North-eastern Mongolia, August – A. Buchheim

A trip through north-eastern Mongolia took our group from Ulaanbaatar to Chuluuhoroot at the Mongolian-Russian border and further south to Choibalsan along numerous rivers including Tuul, Kherulen, Onon and Ulz, plus via many steppe lakes including Hangal, Binder, Bus, Galuut, Khokh and Yakhi. We travelled between 14 and 31 August.



Eurasian Nuthatch, Terelj. Photo © A. Buchheim



White-backed WoodpeckerTerelj Photo © A. Buchheim

It was the fourth time that I took this route but this year’s trip was different. Not only was the steppe characterized by the draught, it was almost birdless. No longer are there any areas which could be called long-grass steppe, hence only a few Japanese Quails were flushed. Severe overgrazing in connection with the dry conditions in 2007 is obvious. The huge flocks of roaming Mongolian Larks, Lesser Short-toed Larks, and the large pipits which can be observed normally, not to mention the most numerous Mongolian bird – Horned Lark, showed up only at Yakhi nuur. This is somewhat surprising as Yakhi nuur is dry for many years now. May be this has reduced the number of livestock in this region, giving grass a better chance for growing (larger groups of Mongolian Gazelle were seen). Another phenomenon which might be connected with the desolate conditions of the steppe was the almost complete lack of the large grasshoppers. Thus the numbers of smaller raptors like Amur Falcon had been lower than during previous trips. Even the normally common Demoiselle Crane, likewise dependent on these hoppers, was not seen in large flocks.


Eastern Marsh Harrier, Tschoch nuur.
Photo © A. Buchheim


Hen Harrier. Khokh nuur Photo © A. Buchheim

For larger raptors relying on rodents it was a bad year as well. The mild winter had caused a high mortality among the hibernating rodents because early melt-water killed many of them in their burrows. Saker and Upland Buzzard were less common than expected though the former suffers strongly from catching for falconry. And the lakes were in bad condition too. Binder nuur was dry, as were Galuut nuur (the lake had received some rainfall recently and showed some puddles which attracted some waterfowl and waders) and Doroo nuur with the latter skipped from the itinerary because of this. At the other lakes the water levels had been extremely low.

Nevertheless we recorded 198 species of birds plus an unidentified juvenile cuckoo (Cuculus sp.). Best bird was a 2cy Mute Swan at Khokh nuur on 28th. Also there were 3 Gray’s Grasshopper Warblers on the former breeding island on the western bank of the lake on the same date. Rewarding was the observation of an adult male Pied Harrier on the same day. A single Eurasian Collared Dove at Choibalsan where the species has been seen displaying in spring is worth mentioning.


Red-necked Stint, Khokh nuur. Photo © A. Buchheim

Baikal Teal was recorded at Tschoch nuur on 24th (1 female, 1 juv.), Galuut nuur on 25th (1 male), Khokh nuur on 28th (1 juv.) and at a small pond about 1 km north of Yakhi nuur on 30th (2 females, 1 juv.) but proved to be as shy as usual. Noteworthy was a small group of 5 Oriental Plovers in the flood plain of the Ulz Gol (the river was dry) east of Tschoch nuur on 25th where a male hybrid Tufted Duck x Common Pochard was seen the day before. The old part of Tschoch held three (plus… ) Baillon’s Crakes on 24th, with one seen the next morning. At the same site a Hooded Crane was seen on 25th. Another hybrid, this time Common x White-naped Crane was recorded on 22nd. This bird was paired with a Common Crane, and three family-parties of White-naped Cranes were nearby in the Ulz (some water remaining in the river here) flood plain at Dalt uul. Other hybrids seen were the well known pigeon hybrids of Mongolia’s capital: Rock x Hill Pigeons can be easily seen at the Gandan Monastery but it is in some cases hart to tell whether a bird is some kind of hybrid or just a variant.


