Rocks of Ile river, Ile valley.

The first point of trip with Raufael Bairashev is the rocks on the left coast of Ile river. The most popular (notable) bird of this season in southern Kazakhstan is Rosy Starling. Thousands of Rosy Starlings build the nest in the cracks of rocks and among the stones, other Rosy Starlings in the flocks of several tens birds fed in the grass. In addition to Rosy Starlings also bright singing males of Red-headed Bunting are very notable. But the plain colored females of Red-headed Bunting build the nests. Also it's need to note the little grey birds which all time hid in dense bushes. We correctly identified Spotted Flycatcher and Lesser Whitethriat, but we are not sure about Chiffchaff and Syke's Warbler. Twice we saw Oriental Turtle Doves, once Golden Eagle, near the river we saw Caspian Gulls, Common Terns and Rollers. Other birds are usual to this place: Jackdaws, Rock Nuthatches, Pied Wheatears, Lesser Kestrels, Black Kites, Hoopoes, Crag Martins, Red-rumped Swallows and Chukar Partridges. Today I watched the Chukar Partridge shook off after dust bath. Over the rocks in steppe zone there were numerous flocks of Rosy Pastors, but Calandra Larks and Red-headed Buntings were very notable too. The Corn Bunting, Isabelline Wheatear, Red-backed Shrike and Tawny Pipit were watched by one of each.

On the back road we stayed on place of watering place of Black Kites. More than one hundred Kites flushed in our appearance but not flew out and soared over us. Some times we were in the car waiting that Kites come back to the water but birds flew out.

The next point of our trip was the place of nesting of White-crowned Penduline Tits - the little channel crossing the Kapchagai road and the roadside thickets around it. We found the nest right off. Penduline Tits were watched too, but these little birds flew to their nest not often and without feed in bill, accordingly nest is still without nestlings. Then I saw Penduline Tits with cane fluff in bill, so either the nest we saw are not complete or there are not one pair of Penduline Tits on this channel. Also we saw one Kingficher (unfortunately not shoot), Red-headed Buntings, Azure Tit, Great Tit and heard Reed Warblers. In the elm thickets we heard unidentified Warblers and saw females of Common Rosefinch, pair of Golden Orioles, one Hobby, 5-6 pairs of Lesser Grey Shrikes, one Turkestan Shrike, pair of Oriental Turtle Dove, Rollers and one Hoopoe.

1. Rosy Starling (Sturnus roseus)

2. Rosy Starlings (Sturnus roseus)

3. Eurasian Roller (Coracias garrulus)

4. Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar)

5. Red-headed Bunting (Emberiza bruniceps)

6. Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)

7. Calandra Lark (Melanocorypha calandra)

8. Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio)

9. Red-headed Bunting (Emberiza bruniceps)

10. Black Kites (Milvus migrans)

11. Black Kite (Milvus migrans)

12. White-crowned Penduline Tit (Remiz coronatus)

13. White-crowned Penduline Tit (Remiz coronatus)

14. White-crowned Penduline Tit (Remiz coronatus)

15. Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo)

16. European Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus)

17. Oriental Turtle Dove (Streptopelia orientalis)

18. Hoopoe (Upupa epops)