KAZAKHSTAN MAY 2005

by Phil Pope

The following describes another Naturetrek ‘bargain’ birding tour, quite a short trip, with only seven birding days, but some very special birds and a part of the world, Central Asia, which is still relatively unexplored by birders.

DAY 1/2 May 12^th/13^th    

The trip began in the departure lounge at Heathrow terminal 1 and a six hour wait overnight for a 04:30 check in! I survived this with the aid of a Dan Brown novel and a little dozing. Our Naturetrek leader Peter Clement was there at the appointed time to make sure everyone was checked in OK. After changing at Frankfurt it was only a six hour flight across Eastern Europe and Kazakhstan before landing at the old capital city of Almaty.

It was now almost midnight and we took what sleep we could before eagerly rising and getting outside the hotel. Unfortunately, it was rather miserable outside with steady rain. We managed Great Tit, Blackbird and some Common Mynas before admitting defeat and going in for breakfast.

Our Kazakh tour guides arrived, rather late I felt, at around 09:30 and we were introduced to our driver, local guide and interpreter before being piled into the bus and out into the city traffic. It took some while to get out of Almaty; the traffic was heavy at this time. It gave us a chance, though, to see some of the city; it seems very westernised and is full of trees. The weather hadn’t really improved and the Tien Shan mountains, prominent in photos, could not be seen.

After a couple of hours we were driving through open countryside and were meant to be visiting an arboretum. This didn’t seem to materialise but we eventually turned off the road and up a track to a promising looking area. European Bee-eaters scattered from the overhead wires and several Rollers were seen up there as well. Ahead was an area of reedbed and poplars. Nightingales, Cetti’s Warblers and a Golden Oriole were heard and great views were had of a singing Penduline Tit in a tree. A Long-tailed Shrike (the only one of the trip) appeared on the wires and a Red-headed Bunting, my first tick, was seen in a bush. This bird was very common and was seen on all days and in most habitats. Our guides did not seem to be too keen on this area, however, and we had only a brief stay before driving on.

A little further down the road a Black Stork was seen in flight and the bus was stopped accordingly. At Chilik we had another slightly longer stop. Two large raptors were seen high overhead which turned out to be Black Vultures. Many Barn Swallows flew around, a ditch near the road held two Lesser Grey Shrikes and a Common Sandpiper was heard on the stream.

We were now moving into some serious desert habitat, a wide plain with distant mountains on either side. At Nurly, those on the right hand side of the bus spotted four Sandgrouse in flight. We saw where they had landed and we were soon outside scoping the desert. Eventually they were picked up and proved to be Pallas’s Sandgrouse, our first major target bird. Only the females were seen well on the ground but some good flight views were also obtained enabling all of the salient id points to be noted.

We walked out in a wide circle and saw several Greater Sand Plovers as well as Short-toed Larks. A Saker Falcon was seen overhead, although rather silhouetted against the sun.

Another stop at an oasis at Vorandson was quite productive. Two Turtle Doves, a flock of Rosy Starlings in a bush, a rather elusive Desert Finch, which showed to only a few and a flock of House Sparrows containing a Spanish Sparrow.

At Kokpeck Pass we were told of the possibility of nesting White-throated Robins and we climbed up into a gorge in search. We had superb views of two Golden Eagles wheeling around on the other side of the pass. White-capped Buntings were much in evidence but no Robins were found. As we trekked back down a Peregrine was seen harassing another Golden Eagle.

Our final stop and, in fact, our campsite for two nights was at Bartogai Lake, actually a reservoir and very spectacular with its backdrop of high peaks. Some quick birding was done while the light persisted. Isabelline Wheatears seemed to be everywhere, four Ruddy Shelducks flew over the lake and a pair of Long-legged Buzzards were near to a nest on the crags at the side of the water. It was quite high here, over 4000ft, and got rather cold once the sun had gone. The tents proved very warm, however, and the food quite adequate. Only the toilets were scary, just a hole in the ground and a plank, covered in a small tent, not for the squeamish! More of these later.

