Kastek gorge. Zhambyl region. Almaty oblast.

I heard about Kastek gorge for a long time, but I decided to go on a today's trip because I heard information that in the beginning of January people some times saw White Egrets on river floods in Kastek gorge.

Till the road to Akkainar the noticeable birds were only several Upland Buzzards and the Pheasants fed directly on a roadside. But right after turn onto mountains we met Great Grey Shrike. Great Grey Shrike is a rare enough bird. Therefore I made some attempts to photograph it. All time Shrike was close to road, sat down on tops of the roadside elms only sometimes flew to the reeds. It was not clear what Shrike is fed, because we didn't see any small birds nearby this place. The situation became clear after we met a flock of Yellowhammers (later on the back way I saw Shrike chased Yellowhammer).

On floods of the Kastek river we didn't see Egrets. On the river there was only one White-bellied Dipper, and Crested Larks were fed nearby road. It is a lot of Crested Larks in Kastek village too.

The Kastek gorge, which the same named river coursed in, is narrow enough. Right at the beginning of the gorge the east slope is covered by snow but western one is almost completely dry. On it we noticed the flock of large black birds. It were Red-billed Choughs, the new species to me. The flock of Choughs on about 20 birds every so often flew from a rock to rock, but did not go down below a belt of stones. Of course I wanted to photograph them and climbed onto rocks. But Choughs easy flying from place to place disappeared behind a slope. They behaved not uneasily but cautious. From the same stones Choughs sat the flock of Chukar Partridges took off and flew behind the same slope. I sat a little on a rock waiting the return of Choughs, but they did not come back. Once the flock of Grey-Headed Goldfinches flew nearby me. Already going down I noticed the soaring Golden Eagle. Behind a following slope already three Golden Eagles soared in the sky. They soared highly, therefore there was no possibility to photograph them. At first seen Golden Eagle the white feathers on a tail were appreciable.

The road goes on gorge winding and bypassing lateral slopes. The above on gorge, the snow is less. Very sunny, most likely, the snow on solar slopes simply does not keep and thaws. Thus the river almost everywhere is covered by thick ice. Till the road birds almost were not, saw a little of White-bellied Dippers, one flying Wallcreeper, Magpies. In the top part of gorge the snow is not present absolutely, the road goes already on stones. Above a camp of shepherds we met large (40-50 birds) flock of Meadow Buntings fed on ground. Meadow Buntings uneasy enough birdies but if to sit easy and not to do sharp movements they quickly get used to the watchers and can approach close enough. Buntings arrive by a flock, sit down onto ground and tail away. After Buntings some seconds sit motionlessly, probably estimate the situation, and start to be fed, then again fly up, sometimes sit down on nearby trees. We watched Meadow Bunting a long time. It is new species to me.

On the back road on the gorge saw two flocks of Chukar Partridges and one Common Kestrel. Kestrel hovered over the gorge, there was a little wind in gorge, and Kestrel almost was not need to move wings. I made some photos of hovering Kestrel, all of them turned out identical, Kestrel as though specially postured. Already out of gorge on the return way to home saw the flock of Horned Larks (7-8 birds), several Upland and one Long-legged Buzzards.

1. Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella erythrogenys)

2. Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor homeyeri)

3. Red-billed Choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax brachypus)

4. Red-billed Choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax brachypus)

5. Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos daphanea)

6. Meadow Buntings (Emberiza cioides tarbagataica)

7. Meadow Bunting (Emberiza cioides tarbagataica)

8. Meadow Bunting (Emberiza cioides tarbagataica)

9. Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

10. Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar falki)