May in Ikh Nart

 Richard Reading

(all photos taken in Ikh Nart in May 2010, © R. Reading)

Ikh Nart in snow, May, 8th

I had a wonderful trip to our research station in Ikh Nart Nature Reserve (an Important Bird Area), northwestern Dornogobi Aimag (East-Gobi Province) in late April/early May. Migration was in full force and we recorded several new species of birds for the reserve; these included: Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo (captured an image on a camera trap), Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna (pair nesting in a marmot burrow!), Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata (a rare passage migrant and exceptional breeder in Mongolia),

female Mandarin Duck

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, Asian Desert Warbler Sylvia nana, and Bohemian Waxwing, Bombycilla garrulus.

Asian Desert Warbler

Bohemian Waxwing

Other relatively rare sightings for the reserve included Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope, Common Teal Anas crecca, Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos minor, Siberian Accentor Prunella montanella, Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor, (Chinese) Beautiful Rosefinch Carpodacus (pulcherrimus) davidianus, and Pallas’s Rosefinch Carpodacus roseus.

male (Chinese) Beautiful Rosefinch

female Pallas's Rosefinch

 

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Still, our primary tasks were catching Argali Ovis ammon lambs and Siberian Ibex Capra sibirica kids for radio collaring; collecting scat these wild ungulates and domestic sheep and goats to conduct a comparative internal parasite study; and to begin an ecological study of snakes in the reserve.

Argali

Siberian Ibex

 For what we believe is the first time in Mongolia, and possibly Central Asia, we placed radio transmitters in snakes to track their movements. The focus of the research was the Pallas’s Coluber Elaphe dion; however, we did not catch any individuals large enough to handle the 6 g transmitters (usually, scientists want to keep the weight of the transmitter at 7% or less of the body weight of reptiles).

Pallas’s Coluber

Central Asian Viper

Central Asian Vipers

We capture 2 relatively large Central Asian Vipers Gloydius halys (i.e., both > 100 g) and Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald of Animal Planet fame (Emergency Vets) conducted surgery in a ger to implant the transmitters.

Implanting the transmitter.

Both snakes recovered well from the surgery and we released them at the point of capture (after a late snowstorm that dumped over 20 cm forced us to hold them for a couple of extra days!).

Releasing a snake with a transmitter.

More importantly, we are training Mongolian herpetologists to conduct this work as we strive to build capacity in Mongolia beyond mammalogists and ornithologists.

project leader (?) and staff

A trip to the west and back via the northern route

Andreas Buchheim, Pierre Yésou & Thorsten Zegula

Part 1

During our first week we travelled as far west as Khyargas Nuur (nuur = lake) with a first overnight-stop at Daschschinschiling Bayan Nuur, a saltwater lake which is also known as Tsagaan Nuur (white lake) because of the salt-layer on the exposed mud.

1st-summer male Common Goldeneye

Daschinschilingijn Bayan Nuur, 13 May 2010. A. Buchheim

Two late Middendorf’s Bean Geese were found among the other Anser species (45 Swan, 7 Bar-headed and 10 Greylag) on May, 13th.

Male Common Shelduck taking a bath.

Daschinschiling Bayan Nuur, 13 May 2010. A. Buchheim

In the flock were also two neck-banded geese, marked by Martin Gilbert and collaborators. 5 Common Reed Buntings were singing in the reeds while the presence of 15 Lapland Buntings showed that the harsh winter was not completely over. Other migrants seen were two Mongolian Plovers (rather rare in Mongolia itself), a flock of 50 Pale Martins and about 550 Common Shelducks. Some of the latter were displaying and might have been local birds though. Before driving to Ogij Nuur on 14 May we saw a Whiskered Tern hunting above the first singing reed warblers (1 Oriental and a minimum of 10 Paddyfield) which had already arrived. A Bluethroat and a White Wagtail of the taxon ocularis ("East Siberian Wagtail") could be added to our list.

Flies on skull: 235 seats and 1 fly. Between Ogij Nuur

and Tsetserleg, 14 May 2010. A. Buchheim

Ogij Nuur was still almost half covered by ice thus we drove on to Tsetserleg after having counted the waterfowl on the lake. With 1480 individuals Common Goldeneye was the most numerous species, followed by Great Cormorant (950) and Common Pochard (840). An adult White-tailed Eagle was probably waiting for easy prey and the two Eurasian Spoonbills did their best to find something to eat in the ice-cold water. Between Ogij Nuur and Tsetserleg we drove through an area dotted with dead animals, certainly not nice for them and their owners but some sort of relief for the overgrazed steppe and clearly much needed for the long-term survival of the herders and their herds.

