Sorbulak

Day is sunny, warm (but not hot) and windy. On the road to Sorbulak we made stop when heard the sound of Penduline Tit from the car. We found the building nest of Penduline Tit almost immediately after approached to the river. Both male and female were building the nest. Nest was almost ready, only enter tube was not ready; Tits were building it.

The reeds in the Savkino lake (means lake of the White-Headed Duck) became be rarer; lake now is more observable. But due to colony of Black-headed Gulls in the lake the noise and chaos here are increased. When we approached to lake border, Gulls flush and begin to circle around us, some of them even tried to attack us. Of course they couldn’t disturb us to watch birds. We expected to find White-headed Ducks, and we did it, at least three males and three females. I took photos with Albert’s lens (500 mm + extender 1.4 = 700 mm), quality of result is very good. In addition to the White-headed Ducks we watch some other Ducks, Great Crested Grebes, Black-necked Grebes (already with little chicks) too.

During the road from Savkino lake to the first dam we twice recorded Pelicans, two flocks of great White Pelicans (about 15 and 25 birds) and couple of Dalmatian Pelicans.

On the sands of south coast of Big Sorbulak the Great Egrets and Grey Herons, Great Cormorants, Mute and Whooper Swans, Caspian and Black-headed Gulls are well noticeable; Ducks are not so much and so noticeable, Waders are a bit, we saw only 2 Temminck’s Stints, the rest of waders were observed in the beach near tree-line. Here we saw Common Redshanks, Black-winged Stilts, Common Greenshanks, Pied Avocet, Ruff, Little Ringed, Kentish and Grey Plovers, the latter is my lifer. Some time we watched the Sand Martins colony, which are not have chicks yet. We saw how they cleared hole but we didn’t see the birds bringing the food to holes.

In the 1st reservoir of Little Sorbulak, along the coastal line we saw some Grey and White Wagtails, numerous Common Sandpipers, single Green Sandpipers and Common Greenshanks. In the water majority of birds was formed by Coots, Gulls and Crested Grebes. Unexpected success is Whimbrel. In the tree-line we saw Oriental Turtle Doves, Rooks colony, Kestrels, one Black-throated Thrush (didn’t depart yet), Shikra. In Zhamankum we saw only three Stonechats, five Tree Pipits and some Chiffchaffs in the reeds, no other birds. In the back road to the city we found the first in this year flock of Rosy Starlings in the farm. Here we watch all three species of Starlings (Common, Rosy Starlings and Mynah) in the same time.

Day was fine! Not only due to lifer (Grey Plover) but also because we saw many interesting birds and due to the friendly environment. Thanks to my friends – Raufael Bairashev, Albert Meek and Madina Dyusebayeva.

1. White-crowned Penduline Tit (Remiz coronatus)

2. me and Albert

3. White-headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala)

4. Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus)

5. Sand Martin (Riparia riparia)

6. Raufael Bairashev

7. Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)

8. Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)

9. Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus)

10. Lunch on Sorbulak - me, Albert and Madina.

11. Garganey (Anas querquedula)

12. Little Tern (Sterna albifrons)

13. Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)

14. Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)

15. Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)

16. Shikra (Accipiter badius)

17. Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

18. Tien Shan means Sky Mountains

19. Rosy Starlings (Sturnus roseus)

20. Eurasian Roller (Coracias garrulus semenowi)