Warblers were really Chiffchaffs. Saw one flying Common Swift. [...... read more ]

In the center of the city saw flying Sparrowhawk. [...... read more ]

The wild apricot trees begin to bloom in Dushanbe also. Warm day. There were a lot Masked Wagtails on Dushanbe outskirts. Varzob gorge is one of the most popular rest places of Dushanbe people. All around when it's possible there are tea-houses. It was cold in the gorge, some places were snow. Birds were not a lot. Masked and Grey Wagtails, one White-bellied Dipper, one White-capped Redstart. Several very little birdies on the another bank of Varzob. Female Eversmann's Redstart. More wild places are not in Varzob gorge but in secondary gorges less habitable to human's live. Hoja Obigarm gorge. On the high part of gorge there are hot wells and sanatorium. Yet a lot of snow in the gorge. Many Carrion Crows. In the rocks we found nest of Rock Nuthatch. Many large raptors. Flock of Eurasian Griffon-Vultures about six-seven bird soared in the sky. One Long-legged Buzzard, one Common Buzzard, two Lammergeiers. Lammergeiers flew low looking to goats grazed on the slopes. From afar saw a little [...... read more ]

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Day is hot but cloudy. It's very hot in the Vakhsh valley. Apricot trees bloom all around in the valley. In some places green grass cleaves. From Dushanbe till Kurgan-Tube everywhere Black Kites milled in the sky. Today I saw about ten flocks of Black Kites each about 10 birds. On Kurgan-Tube's market saw flying hawk. In the Tajikistan's birds list I didn't find Goshawk, but I think to Goshawk because Hawk was very large. At sight Hawk living on the market Laughing Doves rushed right and left. Little birdies were Larks and once flock of Common Starlings. Alpine Swifts already fly in the villages. Large soaring raptors are exactly more noticeable than small passerines. I saw two Long-legged Buzzards, two Imperial Eagles, one Hen Harrier and one Upland Buzzard. On the rock talus Tohir beheld arrived Long-legged Buzzard. It's happen that Buzzards nest on the rock. Sitting on the nest bird is absolutely unnotable. Reddish color of Buzzard's plumage so good accords to color of reddish rocks. [...... read more ]

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In the city Blackbirds everywhere and Greenfinches in some places sing. Saw the Imperial Eagle flying over the city. [...... read more ]

My first passage to «the wild nature». Common birds on the lake are Mallards and Black-headed Gulls. Apparently, they wintered here. Except Black-headed Gulls also the Caspian and the Mew Gulls appeared. One Grey Heron. Heron behaved very carefully. I didn't see that Heron caught anything from water. From time to time the bird flew from place onto place. Common Teals. Very little ducks. I noticed a little stir on a shoal, and thought at first about Sandpipers. But they were Common Teals. Despite bright colouring of males, these ducks are absolutely imperceptible from afar. One Common Coot. There are not canes on the lake, therefore Coot all time existed the lake middle. Coot and Teals tried to steer clear of Mallards and Gulls. Hooded Crows did not depart yet. The flocks of Tree Sparrows and Chaffinches were fed on the ground under plane-trees. Citrine Wagtails arrived. Today saw two birds, both males. [...... read more ]

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Long-legged Buzzard roamed over the already almost snowless steppe. Also in the sky I saw Great Black-headed Gull roamed bit by bit rising to height. Later I noticed four more large white Gulls, but I was without the binocular and could not spy them. [...... read more ]

Morning in the foothill part of Almaty was sunny, but there was a continuous fog in the steppe part. The fog was also on road till to Malovodnoe. Most of birds were Rooks. Twice saw Buzzards (large birds, most likely Upland Buzzards), one of them carefully spied something under (probably looked out for mice). Nothing interesting till Shelek. After Shelek I passed in a valley between Sogety mountains and Ile river. Landscape was stony semidesert crossed by channels and russian olive thickets. There were plashing Mallards on channels, some times I noticed flying Mallards. Stock Doves (about ten) sat on the еlm and then flew out. After them flock of Rock Pigeons flew up from the ground, Stock Doves mixed up with Rock Doves and departed to the steppe. On the back way once again saw flock of Stock Doves, apparently the same birds. Twice saw Great Grey Shrikes. In russian olives mostly Greenfinches were fed, but I also saw Grey-headed Goldfinches, Black-throated Thrushes and Blackbirds (only [...... read more ]

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Saw large raptor (Goshawk or large falcon) ) turning over the square with a trophy (crow or pigeon). The raptor was much larger than a victim. [...... read more ]

The oncoming of the spring already feels. Everywhere in steppe there is no any more snow but iced pools on the lowlands. Still one week ago I easy went on snow on the reservoir, but today snow was not present, and Mew Gulls sat on thin ice under which water darkens. In the same place on ice four Mallards sat also. Over the reservoir White-tailed Sea-Eagle (probably local resident) and White Egret flew by. The recent big snowfall covered steppe by white snow, but open places of wet sand and clay became. Open places with a grass are not present. Therefore small birdies (the Great Tits, Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Bramblings, Grey-headed Goldfinches) fed in a grass under russian olive. There were Blackbirds and Black-throated Thrushes in the same place. [...... read more ]

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