Rock Sparrow at Ogij Nuur, 14 May 2010. A. Buchheim

We stayed from May 14th to 16th in a valley above Tsetserleg but did not record many noteworthy birds. At night (May 14th) we heard a Tengmalm’s Owl and on 15th we found two territories of Godlewski’s Bunting. The two Booted Eagles seen on 15th were not belonging to the pale morph which is quite rare in the east of the species’ range.

Male Godlewski’s Bunting

Tsetserleg, 14 May 2010. A. Buchheim

On May, 16th we continued to Terchijn Tsagaan Nuur which showed a 95% ice-cover. Only a few interesting birds were seen: 1 early Red-necked Stint, 12 Eurasian Spoonbills and 2 Black Storks whereas on the big island in the west part of the lake Mongolian Gulls and Great Cormorants had started their colony-life. Snowfall precluded proper birdwatching as visibility was low.

After a time-consuming crossing of Solongt Pass in snow with a big truck blocking the road for hours we camped at the Ider Gol (Gol = River) between Ich Uul village and Tosontsengel cityfrom 17th to 18th.

Common Magpie visiting our camp at Ider Gol

17 May 2010. A. Buchheim

Shortly after we had pitched our tents in that what remains of the former riparian forest we watched a Bearded Vulture dropping a bone and then carrying it to somewhere (the nest?) out of our views. Not many birds were around but an occupied nest of White-tailed Eagle was a welcomed sight. A Eurasian Scops Owl sang during the evening of 17th.

Adult Bearded Vulture carrying a crushed bone. Ider Gol between

Ich Uul Village and Tosontsengel City, 17 May 2010. A. Buchheim

The next day (18th) we checked Telmen Nuur (also still frozen) but with the exceptions of the breeding Great Cormorants (320 Nests) and Mongolian Gulls (more than 1000 nests) we did not see any waterfowl. During our trip we saw only one “concentration” of Upland Buzzards with 27 sitting in the steppe the plain west of the lake. Many rodents must have died from the melt-water which wetted them in their burrows this spring thus raptors were generally few this spring. We spent the night east of Songino village.

At Khyargas Nuur, where we arrived on 19th, there was no ice left. The water-level on this huge lake had dropped by more than 3 m in the last 4 years and we could walk into the gull-colony (which we did only at the very edge, not to disturb the birds). Gulls and other breeders had moved away from the land-bridge as far as possible to reduce the risk of being predated. If the water-level continues to fall at this rate it will be only a matter of time until this important colony will be abandoned by the birds. We counted 1400 breeding pairs of Pallas's Gull, 1100 pairs of Great Cormorant, 650 pairs of Mongolian Gull, 20 to 25 pairs of Grey Heron, 20 pairs of Bar-headed Goose, 5 pairs of Swan Goose and 2 pairs of Whooper Swan. Two Relict Gulls at this site were probably migrants.


More coming soon, watch this site...

Taimen footage on National Geographic

The BirdLife Community

BirdLife International is the world’s largest global alliance of conservation organisations that share a mission: to conserve wild birds, their habitats and global biodiversity. BirdLife has Partners in over 100 countries, with 2.5 million members and 8 million supporters. BirdLife’s popular website receives over 1,500,000 unique visitors each year, and they often the first to publish the biggest bird conservation news of the day.

BirdLife just launched a new area of its website – The BirdLife Community. The BirdLife Community is the place online to discuss the latest news from the frontline in biodiversity protection. BirdLife is now publishing many more news stories, and also blog and video posts from the frontline of conservation.

From the The BirdLife Community:

Alaotra Grebe extinction – Do you care?

“Today we announced that Alaotra Grebe is officially extinct on the Red List. When we publicise news of threat or extinction the first question posed by the media will be: “Why should we care?” Please add your thoughts on why we should care.” To read on click here.

Other recent news published on The BirdLife Community recently include:

• List of extinct bird species
• Over 300 dead birds are likely Gulf spill victims
• News from the Philippines
• Oil found at Audubon’s Rainey Sanctuary – Video
• Oil spill’s early Impact on Mississippi Barrier Islands – Video
• Forest & Bird (BirdLife in New Zealand) delivers 4000 anti-mining submissions
• International Day for Biological Diversity
• Helping local communities to influence decision makers in Northwestern Pichincha, Ecuador
• Conservation of Nyabarongo Wetlands for Sustainable Livelihoods, Rwanda
• Safeguarding priority forest sites with local community support, Fiji

Year of the Iron Tiger

Dear readers of Birding Mongolia,

On the occasion of the new lunar year I would like to wish you a roaring year with success, peace, health, love and prosperity. Ta buhendee sar shiniin mend hurgeye. Saihan shinelcgeegeerei. Happy Tsagaan Sar!

