It’s feeling of the last day reminding summer: sunny and warm in city, some persons are even dressed in shirts. But in mountains day is sunny but cold especially in shadow where I was frozen very quick though was warmly dressed. There are always much of birds in the spot where Andrei and Gennady previously watched birds. Perhaps because here is logging, therefore a lot of severed branches in which possible to hide and to find insects. When we arrived to spot we immediately noticed flock of Black-throated Thrushes, Grey-headed Goldfinches, two Red-rumped Rosefinches and the Black-throated Accentors moving inside branches. Then we attracted to sound the Songar Tits, Goldcrests, but particularly successfully the Coal Tits and Treecreepers. One of Coal Tits landed to stamp between me and Gennady so close that bird didn’t fit to frame of Gennady’s camera. After Tit flew away Gennady reached out and easy touched the place where Tit sat. Two Treecreepers came to sound too and began to feed [...... read more ]

[more photos ......]

The last warm and sunny days look like more as summer than autumn days. Birds probably have not only internal compass but the internal barometer too, beacause before the overcast weather almost all of them left our region. At least today I didn’t see the plenty of birds of the last week. In other words, I didn’t see the number of birds which looks like plenty in last week. For example today I saw only one Blue-capped Redstart. All the birds that were supposed to migrate did it. I saw Coal, Great and Songar Tits, Eversmann’s Redstart, Black-throated Accentors, Three-toed Woodpecker, Nutcrakers, Magpies, Carrion Crows, White-bellied Dippers, Chaffinches, Bramblings, White-winged Grossbeaks. I expected birds of prey, didn’t see Cinereus Vulture but saw Eastern Buzzard and two Sparrowhawks together. [...... read more ]

[more photos ......]

A long time I was not in Dendropark (aka President’s Park). I didn’t expect special to watch any bird, I wanted to explore territory. Day was warm and sunny, therefore people in park were quite a lot. But birds were quite a few. First bird I saw was the Kestel catched the prey and perching to the top of spruce tree started to eat it. More likely prey is the mice or shrew. Then I saw common Magpies and Rooks. Following the story “Rooks and Walnuts” – today I saw at least 5 Rooks with walnuts. In other words – all Rooks I saw close today were with walnuts in beaks and tried to hide it. In the sky I once noticed two Mallards, I saw them many times but never take photos. I don’t have any guess from where and to where Mallards fly. Then I noticed soaring Sparrowhawk, then I noticed Kestel again, then again Sparrowhawk, I think they were the same birds I saw before. Of the little passerines I saw the flock of tree Sparrows in bushes near water stream crossed the park, and also three [...... read more ]

[more photos ......]

The weather report promised the partly cloudy day. So day was sunny in first half of the day and overcast in the second one. My birding started with two White-bellied Dippers which I saw yesterday. But today they were not together, in different cascades, but both birds were perching on the pipes sticking out the wall. Also here I saw flock of Chaffinches and Black-throated Thrush. Then I climbed to the ridge and went by the forest where flushed flock of Blackbirds.Today I was not going to reach highlands but going to explore the birch grove, take photo of Redstarts and reach the ridge where wait birds of prey which often soar there. In the birch grove I was surprised by Great Spotted Woodpecker which I didn’t watch in our mountains many years. Woodpecker wasn’t calm, flew from one trunk to another, so I was moving in sloping grove too. Finally Woodpecker was staying at about ten meters from the land and cleaning the feathers. I waited when it come down but it flew away. Also in grove [...... read more ]

[more photos ......]

Sunny and warm autumn day. There is snow in Kimasar, up from the half of spruce forest. Upper part of forest is more covered by snow than open. Today I expected to watch mostly birds of prey and some of little passerines. The latters are a lot – flocks of Bramblings (each up to 50 birds) all the time flying above the spruce trees, and some times landed to trees and peck the cones. Tits are a bit, once I saw Coal Tit and once heard Azure Tit, in upper spruce forest noticed three Goldcrests. Also here I twice saw Black-throated Accentor. Almost everywhere the single Redstarts (both Blue-capped and Eversmann’s ones) are observed, but in the border of spruce forest and birch grove they gathered at least three tens total. Redstarts were suddenly jumped from the tree to grass, catching the insect and suddenly backing into tree. Single flying Nutcatchers, Magpies and Carrion Crows were observed too.Of birds of prey I saw Sparrowhawk flushing Bramblings, two Golden Eagles in the lower part [...... read more ]

[more photos ......]

The short family tour to highlands. Day is sunny and very warm. However in spite of feeling of summer warm the autumn is in full swing, and birds become less and less. In the bushes (dogrose, barberis) I noticed little passerines, but from a far I could recognize only male Eversmann’s Redstart, also I saw little dark birds and another one further identified as Black-throated Accentor. After some climbing I again noticed the movement in the bushes. I discerned White-browed Tit Warbler and understood that dark little birds I had seen earlier were Tit Warblers too. The second bird was Leaf Warbler but without pale supercilium and with sad voice. Of course it was Chiffchaff; strange that I did not recognize it at once. While I was in ambash I see flocks of birds. The larger ones were the White-winged Grosbeaks, I further see them perching on the tops of spruce trees. But lesser birds were not recognized though I heard the sounds. But I am sure they are neither Red-fronted Serins nor Goldfinches, [...... read more ]

[more photos ......]