Little Sorbulak.

The trip to Little Sorbulak with Andrey Kovalenko and Gennady Dyakin. The day was mostly sunny but windy. On the road in Ili region we saw the flock of Black Kites, the wedge of Demoiselle Cranes, and the Black-headed Gulls and pair of Shovelers on the little lake. We started the discovering of the lakes of Sorbulak system from the reeds and djida thickets, where we watched one Cetti's Warbler, Reed Buntings, Tree Sparrows, two Isabelline Shrikes, one hen of Pheasant, Chiffchaffs, regularly flocks of Black-throated Thrushes Chaffinches, Bramblings, Greenfinches flew by, once we saw the flock of Desert Finches and the mixed flock Yellowhammers and Pine Buntings. In the reeds and about them we saw Bluethroat, Black-throated Accentor, two male Stonechats. On the little lake there were a few Coots; also we heard but didn't saw the Water Rail. Regularly we watched the soared Sparrowhawk, sometimes the flying Ruddy Shelducks, Caspian Gulls and Black-headed Gulls. Also we found the killed Goshawk.

In the shelterbelt there were not many birds. We saw Sparrowhawk, several times Kestrels, once Long-legged Buzzard; many Magpies, flocks of Great Tits, once flock of Azure Tits with one Hybrid with Yellow-breasted Tit. We saw Turkestan Shrike and twice Black Redstarts too. Redstarts were cautious and we didn't close to them, but European Robin hid between elm twigs not high and flew out to short distance, so we had possibility to make quite a good photos.

The lakes coasts. On the roadsides we watched Calandra Larks and Greater Short-toed Larks, Common Starlings, Water Pipits, Citrine, Black-headed, Yellow, Masked Wagtails, Reed Buntings, Hen Harrier, flock of Rock Pigeons, two Marsh Harriers; near elms we saw one Wood Pigeon, Rock Buntings, Chaffinches, Bramblings. On the water there were many Great Cormorants, Coots, Great Crested Grebes, Black-headed Gulls, less number of Caspian Gulls, Ruddy Shelducks, Shovelers, Wigeons, Garganeys, Tufted Ducks, Red-crested Pochards, Common Pochards, Ferruginous Ducks, Mallards, several pairs of Gadwalls, one Whooper Swan, several Grey Herons and White Egrets, pair of Black-necked grebes, three Common Redshanks, Lapwings. One Moorhen floated on the channel. On the farthest lake we watched th colony of the Grey Herons (with one White Egret), the Coot on the water, and the Bearded Tits and Bluethroat in the reeds.

On the back-road at steppe zone we noticed Common Starlings, Larks, Long-legged Buzzard, Pied Wheatears, Isabelline Wheatears, Marsh Harrier, and the flock of Linnets drinking water on the road puddle. On the channel we watched Grey Herons, one more Marsh harrier, Corn Bunting; in the reed-thickets Chiffchaffs, two male Black Redstarts, two male Stonechats, Black-throated thrushes. All day the Carrion Crows, Magpies, Jackdaws, Rooks were observed. Also on the back way we watched Short-toed Snake-Eagle, Common Buzzard and Hoopoe.

1. Demoiselle Cranes (Anthropoides virgo)

2. Isabelline Shrike (Lanius isabellinus)

3. Desert Finch (Rhodospiza obsoleta)

4. Hybrid Tit (Parus cyanus x flavipectus)

5. Common Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus)

6. European Robin (Erithacus rubecula tataricus)

7. Water Pipit (Anthus spinoletta)

8. Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus)

9. Rock Bunting (Emberiza cia)

10. Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)

11. Citrine Wagtail (Motacilla citreola)

12. Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

13. Bearded Tit (Panurus biarmicus)

14. Eurasian Linnet (Acanthis cannabina)

15. Short-toed Snake-Eagle (Circaetus gallicus)