About Birdwatching

Birdwatching is a popular outdoor recreational activity in America and Western Europe. It involves the observation of birds, often aided by binoculars or a spotting scope, as well as bird photography and sound recording. A substantial amount of the world's ornithological data is contributed by birdwatching enthusiasts. In regions where birdwatching has gained popularity in the last 25 years, such as Asia and the post-Soviet space, bird photography is more prevalent. This is primarily attributed to the widespread availability of digital cameras equipped with telephoto lenses and superzoom capabilities. Owners of such cameras invariably find themselves drawn to capturing images of birds. Several factors contribute to this inclination. Firstly, birds are captivating and remarkable, yet people often only truly appreciate them when armed with binoculars or a camera. Secondly, birds exhibit remarkable diversity, inspiring photographers to seek out and capture images of various species. Thirdly, the process of bird photography is accompanied by a sense of excitement and passion, providing an avenue to channel ancient instincts without resorting to violence. Lastly, the outcome of bird photography is a collection of stunning and visually appealing photographs.

About the Site

This site has been established as part of a collaborative initiative among birdwatchers in the post-Soviet space. Long-standing examples of similar local projects include websites like "Birds of Kazakhstan" or "Birds of Ukraine". The primary audience for this site comprises local birdwatchers. Should any local birdwatcher aspire not only to participate but also to take an active role in managing the site and influencing its policies, we invite you to reach out to us at info@birding.day.

Participation in the Project

Every birdwatcher has the opportunity to register and contribute their content to the site—be it photos, videos, diaries, or bird-related observations. There are no constraints, whether professional, age-related, or concerning material quality, as birding.day transcends being merely a photo site; the material's quality is a subjective choice. Scientifically intriguing content is often not flawless.

Additionally, beyond regular participation in the site's activities, you have the option to become a project member, signifying a more profound engagement with the project's work, accompanied by specific benefits. If you aspire to deepen your involvement in birdwatching, please contact us at info@birding.day.

Goals

The main goal of the site can be formulated as follows: creating a birdwatching culture in the post-Soviet space. Millions of people around the world are involved in birdwatching, and it is not only observers and photographers; there are tour organizers, guides, sellers of feeders, perches, binoculars, and other optics, and there are special points for birdwatching. Unfortunately, we don't have this yet.

The medium-term goal of the site is to promote birdwatching in the regions.

Project Team


Isabekov Askar	Yasko Anna

Rules

It is not recommended to use invented nicknames, aliases, etc. Usually, all project participants use their real names.

Pressure of authority is not welcomed, as well as emotional pressure.

Any opinion should be substantiated.

Bans, as a punitive measure, are absent.

Hierarchy exists. The decision of the moderator/administrator is considered final.

Since part of the uploaded materials includes scientific interest, only the site moderator, in agreement with the material's author, can delete them.

General Questions

Why upload series of photographs to the site?
Different angles in a series of photos allow for a more accurate identification of the bird. Also, a series of photos can help other system users identify the birds they have photographed.

If this is a photo site, why are there many low-quality photos on it?
No, this is not a photo site, although you mostly see photos on the site. In fact, by posting photos (as well as videos and diary entries) on the site, its participants solve three tasks: firstly, they can use the help of other project participants in the most accurate identification of the bird in the photo; secondly, photo collections are created where birds are captured at different times of the year, different sexes and ages, from different angles, which helps make more accurate identifications of birds in the field or from photos; thirdly, photos help collect new data on the phenology and distribution of birds in Kazakhstan. Undoubtedly, high-quality photos are welcome, but often the value of a photo is not in its quality but in the observation made, for which it is enough to be able to reliably identify the bird.

What photos should not be uploaded?
Photos of birds raised in captivity or those that have entered the region unnaturally (for example, if you know that the bird was brought by poachers or bird catchers). Also, do not post photos of dead birds. If the found remains are valuable, it is better to publish the find in the Diary.

Is it permitted to upload photos of birds on nests?
Undoubtedly, the question of photographing birds on nests, as well as nests themselves and fledglings, is a very controversial issue. We adhere to the view that such shooting can only be done to record the fact of nesting of a species or some features of its biology. In any case, the photographer should understand all the responsibility for the possible harm that he can cause by helping predators discover the nest or fledglings with his actions. Be extremely careful and do not expose birds to stress and danger.

