За 4 дня не особенно торопясь, но и не затягивая, доехали из Алматы до Индербора, что стоит на Урале. Условно весь маршрут можно разбить на следующие более-менее цельные участки:1. предгорья (от Алматы до Каратау)2. вдоль Сырдарьи (от Туркестана до Аральска)3. степная зона (от Иргиза до Уральска)4. Приуралье (от Уральска до Индера)Чтобы не затягивать процесс, не буду расписывать подробно по дням, а акцентирую внимание на происходящее внутри описанных более-менее однородных участков.1. вдоль предгорий ехали 26 апреля весь день и 27 утром. Дорога на юг сейчас [...... read more ]

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I posted the message in Facebook with invitation to join to my birding in Republic Square. Three person joined to me. Given that ordinary citizen of Almaty never awakes at 7am in weekend, three beginners is a large number. In the Square we watched Isabelline and Turkestan Shrikes which were very good models, nesting couple of Carrion Crows, the Bluethroats (I took photos but beginners noticed only the moving from one bush to another one), Chiffchaffs (hard viewable in the crowns of birch-trees). The we went to park where I showed the nests of Sparrowhawks, but birds were not visible. But when we had talking the male Sparrowhawk came with the prey (firstly we guessed the mice but in photo I recognized the female of Chaffinch) and then female appeared too. Birds didn't pay attention to us, were making sounds and doing something probably coupling, I didn't see if be honest. After the watching of Sparrowhawks we went to Blue Whistling Thrushes, and noticed couple of Grey-headed Goldfinches [...... read more ]

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May be too earlier to visit Kanshengel, not so hot, last week weather was rainy, and waders don't start the spring migration. But I want to do it. Day is sunny but very windy. Firstly we visited the village, looked for Little Owl, but didn't found, then visited the well in village. It's a bit of water, and a bit of birds. We flashed couple of Ruddy Shellducks, took photos of Wagtails and Little Ringed Plovers, that's all. Then we drove in sands. All the time we noticed little passerines – Larks, Wheatears (recorded male Pied Wheatear of vitatta morph), Shrikes; all birds were not far, quite comfortable to photo-shooting. Some times we saw the flocks of Black-throated Thrushes and Bramblings-Chaffinches, the birds not common to desert in all seasons excluding the migration time. It's means the birds are migrating to north. There are no any waders excluding Little Ringed Plovers and Black-winged Stilts. We saw only Black-bellied Sandgrouses. We arrived to Kanshengel at 10 am and recorded [...... read more ]

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Today we drove in eastern direction along the foothills by the road passed near the Big Almaty Channel. About the half of way is rather far from the foothills in the middle of dense roadside thickets of Asian Elm. Channel passes above the road and is visible all the time, below the road there are small villages, fields and the numerous nurseries of fruit and other trees. In winter time here possible to watch flocks of finches and thrushes, in summer time the nesting Wood Pigeons, Oriental Turtle Doves, Orioles, Penduline Tits etc. But most of these birds arrives in May to the green leaves, but now trees are without leaves and we watched only Wood Pigeons and not yet departed Black-throated Thrushes and Bramblings-Chaffinches. The second half of the road passes close proximity of the foothills. There are a bit of trees, road is slightly swings in both horizontal and vertical planes in accordance with the terrain. Landscape is the low grass meadows with a lot of stones. There are [...... read more ]

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At morning from 8.15 am to 11.15 am I visited the Republic Square in sunny but cold weather (+5C in average). All the birds were expected, the large flock of White-winged Grosbeaks eating on the ground the seeds of dogwood-tree, the couple of Blue-capped Redstarts, and the Bluethroat. Surpringly I didn't see Shrikes, Stonechats and Bramblings. The Carrion Crow came and looked at me, probably it remember me from the recent years visits. There are a lot of very shy Chaffinches perhaps passage migrants. All the birds are expected but very beauty. After noon we had one kilometer walking along the snowy channel in Kimasar. The weather was cold and very cloudy. I was thinking we will not see Blue Whistling Thrush but we found it. We also watched three Brown Dippers in mating games, very active and brave Wrens, and Eversmann's Redstarts. The most significant record to me was the Wallcreeper posed a long time in different poses. In the mouth of gorge I took photo of little bird in the birch-tree. [...... read more ]

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In this rainy and snowy season we find one windy day without rain to visit Ile river canyon. I didn't expect many birds because most of birds are not appear yet but the location is intersting for beginners. In rocks we saw resident Rock Nuthatches, migrant Black Redstarts (many birds), local Pied Wheatears, two Chiffchaffs, and many Crag Martins near the river. Chukar Partridges and Jackdaws are common here. In slope the large flock of migrant Rooks were feeding, at least two hundred birds. Of birds of prey we saw Golden Eagle in his own rock, Kites, Long-legged Buzzards, Kestrels.In the water of Ile river we watched Ruddy Shellducks, Caspian and Black-headed Gulls, flying Cormorants and yet numerous Goldeneyes, more than one hundred birds in the river part about three hundreds meters. In the steppe we saw many Calandra and Crested Larks, and also Isabelline and Northern Wheatears. Some birds were not identified: Pipits near the road, Kestrel on wires (perhaps Lesser Kestrel), the bird [...... read more ]

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