Rufous-faced Warbler – a new species for Mongolia

On 12 April 2009 B. Nyambayar discovered and photographed a Rufous-faced Warbler Abroscopus albogularis at Ikh Bologijn am in Khanbogd Sum, South Gobi aimag.

Rufous-faced Warbler Abroscopus albogularis
South Gobi, 12 April 2009. 3 Photos © Nyambayar

This species is a scarce to locally common resident of South-East Asia, occurring from Nepal east through north-eastern India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, southeast China, western and northern Burma, north-east Thailand, northern Laos, northern Vietnam and Taiwan. It is polytypic, with three subspecies recognized. The subspecies occurring in China is found in central and southern provinces, north to Gansu.


Bologijn am, South Gobi, April 2009.
Photo © A. Braunlich

Following hot on the heels of recent contributions (click here and here) on Ulaanbaatar’s Children’s Park (for a blog on the conservation of the park click here) some exciting news:

A huge fall of migrants in the Children’s Park, 10 May 2009
Tom Jenner


Little Bunting, Ulaanbaatar,
10 May 2009. Photo © Tom Jenner

I briefly visited the Children’s Park this morning and there were thousands of migrants. Biggest numbers were Little Bunting Emberiza pusilla, Taiga Flycatcher Ficedula albicilla, Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni, Naumann’s Thrush Turdus (naumanni) naumanni, Dusky Thrush Turdus (naumanni) eunomus and Red-throated Thrush Turdus (ruficollis) ruficollis. Others included Black-throated Thrush Turdus (ruficollis) atrogularis, Eye-browed Thrush Turdus obscurus, Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe, Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola, Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes and Siberian Rubythroat Luscinia calliope.


Northern Wheatear, Ulaanbaatar, 10 May 2009
Photo © Tom Jenner

Numbers were very hard to judge, but birds were everywhere; every small bush had several and they flew up from every metre or so as you walked through the grass. Very rough estimates are:

Little Bunting c.800
Taiga Flycatcher c.300
Olive-backed Pipit c.200
Naumann’s Thrush c.60
Dusky Thrush c.10
Red-throated Thrush c.10
Black-throated Thrush 3
Eye-browed Thrush 1
Northern Wheatear c.30
Siberian Rubythroat 1
Grey Wagtail 2
Hawfinch 1
Eurasian Woodcock 1


Olive-backed Pipit, Ulaanbaatar,
10 May 2009. Photo © Tom Jenner

There has been a lot of movement over the last week or so and it is worth visiting the park from time to time.


Eurasian Woodcock, Ulaanbaatar,
10 May 2009. Photo © Tom Jenner

PS. 12 May 2009. I visited the Children's Park again today and nearly all of the migrants had left. I could find only 3 Little Buntings, 4 Taiga Flycatchers and about 10 thrushes. The large numbers of migrants two days ago were most likely grounded due to the poor weather the day before.


Taiga Flycatcher, Ulaanbaatar,
10 May 2009. Photo © Tom Jenner

Mandshir Hiid and UB ponds, 2 May 2009
Axel Braunlich

After having been in email contact with Ulaanbaatar-based birders Tom Jenner and Brian Watmough for quite a while, I finally managed to find some time for a short trip together. On Saturday we met in downtown UB and went together with Amaraa, a young birder and ambitious student from the National University to Mandshir hiid, a monastery on the south side of Bogd Khan Uul, the mountain range to the south of UB (c. 1 hour drive).

Early spring near Mandshir hiid,
2 May 2009. Photo © A. Braunlich

Along the way we saw many singing and displaying Isabelline Wheatears. We arrived at the entrance to the Mandshir area at about 08:00 hours and started walking through coniferous forest with some interspersed deciduous trees and bushes. A thick cover of snow/ice was still present in the forest.

A flowering willow on ice.
2 May 2009. Photo © A. Braunlich

Bird activity in the area was rather low, the only species being common and very vocal were Willow Tit and Eurasian Nuthatch. The only woodpecker species we saw was Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (a pair), and we heard further two calling: Black Woodpecker and Grey-headed Woodpecker.


Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Mandshir.

2 May 2009. Photo © Tom Jenner

Eastern Buzzard, Mandshir, 2 May 2009.
Photo © Tom Jenner

The only passage migrants or summer visitors seen were one female Daurian Redstart, one Yellow-browed Warbler and one Two-barred Warbler. Other species seen include c. 20 Rook (a flock), 7 Black-eared Kite, 1 Eastern Buzzard, 2 Coal Tit, Common Magpie, and Northern Wheatear. Due to the few migrants present and the low bird activity we decided to leave the area and continue to the “famous” UB ponds.


