Last days it was necessary to pass nearest vicinities of Dushanbe. Somewhere people else harvested the clap, but mostly peasants already plough fields. Yesterday over the cleaned field I saw sitting on a column Kestrel, and today saw flights of birds were fed on ploughed field. Mostly birds were Mynahs and Rooks. There are also Laughing Doves, Tree Sparrows and Crested Larks. But once it seemed to me that I saw a flock Rosy Pastors. While the car has stopped, while I left and have reached this place, birds have already disappeared. So I cannot authentically tell that it were Rosy Pastors. While I searched Rosy Pastors I noticed pair of Black Kites over the same ploughed field. [...... read more ]

The Gissar Botanical Garden is lesser than Dushanbe one. It was very pleasant to hear songs of the birds. Base birds were Mynahs and Tree Sparrows, but also there were a lot of Blackbirds, Chaffinches and Bramblings. Once Streaked Laughingthrush jumped out from bushes direct to me, may be on three meters from me.At the evening I went to Komsomol lake. Again met Kingfishers apparently not going to depart somewhere, one Masked Wagtail. On a shore inaccessible to people Black-headed Gulls and Wadres were fed and rested. Already at home examining photos I thought, that Sandpipers most likely are not Wood but Common Sandpipers. They were large almost like Gulls by size. One of Sandpipers probably fed on that coast I strolled. I did not see bird and noticed it only when it flew up already. And so flight of Sandpiper was more sedate and less bustling, than Green and Wood Sandpipers, wingspan is more. I think that birds are Common Sandpipers.Ducks were displaced to the middle of lake on evening [...... read more ]

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People said there are three botanical gardens in Dushanbe. Today I visited one of them. Uncommon that there are a little of Mynahs but Chaffinches and Bramblings were present. Flocks of Hooded Crows and Rooks were fed near the big dumps. The first bird surprised and pleased me is Turkestan Tit. Tit led me to the big coniferous tree. In a crone of this tree I heard cheeping of Goldcrests. The next bird is Black-billed Magpie the common bird to inhabitants of Kazakhstan. There are not Magpies in Dushanbe but there are in a botanical garden. Magpies behave as wood not city birds, silent fly from a tree another one, on the long distance from the people.I sat down under berry trees and waited the arrival of birds. I did not see such fruit-trees in the city, but in the botanical garden they are present. The first large good luck was arrived Eversmann's Redstart, a bright, very beautiful and quiet bird. Then I saw the large flight of blackbirds ate red berries. Chaffinches and even Black-throated [...... read more ]

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Today is a holiday in Tajikistan. I decided to walk to Komsomol lake. On the lake there were Mallards. Perhaps, there are also other ducks but I could not identify because many ducks curving rested. It seemed to me that some ducks were lesser than mallards, maybe Garganeys. Black-headed Gulls were fed near to ducks. Well, I already saw the gulls but large number of waders was the news to me. From afar it is difficult to identify it. Ones I identified as Wood Sandpipers, others as Green Sandpipers, but probably I mistaken. The fisherman told to me that mallards winter on Komsomol lake every year. Then probably I still will see them here. I don't know about Kingfisher's wintering on the lake but today I saw them, and not one but three birds. Also saw flock of Chaffinches and Bramblings and one Masked Wagtail. I long searched White-capped Redstart. I found it when did not hope more to find. Redstart sat at water station. [...... read more ]

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Mountains occupy 93 % of territory of Tajikistan and this territory is a little use for a life. Pamir is abrupt, rocky and hard related to people. Unlike Tien Shan or Altai there is a little vegetation in Pamir. Rare undersized trees looks like bushes than like real trees. Today we went to mountains to Magmurud waterfall. I thought to see a high and much water stream. But the waterfall is not only low but also little water. We rose to the next slope, passed through a ridge and went down to the crack above the waterfall. A crack was absolutely dry.And now about birds. The main inhabitants of these rocks are wild Rock Pigeons. Grottoes and cracks of the rocks are full of pigeon feathers. Many people think that a Rock Pigeon is almost home bird. Today's inhabitants of Magmurud are true wild Rock Pigeons. Directly at the water lonely White-capped Redstart was fed. I did not see any other birds in the crack. Only one highly hovering Eurasian Griffon-Vulture. A place near waterfall are silent. [...... read more ]

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Today is «Kingfisher Day». In spite of the fact that I saw today many other birds, Kingfishers are today's main figurants. Black-headed Gull is my Tajikistan new species. Again saw some Wagtails (unidentified species), Chaffinches and one timid White-capped Redstart. Saw several Kingfishers. On Komsomol lake there are no coastal bushes and trees. Therefore Kingfishers fish from concrete piers and metal protections. Today I has noted one interesting to me fact the uncommon fishing of Kingfisher. Scared by numerous passers the Kingfisher has been compelled to hunt not from an height but from flat coast. It was so: the Kingfisher flies up vertically upwards approximately on two metres and hangs some seconds like Kestrel and a stone-like falls to the water. I saw such hunting of a Kingfisher the first time. [...... read more ]