Tuyuksu glacier. Ile Alatau National Park.

Previous day Andrei Kovalenko and Gennady Dyakin proposed me to join them in trip to Tuyuksu glacier for Brandt’s Mountain Finch. Of course I agreed. To the destination we arrived not early but in right time. Firstly we met Sanzhar who spent the night here and already watched Finch. After Sanzhar gave us information about location of Brandt’s Finch and other birds too, we went to search them in the mountain tundra. However birds are absent, we saw only one from time to time flying by Kestrel and two Common Wheatears in the next rocks. Among the houses of station we noticed male of Guldenstadt’s Redstart which immediately flew away. Birds were so few that Andrei decided to wait Redstart. Then we went to explore the moraine. The absence of birds frightened but not a long time because Andrei found Himalayan Accantors and went to make photos of them, but I and Gennady went to another side and after a short time by the sound found several broods of Brandt’s Mountain Finches and one brood of Plain Mountain Finch. Juvenile Finches are very calm, perched on stones without any emotions; it’s possible to approach to them very close. Before the coming of parent. In this moment two-three juveniles fly to parent, and latter belches from goiter reddish seeds to each of juvenile. Then parent flys to a short distance, lands to large stone, and looks back. This time juveniles with sounds fly for adult. Then adult flys out but juveniles calm. After shooting of Finches we went to local dump to take photos of Red-billed and Yellow-billed Choughs, where we noticed Common Whitethroat which quickly flew away. Also in the station we saw Sulfur-bellied Warbler and female Redstart. Warbler was searching insects in the window glass.

We started the come back, and made some stopping during the back road, most of our stopping was without significant records. Only the last one in the spruce forest lower of the Chimbulak was successful. Here we saw many Nutcrackers which tore spruce cones and almost immediately pecked them. Also in the branches of spruce-trees we saw Greenish Warblers, Coal Tits, and one bird looked like female Blue-capped Redstart (not strange because here is the habitat of this bird). Also we heard the sounds of Blue Whistling Thrush, and tried to lure it to sound; but Thrush didn’t come to us.

1. Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)

2. glacier Tuyuksu

3. glacier Tuyuksu

4.

5. Juvenile Hodgson's Rosefinch (Leucosticte nemoricola)

6. Hodgson's Rosefinches (Leucosticte nemoricola)

7. Hodgson's Rosefinch (Leucosticte nemoricola)

8. Red-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)

9. Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis)

10.

11. Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)

12. glacier Tuyuksu

13. willow-herb

14. Coal Tit (Parus ater)

15. Spotted Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes)