Big Almaty Lake, Cosmostation.

Sunny day. Trip to highlands with Gennady Dyakin and Raufael Bairashev. On ascension to Big Almaty Lake we noticed Kestrel, juvenile Blue Whistling Thrush, Eastern Buzzard, Mistle Thrush, Common Rosefinch. When we passed by the juniper bush near the Observatory, the female Himalayan Rubythroat jumped out from this bush and postured to us long enough.

In Cosmostation area the Hodgson's Rosefinches are a lot as the Sparrows in the city, they flew everywhere and perched on wires and on buildings. In addition to numerous Hodgson's Rosefinches we also watched in stones the Brown and Himalayan Accentors. One male Guldenstadt's Redstart fed three juvenile females. Red-billed and Yellow-billed Choughs flew in flights, the Yellow-billed Choughs are apparently molting, many birds don't have enough flight and tail feathers. At the Station we again saw Mynahs, Magpies and Carrion Crow. The Lammergeier twice flew by, the Raven also flew by twice, and once we noticed the flying by Hobby. On rocks around the Big Almaty Peak we saw Mistle Thrushes and one Tree Pipit, both these birds inhabit in woods and are unspecific to highlands, however I watched these birds at altitudes over 3000 meters not first time. Also in rocks we watched juvenile Blue Rock Thrush, Water Pipit, Sulphur-bellied Warbler, Alpine Accentors, Yellow-billed Choughs, Wallcreepers, female Red-mantled Rosefinch and flying flock of Himalayan Snowcocks.

Going down in Observatory area we observed the low juniper thickets. We noticed Common Rosefinches, Grey-headed Goldfinches, Hume's Warblers, Himalayan Rubythroats, Black-throated Accentors, White-browed Tit-Warblers (first time to me), White-winged Grosbeaks, and also one Goshawk. Also there were many Mistle Thrushes which in flocks sat on the footpath. I already saw sitting on the track Mistle Thrushes in Kim-Asar gorge.

1. Blue Whistling Thrush (Myophonus caeruleus turcestanicus)

2. Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

3. Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus bonapartei)

4. Hodgson's Rosefinch (Leucosticte nemoricola)

5. Brown Accentor (Prunella fulvescens)

6. Himalayan Accentor (Prunella himalayana)

7. Yellow-billed Choughes (Pyrrhocorax graculus)

8. Red-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)

9. Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus)

10. Male Guldenstadt's Redstart (Phoenicurus erythrogaster)

11. Sulphur-bellied Warbler (Phylloscopus griseolus)

12. Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis)

13. Himalayan Rubythroat (Luscinia pectoralis)

14. White-browed Tit-Warbler (Leptopoecile sophiae)

15. White-winged Grosbeak (Mycerobas carnipes)