Hybrid pigeon, Ulaanbaatar. Photo © A. Buchheim

That the migration had not yet started (another factor influencing bird numbers) was clearly illustrated by Pallas’s Warbler: none was seen and other species had been observed in much smaller numbers than during the previous trips. I hope Mongolia will receive much more rain in the future.


Juvenile Daurian Redstart, Terelj. Photo © A. Buchheim

Andreas Buchheim and Birdingtours

Middle Gobi, mid-AUG / early-SEP - D. Mantle

In mid-August, I moved to a new camp in the Middle Gobi (about 4 hours southeast of Arvaikheer) to make geological maps of about 1200 sq kilometres of our leases. I was promised trees in this area but alas it is as treeless as the dryer areas of the Gobi that I worked in previously. However, I get to live in a ger and it is much greener here. There is a good covering of grass and a scattering of low bushes that provide some shelter for the passerines that are starting to move south. So far there have been good numbers of Asian Brown Flycatcher, Taiga Flycatcher, Dusky Warbler, Olive-backed Pipit, a few Dark-throated Thrushes and Brown Shrikes and a lone Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler. The resident species include abundant Horned, Asian Lesser Short-toed, and Mongolian Larks, the usual wheatears, Blyth’s Pipit (absent from my previous field areas to the south), Rock Sparrow, Mongolian Trumpeter Finch, and Desert Warbler. Mongolian Ground Jays are also present in very low numbers.

Pallas’s Sandgrouse. Photo © D. Mantle

Pallas’s Sandgrouse are extremely common and I encounter hundreds everyday during my work. The largest flocks I have observed are up to 3-4000 strong. And I have found several freshly plucked sandgrouse, so they are clearly providing a meal for some of the local raptors, including several pairs of breeding Saker Falcons.

Pallas’s Sandgrouse feathers. Photo © D. Mantle

By far the most abundant birds of prey are the Upland Buzzards but I am not sure they would catch the fast-flying sandgrouse unless they can take them on the ground. The amount of downy chest feathers they are moulting across the desert/steppe is really impressive – easy to see how they survive the frozen winters here. Other resident raptors in the area include Steppe Eagle, Black-eared Kite, several Lesser Kestrel colonies and common Little Owls. Whilst migrating raptors include Goshawk, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and singles of Steppe Buzzard, Japanese Sparrowhawk, and Amur Falcon moving south. Unfortunately I have also found several Upland Buzzard, Black-eared Kite, and Cinereous Vultures that have been shot by the locals. Not something I have noticed in previous areas.

Little Owl. Photo © D. Mantle

The big bonus of this new site is the number of small lakes in the area. Some hold nothing at all whilst others are stacked with waterfowl and waders. All the duck are really flighty, something I have noticed of the waterfowl elsewhere in the country. The highlights for me have been a single Oriental Plover, three Little Curlew, and good numbers of Ruff, Spotted Redshank, Wood Sandpiper, Temminck’s and Little Stint along with smaller numbers of Red-necked Stint.

Boon Tsagaan nuur
On the way to the new camp, I managed a detour to Boon Tsagaan nuur and found another Chinese Pond Heron (subadult) and had great views of Pallas’s Fish Eagle.

Little Ringed Plover. Photo © D. Mantle

Cheers,
Dan

More news on Great Bustard research in Mongolia

After a first note on bustard research (click here) on Birding Mongolia a little while ago the following news were sent by Aimee "Mimi" Kessler, School of Life Sciences Graduate Programs, Arizona State University, fresh from the field:

August 2007: The Great Bustard research team working in Northern Mongolia has caught two more bustards, a mother with her large chick. The mother was given a satellite transmitter and numbered wing tag. Her chick, a young male, has a numbered wing tag. The team will be monitoring these birds in the years to come to determine habitat use patterns and migration routes. We would appreciate news of any observations of Great Bustards with wing tags (contact: mimi dot kessler at asu dot edu).

