Hi together,after three years I’m back at the Tengiz and Korgalzhyn Lakes.It’s really great to be here again and visit all the nice lakes, riverbanks and endless steppes. As in 2015 my main task is to do waterbird census in the area and provide reliable data on valuable species like White-headed Duck, Dalmatian Pelican and further species. Along this job I also like to watch out for passerine migration, taking photos and just spending time in the steppes.Passerine migration already started of course but is still a bit slow at the moment. Numerous flocks of Yellow Wagtails gather and are joined by some Citrine Wagtails and single Red-throated Pipits. In gardens, plantations and bushes Spotted Flycatchers and Lesser Whitethroats seems so to be the most common passerine at the moment followed by Greenish Warblers. Goodies within the gardens so far were a Wood Warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix) and up to three Pied Flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) but also Tree Pipits, Common Whitethroat [...... read more ]

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Hi everybody,last days I routinely checked the bushes and trees in the center of Korgalzhyn (Akmola District) and found some interesting passerines. It all started on 22.08. when I did my first walk trough the city and just found two Pied Flycatchers and a quite colorful Phylloscopus-Warbler, after some brief views it turned out to be a Wood Warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix), other birds present where several Spotted Flycatchers and local Greenish Warblers and Lesser Whitethroats. During the last days I did the same round and found up to four Pied Flycatchers in the city center, other birds found during my walk where: Great Tit, Great spotted Woodpecker and some migrating Tree Pipits. Additionally the Wood Warbler was still present today (25.08.).The local Hobbys are still around with their fledged chicks, attacking noisily every Kestrel or Pallid Harrier thats passing the village.See attached some pictures of these guys. Greetings Steve [...... read more ]

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