BIRDING MONGOLIA

August 29, 2012

Gullivers’s Travels 2012

text by Andreas Buchheim

part one: Terchijn Tsagaan Nuur

Mongolian Gulls ready for release, Mongolia, May 2012.

This year’s first expedition was devoted to our ongoing gull research. On 13 May, Lutz von der Heyde was dropped by his wife Manu at Berlin’s Tegel Airport where we were happy to meet Axel Bräunlich, the owner of this blog. But only Lutz and I flew that day to arrive at Chinggis Khaan International Airport the next day. Our driver Banzai picked us up and we went downtown for buying all provisions for a 24-day-trip. Furthermore, the third team member—Tuvshin Unenbat—joined us as well as our cook Ajuush the next day. Armed with 500 metal rings (metal bands) issued by the Mongolian Academy of Science, which were kindly handed out by Dr. Tseveenmyadag, and 1000 wing-tags for 500 individuals, we left the current capital on 14 May.

baicalensis White Wagtail (“Baikal Wagtail”),

Terchijn Tsagaan Nuur, May 2012. © Lutz von der Heyde

After having spent the night in Mongolia’s former capital Kharkhorin we passed Tsetserleg where we saw a group of 20 Eurasian Black Vultures and a single Himalayan Griffon at the local dump. Shortly before we arrived at our first destination, Terchijn Tsagaan Nuur, on 15 May, a male Merlin crossed our path. The lake was still almost completely frozen. Just some 50 m along the shore had melted, giving a chance for fishing for a few Goosanders, Great Cormorants and Black-throated Divers (Loons). Luckily, the big island in the west of the lake was accessible by our boats, and the next day we went there through a very narrow channel with a lot of drift ice. During the course of the next four of days we caught, processed (we are always noting about 35 parameters and take pictures of both the upper- and underwing as well as of the head of each gull), ringed (banded) and wing-tagged 87 adult Mongolian Gulls.

Quite a shocking first view of the frozen Terchijn Tsagaan Nuur,

as we feared that the ice would make the breeding island

(not visible in this picture) inaccessible, May 2012.

Migration was just catching up with a small group of Black-necked Grebes, which left the lake in the evening of 15 May, 4 pairs of Red-breasted Mergansers, about 45 Asian White-winged Scoters (stejnegeri), and several more species of ducks on the same day. In the evening a Great Egret flew by. Around our campsite, at the westernmost edge of the lake by a small ovoo (a type of shamanistic cairn), we did not see many songbirds, apart from the local baicalensis White Wagtails and a single Lesser Whitethroat, which was seeking either for food or/and for shelter in my tent where we caught it for ringing (wing 65 mm [max. chord], primary projection 13 mm, bill (to scull) 14 mm, tail 57 mm, tarsus 22 mm, p1 [innermost primary] 10.5 mm, p2 9.5 mm, p3 9 mm, p4 7 mm, p5 5 mm, p6 1.5 mm, p7 wingtip, p8 0.5 mm, p9 6.5 mm, p10 33 mm). Comments on its subspecific identity are very welcome!

Lesser Whitethroat, the ring is on the other side,

Terchijn Tsagaan Nuur, May 2012.

Migrating flock of Pacific Golden Plovers,

Terchijn Tsagaan Nuur, May 2012.

On 19 May a group of about 50 Black Terns and 13 Eurasian Spoonbills arrived and departed after a short break and we did the latter on 20 May after having seen 35 migrant White-winged Terns.

More coming soon! Watch this space!

Evening at Terchijn Tsagaan Nuur,

with the gull-island in the back, May 2012.

July 18, 2012

Wild Snow Leopard cubs

found in Mongolia!

A Snow Leopard Trust research team has located the den sites of two female snow leopards (Anu and Lasya). Anu’s den was in a big cave with a man-made rock wall blocking most of the entrance. The team taped a camera to their VHF antenna and was able to film inside. This is the first documented visit of a den site with cubs.

For more info visit the SLT blog.

June 23, 2012

Mongolian Finch in Ikh Nart

I took this footage a few days ago in Ikh Nart Nature Reserve in the Mongolian Gobi. Enjoy!

June 16, 2012

New website:

Arend Wassink, author of The Birds of Kazakhstan (written together with Gerald J Oreel) created a new website on the birds of Mongolia's large neighbour: click here. Good luck with this project, Arend!

May 3, 2012

Sumiya Damdin

1941–2012

We are deeply saddened to announce that Professor Damdin Sumiya passed away due to apoplexy on 27 April, 2012 at the age of 72. He was one of the most respected ornithologists, biologists, teachers, sport men, and educators in Mongolia. The Mongolian scientific community has lost one of its greatest members who was also one of the pioneering ornithologists in the country.

