There were Lesser Whitethroats, Hume's Warblers, Bluethroats, Magpies, Carrion Crows on the Square. Also I saw large flocks of Greenfinches. Ile-Alatau National Park. Big Almaty gorge. This year the sea-buckthorn berries are a lot. On winter time birds will have the feed. But now there are not anything in sea-buckthorn bushes except lot of Carrion Crows. I saw also one Brown Dipper on the river; there were quite a few Chiffchaffs, Blackbirds and Great Tits. One flock of Grey-headed Goldfinches appeared. [...... read more ]

[more photos ......]

The day was cold and murky. Birds were a little. Only Carrion Crows and Magpies were a lot. One Kestrel flew by. On little channel I saw two White-bellied Dippers and two Grey Wagtails; another one White-bellied Dipper was observed on Batareika river. In the bushes Greenish Warblers are yet conspicuous. There were Great Tits and one Azure Tit. Another little birds also glimpsed but I couldn't carefully watch them but I yet don't distinguish all Warblers by the sounds. [...... read more ]

Birds were a bit but after Dushanbe I was a glad to see Great Tits and Magpies. There were Lesser Whitethroats, Hume's Warblers, two Bluethroats, Blyth's Reed Warblers. Builders of new trade center hewed several trees, thinned bushes and the number of birds became less. I beheld the Sparrowhawk hiding in crowns of birch-trees. One Magpie at pause badgered it, both birds flew from one branch to another and I didn't have possibility to shoot them. Further another one Magpie flew and Sparrowhawk departed. This time in Almaty (end of September) is a time of Nightjars migrating. I didn't specially search Nightjars but still found one. Nightjar sat on the branch of birch tree near the causeway. [...... read more ]

Windy day, birds were a bit. Over the bluff rocks three Eurasian Griffon-Vultures soared, but some under them flock of Yellow-billed Choughs flew. Choughs from time to time soared all around. Nearby vertical rocks Red-rumped Swallows flew. In Varzob gorge I also saw three Eurasian Griffon-Vultures and flock of Choughs. On bled Varzob pond I hoped to see a lot of shorebirds but saw only Carrion Crows, one Common Sandpiper, three White Wagtails and one Common Kingfisher. [...... read more ]

By the road on the wires I saw flocks of Eurasian Bee-eaters, Tree Pipits and sometimes Corn Buntings. On the sunflower filed not less fen Tree Pipits fed. In the gorge one Kestrel was glimpsed. Also I saw female unidentified Redstart, Warblers (probably Hume's Warbler). In the grape thickets 5-6 Lesser Whitethroats fed. Their moving was very well observed but it was impossible to shoot them because of dense branches. I heard whistle of two Streaked Laughingthrushes and further saw one of them. [...... read more ]

On early morning before sunrise I saw two Stonechats. [...... read more ]

Today I went to trip later, probably therefore I saw a bit of birds. But all observed birds were uncommon. Yet near Gissar Short-toed Snake-Eagle soared over the fields. Further till to Khanaka I didn't see any birds. Over Khanaka on the rocks I saw four Blue Rock Thrushes. Thrushes weren't so wild but when I stayed and moved to them Thrushes flew out. But on my making back all four birds were on same place. Also on same rocks I heard Rock Nuthatch. In the bushes near the river there were a few Lesser Whitethroats. In the how-pistachio groves I saw the pair of Laughingthrushes and Warblers (probably Greenish Warblers). From time to time the flocks of Yellow-billed Coughs flew by. [...... read more ]

On earlier morning I went to Snake lake. I didn't see any duck on the lake. Over the forest the Marsh Harrier and the Hobby flew by. Further I went to the mountain. Today I observed bird occurred in the rock bushes. Till the sun lights the slopes the birds were a little. Rock Buntings fed on dry slopes with poor greenery often between the stones. On the juniper I saw bird looked like male Pine Bunting (light cap, two dark spots on the breast). Unfortunately I couldn't discern or make photos of this bird. Only Long-tailed and Turkestan Shrikes were marked. In the coastal forest birds also were a bit. I saw raptors, the pair of Sparrowhawks on the rocks, two Black Kites flew over the lake and scared the Carrion Crows. In the poplar forest Olive-backed Pipits and Hume's Warblers sang. Spotted Flycatchers and Bar-tailed Treecreepers flew from one tree to another. Near the water I saw Blue Whistling Thrush, Oriental Turtle Doves and Grey Wagtail. On evening time before the departure I saw sitting [...... read more ]

[more photos ......]

The little forest in the Iskanderdaria gorge. Mixed birch-juniper forest. Correctly birch tree (local birch with brown bark) forest, but nearby on the rocks there is sparse high-body juniper forest. The gorge is placed so the sun rises only at 8 a.m., therefore I more than one hour walked on the morning dusk. At the road I saw one Stonechat. As at another places around Iskanderkul there were a lot of Lesser Whitethroats and Hume's Warblers in the bushes and there were a lot of Chukar Partrdges on the rocks. Sounds of Chukars were hearable allaround, sometimes the loudly sounds of flying Chukars were hearable. On the next slope White-winged Woodpecker drummed. On my apparition in the birch forest Oriental Turtle Doves, Magpies and one Hoopoe disbanded. In juniper forest I observed several Black-breasted Tits and Blackbirds. Tits fed between juniper's branches and loudly called one to another. Also in juniper female Blue-capped Redstart occurred. In the barberry bushes Lesser Whitethroats, [...... read more ]

[more photos ......]

Iskanderkul lake. Panjchashma. On early morning on Iskanderkul I saw one Hobby and Carrion Crows. Near the lake round road the flocks of Chukar Partridges flew to watering. On the rocks the Chukars calls were heard all time, sometimes they flew with roars from rock to another. The sound of flying Partridges was so vociferous as roar of airplane. In the juniper forest Hume's Warblers and Black-breasted Tits fed and in the bushes on the rocks Great Whitethroats and Lesser Whitethroats fed. In the Panjchashma place there were quite a few birds, mostly common Lesser Whitethroats, Spotted Flycatchers, Long-tailed Shrikes, Blyth's Reed Warblers and Hume's Warblers. But also there were uncommon Black Redstart, Common Rosefinch, Stonechat, Bar-tailed Treecreeper, Blackbirds. Some Lesser Whitethroats look larger than other ones, probably they are Hume's Whitethroat (Sylvia althaea). Over the rocks flocks of loudly Red-billed Choughes flew by. On the rocks Magpies and Carrion Crows sat. Also on the [...... read more ]

[more photos ......]