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Black-throated Diver |
Gavia arctica |
One of the most surprising finds of the trip was an adult in breeding plumage on Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi |
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Great Crested Grebe |
Podiceps cristatus |
Only seen around Lake Zaysan where seen on 3 days |
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Cormorant |
Phalacrocorax carbo |
1 at first Zaysan ferry crossing and 3 at the second |
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Dalmatian Pelican |
Pelecanus crispus |
1 noted at the first Zaysan ferry crossing and then up to a maximum of 8 by the Zaysan shore camp. 3/14 |
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Great White Egret |
Egretta alba |
2 near Zaysan shore camp |
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Grey Heron |
Ardea cinerea |
1 at Frankfurt Arport en route! |
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Black Stork |
Ciconia nigra |
Singles noted daily at Markakol. 5/14 |
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Ruddy Shelduck |
Tadorna ferruginea |
Scattered. 6/14 |
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Gadwall |
Anas strepera |
A few at both Zaysan Lake and at Markakol. 4/14 |
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Wigeon |
Anas penelope |
A few at both Zaysan Lake and at Markakol. Max daily count 6. 5/14 |
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Mallard |
Anas platyrhynchos |
Scarce. 2/14 |
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Pintail |
Anas acuta |
A few at Zaysan Lake. Max daily counts 10+. 4/14 |
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Garganey |
Anas querquedula |
7 at Lake Zaysan and a male at Markakol. 2/14 |
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Shoveler |
Anas clypeata |
Quite common at Lake Zaysan. A male at Markakol. 4/14 |
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Red-crested Pochard |
Netta rufina |
Max count of 6 at Lake Zaysan. 2/14 |
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Tufted Duck |
Aythya fuligula |
Quite common on Markakol and a few on both lakes at Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi. 5/14 |
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Pochard |
Aythya ferina |
3 at Lake Zaysan and c.12 at Markakol. 2/14 |
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Goldeneye |
Clangula bucephala |
Very common at Markakol where counts of 500+! Also 2+ at Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi. 4/14 |
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Velvet Scoter |
Melanitta deglandi |
50+ on the upper lake and 15+ on the lower lake at Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi constituted quite a sizeable breeding colony! 2/14 |
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Red-breasted Merganser |
Mergus serrator |
7+ females and immatures on Markakol |
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Black Kite |
Milvus migrans |
Widespread and abundant. 13/14 |
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Black Vulture |
Aegypius monachus |
1 over the Burkhat Pass. 6 by the dead horse on first pass and 4+ on the second! 3/14 |
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Griffon Vulture |
Gyps fulvus |
A rare bird in the Altai. 3 birds by the dead horse on the first pass and 1 on the second. 2/14 |
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Montagu’s Harrier |
Circus pygargus |
Scattered. 5/14 |
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Hen Harrier |
Circus cyaneus |
Noted almost daily in the Markakol, Burkhat and Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi areas. 7/14 |
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Goshawk |
Accipiter gentilis |
Fabulous views of a female at Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi |
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Sparrowhawk |
Accipiter nisus |
Scattered singles. 4/14 |
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Common Buzzard |
Buteo buteo |
‘vulpinus’ race? Noted most days. Max daily count 4. 10/14 |
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Long-legged Buzzard |
Buteo rufinus |
A total of 3 in the Zaysan Desert. 2/14 |
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Upland Buzzard |
Buteo hemilasius |
10+ a day in the Zaysan desert area, mostly between the camp site and Kiin Kerish Canyon. Also 2 seen from the Burkhat Pass. 4/14 |
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Steppe Eagle |
Aquila nipalensis |
2 in the Kalbinskiy Hills, 3+ in the Zaysan Desert and 1 over the Burkhat Pass. 3/14 |
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Imperial Eagle |
Aquila heliaca |
3 in the Kalbinskiy Hills, 2 between the Burkhat Pass and Kamenka Bee Farm, 2 en route to Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi and 2 at the dead horse. 4/14 |
