Degeres.

There weren't any new birds in foothills. A lot of Rooks, and (Red-headed Buntings, Rollers, Bee-eaters, Corn Buntings, and Lesser Grey Shrikes) are also common birds of the foothills. In Sunkar one male Ruddy Shelduck, Common Starlings and Isabelline Wheatears were occurred. On the roadside between Sunkar and Degeres I have seen Rooks and Wood Pigeons. Like a two times I saw Hobbies but didn't have a luck to see a Kestrels. I have found two nests of Long-legged Buzzards. In one of them there were three quite large nestlings. There was not abundance of Spanish Sparrows. The colony of these birds was empty. I saw Spanish Sparrows only in the nests of Long-legged Buzzards.

Degeres. The first birds in Degeres were the soaring raptors: about 5-6 Himalayan Vultures, 3-4 Cinereous Vultures and one Egyptian Vulture. The birds quite quickly ascended and flew out therefore I didn't have much time to observe them and to make photos. In the rocks I saw two Grey-headed Buntings, one female Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush; also in the rocks quite a large colony of Rosy Starlings located. Near the rocks the Red-headed Buntings were singing, once the pair of Linnets flew by. The Rosy Starlings distracted my attention from other birds. I hardly noticed the Rock Nuthatch among the Starlings which were flying from place to another one. One Nuthatch was near the nest but another one from time to time peeped out from the nest hole. This nest was among the colony of Rosy Starlings. Some later I found another nest of Rock Nuthatches. I read that Rock Nuthatches decorate nests by the feathers and wings of butterflies, but I never have been seen the decorated nest. Both today's nests were decorated; the first nest was decorated by the feathers, the second one by the butterflies' wings. Once Rosy Starlings were quiet for a moment because the Raven flew over the colony. The Raven is always interesting but today's bird in flight shut wings, turned on back, then turned on belly and flew again. Raven repeated such trick twice, I never saw anything like it. On the alone almost dry tree I saw the nest of Lesser Grey Shrike.

1. Eurasian Roller ( Coracias garrulus semenowi )

2. European Bee-eater ( Merops apiaster )

3. Long-legged Buzzard ( Buteo rufinus )

4. Spanish Sparrow ( Passer hispaniolensis transcaspicus )

5. Ruddy Shelduck ( Tadorna ferruginea )

6. Cinereous Vulture ( Aegypius monachus )

7. Himalayan Griffon-Vulture ( Gyps himalayensis )

8. Egyptian Vulture ( Neophron percnopterus )

9. Rosy Starlings (Sturnus roseus)

10. Eastern Rock Nuthatch ( Sitta tephronota )

11. Eastern Rock Nuthatch ( Sitta tephronota )

12. Lesser Grey Shrike ( Lanius minor )