However, although this is a happy occasion, many Mongolians are suffering right now through an unusually terrible dzud this winter. Please read the post by my friend, the American monk Konchog: click here. May be you can help.

All the best,

Hundetgesen,
 
Axel

Obituary

Academician, Professor Osor Shagdarsuren

(1929-2010)

We are deeply saddened to announce that Academician, Professor Osor Shagdarsuren passed away on Tuesday, 2 February 2010, at the age of 81. He was highly respected biologist, ornithologist, educator, and father of three. The Mongolian scientific community has lost a prominent scientist and educator.

Professor O.Shargdarsuren was born in 1929 to a herder family in Matad Sum, Dornod Aimag. As with many Mongols of his generation, he spent his childhood time on the vast grassland steppes in eastern Mongolia herding sheep and goats. He graduated from the Matad Sum Middle School in 1948, and subsequently entered the Chemistry and Biological Department of the National University of Mongolia. In 1955, he graduated from the University and returned to his home town as a teacher. Following his dreams he returned to Ulaanbaatar. At that time, Mongolia was at early stages of exploring its wildlife and biological resources with the cooperation of Russian scientists. Soon his talent shone. Professor Shagdarsuren garnered a recommendation to go to Moscow to study biological sciences where he studied the ecology of birds of prey in central and southern Mongolia for his PhD degree under the supervision of renowned Professor G. P. Dementiev at Lomonosov Moscow State University from 1961-1964. After successfully completing his study in Russia, he returned home as the first ornithologist in his country. At that time, he was much-needed because Mongolia contained very few educated people in the natural sciences. Having graduated from one of the top universities in the world, he continued his work and expanded his research to mammals, animal husbandry, and ecology and evolutionary biology, at same time he undertook several positions of responsibility at the University and the Academy of Sciences. For many years, he studied game animals and pastoral livestock husbandry in Mongolia. Later he earned his Doctor of Sciences degree, again from the Lomonosov Moscow State University in 1972.

Professor O. Shargdarsuren was an active creator, developer, and supporter of the leading scientific and higher educational institutes in the country. He served as the Director of the Institute of Biology at the Mongolian Academy of Sciences from 1964-1982, and continued as the Science Secretary from 1982-1983. Afterward, he worked as President of the National University of Mongolia for six years until 1989. Until his final days he remained an honored professor at the National University of Mongolia and continued teaching in the Department of Zoology.

He was elected as a Corresponding Member of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences in 1982 and became an Academician (full member) in 1991, and also received his Professor title in 1984. He was honored by his scholarly colleagues at the National University of Mongolia and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences for his lifetime efforts and accomplishments for developing and creating these important scientific institutes.

Professor O. Shargdarsuren was the lead researcher of Mongolian scientists working in the Joint Soviet-Mongolian biological expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Mongolian Academy of Sciences and also the Joint Mongolian-German Biological Expedition until 1990. He was chief editor and lead author for many scientific publications resulting from these two significant international expeditions. He also served as chairman of the Scientific Committee for Doctorate Degrees in Biological Sciences for many years.

He wrote over 200 papers and publications including some 20 milestone monographs such as “Raptors of Central and Southern Mongolia and their practical importance,” “Rare mammals of the Mongolian People’s Republic,” “Contributions to the study of mammals in the Khangai Mountains,” “Issues in the conservation and management of mammals of Mongolia”, “Game animals and their conservation in Mongolia,” “Natural selection and nomadic livestock husbandry,” “Pastoral livestock husbandry and related issues in theoretical biology,” and “Pastoral livestock husbandry in Mongolia.” Several species discovered new to science bear his name. Furthermore, based on his own research results and eagerness to transfer his knowledge and experiences from the formal halls of the university to practice in real life, he led several wildlife management projects that were never before practiced in Mongolia, such as the introduction and translocation of Musk Rats to Khar Us Lake and Mongolian Gazelle to the Khomiin Steppes in western Mongolia.

O. Shagdarsuren was an inspirational teacher and mentor for many young researchers, and a renowned professor of the National University of Mongolia. During his years of teaching in the largest university in Mongolia, he mentored countless excellent students and supervised over 20 Ph.D. and Doctorate candidates, and offered advice and guidance to many more. He also authored many textbooks on biology and ecology subjects including “Zoology I,” Zoology II,” “Pastoral livestock husbandry and its theoretical foundation,” and “Essentials of Ecology”, and published numerous articles and essays in mainstream newspapers, magazines, and journals. It is said that every biologist in Mongolia met with him and was taught by him.

