in the center of the city in summer time is uncommon record. Probably it nests here and finds food in dumps? [...... read more ]

Two-days trip to Ile river floodland to picnic with friends. 18th of May was sunny before midday, but evening was cloudy and even overcast. 19th of May was sunless with the little rain in evening. Because the picnic was the main target of trip, birding was in background; but Gennady and I tried to pay attention to birds any time. During the Kapchagai road we saw Hobbies, Orioles, flock of Demoiselle Cranes, hoopoes etc. We made first stop near the ravine where are Rollers, Kestrels, Jackdaws and Little Owl nest. Owl was not found but other birds were not so significant to us. The next stop was near the single tree on the Malay-Sary pass. As usually the single tree is full of birds; we saw couple of Hobbies, three chicks of Carrion Crow in the nest, about ten Spotted Flycatcher, two Common Redstarts, Hume’s Warblers, Barred Warbler and probably some other birds.During the long staying near Bura village we didn’t see a lot of birds, perhaps due to heat or off-season time. Twice we noticed [...... read more ]

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Great Whitethroats and perhaps Blyth’s Warblers are singing in the Republic Square. I also saw female Turkestan Shrike, three females of Stonechat. In the high and dense elm-trees (karagach) I tried to watch the singing little bird (perhaps Blyth’s Warbler) but noticed the odd-coloured female Blackbird with the caterpillar in beak. Of course bird brought the food to nest, but perhaps worried and ate caterpillar itself. [...... read more ]

The last day in Alakol, it’s the day of departure too. Morning was surprising windless, but when we arrived to canyon of Zhamanty river wind shows its power. There were a bit of birds in the gorge, probably due to wind. I saw Skylarks in the bushes of dogrose (in my opinion), Rollers, Rosy Pastors, flock of 6 Black Kites, one Upland Buzzard and one Common Buzzard. In the willow trees I heard song of Common Nightingale, and saw moving of Hume’s Warblers. I had no time to walk in coast so I can tell only about common in bay Red-crested Pochards, Pallas’ Gulls, Caspian Gulls, Great Cormorants, White Egrets and Grey Herons.After lunch we started to come back to Almaty. Almost all the road I slept and didn’t see any significant birds. In the night of arriving to home I heard in Samal the first in this year Scops Owl. [...... read more ]

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Morning is sunny and very windy. I made the circle around the hotel territory; saw Kingfisher, flying Pallas' Gulls, Great Cormorants and one Bluethroat in flowerbed near café.Before the lunch we went to the foreland where Vassily, Tonya and Aibek saw Relict Gull yesterday. Road to the foreland passes through the belt of saline marshes with high tussock sedges. There are a lot of birds here, especially in the spots where marshes bordered with reeds of Alakol bays. To be honest I didn’t watch all birds which we noted in road because I hurried to Relict Gull, the main target of Alakol lake. But it was impossible to miss some of birds: numerous Black-headed Wagtails, Whimbrel, Great Bittern (!), Stonechats, 2 female Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush. Arriving to the foreland we found three Relict Gulls staying in the coast of bay. When we approached to Gulls they float from the coastal border and then twice flew off but not far, not more than one hundred meters. But in the end Gulls flew away perhaps [...... read more ]

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Yesterday evening we left Almaty and went to Alakol lake. Night we slept in the bus. Morning light started in Sarkand city. In the roadside forest-lines near Andreeevka we saw many Wood Pigeons. On the wires there are many Rollers, Kestrels and Wood Pigeons too. In the Alakol circle I took photos of House Martins in the nests, also saw one Black Kite and Barn Swallows on wires. During the road from the Ucharal to Akchi village in the dry stone desert there were Kites, Lesser Kestrels, Isabelline Wheatears, Hoopoes, Larks, Hobby. In the territory of “Pelican” hotel there are many Masked Wagtails and Common Starlings. Immediately after arriving to hotel we went to the sandy foreland to watch birds and didn’t pay attention to the strong wind called Saikan by local people. Two of three main targets of Alakol lake – Pallas’s Gull and Caspian Tern (my lifer) were noticed immediately, but the third and main target – Relict Gull – was not observed. Also we saw many little waders such [...... read more ]

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Day is sunny, warm (but not hot) and windy. On the road to Sorbulak we made stop when heard the sound of Penduline Tit from the car. We found the building nest of Penduline Tit almost immediately after approached to the river. Both male and female were building the nest. Nest was almost ready, only enter tube was not ready; Tits were building it.The reeds in the Savkino lake (means lake of the White-Headed Duck) became be rarer; lake now is more observable. But due to colony of Black-headed Gulls in the lake the noise and chaos here are increased. When we approached to lake border, Gulls flush and begin to circle around us, some of them even tried to attack us. Of course they couldn’t disturb us to watch birds. We expected to find White-headed Ducks, and we did it, at least three males and three females. I took photos with Albert’s lens (500 mm + extender 1.4 = 700 mm), quality of result is very good. In addition to the White-headed Ducks we watch some other Ducks, Great Crested Grebes, [...... read more ]

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Trip to Ile river canyon with Madina and Albert Meek from the Netherlands. Due to my business meeting we left the city only at midday time. Day is hot and sunny, probably therefore birds are not so much both in rocks and in steppe. On the one hand it is not so bad; Rosy Starling are not arrive yet, after 10 days or even less these birds filled all around by the permanent movement and sounds; and it will be impossible or very hard to watch other birds. But if be honest I expected to view more birds. Probably not all birds are arrived from wintering ranges. What we saw today? Many Lesser Kestrels, all time some birds are viewable. Many times we saw Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush. The most popular bird of the day is perhaps Pied Wheatear, we saw males and females and once accidentally found the nest. We went by the road and noticed very troubled female, the behavior of which indicated the presence of the nest nearby. I lifted the old rusty iron sheet and we view the nest with six eggs. I move the [...... read more ]

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