DAY 2

Not surprisingly I was awake at first light and got myself out of the tent. Back in to put on some more layers as it was freezing out there. Jon (who I was sharing the tent with) and I then did a circuit of the desert around the tents. Grey-necked Buntings proved to be very common in the area along with the Isabelline Wheatears. The eastern form of Whitethroat was seen and heard singing, apparently this one is ripe for a split. There were also lots of Linnets about and we found a single Pied Wheatear. Several Giant Gerbils were seen and Phil announced that he had read that they carried Bubonic Plague! We decided to give them a wide berth just in case.  On the way back we saw a White-winged Black Tern flying across the lake and a Common Sandpiper close to the shore.

The conditions didn’t encourage washing in the tiny outside trough so most of us went dirty that day. After some nice porridge we were back on the road and heading for the Charyn river valley. A few short stops were made to look at Hoopoes and the distinctive eastern form of Jackdaw which has a paler nape and a ‘collar’. A grove of trees at Kopeck village is apparently sometimes good for migrants but today we saw only a Cuckoo and an Isabelline Shrike.

We soon reached the Charyn Yellow canyon. Quite good scenically, it resembles a miniature Grand Canyon. It was rather quiet bird wise though. A party of Little Ringed Plovers were displaying in the middle of the road! and two Egyptian Vultures were seen in the distance.

Moving on upwards we came to the Charyn Red canyon. Here we were able to walk out on a high buff overlooking the valley and scan with our scopes. A Blue Rock Thrush was on a rock on the opposite side and then a superb Rock Thrush was seen quite close. It performed a beautiful display flight and landed on the rocks right in front of us.

Climbing even higher we reached a grassy plateau at 4700 ft. The views here were amazing, with the distant Tien Shan mountains revealing themselves in the mist and the foothills forming some interesting rock folds and shapes. It was good for birds as well. Three Rock Sparrows were scoped and a Shore Lark seen. Eventually we saw an entire family of Shore Larks very close to us with the female feeding fledged young.

On scanning the skies towards the mountains we saw a group of Himalayan Griffon Vultures soaring around in the thermals. An Alpine Swift also did a flypast.

A drive across the Sugaty Plain was made before descending to the lush Ash Grove. Previous groups had stayed in a lodge here and it had been productive for migrants but this was now the middle of the day and things were quiet. The local leaders even seemed unsure where to go! Apart from hearing more Nightingales and seeing lots of Isabelline Shrikes we did not see much. On the way back up we stopped at a spot, on the edge of the plain, where Mongolian Finches had been seen but we dipped.

The plain itself looked a promising desert and we made a stop to do a circular walk. It was unfortunately rather windy but eventually we had excellent views of a Desert Wheatear.

Another attempt was made for the White-throated Robin back at Kopeck Pass but this seemed rather futile at this time of day with little song evident. The White-capped Buntings were seen again and a Chukar was seen high on the rocks but it was another dip.

A slightly frustrating day!

DAY 3

For the first time ever on a foreign trip my stomach was complaining about the way I was treating it and I had a rather uncomfortable night. However, some swift medication meant that I didn’t need to go near ‘those toilets’ again but it was hard work dragging myself out at dawn this morning. The action was mainly on the lake with quite a few ducks seen out on the water. There were the usual Ruddy Shelducks, Gadwall, Red Crested Pochards and quite a few Garganey, including a pair quite close in to shore. Also from the nearby spit we found a Terek Sandpiper along with three Temminck’s Stints and a Little Ringed Plover. A Common Tern and a Black-headed Gull were also seen some way out.

After some very welcome porridge again we said our farewells to the camp staff and headed off for the long drive back to Almaty. We made a couple of stops at the Kopeck Pass again. The first was a short walk near to the road. We had good views of a Hobby, saw a flock of many hundreds of Rosy Starlings wheeling around overhead. A Rock Bunting was singing from some rocks on the valley side. We dipped yet again on White throated Robin but saw another Golden Eagle and more White-capped Buntings.