Professor O. Shagdarsuren was not only an educator and good scientist, he was an important political and social activist too. Several times he was appointed as a Representative to the People’s Great Congress, elected as honorary Mongolian consul to the Biophysics Center of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance Organization (the largest international economic organization for cooperation during the Soviet era), Chairman of the Mongolian Union, and Director General of the Mongolia and India Friendship Union. Finally, he was actively involved in various governmental committees on science, technology and higher education.

The Government of Mongolia praised his many years of productive service for the country and decorated him with several high ranking medals and honors, such as the Mongolian State Honorable Teacher, Order of North Star, Honorary Credential of the Government of Mongolia, anniversary medals of the People’s Revolution of Mongolia, and Best Employee titles from educational, science, agriculture, and environmental sectors.

Professor O. Shagdarsuren was very kind man and a true scholar, committed to and passionate about his work until the end of his life. His deep and broad knowledge, teaching skills, and friendship will be sorely missed by his family, relatives, colleagues, friends, and thousands of his students around the country.

Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of Mongolia

National University of Mongolia

Mongolian Academy of Sciences

A presumed Leopard Cat at Kherlen River, eastern Mongolia
by Thomas Hallfarth

 On 7 July 2009 I recorded a wild cat at the Kherlen gol (gol=river), about 50 km west from the city of Choibalsan in eastern Mongolia. The geographical coordinates of the observation site are N 48°03’, E 113°44’. The habitat consists of long-grass steppe with single exposed rocks and boulders. About 600 m from the observation site a narrow “gallery bush forest” grows along the Kherlen River and its small side arms.

 
Presumed Leopard Cat, Kherlen River,
July 2009. © T. Hallfarth
click to enlarge

 I observed the animal from about one kilometre distance for c. 30–40 minutes. The weather and viewing conditions were good. A slight heat haze had a marginal impact on the observation only.

 
Presumed Leopard Cat, Kherlen
River, July 2009. © T. Hallfarth
click to enlarge

A few photos with a digital camera were taken through a telescope. Due to the great distance the photos came out quite poor, but they show the key features rather well.

 
Presumed Leopard Cat, Kherlen
River, July 2009. © T. Hallfarth

I am absolutely sure that the animal was a cat! The pelage colour was a washed grey without any conspicuous pattern (great distance!). The tip of the tail was black. The key ID feature was certainly the structure of the cat: Firstly, the cat had a very long tail which was held bent upward. And the animal showed strong, powerful shoulders. These features gave the cat an irbis-like or even leopard-like appearance.


Presumed Leopard Cat, Kherlen
River, July 2009. © T. Hallfarth

During the observation period the cat was slowly moving through the grassland on top of a hill, probably searching for food, though no hunting behaviour could be observed. It was presumably laying down several times (when it disappeared from my view). In dimension the animal appeared bigger than a normal domestic cat. Not far from it we discovered a family of Corsac Foxes later. Although we couldn't compare the two species directly, we had an indirect comparison of a canid and a felid. The cat showed typical movements of a cat. A confusion with a canid (occurring in the area: Corsac and Red Fox, Grey Wolf) can be excluded.


Presumed Leopard Cat, Kherlen
River, July 2009. © T. Hallfarth

The only larger cat occurring in the wider area is the Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis. This polytypic species is widely distributed from the northern Indian Subcontinent, northern China and south-eastern Russia to South-East Asia. The subspecies P. b. euptilurus, which is sometimes considered specifically distinct, is called Amur Leopard Cat. It occurs in the Manchurian region, Korea and Russian Far East.

 
Distribution of Leopard Cat in China.
From: Smith & Yan Xie (2008).

Leopard Cats measure 45–75 cm (head-body), and have a tail lengths of 19.5–31.5 cm. They weight 1.7–7.1 kg. Cats from Russia and northern China are two to three times larger than cats from southern Asia (Wilson & Mittermeier 2009).


This photo of a wild Amur Leopard Cat in South Korea
shows the powerful shoulder area of this subspecies
quite well. From an article in JoongAng Daily.


Amur Leopard Cat, Seosan, South Korea, 17 June 2007.
© Tim Edelsten

The species occurs mainly in forests, but “also in shrub forests, but not in grassland or steppe (except marginal areas and riparian ecosystems)” (Smith & Yan Xie 2008), though Wilson & Mittermeier (2009) write that they are also found – though rarely – in cold steppe grasslands.

 
An Amur Leopard Cat at Dortmund Zoo
© Stefan Kulpa, http://www.erblicken.com/

Leopard Cat has not been recorded from Mongolia and thus the observation described here would constitute the first record.