Our team's Great Bustard research in Mongolia is supported by a generous donation of satellite transmitters by Microwave Telemetry, an US National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, an US National Security Education Program Boren Fellowship, and a Wildlife Conservation Society Graduate Research Fellowship.

We apologize for the quality of the photos. As the bustards were captured by spotlighting, they were taken in pitch darkness at night.

In the photos:
Young man: Dashnyam, undergraduate, National University of Mongolia
Mongolian woman: Erdenetsetseg, assistant
American woman: Mimi Kessler, graduate student, Arizona State University

New birding trip report from Mongolia

A new birding trip report from Mongolia has been added to Travellingbirder.com:

Birdquest: Mongolia 21 May – 8 June 2006 Tour Report. Leader: Mark Beaman
To see all trip reports from Mongolia click here.

Birdsounds of Northern Siberia

The CD-MP3 Birdsounds of Northern Siberia has just been published. Several species featured on that CD occur as migrants in Mongolia or even breed. For a full species list and ordering information click here.

More information: Over a period of seven years, between 1995 and 2002, Cristoph Zöckler has visited some of the most remote places in the Palaearctic: Northern Siberia and took sound recordings of Arctic birds. Hardly any birdsound-recordings from Siberia have been made available to the public, this CD aims to illustrate the sounds of most species in Arctic Siberia. Many of the introduced species‘ vocalisations are only known from the non-breeding areas, while their song and breeding display are hardly known.

In total this CD covers 97 species, almost all typical species of the region in 196 different recordings, supplemented by four soundscapes of typical North Siberian landscapes. The prime habitats include typical and mountain tundra, coastal areas as well as the forest tundra and the northern taiga. A few recordings have been included from the more southern central taiga. Sound recordings contain predominantly the breeding display and alarm calls and sometimes the calls of chicks during the brood rearing period. For many, but not all species there are several different sound recordings capturing different regional types or other variations in the display songs and calls, as well as other calls from the breeding area. Display and alarm calls sometimes match or have elements of the calls we can hear on migration outside Siberia.

Siberia is still surrounded by a veil of mystery. The vast area is still little explored in terms of birds, yet home of rare waders and thrushes, vagrant warblers and the dazzling Siberian Rubythroat. The recordings were made from Taimyr (1995) in the West, Yakutia (1996-1999) to Chukotka (2000, 2002) in the East of Siberia. For many years the region was inaccessible and still today it creates huge logistic challenges to visit most of the areas. In the harsh Arctic environment the birds are only present from late May to early August and even then severe weather conditions often obstruct the recording.

“This was the true Siberian tundra, brilliant with flowers, swarming with mosquitoes, and full of birds.” • Henry Seebohm, The Birds of Siberia, 1884

Gravel ponds Ulaanbaatar, 22 AUG 07 - Konchog Norbu & Mark Brazil

An one-hour visit to the ponds near Chinggis Khaan International Airport was quite fruitful, with a good sprinkling of waders (shorebirds), 17 species logged:

1 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Pacific Golden Plover, 6-8 Northern Lapwings, 3-4 Long-toed Stints, 4-6 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, 50+ Curlew Sandpipers, 1 Ruddy Turnstone, 2 Red-necked Phalaropes, 4-6 Ruff, 1 Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, 8-10 Wood Sandpipers, 1 Common Sandpiper, 25 Black-tailed Godwits, Common Snipe, and Pin-tailed Snipe.

Influx of Black-eared Kites in Khovd, 22 August 2007

Today it rained in Khovd for the first time since weeks. Actually the first real rain I experienced here this year. It rained three days in July, but I was in Russia then. The rain today lasted from early morning well past noon, but ceased later, and in the late afternoon the sun came out.


