Big Almaty Lake. Ile-Alatau National Park.

The lake still isn't free from ice. Junipers groves are dry but there is snow in the fir forest especially on eastern slopes. Below the lake in the fir forest I saw two singing Songar Tits and Hume's Warblers. In the thick fir branches male Blue-capped Redstart sang. Even lower in the birch grove I saw Great Tits and four Mistle Thrushes. About the lake the pair of Ruddy Shelducks flew and gabbled. Many Carrion Crows anything searched on the ice. On the ice border Common Sandpiper and Grey Wagtail were fed. Quite a few of Grey Wagtails.

It's a little birds in the juniper groves. Presented birds behaved easy. Birds weren't noticeable and always hid in the juniper bushes. The male of Red-mantled Rosefinch flew by. Only Blackbirds and Black-throated Accentors sang today. Blackbirds sang actively but Accentors sang a little and a low. Accentors sang a little and hid to bushes. Probably it's some early to sing. Some times I enough close saw White-browed Tit-Warblers both bright males and pale females. Tit-Warblers are very wild and very mobile birds. Mostly they sat inside the junipers bushes. Outside the bushes they occurred only on very short moments less one second. I didn't have time to make photos though birds were about three meters from me. Tit-Warblers didn't sing but cheeped like as call up each other inside the bushes.

1. Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

2. Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea melanope)

3. Black-throated Accentor (Prunella atrogularis huttoni)