Very hot day. Birds were not visible. I can notice only one Egyptian Vulture roamed above the road. My suggestion is Vulture searched downed gophers on the asphalt. Also near Dangara I saw Crested Larks. [...... read more ]

Short trip. Saw only one Golden Oriole and Red-rumped Swallows. [...... read more ]

On the outdoors near my office Blackbirds feed juveniles. [...... read more ]

Today I got up on Romit gorge. Birds were a little. Somehow there were a little Dippers. All day I saw one only Brown Dipper and heard one. Even Grey Wagtails were a little. Most visible today birds were Masked Wagtails and Spotted Flycatches. Other birds were several Carrion Crows, one Hobby and one Common Sandpiper (on dry mountains!), one Eversmann's Redstart, one Blackbird, Red-rumped Swallows. I heard but didn't see Nightingales and Orioles. On unmoving sitting I saw also wild Oriental Turtle Doves. Three times I saw Blue Whistling Thrushes. Whistling Thrushes of Pamir are more wild that ones in Almaty. Nothing allowed to close them. But today I first time saw the nest of Blue Whitling Thrush. The location of the nest is classical, on the rock above the streams of mountain river. From time to time Thrushes flew to the nest and fed chicks. Chicks (the number of them was very difficult to count yet by binocular, probably 3-4 chicks) capped by bluish purple fluff. [...... read more ]

I tripped to Tavildara only for very beautiful lake placed in this region. Before and some after Fiazabad the road crossed plain and foothills. Birds were Red-headed Buntings, Tree Sparrows, Eurasian Bee-eaters, Long-tailed Shrikes. There were colonies of Indian Sparrows on the clay falls. In Faizabad I saw some Hoopoes. Beginning from Obigarm the road is very windly, asphalt comes to end. Further (I think to the finish) lane like road passes on the rocks. Rare villages (kishlaks) like hang on the bluffs. On the rocks near Ragun I saw Pied Wheaters. On the same place on the dry rocks twice I saw Blue Rock Thrushes. Near the little grove on the slope I stopped to rest and here saw White-capped Bunting. Above the river two Long-legged Buzzards roamed. Sometimes Buzzards sat to the dry tree and very beauty flew out from one. In the grove except White-capped Buntings also Common Nightingales and Lesser Whitethroats sang. Wood Pigeon and Golden Oriole flew by. For a moment I saw bird. I didn't [...... read more ]

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Today in the city center I met one European Turtle Dove. [...... read more ]

Chilu Chor Chashma places on the south of Tajikistan about 25 kilometers from the border of Afghanistan. In translate from Tadjik “Chilu Chor Chashma” means forty four springs. These springs look up sacred, there is mausoleum of the holy man on the chalkstone hill. Earlier public came to this place to think of desire and to appreciate the sanctity of the place. Now the place looks like entertainment place. There are a lot of cafes, boys bathe in the sacred waters. There are no birds on this loud place. But the road was interesting. Path from Dushanbe (about 180 km) crosses the mountains and river's valleys. Mostly the road passes between Vakhsh and Kafirnigan rivers. From Dushanbe to Kurgan-Tube there is grass in the mountains slopes. Birds were Rollers, Indian Sparrows, Mynahs, Red-headed Buntings. It's only visible from the car birds. Raptors were one Long-legged Buzzard and one sitting on the pole Cinereous Vulture. Further road continued during Vakhsh river. Landscape is mountain [...... read more ]

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Near my office to the old dry plane tree the Shikra sat. [...... read more ]

The lake still isn't free from ice. Junipers groves are dry but there is snow in the fir forest especially on eastern slopes. Below the lake in the fir forest I saw two singing Songar Tits and Hume's Warblers. In the thick fir branches male Blue-capped Redstart sang. Even lower in the birch grove I saw Great Tits and four Mistle Thrushes. About the lake the pair of Ruddy Shelducks flew and gabbled. Many Carrion Crows anything searched on the ice. On the ice border Common Sandpiper and Grey Wagtail were fed. Quite a few of Grey Wagtails. It's a little birds in the juniper groves. Presented birds behaved easy. Birds weren't noticeable and always hid in the juniper bushes. The male of Red-mantled Rosefinch flew by. Only Blackbirds and Black-throated Accentors sang today. Blackbirds sang actively but Accentors sang a little and a low. Accentors sang a little and hid to bushes. Probably it's some early to sing. Some times I enough close saw White-browed Tit-Warblers both bright males and pale [...... read more ]

Back road. Very murky. The rain was in all Kazakh Upland. Some places rain was strong some places was easier. Very dark. Despite the rain Harriers flew. Today I observed them less than last time. During 75 km (from 900 to 825 km) I saw 7 Harriers include 4 Montagu's Harriers, 3 Pallid Harriers and one reddish little female, probably female of Pallid Harrier. I think early morning and murky weather affected to number of Harriers. On another time and other weather the number of Harriers may be much more. Also I again met pair of Demoiselle Cranes. Near Aksu-Ajuly I saw one Steppe Eagle. A lot of Common Kestrels, twice near the road flights of Lesser Kestrels turned. Both time there were high enough (15-20 m) rocks nearby the road. On the roadside pools twice saw ducks, once three Shovelers (two males and one female) and pair of Garganeys and once pair of Mallards, male Gadwall and male Garganey. Once Common Redshank and Marsh Sandpiper were occurred. Northern Trans-Balkhash area. The group [...... read more ]

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