The overcast day after the first snowfall. In afternoon I saw male Sparrowhawk near City Hall building. In twilight I noticed the soaring above the skyscrapers falcon looked large to me, probably Peregrine Falcon. [...... read more ]

Morning was cloudy. The birds leave the city probably anticipating of the next day upcoming cold and snow. Today I noticed only two Lesser Whitethroats, the rest ones more likely flew away. But the Greenfinches have appeared, today I saw one female. [...... read more ]

Sparrowhawk, Lesser Whitethroats. [...... read more ]

At the Republic Square I saw the Quail, which as usual flashed under my feet and disappeared behind the trees. And as usual I didn’t find it. Also I saw two birds, which from afar were seen black to me, the birds were flying by Hoopoe-shape flight. Probably they were the Wallcreepers. The other birds: Rooks, Hooded Crows, Blackbirds, Great Tits, Mynahs, Lesser Whitethroats. In the afternoon I went to the mountains, to the Little Almaty gorge, where I saw the low flying Lammergeyer. No one bird today was shot. [...... read more ]

Sunny morning. I was standing and looking to the feeding Lesser Whitethroats when the Sparrowhawk suddenly flew directly between the trees about which I was. Sparrowhawk perched on the nearest birch tree, but fled at my approach. Later I saw Sparrowhawk chasing by crows, and later I found it perching on an oak's branch, and yet photographed it. Near the museum I watched the House Sparrows which hanging upside down were feeding the seeds thuja's cones. The Chaffinches arrived in the city were picking from the ground the seeds of ash. [...... read more ]

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For the first time in this month I left the city to take photos of birds, all the more so the day was sunny though windy. In the Baiserke area I run into two quite low soaring Steppe Eagles. Also I saw three more Long-legged Buzzards, one light and two dark morph. In thickets of russian olives I watched the flock of Common Starlings, Tree Sparrows, Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Magpies and Mynahs. From a distance I noticed the Gulls, but did not identify it. Everywhere the Magpies and Rooks were seen, but there were not the abundance of birds. Almaty. Back in the city I went to the Republic Square. The first I saw was the Long-eared Owl which was hunted by the dozen of Hooded Crows. Owl by adroitness does not exceed the Crows, but by size is inferior to them. Crows behaved so like want not run but also to kill the Owl. The poor Owl flew higher and higher, but the Crows did not lag behind it. So they flew away from me. Also I saw Barred Warbler, Lesser and Common Whitethroats, as well as Blackbirds, [...... read more ]

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In the morning I went to take some photos of Eversmann's Redstart in the sunny weather. Although the Redstart was always in the shadows, but still the sunny morning is more appropriate time for taking photos than the dull evening. Redstart was still in the same bushes, but today it was more in open places. Couple of times the Blackbird tried to attack the Redstart, but Redstart slowly flew away from him. In addition to Redstart and yesterday's Lesser Whitethroat I saw a few other Whitethroats which have not yet been departed away in the wintering places. And before leaving the Square I saw the flock of mostly juvenile Great Cormorants flying by wedge to the south. [...... read more ]

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Recent days I used to the fact that birds are a bit or no, except the arrived Rooks and Hooded Crows. Even the number of Sparrows became less. But at evening time I noticed the stir in the bushes, it was the male of Evermann's Redstart. I bothered to go to bring the camera and took some photos. Redstart is not extra shy bird, often sat quite close to me (I even reduced the focal length on camera), but still prefers to be among the branches of shrubs. In addition to Redstart in the same bushes a few more Great Tits and one Lesser Whitethroat were fed. [...... read more ]

Near Ramstore I saw the Sparrowhawk unsuccessfully hunted the Great Tits. [...... read more ]

Day of the Corvids. A few days ago I noticed that a lot of Hooded Crows and Rooks arrived to the city. But I went to take some photos today only. Mostly to the record. Rooks feed on acorns under the trees, and Crows prefer to eat berries, sitting in the bushes. [...... read more ]