Today me and Natali Kim visited Komsomolsky island. Most of significant observed birds are separated to two groups: new ducks and little passerines. The latter can be also separated to two groups: common winter visitors and surprisingly belated migrans.Ducks. In the dispersed small flocks of Mallards we watched 2 Common Teals, 3 Wigeons, 2 Tufted Ducks. All these ducks more likely stay to rest and feed, and will fly away after one or two days. But the observed two days ago Goldeneyes and one Smew probably arrived to wintering.Little passerines. Common winter visitors or residents: Great Tits, Coal Tits, Willow Tits, Goldcrests, Sparrows. Uncommon to this season birds: Bluethroat and Tree Pipit; this birds were feeding on the snow-free water border. More likely both Bluethroat and Pipit are belated migrants. Yesterday in Dzhambul park I watched one Lesser Whitethroat (was looking for insects in fir-tree) and at least 3 Hume’s Warblers. Lesser Whitethroats winters in Almaty, I regularly [...... read more ]

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The short tour to silverberry thickets at Gerasimovka village with Viktor Kolesnikov and Rimma Kim. Very cloudy weather, the frost was not felt in the beginning but was explicite in the end of trip. Birds were a lot because the food is a lot of course. Birds were feeding both in the silverberry trees and on the sunflower field (large harvest). The most numerous species: Greenfinches, Bramblings-Chaffinches, Black-throated Thrushes, Filedfares, Yellowhammers; each of these species from 50 to 300 birds. The less numerous species: Reed Buntings, Great Tits, Azure Tits, Linnets – about two tens of each. And only individuals of Rustic Bunting (1), Howfinch (1), Redwing (1-3). We saw Sparrowhawk was hunting to little passerines; but Great Grey Shrike caught the little mice on the sunflower field, it was surprise to me. Birds of the day to me are Redwing and Rustic Bunting. Rustic Buntnig was feeding in the reeds together with Reed Buntings and flew away with the flock, I tried to find it but [...... read more ]

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Dank and overcast weather. Birding in Left-side Park. Park is very large and very pleasure to walking. In the morning birds are a bit perhaps because there is very cold. The first spot of birds activity is the thickets near labyrinth. We tried to attract Willow tits by sound but not only Willow Tits but Coal Tits, Great Tits came to us. Also Siskins, Long-tailed Rosefinch and Cetti’s Warbler flew to thickets but it’s may be coincidence. We tried to attract the Cetti’s Warbler too; bird twice left the bushes but a short time. Then we walked in the birch grove the place of Woodpeckers; we saw four Great Spotted Woodpeckers but either in fly or very far. Birds of pray: White-tailed Sea-Eagle and Sparrowhawk. Park is very nice place to birding; I think need to repeat the trip but in sunny day. [...... read more ]

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Urban Birding in Ust-kamenogorsk with Rimma Kim and Natalia Kim. Weather is cold, mostly cloudy in morning and sunny after midday. Trip by the right side of Irtysh river from the city beach to the dispensary (Profilaktory). Quite a lot of people especially with dogs, perhaps there is event of dogs lovers. Birds: a lot of tits, mostly Great Tits but we also noticed one Coal tit and some Willow Tits. In some spots there were Leaf Warblers (Chiffchaffs and Hume’s Warblers); Woodpeckers – twice White-backed and four Lesser Spotted. On the open water there were Mallards and Goosanders. Birds of pray: in morning fog the Goshawk flew by accompanied by Crows, then three times we watched flying Sparrowhawk (probably same bird), once we scared Upland Buzzard from the poplar, and in the city we noticed flying by Steppe Eagle. The last one is surprise to me because in the end of October Steppe Eagles were observed only in the Southern Kazakhstan. [...... read more ]

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Morning, 8am. Dzhambul Park. Weather is very nice, almost sunny and cold. Thrushes were eating berries (viburnum, barberry, but mostly little apples). I saw two Blackbirds, two Fieldfares and many Black-throated Thrushes. The local Blackbirds are very shy unlike ones in Almaty. Also in park I watched Great Tits, Nuthatch and about five Hume’s Warblers.After the park I decided to visit the Irtysh river side. Though I went to river about 9.30am the birds were a bit. Usually numerous Rock Pigeons were invisible. First time there were a bit of Ducks too. But later two large flocks of Gulls (while not id) appeared; one flock was a long time soaring above the island, then flew away. Then a large wedge of Cormorants flew away to the East, then I twice saw Gooslanders moving upstream. And then I spotted 6 barn Swallows. After October 21st I recorded Barn Swallows only October 25th in Sorbulak and twice in November beginning in Mangyshlak, but both of record point are at least 1000 km to south [...... read more ]

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Yesterday in Ust-Kamenogorsk there was the rain turning into the first of this autumn snow. Today is mostly cloudy weather but without precipitation. I again went to the riverside. Noticed the hybrid Crow and thought that this crow may be the most important record of today. But then I watched two other hybrid Crows. And interesting records still to come. When there are Gulls and Cormorants in the island in middle of river this is a normal. But the Barn Swallows flying over the island is interesting record. Yesterday there was a snow but today I watch Swallows! When I photographed Swallows I noticed the movement on island; little birds flew from stones, then Gulls flew from ground, and then I saw the middle-size bird low level flying above the birds group in island. It was Peregrine Falcon. Falcon made a circle from the island and flew directly above me. It not got into the frame; camera not focused to it; very close is bad too. In the site’s gallery there is the series by Vladimir Shefer [...... read more ]

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Short walking on Irtysh riverside. Quite a cold weather, mist at morning but sun after lunch-time. The Cormorants, Mallards and three Goosanders were flying up- and downstream along the river. Caspian Gulls and Cormorants rested in the middle-river island. Hundreds of Rock Pigeons were drinking water from the river. In the trees along the embankment there were a lot of Great Tits, once saw Coal Tits flock (about 6-8 birds). Great Spotted Woodpeckers flashed in trees, but I couldn’t find it in the city noise. Flock of Thrushes flew by in the sky but in morning mist they were unidentified. Magpies, Hooded Crows and Rooks also in the list.Yesterday’s records. From Ayaguz to Zhangiz-Tobe I watched birds from the wagon’s window. Saw Collared Doves (Ayaguz), Sparrowhawks (3), Common Kestrels (about 5), Common Buzzards (2), and of course Magpies, Crows and Jackdaws. It seemed to me the Mynah on wires in one of the stations, but I am not sure. About 30 km to Zharma station I watched one flying [...... read more ]

Recent weeks I quite often visited the Republic Square. But I didn’t publish posts because there were no any significant records. Every visit I watched only common birds. After the rainy days I felt the winter’s coming. Now is the off-season time when most of birds migrated but the winter visitors did not come. I go to the urban birding to watch what the birds did not leave the city. This autumn migration of Nightjars is surprisingly behind time. Every visit to Square I find at least one Nightjar. One late Stonechat. More than one month the juvenile Red-backed Shrike perched on the same bush. Bluethroats, Barred Warblers and Lesser Whitethroats hides in the thickets. Sometimes I heard sounds of Hume’s Warblers. There are no Common Whitethroats. Quails hide in the grass; there are Sparrowhawks always in area. This is list of common birds which I watched every visit to Square. Some of species next time will leave the Square; Barred Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat and Sparrowhawk will stay [...... read more ]

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