Ulaanbaatar Ponds, 23 April 2009.
Photo © Axel Braunlich

We spent c. 3 hours at the ponds before lunch, and it was the right place to go: In addition to c. 50 Ruddy Shelducks, 2 Bar-headed Geese and 1 Swan Goose we saw c. 600 ducks of 14 (!) species:

Garganey 9 male + 5 female
Falcated Duck 8 male + 8 female
Eurasian Wigeon c.30
Mallard c.30
Northern Pintail 2 male + 2 female
Common Teal c.230
Gadwall c.50
Spot-billed Duck 2 male
Northern Shoveler c.30
Red-crested Pochard 1 female
Tufted Duck c.40
Common Pochard c.120
Common Goldeneye c.20
Goosander c.15

Bar-headed Goose. UB ponds, 2 May 2009.
Photo © Tom Jenner


Ulaanbaatar Ponds, 23 April 2009.
Photo © Axel Braunlich

A surprise was an adult Pallas’s (or Great Black-backed) Gull, a record rather far east within Mongolia. It was resting together with 6 Mongolian Gulls, 2 Common Gulls, and a Common Black-headed Gull.

Pallas’s Gull. UB ponds, 2 May 2009.
Photo © Tom Jenner

Male Citrine Wagtail. UB ponds,
2 May 2009. Photo © Tom Jenner

Also the first waders of the year appeared:
A male Ruff, 2 Common Redshank, 3 Common Snipe, 1 Pintail Snipe, 4 Northern Lapwing an 8 Green Sandpiper.

Other species seen include 2 Eurasian Spoonbill, 7 Great Cormorant, 16 Grey Heron, 1 White Egret, c.20 Black-eared Kite, 1 Black Vulture, 1 Upland Buzzard, 1 Common Kestrel, 5-10 Citrine Wagtail, c.20 Water Pipits, 1 Long-tailed Rosefinch, 1 Brown Accentor, 10+ White Wagtails, 1 Grey Starling, 1 Dusky Thrush and several singing Eurasian Skylarks.

Brown Accentor. UB ponds, 2 May 2009.
Photo © Tom Jenner

More on Ulaanbaatar’s Children’s Park

The Children’s (or Nairamdal) Park in the city centre of Ulaanbaatar, just to the south of Sukhbaatar Square, is (was) a green lung for the ever sprawling city. It provided an escape from the air pollution for many of UB's inhabitants. And it was a place for wildlife in the city!

Inside the park, August 2005.

Gone now... © Axel Bräunlich

These wooden statures were bulldozed...

Still standing Nov 2007. © Axel Bräunlich

I used to go birding there regularly, often just for a short morning stroll. Some of my observations from autumn 2005 show the potential which the park has for wild birds:

10+ Brown Shrikes on 24 August
55 Little Buntings on 19 September
A remarkable total of c.60 Daurian Redstarts on 24 September.

Other species I have seen in the park in autumn 2005 include for example Wryneck, Arctic Warbler, Two-barred Warbler, Dusky Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Pallas’s Leaf Warbler, Nauman’s and Dusky Thrush, Oriental Turtle Dove, Siberian Rubythroat, Red-flanked Bluetail, Evermann’s Redstart, Olive-backed Pipit, Yellow-breasted Bunting, Pine Bunting, Azure Tit, Black(-eared) Kite, Blyth’s and Richard’s Pipit, Azure Tit, and Long-tailed Rosefinch.

New housing just outside the park, August 2005.

© Axel Bräunlich

Ulaanbaatar - ripe for (uncontrolled) development.

The park is behind these construction sites...

November 2007. © Axel Bräunlich

Ulaanbaatar Children’s Park, 20 April 2009
Axel Braunlich

After one ear of absence one of the first places to visit in Ulaanbaatar was the Children’s Park close to the city centre. A few migrants were present, notably thrushes: Brambling 1, Eurasian Sparrowhawk 1 female, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker 1, Greater Spotted Woodpecker 1, Red-throated Thrush c.20, Black-throated Thrush 2, hybrid Red-throated x Black-throated Thrush 2, Dusky Thrush 1, Naumann’s Thrush 2, Northern Wheatear 1 male singing + 2 females, Daurian Jackdaw 2, and several Red-billed Chough, Common Magpie, Carrion Crow and Eurasian Tree Sparrow.

The park is in a devastated state, fenced, with all equipment (merry-go-round, fairy tale statures etc) destroyed, paths bulldozed and trenches (cable trenches?) being dug out. Apart from a few workers and a pack of wild roaming dogs nobody visited the park (apart from the Korean restaurant located close to on of the entrance).

To learn more about the park, its fate and action to save it read Michael Kohn’s blog: Save the Ulaanbaatar Children’s Park - A blog to stop of the destruction of Ulaanbaatar’ open spaces:

“The Children’s Park was boarded up three years ago and has been closed ever since. The Japanese firm Itochu (along with Golomt Bank) said it planned to build an amusement park, which never came to be. Now, rumour has it, the park has been divided up and sold to developers (including MCS) who plan to turn it into another drab gated apartment complex. …” To read more click here.

