Day is sunny, quite warm and very windy. On the road I beheld one Red-mantled Rosefinch and one Guldenstadt's Redstart. The lake is already whole frozen but the empty and outflow rivers are almost without ice. The birds were a little probably through the strong wind. At first I beheld only Carrion Crows (which number was a strange little), single Magpies, and the nimble flock of the Red-fronted Serins flew here and there and opposing the wind yet pecked up the seeds from the grass. Later on the ice-hole I saw one White-bellied Dipper and one Wallcreeper. Further on the gorge from time to time the Brown Accentors streaked in the spruce forest. On the ice-hole of mouth of Ozernaya river the Mallard Ducks winter as on last year. Today I have accounted 14 Mallards. The Ducks fed not in river's mouth but some upwards. There is no place to fly out in mountains therefore the casual flashed Mallards having roamed over lake again come back to the ice-hole. Having walked a little upwards the river [...... read more ]

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Very sunny and very frosty. At the morning in Bakanas I saw how the mute Blackbird flew out. I have gone to Balkhash side a little. At the morning twilights I saw stirring in the shrubs Tree Sparrows (three flocks), twice noted sitting on the poles Rough-legged Buzzards, from time to time I saw flying by pairs or in not large flocks the Rooks and Hooded Crows. The lonely Crested Lark was looking for something on the road side. The White-tailed Sea-Eagle flew by eastward from Ili river. Twice I noted the Falcons. Once it was the soaring above the plain Kestrel and once sitting on the pole Saker Falcon. I saw two more times Rough-legged Buzzards and one very dark Buzzard, probably Upland Buzzard, at afternoon. I observed one Upland Buzzard already over the Malay-Sary pass. It's very interesting that I have watched the Upland Buzzards in the steppe and the Rough-legged Buzzards in the desert only. One more time I observed the pair of the Linnet and one Little Owl sitting on the pole. The winter [...... read more ]

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The sunny and frosty day. In the Kapchagai town as usually in winter the Crested Larks are occurred on road side. The Kapchagai reservoir is not frozen yet. Near the dam three Little Grebes were floating and two ones were floating a little bit further. As soon as the three closed Grebes saw me smartly dipped in water and appeared five meters further. So together dipping all three birds permanently floated out from me. Two last Little Grebes started floating out too but without dipping. From Kapchagai till Malai-Sary ridge the road goes through the feather-grass/wormwood steppe but now the steppe is not seen under the snow. Till the pass I observed the Horned Larks about seven times, twice I saw Upland Buzzards. Once on the road-side elms I saw the resting flock (about 70-80 birds) of the Linnets. But already on the pass I observed sitting on the tree Great Grey (or probably Steppe) Shrike. The desert country starts already over the pass. Here in the sands till the evening I observed only [...... read more ]

The morning trip to sea buckthorn thickets. Today is not cold but murky day. Birds as rule in murky weather were quite a bit. Alone Wren customary searched food on the water border. Behelding me the Wren flew of in neighbor bush; but just after ten seconds it came back. It is its habitual behavior. Further I noted three Long-tailed Rosefinches. A long time I didn't see it. In contradistinction on most of other local birds the Long-tailed Rosefinches fed on the young birch-trees growing between sea buckthorn trees. But on sea buckthorn trees mostly Tits (Great Tits and one Coal Tit) fed. All the birds preferred the berries without snow; probably the little birds don't have the power to shake off the dense hoarfrost. Last years in this place the Coal Tits were a lot; and also Azure Tits were observed. Two Eversmann's and one Guldenstadt's Redstarts. The Guldenstadt's Redstart is common inhabitant of the winter sea buckthorn thickets. Also such as Red-mantled Rosefinch which by the way today [...... read more ]

On the place of jointing of Ozernoe and Prohodnoe gorges there are the sea-buckthorn thickets. In winter time in these thickets quite a lot of birds occur. The day was cold, misty, very murky and snowy and wasn't very successful to the trip. It is not possible to take photos in such day but some birds I still saw. The visibility was a slight and I saw only birds stirring in bushes almost before my face. Most of birds of course were the Carrion Crows and Magpies. In the mist either birds more hearable than visible. I don't know what were Magpies doing but Crows very actively ate the sea-buckthorn berries. To them it was to do easier than to small birds because all berries has been densely covered by prickly hoarfrost. Some time the Red-mantled Rosefinches loudly flew by me, from 5-6 seen by me Rosefinches the one only was adult dirty-pink male, all other birds were dark-brownish females or probably juveniles. Twice I saw Guldenstadt's Redstart and once Great Tit. On the slowly stream the [...... read more ]

The sunny day after yesterday's snowfall. Birds were quite a few. In the Square of Journalists the little (7 birds) mixed flock of Bramblings and Chaffinches fed on the ash-tree. On the Republic Square high on the birch-tree the flock of Red-fronted Serins and Siskins ate the catkins. [...... read more ]

Very murky and very moist weather, dense mist. One only more or less interesting observation is the flock of the Red-fronted Serins on the birch-tree. [...... read more ]

The trip with Javier Pierda to Bartogai reservoir by the upper Chilik road. Today's weather is not plain, in places is sunny but in some places all the country in the mist. Sometimes it visible as the smoke moved along the gorges. The upper Chilik road crosses the foothills of Karash and Bokaidyn Tau ridges; during the first half the road bypassed by the road-side thickets, mostly of karagach (small-leaves elm), but djida, birch, pine and other trees were also occurred. The first birds on the Big Almaty Channel were Magpies and Black-throated Thrushes. Further about Issyk level the large flock of Yellowhammers with some Bramblings and one Chaffinch and one Rock Bunting occurred. One Upland Buzzard. Over Issyk there were the flock (about 15 birds) of Mistle Thrushes, and Yellowhammers again. Near Baltabay on the djida the large mixed flock fed, I recite the birds in course of the decrease of its number: Fieldfares, Greenfinches, Waxwings, Mistle Thrushes, Black-throated Thrushes. This year [...... read more ]

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The mountain trip with Vladilen Karasyov and Javier Pierda. In the spruce forest there are almost no birds. Except the Carrion Crows and Magpies sometimes only Great Tits caught the eye. Once the flock of Grey-headed Goldfinches flew by; in one spruce the Coal Tits stirred. The Great Tits sang almost spring songs. We didn't see any other birds in the forest. In the sky several times Long-legged Buzzard occurred; once the immature Golden Eagle high soared; and once through the gorge the pair of Cinereous Vultures flew by. [...... read more ]

The very cold and the very murky morning. On Komsomol lake there were usual Mallards, Black-headed Gulls. Only carefully looking on binocular I could find two Tufted Ducks. The Common Greenshanks were two birds only. More than one hour I observed the one of the two Black-winged Stilts. Stint slowly walked on shoal now coming closer, now keeping away from me. More than hour it walked by the same route, coming close to me about 20 meters. But when I tried to close it the Stilt in a trice flew out to safety distance. During my Stilt's observation twice the Kingfisher flew by me. Today on lake I didn't see any new birds. On the sand near the lake the flock of seven Collared Doves fed. The Collared Dove is not rare bird in Dushanbe but it is less in number than Laughing Dove which is observed all the time all the place. But the Collared Dove may be not visible many weeks and here at once the seven birds in one place. [...... read more ]

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