Very hot weather, +29C. Rooks and Hooded Crows gradually disappeared from city, also I didn’t see any Brambling or Chaffinch. There is a emptiness because the passage Stonechats and Bluethroat left the Square too, but Blackbirds, Magpies and Greenfinches became less visible due to nesting time. Though some times I heard the songs of Blackbirds and Greenfinches. But the most of birds are affected by both nesting season and hot weather. What did I see? Peregrine Falcon, Sparrowhawk, couple of Wood Pigeons, Magpies, House Sparrow, 3 Great Tits, two Chiffchaffs. Not too much but not so much bad for the one hour birding in mid-day time. Yesterday during the evening jogging I saw Peregrine Falcon perching in night-place; today it was in one of niches in day time. Falcon will depart Square soon. Sparrowhawk soared very close to Peregrine but latter didn’t pay attention to it, but very attentively Peregrine watched me, perhaps we are the old familiars. Noticing Sparrowhawk I thought about it’s [...... read more ]

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Today is sunny and warm. I saw in the Square the singing Greenfinches, two females of Stonechat, some Chiffchaffs in the tops of birch-trees, one Cetti's Warbler and female Pied Wheatear. Pied Wheatear is my local lifer for Republic Square. [...... read more ]

Morning is warm and very sunny. I take the camera expecting to see some interesting birds on the road to my work via Republic Square. I saw three Stonechats (one male, two females), Chiffchaffs, very careful Bluethroat and Greenfinches bringing the nesting materials to the spruce-tree. Need to look this tree one week later or in the next weekend. [...... read more ]

Today is sunny and warm. I and Vassily Fedorenko went to Big Almaty Gorge to the proposed location of Black Grouses mating. During the tracking we saw Black-throated Accentors and Blue-capped Redstarts in bushes. When we arrived to the destination we found neither Black Grouses nor mating place. But we saw many other birds, such as tens of Black-throated Thrushes, Coal Tits, Siskins, couple of Crossbills etc. Some hours I just sat and watched birds. I saw how Coal Tit was taking seeds from pine-cones, one of seed fell from the beak and flew down, then Tit flew to seed and catch it in fly, and then came back to the branch. Also I saw how Crossbills tore the cones and dropped it. Close to mid-day time the birds of prey appeared in the sky. We saw Golden Eagles, Goshawk, female Hen Harrier, and Black Kites. Harrier flew low above the bushes and hovered on spot from time to time. I was surprised the rare wings flapping need to Harrier to be in one spot. Kites also explored the slopes but not [...... read more ]

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Day is very sunny, but cool and windy. Morning, Baiserke (Ili region). The hard northern wind helps to passage Black Kites, almost all time I saw in the sky the small groups of Kites moving to the North even in morning time when the warm air streams from the ground are absent. Of other birds the great Tits, Masked Wagtails, Black-headed Gulls were noticed.Evening. Big Almaty Gorge. Trip to Boreal and Northern Hawk Owls. Until the dusk in the branch gorge we saw many little passerines: Chaffinches, Bramblings, Blue-capped Redstarts. Before sunset owls didn’t responded to the sound records, but in darkness we heard the reply calls from the Northern Hawk Owl (from the top of gorge), Long-eared Owl (from a far), Boreal Owls (in the walnut grove). Song (call?) of Long-eared Owl is the hoot, but songs of Hawk and Boreal Owls are the rather similar “ulululu” sound, but Boreal Owl song is shorter and rarer than in Hawk Owl. But sounds are similar, so we wanted to look at Hawk Owl not only [...... read more ]

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Day is sunny and warm, about 15C. After lunch i walked in the wasteland in Atakent. I saw flock of about 15 Chaffinches, two Chiffchaffs and 6-7 Blue-capped Redstarts, two females and rest were males. [...... read more ]

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The morning was sunny and warm, but during all the day the middle-power wind was blowing, it brought the coldness and rain in afternoon. The upper Kimasar gorge and its eastern slope are yet snowy, but the western slope is almost dry. Birds are as usually absent (in spite of Magpies and Carrion Crows) if you don’t watch and hear carefully. Today I arrived to the gorge at about 10am, it is a good time, not early and not later. Almost immediately I noticed the pair of Grey Wagtails, the first this year. In the mouth of gorge I recorded Dippers both Brown and White-bellied but didn’t try to take photo of them. When I reached to the spruce-forrest I see the singing Black-throated Accentors; further I saw more Black-throated Accentors, each time either singing bird or couple. I watched the singing Mistle thrush too and thought that I first time watch the singing Mistle Thrush. I was going to make video but Thrush flew away. By the way Mistle Thrushes are numerous, I saw about twenty birds, [...... read more ]

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Today is sunny, warm and windless, so the nice in all sides day. At 8.30 am there are no birds in Republic Square. Even Magpies were quiet, probably already sit on the nest. Then the singning male of Greenfinch appeared, after the short time the singing female appeared on the next oak. It is surprisingly to me, because I thought female doesn’t sing. Then female flew to male and they flew away together.As the birding in Republic Square is ineffectual I went on Dendropark aka Park of the first president. First I saw (hear) here is the singing Kestrels. Couple of Kestrel was quite active playing, birds were flying one to another, then were moving from the top of one little spruce tree to another one, and all the time they were very nice singing. In the far (most interesting) part of Park I again noticed the pair of Buzzard, the seemingly long familiar birds. One of them (dark-brownish patterned, with pale eyes, without rufous) was observed here during last several winters; usually I watch [...... read more ]

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At 8.30 am I noticed Hoopoe on the birch-tree near City Hall. In the moment I wondered so high perched Hoopoe I saw the second Hoopoe flew by and landed also to birch-tree at the distance about 200 meters from the first bird. Latter didn’t stay a long and flew to second Hoopoe. Then both birds flew away in direction of Telecenter. I was without camera but the weather was a mist. [...... read more ]

Go home from Zhabagly. Today is sunny, almost windless weather, but Black Kites are migrating via Chokpak Pass. Kites fly alone but regularly. In the roadside thickets we take photos of Tits at sunny light at last. Feeling that there are no one thoroughbred Great Tit and no one thoroughbred Turkestan Tit, but only different Hybrids. When you are near Zhualy village you must visit Ters-Ashybulak reservoir. Near Ters-Ashybulak always can to see flying birds. Probably each time can see either lfocks of Cranes or birds of prey or flying groups of little passerines. Today we saw some large flocks of both Common and Demoiselle Cranes, also Osprey, Peregrine Falcon, Black Stork. In Aspara we stopped to lunch not far from the nest of White Storks (we watched both Black and White Storks during one day!). The distance to the nest of Storks was so large that birds didn’t shy us. It was very surprisingly to view the third Stork. When latter appeared, the couple on the nest begins snapping beaks. [...... read more ]

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