Another brief stop was made to look at a flock of six eastern race Goldfinches. These are very distinctive, with grey heads and a pale rump, surely another candidate for a split?

Further on was a colony of Pale Sand Martins, not yet a separate species, but, you’ve guessed it, yet another possible split. While we were watching them we had flyovers of firstly a dark phase, and then a very striking pale phase, Booted Eagle.

Lunch was taken next to a bridge over a concrete waterway. As we ate we were able to watch a Hoopoe taking food to its nest under the bridge.

The rest of the journey was uneventful and late afternoon found us back in Almaty and transferring to the bus that was to take us up the mountain road to an old Russian Observatory at 9000ft. The bus was rather old, very high geared with a 5 litre engine, so I was told, and it climbed its way slowly up through the streets towards the start of the road. Near the start we passed a mountain stream with its walls built up high to avoid flooding. We stopped and scanned the area and almost immediately found a Brown Dipper on the rocks. Peter then spotted a Blue Whistling Thrush some way up the slope ahead of us.

The road climbed rapidly, seeming to get steeper and steeper, but the bus took it in its stride. What was quickly apparent was that the snowline was very low. There were fresh falls way below the observatory, something that we gathered was quite unusual. This prompted concerns about the likelihood of finding all the usual breeding species A little way before the reservoir we saw a flock of around fifty Plain Mountain Finches together with one stunning Red-fronted Serin amongst them.

Eventually we reached the Observatory buildings and were very pleased to find a block of comfortable rooms with a decent bathroom and a shower! What luxury!

There was just time for a brief venture outside into the snow. It was freezing cold, but the scenery was amazing with high peaks all around the valley. The calls of a Himalayan Snowcock, described by our guide as being like a Curlew being strangled, could be heard in the distance, but the light was fading and it was time to try out that shower!

DAY 4

Three of us were out at first light in great anticipation. I suppose it was a little disappointing to hear familiar songs like Mistle Thrush and Wren as our first birds. It took a while until the light was good enough to bird properly but the juniper scrub alongside the entrance road gave us firstly a pair of Black-throated Accentors and then a singing Himalayan Rubythroat. The bright red throat pulses as it sings and is nicely set off by the black around it. What a superb bird!

As we walked out across the snow we saw Water Pipits, in their summer plumage, a Brown Accentor sang from the scrub and all around from the high peaks were the cries of several Himalayan Snowcock. With some scanning we eventually located a bird on the crags above us, firstly walking along and then calling from the most prominent spot available.

We climbed a ridge which enabled us to scan an area of juniper scrub for the local breeding birds. Despite the snow most of them seemed to be on territory and, one after another, we picked up White-winged Grosbeak, Red-mantled Rosefinch and Sulphur-bellied Warbler. The hoped-for Severtsov`s Tit Warbler could not be found however; perhaps this was one bird that did take heed of the weather.

It seemed a long trek back for breakfast but the early morning exertions at this altitude were starting to take their toll and food was an urgent necessity. Despite this, two of our number, Phil and Jon decided to skip it and stay in place to look for the warbler. I trudged back, bolted my porridge and was back with them an hour later, convinced that I would have been gripped off, but their dedication had been to no avail on this occasion. What a relief! The others (or at least the hardy few) soon joined us and we completed the circuit of the valley. Two Golden Eagles were seen overhead and a Great Cormorant bizarrely flew right over the highest of the peaks; what was it doing? The other strange event was hearing a Cuckoo calling from the high crags. Were they laying their eggs in the Snowcock’s nest?!