Mongolia: tough decisions about the world's oldest nature reserve

Read on Tony Whitten's blog about recent developments in Bogd Khan Uul Strictly Protected Area, a Biosphere Reserve just outside of Mongolia's capital, Ulaanbaatar. Click here.

Mongolian Important Bird Areas online!

An Important Bird Area (IBA) workshop was held in Ulaanbaatar in 2007 (click here for more info). Based on the results of the workshop and on a lot of follow-up work, the Mongolian IBA directory was launched in Ulaanbaatar last week.


Airag Lake in W Mongolia, Mongolian IBA 012,
Aug 2008. © A. Bräunlich

There are 70 IBAs in Mongolia as of 2007. Info (PDF-files) on each of these IBAs can be found online here.


Nomads moving camp, near Khar Lake,
Mongolian IBA 016; in the background Jargalant
Khairkhan Mountain, Monglian IBA 015, Jul 2008.
© A. Bräunlich

Background Info (What are IBAs?, How are IBAs chosen?, What about other wildlife?, How were Mongolia's IBAs identified?).

Summary of IBAs in Mongolia (Key habitats for birds in Mongolia, Overview of Mongolia's IBA network, Conservation issues affecting IBAs)

Download IBA maps for Mongolia

The links above will lead you to the Wildlife Science and Conservation Center (Ulaanbaatar-based) website.

Observations in Nukht, 22 Nov 2008

by Konchog Norbu

I had a very enjoyable couple of hours, between 12:30-2:30PM, birding the valley above Nukht, south of Ulaanbaatar. I had forgotten that they had a fire in there last year. This proved very attractive to woodpeckers and, as in North America, esp. Three-toed Woodpeckers. The best bird, for me, was Eurasian Bullfinch, a lifer. Had a pair feeding on the grasses that had grown in the newly open areas of the burn. Interestingly, Brian Watmough told me he birded along the Tuul River and also had bullfinch! The other good bird for the day was one Siberian Accentor; I'd only ever seen this species in the Gobi before, though I suspect if I birded more, I'd see it more often. Altogether 15 species:

1. Carrion Crow - lots everywhere
2. Eurasian Tree Sparrow - dozens
3. Black-billed Magpie - maybe a couple dozen
4. Common Raven - 6
5. Eurasian Jay - 4
6. Great Spotted Woodpecker - 5
7. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - 3
8. Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker - 4
9. Great Tit - 10
10. Willow Tit - 1
11. Siberian Accentor - 1
12. Eurasian Nuthatch - 6
13. Eurasian Treecreeper - 3
14. Eurasian Bullfinch - 2
15. Common Redpoll - 40 to 50

Late Barn Swallow in Ulaanbaatar

Brian Watmough

There was a swallow feeding in shelter of the Central Post Office this morning (November, 2nd).

Birding around Ulaanbaatar in October

by Brian Watmough

The community of birders in UB is growing. As well as the Mongolian Bird Watching Club which meets some weekends there are at least 3 western birders based in UB at the moment: myself an English volunteer working in rural development; Tom, head of science at an international school; and Konchog an American monk who has been here four years. In addition in summer there are a number of western biologists who are also keen birders.

Konchog and I have been birding two weekends in October 2008, for his account click here. This is my version.

On Sunday 12th October Konchog and I took a taxi from the centre to the gravel pits to the west. The 18 km-ride cost us 10,000 Tugrig (a little bit less than 7 Euros), fuel prices have gone up this summer, so we were paying just over 500 a kilometre. The gravel pits are extensive but the best areas seem to be where the waste water enters the site, apparently this stays open all winter.
Konchog had confidently predicted a good day for raptors, so inevitably we were disappointed: a solitary Upland Buzzard on the pylons and a Common Kestrel and a Saker. There were reasonable numbers of common waterfowl but the star birds were: 2 Great Grey Shrikes, 6 late Barn Swallows, and a flock of 50 or 60 Rock Sparrow feeding with Tree Sparrow. The waders (shorebirds) present in the autumn had all moved on.


Ulaanbaatar gravel pits. © Axel Bräunlich

On the following Sunday, 19th October, Konchog and I joined up Huyagaa and Amaraa from the Mongolian Bird Watching Club. We took a bus to the west of town where Huyagaa picked up his car and we drove down to an attractive area of scattered trees and open woodland by the river Tuul. Here we saw a reasonable variety of passerines including Dusky and Naumann’s Thrush, an Eurasian Nuthatch of an eastern subspecies S. e. asiatica, a ghostly bird with no rufous on under tail coverts or flanks, Great and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers and Hawfinches. Here Hawfinches are quite tame and give excellent views unlike the tree top birds of southern England. Konchog disappeared absorbed in birding and came back having seen Bohemian Waxwing, Long-tailed Tit and Goldcrest.