Sumiya was born in Damdin’s family at Tumen soum of Gobi-Altai province in 1941 and spent his childhood with his parents. He graduated from Primary and Secondary Schools at Altai City in 1956 and Teachers College at Ulaanbaatar city in 1960. He worked as a teacher at the Secondary School at Bayangobi and Galuut Soums of Bayankhongor province in 1690-1964. From 1964 to 1967, he was an elementary class teacher and headmaster at the Secondary School of the Bayankhongor City. In 1967-1972, he studied at the National University of Mongolia and graduated from the University having specialized in Biology Teaching and Zoology. Since that time, he has offered his services at the University as Lecturer, Head of Zoology Department, and Consulting Professor over the last 40 years.

He was interested in ornithology since he was a student at the National University of Mongolia. Starting in 1970, he participated in Khuvsgul Biological Complex Expeditions run by National University of Mongolia and Irkutsk University for 20 years. D.Sumiya studied at Irkutsk University’s follow-up course in 1975-1976 and Doctorate Training at the National University of Mongolia in 1987-1989. He completed his Doctorate Degree on “Avifauna of Khuvsgul Area, Their Conservation, and Economical Importance”.

Professor D.Sumiya worked extensively in joint expeditions on Natural Condition and Biological Resources of Khuvsgul Lake and Selenge River Basin, and a re-introduction programme of River Beaver in Western Mongolia together with scientists from Russia, Germany, and Czech.

Professor D.Sumiya is the author of many books and monographs such as “Birds of Khuvsgul”, “Natural Condition and Biological Resources of Khuvsgul Lake”, “Dictionary of the Mongolian Vertebrates”, “Khuvsgul Lake Atlas”, “Guide Book to Mongolian Birds and Mammals”, “Biology”, “Microevolution”, “Mongolian Red Book”, and “Mongolian Red List of Birds” and wrote more than 150 scientific papers and edited more than 10 books.

He had been successfully working on Research and Conservation of Steppe Raptors, particularly Saker Falcon, as the national team leader from 1998 to 2006. Professor D.Sumiya co-founded the Mongolian Ornithological Society with his students and had worked as the Director of the Society until 2009. He supervised many under graduate, post-graduate, and doctorate academic works at the University.

The Mongolian Government decorated him with several high ranking medals and honours, such as the National Medal of North Star, Honour Certificate of Mongolian Government (twice), 60 and 70 years Anniversary Medals of the People’s Revolution of Mongolia, Medal of Teachers Honour, and Medal and Honour of Best Employee of Education and Nature and Environment.

He had actively and efficiently worked for his country and spent his life organizing educational activities and scientific works to train biologists, particularly ornithologists of many generations, to improve educational materials and facilities, to develop public physical training, to write educational and scientific books, and to investigate fauna of the country over many years. Professor D. Sumiya was truly a talented organizer, great educator, respected sportsman, and famous scientist.

Professor D. Sumiya was one of the most sincere and friendly men in the scientific community, both a father to his family, and respected teacher among his many students. All the staff of the National University of Mongolia, all members of the Mongolian Ornithological Society, friends and numerous students will forever remember his deep knowledge of science, his talent in education, and honest and humble character in our hearts.

Mongolian Ornithological Society (MOS)

Zoology Department
School of Biology and Biotechnology
National University of Mongolia
_______________________________

This obituary was first published on the MOS website, and is repeated here with kind permission.

March 12, 2012

WSCC 2011 Wild Bird Photo Contest Winners

The winners of the Wildlife Science and Conservation Center's (WSCC) 2011 Mongolia Wild Bird Photo Contest have been announced recently.

In 2011 a total of 67 wonderful photos of 52 species were submitted by 17 participants from four countries: Germany, USA, Finland, and Mongolia. Again participants were people with many different backgrounds, birdwatchers, ornithologists, students, teachers, tour guides, and biologists.

1st place: Siberian Crane Grus leucogeranus,

Binder, Khentii Province, NE Mongolia. © Ganuskh Danaa.

A photo of the globally Critically Endangered Siberian Crane by D. Gansukh won the 1st place of this year's contest followed by an Amur Falcon by Martin Grimm, and a Great Egret by E. Bolormunkh as 2nd and 3rd places respectively. Also photos of Red-necked Stint by Mathias Putze and Mongolian Ground Jay by N. Batsaikhan took special prizes.

The goal of the annual Mongolia Wild Bird Photo Contest is to raise public awareness, knowledge and appreciation of birds and their habitat conservation, and to promote bird watching in Mongolia.