As the weather was still clear a decision was made to go for the Cosmos station (whatever that was?)  at the highest point of the track (10,900 ft). So it was onto the bus and a very slow winding ascent. After about an hour we reached a motley collection of buildings which seemed to be manned only by some guards in a jeep who drove past us several times. At the top the white landscape was literally hurting our eyes; those of us without sun glasses were in some discomfort. We still managed to quickly find the Guldenstadt’s Redstart though. This is the biggest of the family and, I think, the most striking, another contender for bird of the trip. It perched up for us on the nearest buildings before flying off to some rocks across the other side of the track. Other birds up here were more Brown Accentors and Red-billed Choughs. However, the mist started to roll in and further searching seemed pointless. On the way down we saw some largish flocks of Plain Mountain Finches.

After some lunch we descended the mountain in the bus until we reached the Bolshoi Almaty reservoir. We walked around a kilometre on a track overlooking the water, seeing Hume’s Yellow-browed Warbler and some Red-fronted Serins, before scanning the shingle delta beyond the reservoir. Eventually Peter announced that he had found an Ibisbill and some frenzied activity followed as everyone tried to get it in their scopes. It was a long way away and the different streams making up the delta were very complex but eventually everyone was able to see it.

Some of us then walked back along the track to try for Songar Tit in the Spruce forest. One could be heard some way away but remained elusive and we had to be content with views of a Red Squirrel.

The clouds were closing in, making birding all but impossible, so we descended still further. Eventually we had several sightings of Blue-crowned Redstart, the only one of the family without a red tail but a very striking bird nevertheless. Some Grey Wagtails were also seen on the stream. A further walk was cut short as , yet again, the mists rolled in and we decided to throw in the towel and head back up for our last night of comfort.

DAY 5

We began the day as we had the day before by walking out to the ridge in a final attempt for the Tit-Warbler. Himalayan Snowcock was again heard but not located and we saw another Himalayan Rubythroat and a Black-throated Accentor.  There had been fresh snow overnight and as we arrived it started to snow again. It snowed more and more and it was decided to admit defeat and abort the session. An early breakfast was ordered and we quickly finished our packing and were back in the bus heading back down the mountain in good time. We tried the Spruce forest by the reservoir again where Jon had seen a possible Hazel Hen the day before but the clouds were following us down; we had to descend still further.

Another attempt at a walk gave us distant views of a Nutcracker on top of a Spruce. Songar Tit was heard again but still not seen and the clouds arrived again cutting it short.

There seemed little choice but to carry on right to the bottom. We stopped at the stream again to look for the Dipper. As we got out of the bus a Grasshopper Warbler was heard reeling from the bushes nearby. Then a shout went up. There, on the concrete wall of the stream right in front of us was a superb Wallcreeper, flicking its wings as it made its way up the wall and disappeared over the other side. Keith, in particular, was ecstatic; apparently this had been his bogy bird for a long time.

Much complaining had been heard about the lack of Azure Tit, a speciality of the area that we felt we really had to see, so as soon as we reached some deciduous woods at the foot of the mountain we stopped the bus and set off towards the trees. Almost immediately we found three Azure Tits in the first group of trees.

After crawling back into the centre of Almaty we transferred back to the original bus and headed out westwards towards the desert. After an hour or so the landscape began to look decidedly ‘steppe’ like, with grasslands stretching off to the horizon. We saw the odd horseman out there, looking very exotic compared to the western feel of the city. A herd of camels crossed the road in front of us, probably domesticated Dromedaries.

As we progressed westwards the land became gradually more arid. Large patches of steppe were bright crimson with Poppies and we stopped for some photographs. The air was full of lark song; both Calandra and Bimaculated Larks were identified in flight. In the distance a mass of Rosy Starlings were seen, many thousands strong.

We stopped for lunch at Sorbulak Lake which looked very promising straight away with a group of lovely summer plumaged White-winged Black Terns by the road. A Ferruginous Duck was seen on the water and a Dalmation Pelican flew over.

Moving off the road we made our way along a track and parked by some reedbeds where we ate our lunch. A large Acro warbler sang from the reeds. We had been told they would be Clamourous Reed Warblers but an examination of the primary projections showed them to be Great Reed Warbler. The song sounded too halting for this species but maybe they weren’t singing fully yet or perhaps it was an eastern variation.

