Novruz 2021. Kyzylkum desert.

One only day of our trip without rainy forecast. We go from Arys to Kyzylkum desert. Driving by Koksarai reservoir we watched flock of Greater White-fronted Geese of about 15 birds, then several flocks of Gulls. Good fact, it's means there are birds in Koksarai, at least we have a hopeness, especially after yesterday's Shashkakol which really disappointed.

We crossed Syrdaria river using Bairkum bridge. Landscape in that side of the river is plain desert with Saka's mounds in the beginnig, then after the turn to west it became saxaul forest, which became as denser and higher as we more drive to west. Commonly birding in desert is not in not so rich main habitat, but mostly in tracts, in our case means wells and rocks. We started in well named Les (means 'forest'). There are several high tall Elm trees and corral with a lot of cattle's manure here, which attract birds. Here we recorded Desert Finches, Chaffinch, Black and Eversmann's Redstart, Chiffchaff, Pied Wheatear, Common Starlngs, Hoopoe etc. Water of well is very warm, it's able to comfortable take bath here. Also in warm stream the Toads put the eggs. This time we saw threads of eggs, but also the copulation of Toads. Totally under the broken branches of tree there are about ten couples. Actually, it turns out male and female of Toad are well distinguished. Female is big, smooth with clear contrast spots, but male is less than female, with warts, spots are present in legs only.

The next birding spot is Tabakbulak well, here we took a lunch, than dispersed around the area where everyone take photos of something. In the end we will have a little of similar photos and a big number of birds species, it's of course good. Of the recorded species I can note three couples of Marsh Harriers (breeding birds, but not of all birds), Short-toed Snake Eagles, Gadwalls, Red-crested Pochard, Water Rail (resident), Desert Finches (residents), Spanish Sparrow, Reed Buntings, Desert Weatears. Unfortunately we didn't find Little Owls.

Murunkarak rock was he next birding spot for us. As we have a limit of time we had birding here only during one and half hour. It's really a bit of time. In this time most of us could just to watch and take photo of Finsch's Wheatear, the main of local target birds. Totally we counted seven Finsch's Wheatears, including one female collecting nest materials. The rest birds were males which had display flying and chased one to another in their own territory. I shot other birds either in case they were flying by me (Egyptian Vulture, Black Vulture, Demoiselle Cranes) or in case they came close to me (Black Redstart, Tree Pipit). But Alexander could to make a middle-distance walk, and saw Little Owls, Grey Partridges, Blue and Common Rock Thrushes. Of course Murunkarak is the spot need more time for birding, more time for walking and more time for waiting.

After Murunkarak I was feeling that situation normalized. All birds are present, all is in their own placed. We also visited the well adjoined to rare saxaul forest. Sandgrouses, Plovers and other birds com to drink water to this well. But today birds are absent. Local farmer said 5 days ago all around was covered even not by snow but by ice, and shown us broken due the heave weight of ice the branches of trees. Despite the absence of birds it was very nice and calmly here.

While we have a sun light we started to go back, hoping to birds of prey resting in power line poles. But we took photo of nothing excluding one only Imperial Eagle with nice white shoulders, and already in the dark we went to spend night to Arys.

1. Steppe Grey Shrike

2. Eastern Imperial Eagle

3. Yellow Ground Squirrel

4. Black Redstart of phoenicuroides subspecies (black back)

5. Black Redstart of murinus subspecies (grey back)

6. Eversmann's Redstart

7. well Les

8. European Green Toads

9. Long-legged Buzzards

10. Crested Lark

11. Spanish Sparrow

12. Gennady Dyakin

13. first Snake Eagle of this year

14. first Egyptian Vulture of this year

15. Rapid Racerunner

16. Gennady, Marina, Olga

17. parking in Murunkarak

18. Today is Wheatears day, we saw five spceies of this birds a day, first one is Isabelline Wheatear

19. Pied Wheatear

20. Northern Wheatear

21. Desert Wheatear

22. Finsch's Wheatear

23. Tulipa buhseana