The winning photos can be viewed here: click.

To see all photos entered click here.

March 9, 2012

Education Efforts in Mongolia Gain Momentum

From the Snow Leopard Blog

of the Snow Leopard Trust

(27 Feb 2012)

When snow leopards predate on livestock, herding families must make a difficult choice between protecting their livelyhood and protecting the cats. Last year, we discovered that for the people living within snow leopard habitat, the answer to this difficult question was not clear.

When the snow leopard Shonkor killed more than a dozen domestic sheep and goats, we were concerned. We empathized with the herder, and worried about the safety of Shonkor. Incidents like this have driven other herders in Mongolia to kill snow leopards. But this time, the herder contacted our staff. Our field team immediately went to help.

The herder’s first tactics had not worked. He had, in an attempt to keep the cat from killing more of his livestock, parceled out one carcass daily to the cat, hoping it would be too full to kill again. The cat then didn’t want to leave! He stayed, right next to the yurt – and it scared the family.

Our staff used knowledge gleaned from our in-depth research to find a better solution. They helped the herder move one of the dead animals to a hillside far from the yurt, and to get rid of the rest. Shonkor was able to feed on the carcass without threatening the family or the rest of the herd. The family then diligently patrolled the corral – flashing lights at night, making noise, and discouraging Shonkor from returning. He didn’t. As for the family, we helped them to join the new Mongolian livestock insurance program so they can be compensated for livestock losses like this in the future.

This situation highlighted an important need to educate communities about better ways prevent and respond to snow leopard predation.

The first step was to conduct day-long workshops with participants of the Snow Leopard Enterprises program. Over 330 people met to share how they already address snow leopard visits, and learn what additional information they need and want.

Now, Nadia M., Conservation Education Manager for the Trust and its partner organization SLCF Mongolia, has developed a poster summarizing the best practices from the herders and international experts. We plan on distributing 500 posters to people in more than 25 villages, as well as park rangers and others who need the information.

Hopefully, the end result will be fewer of the types of conflicts that can lead to snow leopard killings.

Unfortunately, Shonkor passed away of natural causes in August of 2011. We are grateful that he was able to teach us so much about snow leopards, and how to live in peace with them.

March 3, 2012

Swarming Mongolia

Curator of entomology at The Academy of Natural Sciences, Jon Gelhaus, talks about field life in Mongolia and the international effort to survey the country's aquatic insects.

February 28, 2012

Mongolia’s first wind farm

The following is the first part of a text Marshaling the Winds of Mongolia by Dylan Walsh, published on 22 Feb 2012 in: The New York Times, Green, a blog about energy and the environment

“Mongolia’s first wind installation is a $120 million project that will provide 5 percent of the country’s electricity demand. Transmission lines were installed last year, while turbine construction waited out the fierce Mongolian winter. It is scheduled to begin in March.” Read more here.

A PDF “Environmental and social impact assessment of the Salkhit Uul wind park, 30 November 2008” can be downloaded here.

February 22, 2012

February 17, 2012

One pollution less
and a rushed twitch

Text & Fotos © Andreas Buchheim

In the morning of 12 February 2012, Huyagaa and Amarkhuu, both members of the Mongolian Birdwatching Club picked me up. We were joined by Megaa a little later and then went to the south side of Bogd Khaan Uul to pay the famous Manzshir Monastery a visit. This has been productive several times before (for example: click here) and we hoped to see some nice forest species there.

As we left the car 5 Eurasian Black Vultures crossed the valley and near the parking-lot some corvids hoped for something to feed upon.

Manzshir Monastery, Feb 2012

Oriental [Carrion] Crows searching for some scraps

at the parking lot, Manzshir Monastery, Feb 2012

Common Magpie doing likewise,

Manzshir Monastery, Feb 2012

Further up in the forest there were several flocks of Eurasian Tree Sparrows loosely joined by Eurasian Siskins and a few Common Crossbills. Some of the crossbills were in full song already. Food supply for them is huge this winter and we saw several groups of crossbills during our visit.

Today I understood why they are called

Eurasian TREE Sparrows, Manzshir Monastery, Feb 2012

A lot of cones were available this winter,

Manzshir Monastery, Feb 2012

Male Common Crossbill,

Manzshir Monastery, Feb 2012

Coal Tits were also singing everywhere but the many Willow Tits we saw did only give their subsongs. Spotted Nutcrackers also showed kind of territorial behavior already and we saw a group of 8 birds and another group of 3 birds while walking through the forest. In contrast to this we encountered only one Eurasian Jay.