How are the rights of authors of materials implemented?
All information posted on the site belongs to the authors; its use is limited by copyright. In order to avoid conflicts in the field of copyright, users can upload to the site only their (author's) photos and videos, materials of other authors can be uploaded only in the Diary. As a rule, in the case of non-commercial use, it is sufficient to provide a link to the birding.day site or other resources of the author, if any. Commercial use of copyright materials is agreed directly with the authors.

How can you help the project?
Upload your materials, participate in its daily life. Tell your friends and acquaintances about the project, share information on social networks. If you feel that you can prepare or edit information on the site, that's great, we need such help. We will also need assistants to prepare distribution maps of species and translate information on species into English. If you can easily identify bird species and want to be more involved in the life of the site, you can try yourself in the role of a site moderator. You can also help financially.

Tips

Recommendations for preparing photos for upload

Before uploading photos to the site, it is recommended to process them in a photo editor. Photos with high resolution will take a long time to load, so we advise you to scale the published photos to a size of 800 to 1200 pixels horizontally.

But before changing the size of the photo, you need to perform image correction operations, which will be discussed below.

Firstly, if in the original photo the bird takes up a very small part of the frame, it is worth cropping it so that the bird is not lost when the photo size is reduced. Also, do not crop too close to the bird. This significantly impairs the perception of the object in the photo.

Secondly, try to crop all photos to a 3:2 aspect ratio, that is, if you prepare a frame at 1,200 pixels horizontally, make it 800 pixels vertically—such frames are correctly displayed when viewed. Some authors make frames stretched vertically; in this case, they often do not fit on the screen.

Thirdly, adjust the bright and dark areas in the photo; this significantly improves the quality of the photo: many details become visible that were previously indistinguishable dark spots.

Fourthly, be moderate in processing the photo, adjusting contrast, saturation, and other parameters. Remember: the photo should be natural in color reproduction.

Upload the best frame first—it will represent the entire series later.

A few tips on shooting

Shoot birds in series, from different angles: this helps in their identification. Most cameras allow you to record video along with photos, so if you have the opportunity, record a video clip along with the photo, where the bird makes a sound — in many cases (and for singing males almost always), this helps identify the species. This is especially important for secretive species that are difficult to photograph, but recording their voice is quite real.

Other Sites of the project

Birds of Kazakhstan - kz.birding.day
Birds of Siberia - siberia.russia.birding.day
Birds of Xinjiang - xinjiang.china.birding.day
Birds of Kyrgyzstan - kyrgyzstan.birding.day
Birds of Ukraine - ukraine.birding.day
Birds of the European part of Russia - european.russia.birding.day
Birds of the Russian Far East - fareast.russia.birding.day
Birds of India - india.birding.day
Birds of Kerala - kerala.india.birding.day

2026

1. Qanatbek Kenzhegulov (288)
2. Galym Baitimbet (241)
3. Zhaskairat Ermek (241)
4. Nikita Kanunnikov (213)
5. Aizhan Baitimbet (212)
6. Gennadiy Dyakin (204)
7. Sirimbet Zharilkasin (196)
8. Vladimir Muravskiy (196)
9. Gani Nazarbek (161)
10. Anna Yasko (154)

Great Snipe (Gallinago media)

The second record of a rare migratory species this season.

Great Snipe (Gallinago media)

A rare passage species in Kazakhstan. The most recent photographic record in the country was made on 21 April 2022 in the Suzak District of Turkestan Region (Martin Grienenberger; see the website gallery). In Mangystau Region, only two records supported by photographic evidence are known from recent decades of the 21st century: 20–24 May 2009 in the Kenderli area (Neve et al., 2010) and the present observation.

Northern Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)

A new species for the Teniz-Korgalzhinsky region. The first photographic confirmation on the website for the Kazakh Uplands. Recorded on March 28 and 30 in different parts of the village.

Northern Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)

The first photo recording of a Northern Bullfinch in Almaty on the website is a rare sighting for a region where they were previously observed during wintering in the mid-20th century and have now become only occasionally encountered.