Black-eared Kite, Khovd. Photo © J. Steudtner

While checking a pasture area with little pools at the edge of town (only very few birds there: 2 Green Sandpipers and 1 Temminck’s Stint) at 18h20, I saw about 200 Black-eared Kites Milvus (migrans) lineatus arriving very high (only tiny specks in the sky) from north-east, flying towards the Buyant river. A little bit later I walked along the poplars which are forming a quite dense stand between the town and the floodplain. The area is heavily used by people, and kites, apparently disturbed at their roost in the poplars were spread over the pasture nearby, resting on the ground. I counted over 700. Looking to the usual roost further down the poplars I noted another c.280 birds flying around, followed by c.230 more. There was a constant stream of kites arriving from the north-east. Together with more birds resting well visible on poles, trees and buildings, the final tally was 2,210 Black-eared Kites this evening! This number is rather too small than too big since it wasn’t possible for me to check all the poplars along the several kilometer long stretch where the kites used to roost. Where I saw the 280 birds flying around today I counted c.600 resting in the trees yesterday. And the kites resting in the dense poplar stands are very easily overlooked and numbers therefore underestimated when not disturbed.


Black-eared Kite, Khovd. Photo © A. Braunlich

It is very likely that the rain grounded the kites during migration in the vicinity of Khovd; and in the late afternoon they joined the other kites which are always well visible circling over town, resulting in this unprecedented spectacle.


Black-eared Kite, Khovd. Photo © J. Steudtner

Khovd, mid-August 2007 - A. Braunlich

19 Aug Songbird migration is in full swing. I went for 2 hours to a plantation at the edge of town: c.160 Spotted Flycatchers, c.155 (incl. a flock of 140) Ortolan Buntings, c.70 Lesser Whitethroats, 7 Tree Pipits, 1 Olive-backed Pipit, 1 Bluethroat, 9 Isabelline Shrikes, 8 juv. Rose-coloured Starlings, 3 Siberian Stonechats, a flock of c. 30 Common Rosefinches, 1 Greenish Warbler, and 1 Booted Eagle. At the river plain nearby I saw 1 Black Stork, 2 Richard’s Pipits, 9 Hoopoes, and a family of Eurasian Hobby.


A small pond has formed near an
irrigation ditch, rich habitat for
migrant birds. Photo © A. Braunlich

20 Aug 1 Two-barred Warbler in town. 21 Aug 5 Isabelline Shrikes in town.


Steppe Buzzard. Photo © A. Braunlich

21 Aug The Black-eared Kite roosts at the edge of town held 760 birds! Nearby I counted c.100 Spotted Flycatchers and c.40 Lesser Whitethroats. During the day an European Nightjar was flying around in town, 3 more were found resting behind the stadium in the evening. Other birds seen include 6 Siberian Stonechats, 1 Steppe Buzzard Buteo buteo vulpinus, and 1 Booted Warbler.


Booted Warbler Photo © A. Braunlich

Website on colour marking/satellite tracking
of waterbirds in the Asia-Pacific region

Dear all,

We have collated information to develop a website with information on ongoing colour marking and satellite tracking work in the Asia-Pacific and links to other flyways with kind support from several individuals from across the region over the last few months and support from the GAINS (Global Avian Influenza Network for Surveillance) programme. The website has been uploaded on http://wetlands.tekdi.net/ and covers several web pages.

Also included is introductory information on the Asia-Pacific Working Group on Migratory Waterbirds and AI, and an update of the web page on the key contacts for the waterbirds ringing/banding schemes.

As the work on colour marking and satellite tracking of birds is dynamic, it would be good to capture all the latest information on these pages, so that they can serve as a one stop centre for all information on this subject. Achieving this requires your assistance; comments, suggestions and updates are most welcomed.

With best wishes, Taej

Taej Mundkur, PhD
Coordinator, Wetlands International - South Asia
wisaind at del2.vsnl.net.in

First records and first proven breeding of Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor in Mongolia

Last year friends of mine discovered Mongolia’s first Lesser Grey Shrikes in Khovd province. Unfortunately I had no time to join my friends on the trip, but took the chance to confirm the occurrence this summer, together with J. Steudtner. In July we found two pairs with fully fledged young (which were still fed by their parents) in the same area where the species was discovered last year.

