At the beginning I and Gennady Dyakin shot Peregrin Falcon on the City Hall building at morning time. Further Andrei Kovalenko joined to us and we together made the large circle trip in Ili river valley, where we know some spots of watching Waxwings, hoping to find Japanese Waxwing. Day is frosty, misty at morning but sunny after lunch-time. First spot of our trip (more for show) is the dump near chicken factory in Avat. Here the birds are usual: White-tailed Sea Eagles, Eastern Buzzards, and different Corvids. Further we went by Kuldja road until the turn to Kyrbaltabai village. After turn the road was bad, there was many snow and deep slippery track. All trees such as high poplars and low silverberry and elm-trees are frost covering. In spite of feeling absence of birds we began to noticed them almost shortly after turning: first was one Hawfinch, then flock of Hawfinches, then Blackbirds and Black-throated Thrushes, Greenfinches, Eversmann’s Redstart, and of course today the bird #1 [...... read more ]

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We have received reports of flocks of japanese waxwing in the Oleaster (Russian Olive) groves along the Kaskelen river. I suggest the following: 1) Confirm the date and if possible - the time of day when the meeting took place and the approximate numbers of the japanese waxwings. This could help us estimate the probability of second viewing (Although anything could happen of course) 2) To organize a systematic search of the most probable locations where the waxwings could be seen. Therefore to divide into groups and determine who goes where in order not to duplicate each others efforts. Personally, i would be very glad, if at least one of us finds and gets a photo record of the Japonicus [...... read more ]

Подвид есть группа популяций представителей какого-то вида, объединенных определенными отличиями от других популяций того же вида. При этом часто в литературе я видел, что слово подвид заменяется сочетанием географическая раса (н-р у Э.И.Гаврилова и у Майра), а значит, является синонимом последнего. То есть, подразумевается, что одним из отличий подвида является география распространения популяций (популяции должны быть обитать на едином географическом пространстве). Однако в качестве главного отличительного признака подвида все же принимается [...... read more ]

This morning, around 8 am i have come to the Square to shoot the peregrine. Waited for it to show up for almost half an hour. The peregrine moved out of the alcove on the side of the building, sat for a bit on the eavestone, maybe a minute or two, than turned around inside the alcove just like it did last year and after that - left the spot. It flew straight east. I looked at my watch - the time was - 8.27 am. It was a bit cloudy, so the pictures did not turn out as good as they could have. Apart from the peregrine, I have also seen the following in the square: appr. 20 white-winged grosbeaks, which were perching in the trees and vocalizing (I don't even know how to call their sounds). One male from the top of the fir-tree and all the other birds from a high poplar. At the feeder at my work it's all the same species as usual - laughing doves (15-20), tree sparrow and house sparrow, common myna and great tit. [...... read more ]

Day is cloudy at morning, sunny after noon, no precipitation. There is a lot of snow but the road is quite a clear. Trip to east from Almaty with Gennady Dyakin, Andrei Kovalenko and Sanzhar Abdikhalyh. Leaving the city we saw dozen or more Collared Doves. First spot of trip is the large dump. Near dump the Eastern Buzzard was perched on the tree; on the dump there are a lot of birds, and we noticed to binoculars the Daurian Jackdaw, the bird we searched. But dump’s security guard forbad us to take photo. It’s a shame. Further we went to Koishibek village direction to search another dump recommended by the above security guard. Dump wasn’t found, but we saw Great Grey Shrike, White-winged Woodpecker, Reed Buntung and other less rare birds. On the dump near chicken factory (today birding was mostly on dumps areas) there were a lot of birds. All the birds we watched here can be divided into feeding on silverberry-trees (Thrushes, Greenfinches, Tits etc.), feeding on silage bunches (Pigeons, [...... read more ]

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Yesterday night I visited Peregrine Falcon in its sleeping place. Tomorrow I am going to take photo of Falcon, arrived to square at 8am, but there was not Falcon in niche. It was perching on corner of roof turning back to the rising sun. Falcon was perching until 8.30 am at least, when I went to the job.Today I counted the time Peregrine staying on wintering in Almaty. Every year it stay about 4 monthes in Almaty. I noticed it in 2005, eight years ago. So Peregrine spent the night on the City Hall building 960 day at least. If it is the same bird. [...... read more ]

У кого какие планы на выходные? Василий пугает погодой в субботу, но в воскресенье вполне можно куда-нибудь двигаться. [...... read more ]

Until the sun lighted fir forest I do not see any birds besides one Goldcrest in juniper. But when the sun rose this moment the Tits are hearable and also I hear the Woodpecker's drum. One Coal Tit, one Songar Tit and one Goldcrest flew from the fir-tree and began to search the food on the ground. Songar Tit approached to me closer than other birds and fed on the old peeling cone. I heard the close sounds of White-winged Grosbeaks but did not see them. But almost shorty after sunrise two Nutcrackers were noticed by me.In the pine-grove at first I did not see any birds, until the shouting White-winged Grosbeak flew from the pines, then after moment the hunting to Grosbeak Goshawk appeared from the grove, and then the Carrion Crow chasing the Goshawk closed the procession. Goshawk noticed me and flew on, Crow flew after it. I was waiting the turning of Goshawk's flying, but unfortunately bird is from tail in all photos exclude one where the bird's head is some visible.I started to go back [...... read more ]

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Sunny day. First significant record was in crossroad of Al-Farabi street and Markova street. Eastern Buzzard perched on the top branch of dry poplar. Two Magpies pestered to Buzzard, one of them swung the branch on which Buzzard perched, and latter lost the balance. It seems to me that Magpie does it on purpose.I again unsuccessfully waited the bus #28. Nice that Dendropark is close to bus station, I went to this park. I again saw the flocks of little passerines, mostly Red-fronted Serins and some Siskins. Sparrowhawk hunted to these birds. Also I saw Mistle Thrush and flying by Buzzard (Eastern one I guess). Common birds: Magpies, Hooded Crows, Mynahs, 2 Great Tits.Republic Square. The third Eastern Buzzard during one day. I am sure this Buzzard now is the resident of Square. Also I saw White-winged Grosbeaks (2 flocks of 3-4 birds each), some Great Tits and Blackbirds.Samal. Dirty Bramblings and Chaffinches were feeding on ash-trees. [...... read more ]

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Day is sunny but morning is quite a cold. Before the sunrise I saw only one Mistle Thrush and heard only one drum of Woodpecker in low spruce-forest. Woodpecker drummed the different branches, the tone of sound was different each time. Almost at the moment I reached the ridge the sun lit the forest. Immediately in the spruce-trees I noticed Goldcrests, Coal Tits, Songar Tits and Three-toed Woodpecker. Woodpecker drummed somewhere near to me but was invisible to me, once I noticed it flying from one spruce-tree to another one, the second time I long time waited it but when it appeared I take photo though in deep shadow of spruce-forest. I guess it was the same bird because the distance between two records is about 100 meters. On the trackers rest place I met the not shy Alpine Accentor which I saw last year. When I went up to juniper bushes I watched here 2 Goldcrests and one pale bird larger and much faster than Goldcrest, but I could not to view it probably because recent days my vision [...... read more ]

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