Tim Edelsten has commented as follows:

Just my thoughts based on my personal sightings/ impressions:

Although the images are not clear, it appears to have a thick greyish-brown coat with contrastingly paler chin and belly, and thick tail, which are typical for Amur Leopard Cat, (although which can also be shared with Feral Cat).

Structure-wise however, to me it shows the athletic build, strong and high shoulder, and proportionately longer body and sloping back of Amur Leopard Cat that would distinguish it from Feral Cat in my experience.

So without being sure, I would lean towards an identification of Amur Leopard Cat.

More comments on this observation are welcome!

Acknowledgments. My thanks go to Tim Edelsten for letting me use his photo of an Amur Leopard Cat from Korea and for commenting the observation. Stefan Kulpa kindly allowed to include his excellent photo of a Leopard Cat. Axel Braunlich did some background research and helped to write this contribution.

Literature

Smith, A. T. & Yan Xie 2008. A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press.

Wilson, D. E. & Mittermeier, R. A. eds. 2009. Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Vol. 1 Carnivores. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Resighting of Bar-headed Goose in India

Atanu Mondal recorded a collared Bar-headed Goose in a tank at Kamalapura, Hampi, Karnataka, southern India along with 11 other birds on 22 November 2009. (In India, an irrigation tank or tank is an artificial reservoir of any size).

Bar-headed Goose, S India, Nov 2009. © Atanu Mondal

Martin Gilbert from the Wildlife Conservation Society has commented as follows:

Thank you for sending your report. The bird that you observed (yellow collar N9), is a female and was captured during our work in the Darkhad Valley, northern Mongolia on 17 July 2008. The approximate location of the bird’s capture was N: 99.41078; E: 51.19736. Interestingly, we have also received reports over the last few days of two other birds that we caught in Darkhad on the same evening, who have also just arrived in southern India and are currently at Magadi tank, in Gadag district, Karnataka.

Thank you again for sending in this information. I would be very interested to receive any further details of resightings of collared birds that you observe.

Best of luck, and good birding!

Martin

Five days birding in August
Tim Edelsten

August 20, 2009
Starting in Ulaanbaatar, I quickly found House Sparrow, Eurasian Magpie and Tree Sparrow; Black-eared Kites and Ravens were plentiful soaring over the city outskirts.


Black-eared Kite. © Tim Edelsten

Unable to locate the famous UB ponds, I instead explored some mountainous area further on from the airport, which soon provided Upland Buzzard, Steppe Eagle, Hoopoe, Barn Swallow, Isabelline Wheatear, White Wagtail, and small flocks of Yellow Wagtail.


Isabelline Wheatear. © Tim Edelsten


Red-billed Chough. © Tim Edelsten

A cloud of Red-billed Chough was seen to mob a very darkly marked Saker Falcon, with a Eurasian Sparrowhawk nearby. Another interesting raptor was a Peregrine Falcon, which to me showed a slenderer structure than would a typical Peregrine.


Peregrine Falcon. © Tim Edelsten

At a very broad section of the Tuul river, dotted with lush islands, I noted Grey Wagtail, Common Tern, Collared Dove, Carrion Crow, Cinereous Vulture, Daurian Jackdaw, and a Eurasian Kestrel. A pair of Amur Falcon noisily tended their nest and chicks.

Common Tern. © Tim Edelsten

Amur Falcon. © Tim Edelsten

In the Children’s Park in UB I added 2 juvenile Brown Shrikes.

August 21st
Heading west from the city was the first of several flocks of Demoiselle Crane. An isolated pond on the steppe further provided Spotted Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Mallard, Slavonian Grebe, Common Goldeneye, Tufted Duck, Common Teal, Red-necked Stint, Wood Sandpiper and Green Sandpiper. A group of Pere David’s Snowfinch roved nearby, and a Sand Martin was among thousands of swallows on the wires.

A brief stop at the fringes of Byaan Nuur lake revealed 2 clearly Western Marsh Harrier (as opposed to Eastern), a Great Cormorant, Mongolian Lark, Gadwall, Ruddy Shelducks, Black-tailed Godwits, migrating flocks of Pacific Golden Plover, and a pale-looking Saker. Horned Larks and Lesser Short-toed Larks were abundant. Also on the water, a family of Whooper Swan and 3 Swan Goose.

August 22nd
At Ogij Nuur, the main lake hosted good numbers of Common Pochard , Mongolian Gull and Black-headed Gull, less abundant were Great Crested Grebe, Bar-headed Geese, Grey Heron, Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, and one Great Egret. In grasses fringing the lake, several Chestnut-eared Bunting.