After an hour or more in the valley we drove onto the gravel pits we had visited the week before. There was still a reasonable variety of waterfowl though fewer than the previous week; 5 Barn Swallows were even later. We saw 41 species; on a similar trip in September I had more than 60. Migration here seems much more concentrated than in western Europe. Daytime temperatures in UB dropped to minus 10 C the next week so I wonder if late migrants made it south. Here is a list of what we saw on both trips.

Great Cormorant – 5 or 6 birds on pits both days
Grey Heron – 55 birds on 12th, only 15 on 19th
Ruddy Shelduck – 350 on 12th; 150 on 19th
Mallard – 10 on 12th, 2 on 19th
Common Teal – 25 on 12th; 6 on 19th
Gadwall – 15 on 12th; 6 on 18th
Eurasian Wigeon – 20 on 12th, 4 on 19th
Northern Pintail – 8 on 12th
Northern Shoveler – 20 on 12th; 15 on 19th
Tufted Duck – 40 on 12th; 15 on 19th
Common Goldeneye – 20 on 12th; 20 on 18th
Goosander – 9 on pits on 12th; 16 on pits, 2 on river on 19th
Upland Buzzard – 1 on 12th; 3 birds on hills above riverside woods on 19th
Cinereous Vulture – 2 or 3 in hills above Tuul river on 19th
Saker Falcon – 3 on 19th
Common Kestrel – 2 on gravel pits on both days.
Common Coot – 1 on 12th;
Mongolian Gull – 10 on 12th, 6 on 19th, all assumed to be mongolicus
Great Spotted Woodpecker – 2 in woods by river on 19th
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker – 1 in woods on river on 19th
Barn Swallow – 6 on 12th, 5 on 19th
Horned Lark – common
Water Pipit – 5 on 19th
Great Grey Shrike – 2 on 12th
Common Magpie – common
Red-billed Chough – common
Daurian Jackdaw – large roost up to 2000 birds in UB until 22 October
Carrion Crow – common
Common Raven – common
Bohemian Waxwing – in riverside trees on 19th; flocks of up to 30 in UB mid week
Dusky Warbler – 1 in riverside trees on 19th
Goldcrest – 1 on 19th
Naumann’s Thrush – at least 1
Dusky Thrush – at least 1
Long-tailed Tit – in riverside trees on 19th
Azure Tit – in riverside trees on 19th
Great Tit – in riverside trees on 19th
Eurasian Nuthatch – in riverside trees on 19th; also in centre of UB
House Sparrow
Eurasian Tree Sparrow – flock of 50 on 12th feeding with next species
Rock Sparrow – flock of 50 on 12th
Hawfinch Common – in riverside trees on 19th, at least 10 birds

Russian Conservation News

A new edition (PDF, 2.7 MB) of Russian Conservation News (in English and Russian) can be downloaded here. The issue contains an article on the planned Altai Pipeline (a gas pipeline), which might affect Mongolia, too.

Wild Bird Migration and Influenza Research Study – Mongolia 2008

by Taej Mundkur, Flyway Programme Manager, Wetlands International

The largest mass infection and death of wild migratory waterbirds due to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 occurred at Qinghai Lake in the People’s Republic of China in mid 2005. Over the next two months, deaths of wild birds occurred at Erkhel Lake in Mongolia and in S Russia along the Kazakhstan border. These incidents suggested a possible migratory bird linkage even though there was little precise information on movements of affected species between these regions. To gain better insight on the movement of avian diseases through migratory birds, to better understand sources of virus introduction at the domestic and wild bird interface, and to gather information on the precise migratory routes of wild waterbird species in the region, FAO with partners including Wildlife Science and Conservation Center Mongolia of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Wildlife Conservation Society, and the US Geological Survey (Western Ecological Research Center, and Alaska Science Center) launched a pilot project on Whooper Swans Cygnus cygnus and Swan Geese Anser cygnoides in 2006 in the Eastern Asian Flyway. As a follow up to this original project, and based on the need to learn more about migration and disease ecology in both the Central Asian and East Asian Flyways, an international expedition was undertaken to Mongolia in July-August 2008.


A Swan Goose being marked with a satellite
transmitter by USGS staff Dr Sabir Bin Musaffar
(on right) and Eric Palm, in E Mongolia, July 2008.
© Taej Mundkur.

