Camping in Kanshengel. Day 2. Kanshengel, Kurty, Sorbulak.

I waked up early but sun already rose but hid over the clouds. I went to the next artesian-well where I watched the Larks. In addition to Larks one Demoiselle Crane came to well but noticed me, turned and flew away. Wind was strong and its direction was to clouds, means sun will open soon. And it was after a short time. I and Gennady went to well where yesterday we watched tens of Brown-necked Ravens. Here we noticed Marbled Polecat. Polecat entered to concrete split, then went to the steppe in company of tens of Larks; some of Larks perhaps to distract Polecat from the nests in my opinion. One Black-bellied Sandgrouse came and landed at some distance. Then two more Sandgrouses came but noticing the car flew away; the first Sandgrouse flew away too. Brown-necked Ravens which were our main target in this spot were coming but landing far and flying away from a short time. We came back to the camping without any significant records, had the breakfast and went to the city direction.

Firstly we visited Kanshengel village to see the Little Owl, we found it in the same place where I found it some years ago – near farm with horizontal pipe. Last visit in this pipe we shot juvenile Owls, in the same pipe Owl hid now too. The visit of saline soil near Aidarly was without interesting birds, and we drove on Kurty. Here we went directly to the rocks with nest of Black Stork. Stork was in the hole, but flew out on our approaching it, then soaring a long time and flew away, so we didn’t see it next half hour. Gennady decided to check the splits in rocks to find the nest of Eagle Owl. And he found it after one minute! Further I looked photos of Vassily and Oleg and I think it is the same nest, but last visit there are two chicks in the nest. Where is the second chick? I have two suggestions, first one is sad: chick was died, second suggestion is realistic: chick was on walking. Then we looked birds of prey soaring in the sky, firstly we saw four birds, then five, then six. First birds were two Griffon Vultures and two Cinereous Vultures, but when they rose high it’s impossible to recognize them. One minute later one Egyptian Vulture flew back and forth. So visit of Kurty was successful, even little rain didn’t break the good impression.

The next spot is Sorbulak. In the first dam there are a lot of birds – Caspian Gulls, Great Cormorants, both species of Pelicans, and Crested Grebes on the water. In another side of road we saw several Stilts, Red-crested Pochards, two Oystercatchers and one Curlew. The south coast is free until the sandy beach where we saw many Cormorants and Pelicans too. Also some Ruddy and Common Shellducks, Whooper (on beach) and Mute (on water) Swans were observed. I am really sorry the Cormorants sitting on the sands, they did not fly away as human planned, they doesn’t understand that human purposefully killed them, they think that fire was the act of god which they could to survive. Pelicans probably were not killed by human because in the left half of the Pelican Island birds are laying not staying. So probably humans didn’t shoot Pelicans, and tread their eggs. Why humans did not it? What was stopped them? The last drops of humanism or the law? Pelicans unlike Cormorants are under the law protection. Colony of Cormorants is not protected, Cormorants perched on the trees without leaf, most of nests were burned.

The most expected bird of Sorbulak for me is Lesser Sand Plover. We noticed it, and even bright spring male, and even not shy specimen. Plover was feeding near us until the Hobby came. After looking the photos on the computer I think that this Lesser Sand Plover related to Mongolian not to Pamir subspecies as considered; it has rather large white spots on the forehead and narrow black border separated reddish from white on breast. (I confused, bird is Greater Sand Plover - A.I.)

Some words about tour. Kanshengel is very unique spot, where after one hour you don’t pay attention to the Sandgrouses because they are a lot. Probably the same spots are present, but they are farther or harder to reach than Kanshengel. The one negative of Kanshengel is the long distance to it, 400 kilometers there and back, and 50-80 kilometers during the day in the spots is the hard to driver. It’s possible to do this trip in one day, but two days trip is better. It’s possible to night in own tent, but camping has some good options such as shower, hot food, electric light, security and ensuing consequences as pleasant conversation with hot tea before the sleeping. So I plan to visit this camping next season.

1. Barn Swallow | Hirundo rustica

2.

3. Crested Lark | Galerida cristata iwanowi

4. Marbled Polecat (Vormela peregusna)

5. Greater Short-toed Lark | Calandrella brachydactyla

6. Greater Sand Plover | Charadrius leschenaultii

7. Brown-necked Raven | Corvus ruficollis

8. Demoiselle Cranes | Anthropoides virgo

9. Black-Bellied Sandgrouse | Pterocles orientalis

10. Little Owl | Athene noctua bactriana

11. Gennady Dyakin

12. Black Stork | Ciconia nigra

13. Chick of Eurasian Eagle-Owl | Bubo bubo

14. Kurty river

15. Sanzhar Abdikhalyk

16. Egyptian Vulture | Neophron percnopterus

17. Sorbulak

18. Common Oystercatchers | Haematopus ostralegus

19.