Axel

Lesser Grey Shrike. Bulgan, July 2007
Photo © J. Steudtner

Recently published:

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.

Abstract
“During a trip to the Dzungarian Gobi in south-western Mongolia a group of German birdwatchers found several territorial Lesser Grey Shrikes Lanius minor, and documented an active nest. The species had not previously been recorded from Mongolia. Observations were made near Bulgan gol (Bulgan river; nest coordinates: 46°6’N 91°32’E, 1190 m a.s.l.) in Khovd aimag (Khovd province) on 24 June 2006. Besides two territorial pairs, of which a female could be photographically documented on the nest, at least four more territorial adults were found within an area of c1.5 sqkm. Based on these records, an abundance of 4 pairs/sqkm can be assumed for this riparian site, which consists mainly of open meadows with scattered bushes and tress.”

Lesser Grey Shrike, Bulgan, June 2006
Photo © Steve Klasan

Map of Mongolia showing the site (red dot in the
south-west) of the Lesser Grey Shrike records.

Lesser Grey Shrike, Bulgan, June 2006
Photo © S. Klasan

Lesser Grey Shrike at nest, Bulgan, June 2006
Photo © S. Klasan

‘Research on biological resources of Mongolia’

Volume 10 of “Erforschung Biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei” (research on biological resources of Mongolia) has recently been published by the Institute for Biology of the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. The main content of the 584-page bumper issue (mostly in English) are the Proceedings of the Asiatic Wild Ass Conference which was held in Hustai National Park in Mongolia in August 2005. The summary status for Khulan (Asiatic Wild Ass, Equus hemionus hemionus) in Mongolia is as follows:

- population 20,000 individuals (2003 census)

- off-take 3000-4000/year (net loss per year at least 10%)

- distribution range in Mongolia reduced by 50% in the last 70 years

Khulan, Mongolia. Photo © H. Mix

The section “Further reports on biodiversity research in Mongolia” contains three papers on birds:

- Stubbe et al. Biodiversity in space and time – towards a grid mapping for Mongolia (contains examples: Bearded Vulture and Short-toed Eagle distribution).

- A paper about the feathers of Mongolian Accipiter species (in German).

- A paper on the first records of Lesser Grey Shrike in Mongolia (see next post).

For order details contact Prof. M Stubbe: stubbe at zoologie.uni-halle.de

Export of Saker Falcons

From the Mongolian newspaper 'Daily News', Wednesday, 8 August 2007, page 21, by L. Molomjamts: “Export of Falcon”

Abstract The Environmental Minister has recently issued an order to export 240 falcons to Arabian countries. The Government set a limit on the number of falcons to be exported as 300 annually. Each of the falcons cost US$ 9800 and of which US$ 800 goes to the soum (district) where the falcon was caught. The standard fee of one falcon is US$ 10,000 in Mongolia. Currently Kuwait and Arabian Emirates are launched trade agreements to purchase falcons from Mongolia.

The abstract was supplied by the GTZ (German Technical Cooperation) Program "Conservation and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources".

The Saker Falcon is globally threatened and listed as “Endangered” by IUCN (2007 IUCN Red List, as evaluated by BirdLife International - the official Red List Authority for birds for IUCN). Justification: "This species qualifies as Endangered because it has undergone a very rapid population decline, particularly on the central Asian breeding grounds, owing to inadequately controlled capture for the falconry trade."

300 Saker Falcons represent about 3-4% of the global population of the species. Between 1990 and 2003 Saker Falcon has been estimated to have declined by 59 % in Mongolia. Source: BirdLife Species Factsheet (accessed 16 Aug 2007).