The partners included the Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Disease Operations (ECTAD)’s Wildlife Disease Programme from United Nations-FAO-headquarters in Rome, the US Geological Survey (Western Ecological Research Center, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, and Alaska Science Center), and the Wildlife Science and Conservation Center Mongolia of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences that studied the migratory and disease ecology of Bar-headed Geese Anser indicus in west-central Mongolia and Swan Geese in E Mongolia. In addition, working in cooperation with the University of Wales Bangor, University of Birmingham, University of Tasmania, and University of British Columbia in west-central Mongolia, work was undertaken to examine flight performance and physiology of Bar-headed Geese that migrate over the mighty Himalayan range by marking 31 birds with heart rate loggers.

The bird capture sites included Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake in west-central Mongolia and Hyachin Tsagaan (Ikh Delger) Lake in E Mongolia, the latter is part of the famous Mongol Daguur Specially Protected Area. Both sites are on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance and on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Site Network. Both areas are important breeding and moulting areas for Bar-headed Geese, Whooper Swans, Swan Geese, Ruddy Shelducks Tadorna ferruginea, Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula and other migratory waterfowl as well as staging sites for waterbirds during migration.


Overview of migratory paths of satellite marked
Swan Geese from E Mongolia to China and
the Korean Peninsula (as at 21 October 2008).
click image for larger format

Birds were captured during the short post-breeding moult period when adults are flightless. Tracheal and cloacal swabs and blood samples were collected from all the birds for avian influenza testing at the Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL) which was facilitated by the Department of Veterinary Service of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Mongolia.


Blood sample collected for influenza testing
in E Mongolia, July 2008. © Taej Mundkur

To study their migratory routes, 23 Bar-headed Geese were marked with GPS satellite transmitters and 39 with GPS tracking loggers while 15 Swan Geese were marked with GPS satellite transmitters. Updates of bird movements are posted bi-weekly on the USGS website. In addition, 113 Bar-headed Geese and 38 Swan Geese were ringed and colour marked with green and white neck collars or leg bands. One Whooper Swan was also marked with a green and white leg band. Reporting of resightings of these colour-marked birds will provide additional data on the migratory patterns on these species.


Dr. Tseveenmyadag Natsagdorj of the Mongolian Academy
of Sciences handles a Whooper Swan caught for influenza
testing and migration research in E Mongolia, July 2008.
© Taej Mundkur


Bar-headed Goose released with a green and white
neck collar marked in E Mongolia, July 2008. © Taej Mundkur

Any person observing a colour-marked bird is requested to contact Dr. Tseveenmyadag Natsagdorj (N. Tseveenmyadag) and Dr. Taej Mundkur with information on the location and date of observations, colour and number of the band, as well as other bird species (and numbers) observed with the marked bird. Photographs of marked birds will also be appreciated.

The endangered Swan Goose is a restricted range species, breeding in E Mongolia, China and SE Russia with an estimated population of 60,000-100,000 individuals. They migrate within the East Asian Flyway south to the Yangtze Valley floodplains in China and to the Korean peninsula. A pilot satellite marking project undertaken by the team in 2006 had confirmed the movement of birds from E Mongolia to the Poyang Lake Ramsar site, and demonstrated that birds may use slightly different routes on southward and northward migration. Two individuals that had been marked in 2006 (with red and black neck collars) were observed back at the Hyachin Tsagaan Lake during the 2008 expedition.


Nyambayar Batbayar and Ms Sarangerel of the Wildlife Science
and Conservation Center Mongolia of the Mongolian Academy
of Sciences, holding a Swan Goose caught for influenza testing and
migration research in E Mongolia, July 2008. © Taej Mundkur

The Bar-headed Goose also has a restricted range and migrates along the Central Asian Flyway, breeding in Mongolia, Qinghai Lake and neighbouring areas of W China and Kyrgyzstan and spends the non-breeding period (northern winter) from Tibet Autonomous Region, China to S Asia (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Pakistan). Bar-headed Geese that fly over the Himalayas to reach their non-breeding destinations will encounter spatial and altitudinal gradients that pose physiological challenges to their migration. The application of special electronic monitors on some of the birds will enable researchers to study the physiologic demands during these migrations.


Overview of migratory paths of satellite marked
Bar-headed Geese in west-central Mongolia and China
(as at 21 October 2008)
click image for larger format

Pale Martin Riparia diluta in Mongolia

by Philip D. Round

While assisting Martin Gilbert and the Wildlife Conservation Society-GAINS (Global Avian Influenza Network for Surveillance) team in sampling waterbirds at Hunt Nuur, Saikhan soum, Bulgan aimag (northern Mongolia), I got a real surprise when checking the mist-nets set at the lake margin at 02:30h on 17 May 2008. Caught in a large-mesh net set for ducks was a single martin, that even my first cursory look indicated was a Pale Martin Riparia diluta – the first I have ever knowingly seen. It was roosted for the remainder of the night in a bag, and examined, measured and photographed in daylight, before release.