Chestnut-eared Bunting. © Tim Edelsten

Most productive however was a shallow area of temporarily flooded freshwater separate from the main lake, where crowded together were Northern Lapwing (1), Common Shelduck (10+), a Temminck’s Stint, a synchronised flock of feeding Pied Avocet, several Common Redshank (4), Red-necked Phalarope (8), White-winged Tern (15), Red Knot (2), Northern Pintail (c.12), Curlew Sandpiper (c.25), Garganey (2), Pintail Snipe (1), Ruff (4), Kentish Plover (c.10), Common Greenshank (c.10), Ruddy Turnstone (2), a lone Broad-billed Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper (2), Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (c.6), Long-toed Stint (2), and most interesting to me personally, 5 Little Gull. On nearby Steppe, a juvenile Richard's Pipit and a Northern Hobby.


Northern Hobby. © Tim Edelsten

August 23rd
A fuller investigation of the lake at Bayaan Nuur added c. 70 Eurasian Curlew, 2 Far Eastern Curlew, c. 10 Black-winged Stilt, and several Little Curlew amongst the large numbers of Pacific Golden Plovers. Towards the reeds, numerous Common Snipe, 1 White-cheeked Starling, and c.20 Common Coot. At around sunset 4 Bearded Tit emerged from the reeds and I located a Citrine Wagtail in the swamp.


Eurasian Curlew. © Tim Edelsten

August 24th
The main shallow wetland near the entrance to Gun-Galuut held a Eurasian Spoonbill; inside the reserve, 2 Black Stork and a family of Brown Shrike.

At Terelj, a Lammergeier finally soared low overhead as I ascended one of the crags, making for a trip total of 97 species.


Demoiselle Crane. © Tim Edelsten

Children’s Park used to be one of the best birding spots in UB

Having visited this park for more than 20 years, I can say with full confidence that the Children's Park was one of the best birding spots in Ulaanbaatar. The reason I say “it was” is because this place is not same at all what it used to be before. Until recently, I used to see some rare birds here, like, just to name a few, Penduline Tit, Siberian Rubythroat, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Daurian Redstart, Eurasian Hoopoe, Meadow Bunting, and Black (-eared) Kite nesting and Hawfinch, Bohemian's Waxwing, Azure Tits, Long-tailed Rose Finch, Daurian Partridge, and Azure-winged Magpie wintering at this park, and of cause tons of migrants during fall and spring migration periods. Some 15 years ago, Red Deer Cervus elaphus was a regular visitor to this park. Even one could see them walking with their calves. I remember there was a waterhose which was left open for quite a long time from late fall to mid winter in 1993. After a while it created a pool which became a favorite place for every bird in the park. I went there twice a week to observe birds that came to this pool for drinking. Here I saw my first Grey-headed Woodpecker. A friend of mine even produced a university course work on birds of this park with some over 100 species. Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of this report. Now I can just hope that someday there will be gardens and trees flourishing again. So it will attract birds back and we can enjoy again.

Best,

Nyambayar

Wildlife Science and Conservation Center
Ulaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar’s Children’s Park is vanishing
Tracey Naughton

I live in apartment that looks out over the area of Ulaanbaatar known as the Children’s Park. Sadly I don’t hear the laughter of children, just the loud noises of earth moving equipment and drilling rigs. This park, a place of rare solace in the unplanned city of Ulaanbaatar, has been closed to the public for some time now and no one can enjoy it. Some say, it was sold to a Japanese company who will transform it into an amusement park. Some wish it would simply be opened so it can be enjoyed as it is.

Construction in Ulaanbaatar’s Children’s Park,

July 2009. Photo © Tracey Naughton.

From where I live I can see that a large corner of it has been sectioned off and is being developed rapidly. You can’t see this from the ground level, because of the fence, but I can see it from above. Some say it will be a Shangri La Hotel. Some wonder about this with so many construction projects at a halt, including the proposed Hilton Hotel just down the road. Some just wish the park was available for the people to walk in. New York was wise enough to preserve some nature for people amidst its intensely developed island. It’s called Central Park. How long will the people of Ulaanbaatar have a park in the city. When can we use it? Does anyone know what is really planned for that site?


Construction in Ulaanbaatar’s Children’s Park,

July 2009. Photo © Tracey Naughton.
_________________________________________________________________________

There is also a new contribution The Children’s Park - July 2009 update in Michael Kohn’s Save the Ulaanbaatar Children’s Park - A blog to stop of the destruction of Ulaanbaatar’s open spaces. Michael started also Facebook group to rally more online support and awareness of the shenanigans going down in the Children’s Park. Here is the link. Follow it, get on it!

Mongolia's forests burning: are they good or are they bad?

Read about forest fires and watch a Youtube video at Tony Whitten’s blog.