Moving to the side of the lake we saw lots more Dalmation Pelicans together with a single White Pelican. On the shoreline was a Terek Sandpiper, a flock of Black-headed Gulls and a Green Sandpiper. On the water were Great Crested Grebes and Common Terns. A single Gull-billed Tern flew past. A number of Caspian Gulls were also seen while both Grey Plover and Black-tailed Godwit flew over.

On the other side of the road were some marshes that held several Garganey, Black-winged Stilts and a Ruff. A Demoiselle Crane was seen flying over followed by a party of Grey Herons.

Just before we reached the night’s camp we stopped at a small grove of trees next to some buildings which looked promising for migrants. It was teeming with birds. We saw two Spotted Flycatchers, Redstart, Lesser Whitethroat, a dozen or so Hume’s Yellow-browed Warblers, a Booted (Sykes) Warbler, several Hobbies, four Rufous Turtle Doves, a Thrush Nightingale, Common Rosefinch and a few Desert Finches.

The camp, at Konshon Geli, was a clone of the one we had stayed at for the first few days (my heart sank when I saw the familiar toilet tents out in the distance!).  It was situated by an Artesian Well right out in the desert and the lark song was almost deafening, there was Short-toed, Lesser Short-toed, Calandra and Bimaculated Larks here. Before dinner, Jon and I walked to the first obvious raised area and scanned the surrounding area. Immediately I spotted a Houbara (or McQueen's if you prefer) Bustard and as I watched it ruffled up its white feathers and started galloping around in display; what a fantastic sight. Phil had seen from the camp that we were watching something and dashed over, looking in the scope he expressed himself very eloquently: “Yes!, get on that ****** list!!!”. A Corsac Fox was seen approaching the Bustard but was probably no danger to it.

It was no good, I was going to have to visit those toilet tents. Unfortunately on bending over to complete the job the lens cap from my scope fell out of my pocket and plunged into the abyss below, and there it stayed!!

DAY 6

The larks woke us up at first light so we headed quickly for a small sand dune overlooking the nearest artesian well. The four species of Lark were all evident from their songs although I was still unable to differentiate between the last two. Two Demoiselle Cranes could be seen doing their dancing display in the distance and the Houbara was still showing off but the well itself was quiet. After breakfast we drove down the track past the well and stopped to look at a large party of Black-bellied Sandgrouse drinking there.

Today’s target was the Turanga forest, an area of endemic trees which held some very specialist species. As it involved a drive of a couple of hours it was decided to go straight there and ignore anything on the way. We passed several promising looking lakes which we were promised with on the way back. On arrival we parked up and walked into the widely spaced trees. A Turkistan Tit was heard calling almost immediately but it took some time and effort to get everyone on it; it resembles a Great Tit with just subtle call and plumage differences. Attention was then placed on the Saxaul bushes across the road, which are favoured by Saxaul Sparrows. None of these four specialist species were in any of our field guides so we didn’t really know what we were looking for. However, when I saw a large black and white Woodpecker fly onto a nearby telegraph pole I knew it had to be a White-winged Woodpecker.  Our second of the species was in the bag. We continued to search the bushes for the sparrow but then two stock Doves were seen on some wires in the distance. If they had yellow eyes then they were going to be the third species, Yellow-eyed Stock Dove and indeed they were. It took a little while to get everyone one in a position to see the eyes as the doves proved rather mobile. However, everyone was finally happy and we could then concentrate on the one remaining species. Throughout our search we were regularly distracted by Steppe Eagles passing overhead; there must have been a significant passage of them taking place. We were able to study the plumage details of several different ages of birds. On one occasion a Shikra was seen mobbing one of them.

A sparrow call was then heard and we took off in pursuit. The birds were playing hard to get, with just a few glimpses being had. Eventually though a flock of fifteen Saxaul Sparrows flew down from the trees onto the open ground and we could all admire them. They really are most attractive birds, possibly the best of the family. Another bird emerged from the bushes nearby and revealed itself to be an Olivaceous Warbler.