Pale Martin. © P. D. Round

Immediately obvious was the rather faint, blurred necklace at the junction of the throat and breast; and the blurring of the boundary between the dark ear-coverts and pale throat. The underwing coverts appeared only fractionally darker than the underside of the flight-feathers.

I was at the time unaware of, and consequently did not check, some of the other features separating Pale Martin R. diluta from Sand Martin R. riparia (outlined in Loskot 2006). But they include ear coverts that are paler, greyer than the crown in R. diluta (whereas only scarcely paler, and brown-tinged in R. riparia); a lighter-coloured short outermost primary, and more extensive tarsal feathering in R. diluta.

The wing measured 103 mm (maximum chord), the tail 50 mm and the tail fork only 5.5 mm—typically much shallower in this species than in races of Sand Martin. It weighed 13.0 g and had a fat score of 3 (after Bairlein 1995).



Pale Martin. © P. D. Round

When the bird was released, it flew off strongly heading north, calling as it left the hand. I was not primed to tape the bird on release, but the call sounded higher, more metallic and less dry and buzzy than that of Sand Martin.

While hirundines are usually diurnal migrants, one must presume that this individual had failed to find an overnight roost and kept going during the night.

Five races of Pale Martin breed from NW India to Central Asia, Transbaikalia and Siberia, largely overlapping with Sand Martin in this range. A further race, R. d. fohkienensis, breeds in central and southern China (Dickinson 2003).

References

Bairlein, F. 1995. European-African Songbird Migration Network Manual of Field Methods. Vogelwarte Helgoland, Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

Dickinson, E.C. (ed.) 2003 The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds the World. 3rd edn. Princeton, New Jersey.

Loskot, V. M. 2006. Systematic notes on Asian birds. 61. New data on taxonomy and nomenclature of the Common Sand Martin Riparia riparia (Linnaeus, 1758) and the Pale Sand Martin R. diluta (Sharpe & Wyatt, 1893). Zool. Med. Leiden 80-5 (13), 21.xii.2006: 213–223.

Philip D. Round
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology,
Faculty of Science, Mahidol University,
Bangkok
------------------------------------------

Note by A. Bräunlich:

The distribution of Pale Martin Riparia diluta in Mongolia is not well understood. The species apparently overlaps widely with Sand Martin Riparia riparia. Due to restricted knowledge of the field characters which distinguish the two species, it is very likely that quite often Pale Martin is erroneously noted down as the much better known Sand Martin. A post on the identification of the two species is in preparation: watch this space!

Central Mongolia trip, early May 2008

This year’s short spring trip (1-16 May) was well before the main migration time, which is clearly illustrated by the fact that the only Phylloscopus warbler we saw were two Hume’s Warblers at the Orchon Waterfall.

The first site we visited was Zorgel Khairkhan to the SW of Ulaanbaatar where an Oriental Greenfinch was a good find on 1 May. Next stop was the famous Yolyn Am gorge in the Gobi Altai near Dalandzadgad, which appeared to be very unpleasant due to the shiploads of huge ticks which molested us. We saw some of the standard birds there like Mongolian Accentor, Wallcreeper and four species of vulture: Cinereous, Bearded, Eurasian Griffon (1) and Himalayan Griffon (2 adults).

Mongolian Accentor, Yolyn Am.

© A. Pennekamp

From there we drove to Boon Tsagaan Nuur. The lake had a very low water-level and all of the former wetlands east of the lake were dry bare one small pond. Of the birds we saw not even the two adult Relict Gulls (7 May) seemed to be noteworthy as their occurrence at the lake is normal. After an unsuccessful attempt to reach Naiman Nuur - the road was still blocked by ice and snow - we continued our trip towards the Orchon waterfall. En route we saw a single Snow Bunting on 10 May east of Bayankhongor and a group of vultures feeding on a dead horse west of Khudshirt. These turned out to be mostly Cinereous Vultures but interestingly the rest were Himalayan Griffons (5 adults, 11 non-adults).

Himalayan Griffon, 15 km W of Khudshirt.

© A. Pennekamp

At the Orchon waterfall (no water so no waterfall!) a migrating White-tailed Eagle and 4 Crowned Penduline Tits on 12 May were the best birds. We returned to Ulaanbaatar via Ogij Nuur. Here the water level was at an all time low. Among the first birds we saw were two Dalmatian Pelicans on 13 May.


Dalmatian Pelican, Ogii Nuur. © A. Buchheim

Eastern Black-tailed Godwits, Ogii Nuur.

© A. Buchheim

Not many waders were around but one of us picked an unusual bird which was feeding close to a group of Eastern Black-tailed Godwits and was identified as Long-billed Dowitcher (13 May; second or third for Mongolia?). This was clearly the bird of the trip.