See also my posting about forest fires on Birding Mongolia, and Igor Fefelov’s comment:

Hi Axel and others,
to the point, ongoing data on the fire situation around Lake Baikal (including some part of northern Mongolia, between ca 103 and 112 deg. E and to south up to 49 deg. N) having been obtained daily can be found here (in Russian but can be understood in the context I hope)
Igor F

Bird reports from China and Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (HKBWS) has now stock of these recently published reports:


CHINA BIRD REPORT 2007



Published and produced by the China Ornithological Society supported by the Beijing and Hong Kong Bird Watching Societies. It is a bilingual publication in English and Chinese.

A5 format with 426 pages including 37 pages of colour plates depicting 64 species. Key illustrations include Chinese Monal, Sichuan Partridge, White-headed Duck, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Chinese Crested Tern, Long-billed Thrush and Nonggang Babbler.

This year the Report covers records of 1071 species representing 80% of species recorded in China.

EU Price (including postage and packing) £16.60

Payment may be via PayPal or personal cheques drawn on UK banks only please made payable to Hong Kong Bird Watching Society.


HONG KONG BIRD REPORT 2003-04



This Report again covers 2 years as the Society makes an effort to catch up with its publication of these important reports.

Published and produced by the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, 2009.

239 pages including 34 colour plates.

The main body of the work is taken up with the Systematic List 2003–04 which covers the 345 species recorded in Hong Kong during the period. The list includes the following new records for Hong Kong: Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Short-tailed Shearwater, Malayan Night Heron (breeding), Greater White-fronted Goose, Chinese Thrush and Baikal Bush Warbler. Additionally there are articles describing first record for White-spectacled Warbler and breeding records for Red-rumped Swallow and Yellow-billed Grosbeak.

There are taxonomic reviews of Goodson’s Leaf Warbler, Northern Hawk Cuckoo, Spot-billed Duck, Oriental Cuckoo and Pale Martin in respect of the taxa that occur in Hong Kong.

EU Price (including postage and packing) £12.07

Payment by PayPal, cheques drawn on UK banks only please made payable to Hong Kong Bird Watching Society or cash.

For delivery in the European Union (prices above) contact:

R D E Stott
Abbey Place,
Defford Road
PERSHORE
Worcestershire
WR10 1JF
United Kingdom
hkbwsuk at googlemail.com

For orders from outside the EU (and prices) please contact
the HKBWS Hong Kong office directly on hkbws at hkbws.org.hk

Photospot: Altai Snowcock

Altai Snowcock. Gobi Altai Mountains.
December 2008. © Tumendelger Humbaa

These remarkable photographs were taken by Tumendelger Humbaa in the Zuun saikhan mountains of Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park in Mongolia’s South Gobi Province on 23 December 2008. Tumen wrote to Birding Mongolia: “It was very cold and the mountain Takhilga is pretty high. This mountain is 2815 meter above see level. There were 15 Snowcocks altogether. I could approach 4 of them. My camera is a Nikon D-300 with a 300-mm lens.”


Altai Snowcock. Gobi Altai Mountains.
December 2008. © Tumendelger Humbaa

These are probably the best photographs of this species ever taken! Considering the circumstances (winter temperatures in Mongolia can drop well below minus 30 degrees Celsius in winter!) Tumen can only be congratulated for his superb photos!

The Altai Snowcock Tetraogallus altaicus has a rather limited global range. It breeds mainly in Russia in southern Siberia (mountains near Abakan, Sayan Mts, Tannu Ola Mts) and in Mongolia (Mongolian Altai, Gobi Altai, Khangai, mountains east of lake Khuvsgul). It is not globally threatened, but it has a rather small total population, estimated at 50,000 – 100,000 individuals.

Rare herons in the Mongolian Gobi

This Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus was photographed by Tumendelger Humbaa on 9 May 2009 in the Juulchin Gobi Tourist Camp. This camp is 38 km from the provincial capital Dalanzadgad in Mongolia’s South Gobi Province (aimag).

Chinese Pond Heron. South Gobi aimag.
May 2009. Photo © Tumendelger Humbaa

Chinese Pond Heron. South Gobi aimag.
May 2009. Photo © Tumendelger Humbaa

Chinese Pond Heron is a rare passage migrant

in Mongolia, recorded annually during the last years.

Another Chinese Pond Heron was recorded the day

before in the Gobi, c. 220 km to the SE of the Juulchin

Gobi camp by Dorjderem Sukhragchaa.


Chinese Pond Heron. South Gobi aimag.
8 May 2009. © Dorjderem Sukhragchaa

Not far from the latter site Dorj found a dead adult

Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax

on 11 May 2009.