|
White-tailed Eagle |
Haliaeetus albicilla |
Max daily count along the shore by Zaysan Camp was 3! 3/14 |
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Lesser Kestrel |
Falco naumanni |
4+ on the hill above the spring at Zaysan. May have been missed elsewhere |
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Common Kestrel |
Falco tinnunculus |
Widespread except in Markakol area. 6/14 |
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Hobby |
Falco subbuteo |
Scattered. 6/14 |
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Saker |
Falco cherrug |
1 in the Zaysan Desert near Kiin Kerish |
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Ptarmigan |
Lagopus mutus |
1 seen and plenty of signs noted on the Burkhat Pass |
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Black Grouse |
Tetrao tetrix |
A female seen on the dry hill north of Markakol. Feathers and signs noted in variety of areas at Markakol. |
|
Capercaillie |
Tetrao urogallus |
A female with several young seen at very close range a little south of Markakol |
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Hazelhen |
Tetrastes bonasia |
2 on the road down from the Burkhat Pass |
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Quail |
Coturnix coturnix |
Head pretty much everywhere and seen occasionally too. 10/14 |
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Corncrake |
Crex crex |
Heard and seen (VK) in Cim Bulak, Almaty. Heard in the Kalbinskiy Hills where also seen (IG) and also around Markakol. 5/14 |
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Coot |
Fulica atra |
1 at Zaysan Camp |
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Demoiselle Crane |
Anthropoides virgo |
Max count of 9 on the shores of Lake Zaysan including a foot tall youngster who walked off into the desert! Also 2 near Alexeevka and 2 en route to Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi. 3/14 |
|
Houbara Bustard |
Chlamydotis undulata |
Should probably now be called MacQueen’s Bustard. Singles noted twice near the Zaysan camp – one by Yuri, then a male by several of us |
|
Oystercatcher |
Haematopus ostralegus |
Max of 2 along shores of Lake Zaysan. 2/14 |
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Black-winged Stilt |
Himantopus himantopus |
Scattered along shores of Lake Zaysan. 3/14 |
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Little Ringed Plover |
Charadrius dubius |
Common around Zaysan and 1 in the Bukhtarma Valley. 4/14 |
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Kentish Plover |
Charadrius alexandrinus |
A few by Zaysan Camp. 2/14 |
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Lapwing |
Vanellus vanellus |
Scattered along Zaysan’s shore. 3/14 |
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Common Snipe |
Gallinago gallinago |
1 in the Kalbinskiy Hills |
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Whimbrel |
Numenius phaeopus |
5+ on Zaysan’s shore |
|
Curlew |
Numenius arquata |
1 on Zaysan’s shore |
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Common Redshank |
Tringa totanus |
Common along Zaysan’s shore. 3/14 |
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Green Sandpiper |
Tringa ochropus |
1 at Markakol (OM) |
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Common Sandpiper |
Actitis hypoleucos |
Markakol, Bukhtarma River and Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi. Nest with 4 eggs found. 5/14 |
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Great Black-headed Gull |
Larus ichthyaetus |
Count of 56+ birds by the camp was the most at Lake Zaysan. Only 1 on Markakol. 3/14 |
|
Black-headed Gull |
Larus ridibundus |
Scattered around Zaysan. 4/14 |
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‘Herring’ Gull |
Larus ‘argentatus’ |
Scattered around Zaysan. 4/14 – most seemed to be of the ‘barabensis’ race? |
|
Gull-billed Tern |
Gelochelidon nilotica |
Noted at Lake Zaysan. 2/14 |
|
Caspian Tern |
Sterna caspia |
28 by the Zaysan Camp |
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Common Tern |
Sterna hirundo |
Noted near most areas of water. 5/14 |
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Little Tern |
Sterna albifrons |
Quite common along Zaysan’s shores. 3./14 |
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White-winged Black Tern |
Chlidonias leucopterus |
Very common by the Zaysan Camp. 3/14 |
|
Pallas’s Sandgrouse |
Syrrhaptes paradoxus |
Max daily count of about 30 in the Zaysan Desert – commonest on gravel plains near the spring. Nest found with eggs at Kiin Kerish. 3/14 |
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Rock Dove |
Columba livia |
Widespread. 7/14 |
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Rufous Turtle Dove |
Streptopelia orientalis |
Widespread. 11/14 |
|
Oriental Cuckoo |
Cuculus saturatus |