Long-billed Dowitcher, Ogii Nuur.

© A. Buchheim


Bar-headed Geese, Ogii Nuur. © A. Buchheim

Caspian Tern, Ogii Nuur. © A. Buchheim

Saker Falcon, Ogii Nuur. © A. Buchheim

A group of 20 Lapland Buntings demonstrated that winter was not over. We made our final stop at Tsagaan Nuur between Dashngshiling and Bayan Gol where we heard two singing Spotted Crakes (rare in Mongolia) singing all night (14-15 May).

White’s Thrush seeking for camouflage,

Dashinshiling. © A. Buchheim

Male Isabelline Shrike. © A. Buchheim

Thorsten Zegula, Alfons Pennekamp, Andreas Buchheim

Great Bustard research in N Mongolia

The Great Bustard Otis tarda research team led by Mimi Kessler of Arizona State University is continuing its work in northern Mongolia. This spring, they investigated the cause of death of one of the bustards harnessed with a satellite transmitter last autumn (see post from August 2007). The transmitter was found at the site of its last transmission, at a migration stopover point. They were informed by local people that the bird had been hunted and eaten. Conversations with local people have revealed that hunting Great Bustards is relatively common in some areas of northern Mongolia.

G. Natsag, undergraduate biology

student at the National University of

Mongolia, holds a Great Bustard

chick. Clutches were monitored over

the summer to track mortality rates.
Photo © A. Kessler

This year, four new bustards have been harnessed to date. The team has been observing the movements of one male, “Bayan”, in particular, who has spent the summer touring the region’s Great Bustard breeding grounds. The team has investigated these sites and the new leks identified will be proposed as Important Bird Areas.

New papers to download

I have added papers on Hodgson’s Bushchat Saxicola insignis, Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus and Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor to the download link at the sidebar.

Or click here to download

Nyambayar, B., Bräunlich, A., Tseveenmyadag, N., Shar, S. & Gantogs, S. 2007. Conservation of the critically endangered east Asian population of Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus in western Mongolia. BirdingASIA 7: 68-74.

Deutsch, M. & Bräunlich, A. 2007. First records and first proven breeding of Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor in Mongolia. Erforsch. biol. Ress. Mongolei (Halle/Saale) 10: 541-546.

Bräunlich, A. & Steudtner, J. 2008. Hodgson’s Bushchat Saxicola insignis in the Mongolian Altai. BirdingASIA 9: 70-71.

Government to Sell Large Percentage of Endangered Falcons to Arabia
© UB Post, Thursday, July 31, 2008.

A CONTRACT between the Ministry of Environment and the Emir of Saudi Arabia, Faisal Bin Ahmed Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, means about 240 saker falcons will be caught and taken from 12 aimags around Mongolia. If estimates are correct, this could mean as many as 25-50 percent of the nation’s entire saker population are to be exported to the Middle East in the next week. Read more: click here.

Draining the life out of a paradise

John Garnaut, Dalai Lake, Inner Mongolia
June 7, 2008. From www.theage.com.au

UP TO 2 million swans, spoonbills and other migratory birds have flocked to Dalai Lake and its surrounding wetlands since early May.

Some, like the red-crowned crane, a Chinese symbol of immortality that is threatened with extinction, come here to breed. Others, like the tiny red-necked stint, merely pause to refuel en route from Australia to their Arctic breeding grounds.

The wetlands are a vital "staging ground" in the Daurian Steppe at the intersection of the Chinese, Mongolian and Russian borders, on the so-called East Asia flyway. Nearly 300 bird species have been counted here. Many fly from as far as Australia and New Zealand in an endless pursuit of summer. But next year these birds might be in for a terrible shock because China's largest gold company is secretly laying a huge pipeline to drain water from Dalai Lake. The lake's only artificial outflow will hasten an already rapid fall in water levels. Worse, it is likely to be a catalyst for larger water diversion schemes that threaten the whole cross-border ecosystem.

"This is extraordinarily serious," says Mark Barter, a world expert on the flyway. "The bigger birds are flying 8000-10,000 kilometres non-stop to get there and the human species is absolutely and utterly stuffing it up for them."

Leading Australian shorebird expert Clive Minton says: "About half of Australia's shorebirds are migratory, and all of those 1.5 to 2 million migratory birds are using some part of China as a stopover."

Beijing has signed national laws and international treaties to protect the Dalai Lake National Nature Reserve.

…

Read more: click here for the full story.

Avian influenza surveillance training in Hovsgol aimag

Hello All,

I thought you might appreciate the attached photo taken at the conclusion of our avian influenza surveillance training session held in Hovsgol aimag, Mongolia on 22-23 June 2008.