It was now almost two o’clock and we hadn’t had lunch yet. Some of us were near to collapse from lack of food!  A few set off back to the bus. I am always reluctant to leave when others are still birding but I decided enough was enough and started off. Almost at once a shout went up. I dashed back in time to see a superb White-tailed Sea Eagle flap slowly past. It was definitely worth delaying food for; some of the group had missed it. I begged them to stop birding but they carried on. I went back and ate my food and they didn’t see anything else, phew!

On the return trip we stopped at the promised lakes. The first had a good number of waders scattered around. We counted twenty one Terek Sandpipers and around a dozen Temminck’s Stints. There was also a Wood Sandpiper and a Green Sandpiper as well as ten summer plumage Black Terns. A Citrine Wagtail was spotted along with two dark headed Wagtails. The consensus seemed to be that these were a Black-headed and an Ashy headed Wagtail.

The next lake had several small birds skulking in the surrounding scrub, one revealed itself to be a female Bluethroat and then its mate, a lovely red spotted bird, showed itself. A Greenish Warbler was also a new species for the trip.

It had been a very successful day.

DAY 7

Our final day’s birding saw us up with the Larks as usual and out on the dune overlooking the well. Strangely, only three of us were here this morning. There was a lot more activity than the previous day. Ten Temminck’s Stints were counted around the water hole along with two Desert Finches. Then another finch flew in; it had a pale bill and a double wing bar and none of us knew what it was. I suspected Mongolian Finch (again, I had no pictures of this with me) so we dashed back to find the others. My brief description to Peter confirmed the id and most of the others came back to look for it. Of course it had flown off, but after a short wait three birds flew in and were confirmed as being Mongolian Trumpeter Finches, a good species to get.

After breakfast and a quick packing session, we decided to walk across the desert to the next Artesian well with the hope of getting Caspian Plover. Houbara Bustards were again seen in the distance and all the usual Larks were around. After some distance we encountered several Greater Sand Plovers and, on approaching the well, we saw a large flock of Black-bellied Sandgrouse on the ground. Another Citrine Wagtail was also seen. No sign of Caspian's though or any other species of Sandgrouse as we had hoped.

Rather disappointing. Then it was back to the camp and into the bus. The next target was a spot where in the previous year a party of White-winged Larks had been seen. These normally only occur a long way to the north and would have been a considerable coup. However, despite spreading out and walking out into the desert for some distance there was no sign of them.

Another couple of hours’ drive brought us to Tamgaly Tas, a site famous for its Bronze age rock paintings. We were more interested in the breeding Eastern Rock Nuthatches though and, after eating our lunch here we made our way over to the appointed cliff face. Unfortunately it seemed that the tourist trail to the paintings (we had just passed a large party of school children) now passed right across this cliff. There was no sign of the Nuthatch, yet another dip. We had to be content with several pairs of Pied Wheatears and a ‘red phase’ Cuckoo.

Our final stop of the day was at a lake en route to Almaty. Almost at once a Little Bittern flew across and perched on the edge of the reeds giving superb views. A Kingfisher then flew across the lake followed by another Little Bittern and that was it!

On arrival in Almaty we checked into a very posh hotel and had a decent wash and brush up. Unfortunately we had to leave for the airport at 12:30 for our 3:00 am flight so there was no chance to use the lovely beds.

We then went off to a superb shopping mall to get in a few presents for home and were treated to a very good meal at a local restaurant by the head of the local agents. This was enjoyed by everyone and there was little left to do then except wait for the bus to the airport.

The last incident of note was when I was singled out to have my case wrapped up in a plastic sheet by two airport security guards and was charged 750 Tenges (about £3.50) for the privilege. Whose benefit was this for, mine or theirs? I’ve no idea. Rather than cause a row I decided that it was wise to concede defeat and get out of the country while I could!