Black-crowned Night Heron. South Gobi aimag.
May 2009. © Dorjderem Sukhragchaa

Black-crowned Night Heron is a very rare migrant in Mongolia, with a scattering of records from western, central southern and eastern Mongolia. Axel Braunlich and Henry Mix recorded it for the first time for Mongolia at Khar Nuur on 29 May 1995. There is at least one more observation from the South Gobi province: Axel saw a flock of five immatures arriving from the NNW, landing in the Naadam stadium in Dalanzadgad on 14 June 2004.


Black-crowned Night Heron. South Gobi
aimag. June 2004. © Axel Braunlich

Many thanks go to Tumen and Dorj for providing data and the photos. Tand ikh bajarlalaa!

Whooper Swan Migration and Avian Influenza H5N1


Whooper Swans migrating through
Mongolian Altai. Mai 2006. © A. Braunlich

Abstract
Evaluating the potential involvement of wild avifauna in the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 (hereafter H5N1) requires detailed analyses of temporal and spatial relationships between wild bird movements and disease emergence. The death of wild swans (Cygnus spp.) has been the first indicator of the presence of H5N1 in various Asian and European countries; however their role in the geographic spread of the disease remains poorly understood. We marked 10 whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus) with GPS transmitters in northeastern Mongolia during autumn 2006 and tracked their migratory movements in relation to H5N1 outbreaks. The prevalence of H5N1 outbreaks among poultry in eastern Asia during 2003–2007 peaked during winter, concurrent with whooper swan movements into regions of high poultry density. However outbreaks involving poultry were detected year round, indicating disease perpetuation independent of migratory waterbird presence. In contrast, H5N1 outbreaks involving whooper swans, as well as other migratory waterbirds that succumbed to the disease in eastern Asia, tended to occur during seasons (late spring and summer) and in habitats (areas of natural vegetation) where their potential for contact with poultry is very low to nonexistent. Given what is known about the susceptibility of swans to H5N1, and on the basis of the chronology and rates of whooper swan migration movements, we conclude that although there is broad spatial overlap between whooper swan distributions and H5N1 outbreak locations in eastern Asia, the likelihood of direct transmission between these groups is extremely low. Thus, our data support the hypothesis that swans are best viewed as sentinel species, and moreover, that in eastern Asia, it is most likely that their infections occurred through contact with asymptomatic migratory hosts (e.g., wild ducks) at or near their breeding grounds.

Abstract from: Newman SH, Iverson SA, Takekawa JY, Gilbert M, Prosser DJ, et al. (2009) Migration of Whooper Swans and Outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 Virus in Eastern Asia. PLoS ONE 4(5): e5729. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0005729

To read the full article click here.

Himalayan Vultures released in Thailand

Dear all,

Ten Himalayan Vultures Gyps himalayensis were released on 9 April 2009 in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary (HKK WS), world heritage site in western forest complex, Thailand after being rehabilitated to strength from starvation due to shortage of present-day wild carcases in the country.

Video clip of the pre-release condition
of the vulture in a flight enclosure.


Himalayan Vulture during release
Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary,
9 April 2009. © A.Wuthipong Paphassorn.

The sanctuary is lined along the western route of the species in early winter when a number (10-30 individuals) of the vultures had reportedly entered the country in past 3 years. The western route is the major route of the invasion of the vulture in the country. The other route is north-eastern/eastern route.


The original localities of each vulture.
Map by Chatuphon Sawasdee.

At the time of release, 9 vultures were in second-year and one was third-year. A week after the release, 6 of them were seen in Thung Yai Naresuan WS, another national sanctuary west to the release site and close to the border of Myanmar. Other three vultures had been around a vulture restaurant used as post-release food supply at the release site then disappeared from the site three weeks after the release.

Each released vulture was marked with a green-coloured plastic tag and white letters on the patagium of right wing. The wing-tag reads; THA 17A (number). The number on each wing-tag runs from 06 to 15 (ten vultures).


Himalayan Vulture wing tag (underwing)
Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary,
9 April 2009. © A.Wuthipong Paphassorn.

Report of sightings of the tagged vultures will be greatly appreciated. Please send date/locality and the vulture condition to either trogon (a) gmail.com or c_wanlaya (a) hotmail.com.

The rehabilitation and release of wild raptors is the cooperation of Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Wild Bird Rehab & Release Fund of Bird Conservation Society of Thailand and Kasetsart University Raptor Rehabilitation Unit (KURRU).

Best,
Chaiyan

Chaiyan Kasorndorkbua
Assistant Professor of Veterinary Pathology
Kasetsart University, Chatuchak, Bangkok,
Thailand

Note Himalayan Vultures are increasingly recorded from Mongolia. Please record any sighting, email me. Thanks! Axel