Every year in Apliniada Day the funicular to the Talgar Pass is free. Sanzhar Abdikhalyk initiated this trip with the nest of Red-breasted Rosefinch as main target, and other birds of highlands in this less explored by birdwatchers spot. Day is sometimes sunny but mostly overcast with rain and snow. We tried to find birds in the rather fresh moraine under the rocks, but unsuccessfully. There are no insects and plants in this moraine. We only heard the sounds of Raven and Red-bill Choughs from a far. We thought that birds could be in the places with insects, but insects could be in the place with plants, and went to the old moraine covered by mosses and lichens and joined to juniper bushes. In the bushes we immediately noticed singing Black-throated Accentors, Himalayan Accentors flying with insects in beaks, and the couple of Himalayan Rubythroats. Male Rubythroat came, perched in the top of spruce-tree and flew away; but female with food in beak was flying into the juniper bush, but was [...... read more ]

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The sunny and windy day. Due to today is departing day I was all the time in the beach with my family. Only after the lunch during the trip to shops I watched birds. I saw couple of Kites soaring over the village. I guess that Kites were hunting to chickens because Kite were flying very low and always over the backyards. Also in the village there were House Martins and two Mynahs. Nests of House Martins are on the two-floors buildings, but without nestlings and Martins didn’t approach to nests. Due to wind I couldn’t take photos both House Martins and Mynahs. [...... read more ]

I was in the beach all day again. Sun and heat. The most significant birds in the hotel vicinity were two Common Nightingales. Also to the list of birds of previous days I added two new species: I heard Golden Oriole and saw two Collared Doves. Unfortunately I didn't watch Oriole, it's interesting in which of subspecies related this birds. I wanted to visit the sandy spit once again, but didn't have some hours of free time. [...... read more ]

Today is sunny and hot day. All the day I was in the beach with my family. To the yesterday list of birds I added House Martins which were flying over the hotel in lunch time; but Barn Swallows this time were feeding the fledglings. I wanted to take photos of House Martins but they were flying very high. Barn Swallows came to the fledglings not many a time. I saw Gull-billed Terns flying over the bay. I guess this species because I saw long wings and sprawling flight but I am not sure in 100%. Over the beach and the joined part of lake I periodically saw birds, mostly Cormorants, Common and Little Terns, sometimes other birds, for example today I saw Pranticoles. There are Little Ringed Plovers, Black-winged Stilts, both Terns in the bay. I didn’t see birds from the target list of Alakol – Relict Gull, Pallas’s Gull, Caspian Tern, Pelicans. [...... read more ]

Day is cloudy or even overcast. I went to the sand spit where I saw Relict Gulls and many Caspian Terns in the May. It’s short distance to car, and I thought I reach it after about 30-40 minutes. I was without clocks but all today trip from the hotel to the end of sand spit and back was 6.5 hours of permanently hiking with some crawl on sand to birds. What did I see? The last visit I was worry that I didn’t explore the saline marsh on the road to sand spit. Now I crossed it twice and noticed nothing only tens Black-headed Wagtails of different age and gender. As at last visit in the bay in base of spit the White-winged Terns, Black-winged Stilts, Common Redshanks, Collared Pratincoles were noticed, today Black and Little Terns added to lists. The last visit numerous Caspian Terns are absent now. But Common Terns flying with fish in bill are abundant. When I move on to spit I was attacked by the screaming flock of Common Terns. I continued moving and Caspian Gulls and couple of Caspian [...... read more ]

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Just now I have crossed Republic Square; saw flying male Sparrowhawk with food, which hid in the high trees. Probably it nests here. Also I saw Hooded Crow! In Almaty in June I didn't see Hooded Crows before today. Unfortunately I was without camera. [...... read more ]

In this hot day I and Gennady Dyakin planned to visit well known spring in the foothills of Big Boguty mountains. In this year Vassily and Tonya were there, and took many good photos. We arrived to the final destination rather early about 9 am; birds were a lot, immediately came flocks of Mongolian Finches, and singles of Grey-necked Buntings, Rosy Pastors, Horned and Greater Short-toed Larks, only some times we saw juvenile Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush (perhaps same bird photographed by Vassily), male and female Linnets, Tawny Pipit and Isabelline Wheatear. Latters probably came to the spring to drink the water some times during the day (2-5 times before the mid-day), but how many times Mongolian Finches and Grey-necked Buntings drink the water impossible to count because impossible to count the number of these birds. I don’t know is it same or different birds permanently drink the water from the spring. I think that Buntings often drink water because in the far edge of the pool only Buntings [...... read more ]

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Day is hot and sunny. Trip with Gennady and Elena Dyakins to Degeres for Rock Nuthutch and to Akterek for Paradise Flycatcher. In Degeres we expected quickly to take photos of common in this place Rock Nuthutch and quickly went for Paradise Flycatcher. But everything went not according to plan. First known nest of Nuthutch placed among the colony of Rosy Starlings (absent at this year) was broken. The second one looked like live, but twenty minutes of waiting finished without result; Nuthatches didn’t come, moreover I heard its sound once only and from a far. We guess that Nuthatches as residents nest early, and probably they already left nests and broods dispersed in nearby rocks. We didn’t watch Nuthatch but saw couple of Nightjars, and two Blue Rock Thrushes. Nightjars were sitting (close one to another but not together) in the narrow cleft between rocks. First we flushed female which twice flew from place to another one, and then hid over the slope. Then I flushed male. Of course [...... read more ]

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I waked up early but sun already rose but hid over the clouds. I went to the next artesian-well where I watched the Larks. In addition to Larks one Demoiselle Crane came to well but noticed me, turned and flew away. Wind was strong and its direction was to clouds, means sun will open soon. And it was after a short time. I and Gennady went to well where yesterday we watched tens of Brown-necked Ravens. Here we noticed Marbled Polecat. Polecat entered to concrete split, then went to the steppe in company of tens of Larks; some of Larks perhaps to distract Polecat from the nests in my opinion. One Black-bellied Sandgrouse came and landed at some distance. Then two more Sandgrouses came but noticing the car flew away; the first Sandgrouse flew away too. Brown-necked Ravens which were our main target in this spot were coming but landing far and flying away from a short time. We came back to the camping without any significant records, had the breakfast and went to the city direction.Firstly [...... read more ]

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Yesterday we left the city at 8 pm and arrived to camping about 12 pm. Night is rather cold and hostess gave us the sleeping bags and blankets. Morning we get up early (not before sunrise but early) and before breakfast tried to find Macqueen’s Bustard and Caspian Plover which was observed this season near the camping. Nobody from us is able to search Macqueen’s Bustard therefore our attempt was unsuccessfull. Until we tried to find Bustard sun is high and the numerous Larks appeared all around, mostly Calandra and Greater Short-toed, sometimes Bimaculated Larks. We took photos of larks and explored plain clearings of rare low grass without tussocks, and finally found the colony of Greater Sand Plovers of about 5 or 6 couples with different age chicks. One of females diverting us from chick showed imitation of wounded bird, it was laying to land and up the wings. At 8am the Black-bellied Sandgrouses (main and guaranteed target of Kanshengel) began to visit the watering places. And some [...... read more ]

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