Saker Falcon, Khovd.
Photo © A. Braunlich

It should be noted that the falcons are mainly used for hunting Houbara Bustard, a species which is also globally threatened. "It is classified as Vulnerable because it has undergone rapid population declines estimated to be 35% over three generations, owing largely to unsustainable hunting levels." source: BirdLife Species Factsheet (accessed 16 Aug 2007).

Photos from Uuganbayar Chuluunbaatar

Uugan, ornithologist from Ulaanbaatar has kindly sent several photos taken during his recent field work (June-August 2007).

Demoiselle Cranes.
Sukhbaatar aimag, northern Mongolia.

Ural Owl.
Gachuurt, near Ulaanbaatar.

Henderson’s (Mongolian) Ground Jay,

with Toad-headed Agama Phrynocephalus versicolor.
Near Zavkhan river, western Mongolia.

Mongolian (Koslov’s) Accentor.
Near Zavkhan river, western Mongolia.

Swan Geese.
Ogii nuur, c. 300 km W of Ulaanbaatar

All photos © Uuganbayar Chuluunbaatar

Exciting bird observations by French birdwatchers

Matthieu & Annaïg, two French birdwatchers are doing an eight months birding travel in central Asia. They came with their own car from France and spent 2 months in Kazakhstan and are now in Mongolia since the beginning of July. They will spend one more month for birding in Mongolia and will back by Russia, at Baikal Lake, in September.

Asian Desert Warbler. Photo © M. Vaslin

They recorded (incl. photographs) Chinese Pond Heron at Boon Tsagaan Nuur/ Gobi Lakes and a Cattle Egret (less than 5 records from Mongolia) at Ogii Nuur, c.300 km W of Ulaanbaatar.

And they had good number of several species, for example 10,000 Swan Geese, 500 Pacific Golden Plover, 24 Asian Dowitchers, and around 100 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, all at Ogii-Nuur.

Swan Geese. Photo © M. Vaslin

Sharp-tailed Sandpipers. Photo © M. Vaslin

Matthieu Vaslin & Annaïg keep an interesting blog De Temujin a Gensis Khan (in French) with very good photos, including many superb pictures of birds from Mongolia, have a look!


Broad-billed Sandpiper. Photo © M. Vaslin

We are looking forward to hear more from them!

Alert: Colour marking of swans and geese in northern Mongolia

Greetings All,

I am pleased to announce the successful capture and marking of several waterfowl species while sampling for avian influenza in wild waterbirds in Mongolia during July 2007. During the course of fieldwork this summer, a subsample of 30 Whooper Swans, 50 Bar-headed Geese and 21 Bean Geese have been fitted with coloured neck collars in Hovsgol (Khuvsgul) aimag (province) in northern Mongolia. Details of collars fitted are given below, and are illustrated in the photographs.

* 30 Whooper Swans fitted with red collars with white lettering (A01 to A30)

* 50 Bar-headed Geese fitted with yellow collars with black lettering (A0 to A9, B0 to B9, C0 to C9, D0 to D9 and E0 to E9)

* 21 Bean Geese fitted with yellow collars with black lettering (P51 to P71), also fitted with numbered metal leg rings, with bands on right leg indicating females and left leg indicating males (based on cloacal sexing). All Bean Goose collars were supplied by our collaborator Thomas Heinicke.

Whooper Swan. Photo © M. Gilbert, WCS

I would be very grateful if observers in Asia could be alert to the presence of neck collars when observing these species through range states (including those in Central Asia, Korean peninsula, China, South Asia).

Bean Goose. Photo © M. Gilbert, WCS

Please report any resightings to myself, Martin Gilbert at mgilbert at wcs.org. News of resightings and the details of the rest of our work will be posted on the GAINS website, http://www.gains.org/. Please also forward this message to others working in the region who may be able to contribute resightings.

Bar-headed Goose. Photo © M. Gilbert, WCS

This work has been carried out as part of the USAID-supported Global Avian Influenza Network for Surveillance (GAINS). The primary objectives of GAINS are to expand operational field capabilities, improve the understanding of viral strains and transmission of all strains of influenza viruses in wild birds, and to disseminate information to all levels of governments, international organizations, the private sector and the general public. Through this work the Wildlife Conservation Society seeks to contribute to our understanding of migratory movements, distribution and population status of wild birds.