The initial concept had simply been to initiate our Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) field team in bird survey and sampling techniques in order to prepare them for the summer fieldwork. However, following discussion with Erdenetsetseg, head of the aimag (provincial) veterinary laboratory in Moron, it became clear that there was also considerable interest among the local veterinary and environmental departments to join the sessions. Thanks to support from Murray MacLean (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization), and Ts. Purevkhuu (Department of Veterinary Service, Ministry of Food and Agriculture of Mongolia), we were able to secure funds to extend attendance to representatives involved in influenza surveillance at the district, provincial and national level.




In total 38 people joined the training including 17 from the WCS surveillance team (plus seven support staff), six from the Veterinary Departments in Hovsgol and Bulgan, four from the National Environment Office and one from the Institute of Biology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, two from the Veterinary Research Institute and a visiting researcher from the University of Iowa. Among the attendees were three veterinarians from our WCS-Afghanistan programme as well as Chea Sokha, a member of our WCS surveillance team active in Cambodia.

The two-day course began in Moron, with indoor sessions including introductions to avian influenza, bird identification and colour marking, before relocating to Sangiyn Dalai Nuur, the lake where WCS field surveillance will begin this summer. The following day included practical sessions in bird identification, mortality surveying and GPS navigation.




The highlight of the whole course came during the bird identification practical, when the first waterbird observed by the team turned out to be a Bean Goose wearing a WCS neck collar that had been tagged during our work in July 2007! This species will be the focus of our early work in the 2008 field season, and together with our collaborator Thomas Heinicke in Germany (who supplied the collars), we will increase awareness of this species in potential wintering quarters in China with the intention that resightings of collared birds during the winter will further define the migratory routes and wintering areas of this little known Mongolian species.

Best wishes to all,

Martin


Martin Gilbert M.R.C.V.S., B.V.M.S.
Wildlife Veterinarian, Associate Director - Asia,
Global Health Program, Wildlife Conservation Society

100s of Mongolian Gazelles died


© Seen in the latest edition of e-Browser
from the Large Herbivore Foundation (LHF)


In May 2008 hundreds of Mongolian Gazelles were caught and died in the 2-meter high barbed wire barriers on the border of Russia and Eastern Mongolia. At least 30,000 Mongolian Gazelles have concentrated recently on the border of Mongolia and Russia in their search for food and water. Because of continuing droughts in Eastern Mongolia, the animals are migrating to the north, hoping to find food and water in Russia/ Dauria. From their long journey over hundreds of kilometres, the animals are already much weakened, when running in to the border barriers. (Barriers that in fact are mainly meant to prevent cross border cattle theft!). With help of the Russian army and border patrol, Russian rangers, supported by WWF Russia, are making temporary openings/ corridors in the border fencing over a length of 40 km, to create a safe passage for the gazelles. Also drinking water and supplementary food is provided, together with pens for wounded animals. LHF has given emergency financial support to Dauria Zapovednik and is working with WWF Russia, UNESCO MAB Russia and WWF Mongolia to tackle the crisis.


The Mongolian Gazelle is a migrating species, living in herds of tens of thousands of animals, moving over great distances in the Asian steppes, originally in a vast area, covering all of Mongolia, and adjacent areas in Russia and China. The mass migrations of the Mongolian Gazelle are a unique phenomena, comparable only to the migrations still occurring in Africa. Because of increasing border barriers (Mongolia/ Russia/ China) and increase in - fenced out - infrastructure like railroads (e.g. Trans Siberia line Russia/ Mongolia to Beijing), the essential seasonal migration of Mongolian Gazelle becomes harder and almost impossible. The extreme droughts in Eastern Mongolia, this early in the season, may be due to predicted climate change that will have major consequences for the steppe ecosystem and Mongolian wildlife.


LHF has been collaborating with other parties over the last years to find structural solutions and sustainable protection for the endangered Mongolian Gazelle. Besides protected areas (like Daurskii Zapovednik, RU; Eastern Steppe reserves, MN), unrestricted seasonal- and climate migration should be guaranteed, e.g. in creating controlled corridors for gazelles to cross the borders. The Mongolian Gazelle has declined sharply during the last decades. From some 1.5 million in mid 20th century (ranging Mongolia, Russia and NE China), only 500,000 remain nowadays, limited to E Mongolia and adjacent Russia. In Russia the species became extinct in the seventies, by over hunting, poaching and competition with domestic cattle. Since 1993, when a group of Mongolian Gazelles migrated (!) to Dauria, the species is back in Russia. Thanks to strict protection measures the population has now increased to over 1,000 animals.


Fred Baerselman & Joep van de Vlasakker


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Mongolian Gazelle. Photo © R. Reading


Note (A. Braunlich): The Mongolian Gazelle Procapra gutturosa is currently not considered to be globally threatened (Least Concern). IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. http://www.iucnredlist.org/. Downloaded on 25 June 2008.