Coal Tit, Manzshir Monastery, Feb 2012

Willow Tit, Manzshir Monastery, Feb 2012

The valley viewed from the top of the rocks

(cf. first pic of this post), Manzshir Monastery, Feb 2012

After we found another big flock of Eurasian Siskins which was loosely joined by 4 Siberian Accentors we went back to the parking lot. On the way a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker—the only woodpecker we saw there on this trip—crossed our path.

Striking was the complete lack of redpolls of any kind. These had been one of the most common birds around Ulaanbaatar during previous winters. We saw them even in the steppe of Khustai Nuruu NP in huge flocks, so huge that we joked about the big “redpollution”. But this winter, despite many days out at different sites not a single redpoll was recorded—thus there was one pollution less for the area.

As there was some time left we decided to see whether the European Greenfinches (see here: click) would be around and Amarkhuu offered to check for the Common Coot which was found during the waterfowl-count a week before (members of the Mongolian Birdwatching Club counted among other birds: Mallard 63, Common Goldeneye 13, Ruddy Shelduck 223, Goosander 7, and impressively Bohemian Waxwing over 1000).

So we rushed towards the area below Songino Khairkhan Uul where we spent an hour or so. We could not find any greenfinches but saw 3 Azure-winged Magpies, a Naumann’s Thrush (naumanni), a female Black-throated Thrush and a male Red-throated x Black-throated Thrush hybrid.

At the UB Ponds we quickly relocated the coot among the Mallards, Common Goldeneyes, Goosanders and Ruddy Shelducks and went back home after a very nice day of birding. Thanx guys for your enjoyable companionship!

Male Red-throated x Black-throated Thrush hybrid,

below Songino Khairkhan Uul, Feb 2012

Male Red-throated x Black-throated Thrush hybrid

in flight showing its betraying reddish tail,

below Songino Khairkhan Uul, Feb 2012

February 10, 2012

Elizabeth V. Kozlova

37 years ago today, the famous Russian ornithologist Elizabeth V. Kozlova died. She is well known for her outstanding work in researching Mongolia’s bird fauna. To pay tribute to her an obituary written by by A. I. Ivanov, published in the British Ornithologists’ Union’s scientific journal, Ibis (1976, vol. 118, issue 1, p.127) is repeated here.

OBITUARY

ELIZABETH V. KOZLOVA

Madame E. V. Kozlova, a corresponding member of the British Ornithologists’ Union, died in Leningrad on 10 February 1975. She was born in a physician’s family on 19 August 1892 in the little town of Krasnoe Selo, near Petersburg (now a part of Leningrad). Kozlova started her ornithological activity as an amateur during a visit to Tian Shan in 1913, and again in the southern Ukraine in 1918–19. Later, in 1923, her husband P. K. Kozlov, the well-known explorer of Central Asia, organized the Mongolian expedition of the Russian Geographical Society, and Madame Kozlova participated in that expedition as a professional ornithologist. She stayed in Mongolia from 1923 until 1926, and was able to study birds in different parts of the country: in the forests of the Western Kentei mountains, the steppes of Central Mongolia, and the Gobi desert in the depression of the Orog-Nur Lake and near the northern-slopes of the Gobian Altai. Rich collections and observations brought from Mongolia provided Kozlova with excellent material for a monograph, Birds of Southwestern Transbaicalia, Northern Mongolia and Central Gobi. The work was rewarded with a Silver medal of the Russian Geographical Society. In 1929 and 1930 Kozlova visited Mongolia again, and studied birds in the unexplored high mountainous parts of Khangai and in the taiga region of Eastern Kentei. A condensed survey of her studies in Mongolia was published in the Ibis, and is well known to British ornithologists.

E. V. Kozlova 1923 in Mongolia,
left: in the mountains, right: in front of a yurt.
from: Piechocki, R. 1983. Abriß zur Erforschungsgeschichte der

Avifauna mongolica. Erforsch. biol. Ress. MVR 3: 5–31.

From her Mongolian expeditions until the last years of her life, Kozlova worked in the Department of Birds of the Zoological Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R. In the winter of 1934–35 and in 1937, together with the ornithologist A. Ya. Tugarinov, she visited the wintering quarters of birds on the southwestern shores of the Caspian Sea. Two books published on the results of these trips are of great interest and value, since the study was done before the level of the Caspian Sea was much lowered and the environment changed to a high degree.

During World War I1 the Zoological Institute was transferred from Leningrad to Dushambe in Tadzhikistan. It was a rather hard time. Nevertheless Kozlova successfully studied the biology of Phacianus colchicus bianchii as well as the biology of some mountain birds. The physical effort, however, was great and after coming back to Leningrad in 1945 Kozlova was forced to refuse to participate in further expeditions.