Further alert to wader marking in northern and central Mongolia

Fieldwork is on-going, and in addition to the above announcement, the GAINS team in Mongolia will be fitting coloured leg flags during the southward migration period over the next few weeks. Capture and marking of several species is anticipated including Ruff, Wood Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint, with other species marked depending on availability of supplies. These birds will be fitted with leg flags coloured Blue over Green on the right leg. As with the swans and geese, please report any resightings to myself at the e-mail address above.

The material for these leg flags has been obtained through the kind assistance of Clive Minton and others with the Austalasian Wader Studies Group.

Best wishes to all,
Martin

Martin Gilbert
Field Veterinarian - Asia
Wildlife Conservation Society

Great Bustard Project

A team led by Mimi Kessler from Arizona State University is researching Great Bustards in Khuvsgul and Bulgan aimags (provinces) in northern Mongolia. The team has captured an adult female bustard and is now receiving transmissions from a satellite PTT (Platform Transmitter Terminal) attached to the bird. The team will observe habitat use, home range, and migration route. Genetic material in the form of dropped feathers is also being collected for population genetic analyses.

Great Bustard has been evaluated as “Vulnerable” for the 2007 IUCN Red List. It is listed in the Mongolian Red Book and the Mongolian population is estimated at 1500-2000 individuals. This research will contribute to conservation efforts in Central Asia.

Aimee "Mimi" Kessler, School of Life Sciences Graduate Programs, Arizona State University, USA


Great Bustard. Photo © M. Kessler


Great Bustard. Photo © M. Kessler

Long-toed Stint in Noyon Khangai National Park - K. Schleicher

Konrad Schleicher found recently a Long-toed Stint in Noyon Khangai National Park, Khangai Mountains. The bird had most likely a nest there, as it was circling Konrad and calling constantly, and disappearing in the vegetation when landing. A. Braunlich had a similar indirect breeding record at Lake Khuvsgul, northern Mongolia in June 1996.


Long-toed Stint. Photo © K. Schleicher


The habitat in Noyon Khangai. Photo © K. Schleicher

Trip in western Mongolia - A. Bräunlich & J. Steudtner

I am currently on a 3-weeks trip through western Mongolia, together with Jürgen Steudtner. Jürgen has taken some superb photos which will appear on Birding Mongolia later. Just now we are having a one-day break after returning from the Mongolian Altai before continuing to the wetlands of the Basin of the Great Lakes. Highlight in the Altai was a breeding record of the globally threatened (Vulnerable) Hodgson’s Bushchat (White-throated Bushchat Saxicola insignis).

Hodgson’s Bushchat. Photo © A. Braunlich

Brandt’s Mountain Finch. Photo © A. Braunlich

Khovd, 18 JUL 2007 – A. Braunlich, J. Steudtner

After a break I visited the poplar plantations in Khovd together with my friend Juergen Steudtner from Germany today for the first time since quite a while. We saw a rather buff coloured juvenile Barbary Falcon, presumably the bird I have seen twice before here. Surprisingly a second juvenile Barbary Falcon was resting in the same area, see the picture below. The two performed a great spectacle when being chased by the local Northern Hobby breeding pair.


Barbary Falcon. Photo © J. Steudtner

And another wing-tagged Mongolian Gull appeared (total at the river: c.20 adults, 6 juveniles).

Mongolian Gull. Photo © J. Steudtner

Again “unfaithful” - Russian Altai

First Afghanistan, now Russia… I was unfaithful (regarding Mongolia) and birded recently the southern Russian Altai for a week. I will post a trip report to Birding Mongolia in August. Watch this space!


In the Russian Altai, not far from Mongolia.
Photo © A. Braunlich