Heard daily at Markakol and on the north-facing slopes below the Burkhat Pass. Seen only once at the first bridge across the Kara Kaba River at the foot of the ‘Austrian Road’. 6/14 |
|
Cuckoo |
Cuculus canorus |
Widespread and sometimes very common. Common in same areas as above species too. 12/14 |
|
Eagle Owl |
Bubo bubo |
Pellets found in the Kiin Kerish Canyon, Zaysan Desert |
|
Nightjar |
Caprimulgus europaeus |
1 at the camp by the shore of Lake Zaysan |
|
Common Swift |
Apus apus |
Noted in Cim Bulak, Almaty and common at the Kiin Kerish canyon, Zaysan Desert. 2/14 |
|
Pacific Swift |
Apus pacificus |
Quite common at Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi. 2/14 |
|
European Bee-eater |
Merops apiaster |
3+ noted near Alexeevka and 7+ in the Bukhtarma Valley. 2/14 |
|
Roller |
Coracias garrulus |
2 near Alexeevka |
|
Hoopoe |
Upupa epops |
Scattered. 6/14 |
|
Wryneck |
Jynx torquilla |
3 on fenceposts near the dead horse en route from Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi |
|
Grey-headed Woodpecker |
Picus canus |
2 seen very well on way up to pass on north side of Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi |
|
Black Woodpecker |
Dryocopus martius |
1 seen on the way up to the Cold Pass at Markakol and 1 on route down from the Burkhat Pass. 2/14 |
|
Northern Three-toed Woodpecker |
Picoides tridactylus |
A female seen well on the Cold Pass above Markakol and almost certainly another seen in pines across the lake at Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi. |
|
White-backed Woodpecker |
Dendrocopus leucotus |
1 seen in pines across the lake at Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi |
|
Calandra Lark |
Melanocorypha calandra |
1 seen near Zaysan Camp – probably passed a good number more |
|
Black Lark |
Melanocorypha yeltoniensis |
One of the commonest birds in the Zaysan Desert with daily counts of 50+. Especially common just away from Zaysan’s shore and even seen displaying above the wetland around Zaysan Camp! 3/14 |
|
White-winged Lark |
Melanocorypha leucoptera |
3+ (probably 4 birds) seen 200m from Zaysan’s shore about 3km from our camp. According to Yuri there are only two previous records from the area. These birds appeared to represent two pairs probably on territory |
|
Short-toed Lark |
Calandrella brachydactyla |
1+ in the Zaysan Desert |
|
Asian Short-toed Lark |
Calandrella cheelensis |
Scattered in the drier gravelly parts of Zaysan. Drives through the desert put up hundreds of small larks that were not identified specifically. 3/14 |
|
Oriental Skylark |
Alauda gulgula |
Surprisingly seemed to one of the most abundant larks in the Zaysan Desert! 2/14 |
|
Skylark |
Alauda arvensis |
Widespread (including Zaysan). 8/14 |
|
Shorelark |
Eremophila alpestris |
Scattered in the Zaysan Desert! 2/14 |
|
Sand Martin |
Riparia riparia |
Common around Lake Zaysan. 5/14 |
|
Swallow |
Hirundo rustica |
Widespread. 14/14 |
|
House Martin |
Delichon urbica |
Only seen on one day above Markakol |
|
Tawny Pipit |
Anthus campestris |
Scattered in drier habitats. 6/14 |
|
Tree Pipit |
Anthus trivialis |
Common around Markakol, Burkhat Pass and Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi. Nest with eggs found. 8/14 |
|
Water Pipit |
Anthus spinoletta |
Common on the Burkhat Pass and above Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi. Nest with eggs found. 3/14 |
|
Yellow Wagtail |
Motacilla flava |
Several of the ‘beema’ race noted at Zaysan along with a few ‘feldegg’ but most in this area seemed to be the race ‘melanogrisea’. 5/14 |
|
Grey Wagtail |
Motacilla cinerea |
Common in the hills. 11/14 |
|
Masked Wagtail |
Motacilla personata |
Widespread. 12/14 |
|
Himalayan (Altai) Accentor |
Prunella himalayana |
2 on boulder screes above the pass north of Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi (IG) |
|
Black-throated Accentor |
Prunella atrogularis |
1 at Tyuk-su, Cim Bulak, Almaty. 1 near upper limit of Siberian Pine forest on north side of the Burhkat Pass and 1 on way up pass on the north side of Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi (IG). 3/14 |
|
Nightingale |
Luscinia megarhynchos |
Heard in a few localities. 3/14 |
|
Bluethroat |
Luscinia svecica |
Common on the Burkhat Pass and a few at Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi. 4/14 |
|
Siberian Rubythroat |
Luscinia calliope |
Max of 2 seen on each visit to the Burkhat Pass including a couple of fine males. Also noted on both days at Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi. 4/14 |
|
Common Redstart |
Phoenicurus phoenicurus |
Widespread and common in wooded areas of the hills. 6/14 |
|
Eversmann’s Redstart |
Phoenicurus erythronotus |
Males seen on the Burkhat Pass (IG) and in boulder scree amid Siberian Pines across the lake at Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi (IG). 2/14 |
|
Stonechat |
Saxicola torquata |
Widespread |