There were two main trends in Kozlova’s activity in the post-war time. She was closely involved with the preparation of the Fauna of the U.S.S.R., and published monographs on the Gaviiformes, Procellariiformes, Alcidae and Charadriidae of the U.S.S.R. The excellent monograph on Charadriidae, published in two volumes in 1961 and 1962, is a fine synthesis of data obtained by methods of comparative and functional morphology and by ecological observations.

Simultaneously, she pursued studies on the genesis of the avifauna of Central Asia. She started with Tibet, as the recognized centre of origin of numerous high mountain birds. Although not very large, the work Avifauna of Tibet, its relative ties and history, published by Kozlova in 1952, is very important because of the methods used in it for the study of the origin of complexes united in a fauna. The same methods were used by Kozlova in her last work, completed not long before her death, Birds of the zonal steppes and deserts of Mongolia (in press*). Such was the contribution of Madame Kozlova to our knowledge of birds.

A. I. IVANOV

* published: Birds of the steppe and desert zones of Central Asia. Leningrad: Trudy Zool. Inst. Akad. Nauk SSSR 59, in Russian.

February 1, 2012

Serious Subzero Birding

Text & photos © Andreas Buchheim

January 2012 has been colder than average here in central Mongolia. Only during a few nights—early in the month—the temperature did not fall below minus 30°C (-22°F), but even the “warmest” night was minus 27°C (-16.6°F) cold. At the end of the month temperatures dropped even below minus 40°C (-40°F), making birding an unpleasant affair unless done from your flat or from a car. I did the latter on 31 January and went to the area below Songino Khairkhan Uul to check whether the European Greenfinches (see previous post) were still around and whether I could take some more pictures.

minus 43°C (-45.4°F), as seen on my thermometer,

Ulaanbaatar, Jan 2012

I arrived at 10 a.m. and soon re-found the flock of European Greenfinches, but they were immediately spooked by a guy and his (?) cows, not to be found again that day. Birding was hard as birds were few but being out of the smog was good enough for me.

Ulaanbaatar under a thick layer of smog, Jan 2012

As I waited for the greenfinches to return to their favoured spot a (the?) male Güldenstädt’s Redstart (see previous post) moved along but was too far away and disappeared to somewhere. The redstart’s berry-bush was totally covered by frost and if there had been some berries left they most probably were now inaccessible. The sewage stream had become a very narrow one, usually about 4 to 6 m wide it was now only 60 cm wide and a lot of ice was floating on it.

The redstart’s bush on the banks of the almost totally frozen

over sewage stream, below Songino Khaikhan Uul, Jan 2012

No less than 27 Azure-winged Magpies were taking their toll on the berries but somehow the managed always to keep their distance, thus, again, I was unable to get close enough to take some acceptable shots.

Azure-winged Magpies taking a nap in a tree,

below Songino Khaikhan Uul, Jan 2012

In general, photographing was difficult, not only because of the freezing temperature but also because it was sunny and I was trying to take pictures from inside the car. Most pictures I took showed the impact of “frost-haze”: the sun warmed up the car and the warm air (what do I write?—it was not warm, just warmer than the outside air but still so cold that the snow I had brought in with my boots did show no signs of melting!) caused the haze directly in front of the window where it met the cold air, not very funny if you go out for almost nothing. As Axel had asked me to take some habitat-pictures I left the car several times and tried to accomplish this.

Bushes and the sewage stream,

below Songino Khaikhan Uul, Jan 2012

Common Magpie stealing the greenfinch-seeds,

below Songino Khaikhan Uul, Jan 2012

I had put out some seeds for the greenfinches but the corvids were quick in discovering this and ate most. The only remaining turdids were all Red-throated Thrushes and they were quite keen in keeping away conspecifics from their respective territories.

Red-throated Thrush,

below Songino Khaikhan Uul, Jan 2012

A more open stretch of the sewage stream,

below Songino Khaikhan Uul, Jan 2012

Bohemian Waxwing I saw about 150 today and a few Great Tits as well as few Azure Tits searched for food in the trees. At 12:45 p.m. an Eurasian Black Vulture crossed the valley to land on Songino Khaikhan Uul, may be it had fed on Ulaanbaatar’s rubbish tip. A lonely (?) Ruddy Shelduck flew upstream and the coming weekend will tell how many of them are overwintering in Ulaanbaatar this winter. I returned after 4 hours and boy—I had very cold feet!

January 20, 2012

Surprise below

Songino Khairkhan Uul