by Richard & Barbara Mearns
Photographs copyrighted by R & B Mearns
Organized by: Mongolica Travel in collaboration
with Mongolian Ornithological Society
Guide: Bayanmunkh D. (Bayanaa). Camp
Manager: Gerelee. Driver: Batnyamsuren (Batta).
Consulted by: Gombobaatar Sundev (Gomboo)
We had a fabulous three weeks in June 2013
and after three years we could resist the urge no longer and decided to go
back. To make it different we did not return to any of the same places and went
in early May to catch the main migration period. We traveled east towards the
Chinese border and south to the Gobi, seeing 54 species that we did not see
last time, including more lifers than we had expected (about 30, depending on
classification). We especially wanted to see shorebird and thrush migration and
we were not disappointed! As expected it was much cooler and dry most of the
time, but in the Gobi we had a rain shower and 7 cm of snow one night. We were
too early for most warblers and, as planned, too early for mosquitoes.
Bayanaa was once again our hard-working
bird guide but Gomboo was with us for the first two days and towards the end it
was lovely to have time again with Yumi. Our new cook and driver were both great
company.
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| Barbara, Bayanaa, Rick, Bataa, Gerelee |
7 May. Arrived at UB via Glasgow, Amsterdam and Moscow. Gomboo took
us to Gachuurt and we were soon watching Citrine Wagtails (a species that we
were to see on more days than any other bird). As we searched the woods for
Black-billed Capercaillie we came across our first Red-flanked Bluetails,
Naumann’s and Dusky Thrushes. Night in very comfortable hotel, on edge of
forest.
8 May. Started at 5.00am and after a short
climb upwards we were soon amongst several lekking capercaillie – an
unforgettable experience. The pine and larch habitat was fantastic and we soon
saw more Red-flanked Bluetails, a pair of Hazel Grouse and a Siberian Jay. By
the middle of the day we were on a flight eastwards to Choibalsan. While
waiting to meet us, Bayanaa had found a White’s Thrush, a Yellow-browed Bunting
and a small flock of Grey-capped Greenfinches, so we rushed out to see them
before we got our baggage. At the river on the edge of town there were more
Grey-capped Greenfinches (a rarity in Mongolia), a Japanese Sparrowhawk and a
Red Fox. Night in tent.
9 May. Long drive from Choibalsan to Buir
Lake. Started the day with White’s Thrushes, Taiga Flycatchers and waders on
the river. On the drive We had photo stops for Oriental Plover and Demoiselle
Cranes. Arrived at the lake in the evening and camped near the shore:
Gull-billed Terns, Temminck’s Stints, White-winged Scoters, Eastern Marsh
Harriers and even a few Mute Swans. Night in tent, with a nearby grass fire
sending up great plumes of smoke.
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| Oriental Plover |
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| Lunch stop on the Menen Steppe |
10 May. All day at Buir Lake, moving to a different campsite in the
afternoon. A wonderful array of waders in breeding plumage: Curlew Sandpipers
and Asiatic Dowitchers being particularly striking. Marsh Sandpipers were in
display flight and there were good numbers of Swan Geese and a single male
Mandarin Duck. Passerines included lots of Yellow Wagtails and Little Buntings,
a few Naumann’s Thrushes and a Water Pipit. At the new camp site two very
approachable Relict Gulls were only 200 metres away, alongside a male Ruff,
Black-tailed Godwit, Kentish Plover and Little Stint. An Oriental Pratincole on
the beach finished off the day nicely. Night in tent, very windy but we slept
through it.
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| Our cook Gerelee |
11 May. Buir Lake to Khalkh River. Started
the day with long walks along the edges of nearby lagoons. Hundreds of Great
Cormorants and many Common Pochards. We also saw our only Baikal Teals of the
trip and the first of several Falcated Ducks. Black-headed Gulls and Common
Swifts streaming past us as we had lunch, and the inevitable Taiga Flycatchers
in the low scrub. Late afternoon we arrived at the Khalkh River where we were
surrounded by several pairs of Amur Falcons. A late evening walk found us
staring at an immature Northern Goshawk just a few metres from us in a low elm
tree. Night in tent.
12 May. Khalkh River. For her birthday
Barbara saw her first Azure Tits, a displaying Grey-headed Lapwing, a late
Bohemian Waxwing, a group of Azure-winged Magpies, more Amur Falcons, Hobbies,
and a pair of Falcated Ducks but the most memorable bird was an exquisite
Long-tailed Rosefinch feeding in the elms – surely one of the most beautiful
birds we have ever seen. After the endless steppe it was a surprise to see two
Great Bustards flying over riverine woodland! In the late afternoon we drove to
a new campsite on the other side of the river. Night in tent.
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| Grey-headed Lapwing |
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| Amur Falcon |
13 May. Khalkh River to Ikh Tashgai Lakes. Awoke to the sound of
White-cheeked Starlings and during breakfast a Grey-capped Greenfinch perched
beside us. A beautiful walk through the elms produced Oriental Turtle Dove with
a nest, Amur Falcons, Little Buntings and Pallas’s Leaf Warblers.
We were dropped off by the river for a couple of hours while the
time got supplies and we were entertained by more Grey-headed Lapwings, Daurian
Redstarts, Hill Pigeons, waders and buntings.
After a relatively short drive to the steppe lakes, we were soon
amongst more Marsh Sandpipers, Pied Avocets, Swan Geese and both species of
shelducks. In the evening there was a truly spectacular hour or so when
thousands and thousands of Bean Geese flew past our camp – one of the best ornithological
spectacles that we have ever seen (and we are used to seeing big flocks of
geese on the Scottish side of the Solway). Night in tent.
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| Bean Geese flying over Mongolian herders' family |
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| Bean Geese |
14 May. Ikh Tashgai Lakes. The Bean Geese roosted nearby and as they
went off to feed at dawn Barbara estimated 27,000 birds but there could have
many more flying in other directions. The rest of the day was filled with lake
and reed-bed watching: White-winged Scoters, Black-necked Grebes, Relict Gulls,
Eastern Marsh Harriers, Common Cranes with a few White-naped Cranes and three
Hooded Cranes. Discovered that we were too early for most of the warblers and
buntings but it was no great hardship. Night in tent.
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| Relict Gull |
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| Relict Gulls and Pied Avocet |
15 May. Ikh Tashgai Lakes to Khalkh River. An extensive reed-bed
search produced Bearded Reedling but no Reed Parrotbills. A lake and pool with
over 40 Red-necked Stints was a special treat but it was hard to concentrate
with so many other birds around. After lunch we made our way back to the Khalk
River where we caught up with Olive-backed Pipits, Naumann’s Thrushes, Common
Rosefinches and Eastern Rooks at their rookery in the low elms. Night in tent.
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| White-winged Scoters |
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| Red-necked Sting |
16 May. Khalkh River to the Khalkh Delta at Buir Lake. The surprise
of the morning walk beside the river was a Chinese Pond Heron. The delta was a
beautiful spot, coinciding with one of our hottest days. A flock of over 50
Asiatic Dowitchers was quite spectacular in their brick red plumage, with a few
Curlew Sandpipers even darker, and Spotted Redshanks very black. There were
also Long-toed Stints, Temminck’s Stints and the usual Northern Lapwings. In
the reeds and willows there were Great White Egrets and a Purple Heron. Night
in tent.
17 May. Khalkh Delta to Choibalsan. On the delta we got better views
of a Greater Sand Plover and then it was time for the drive back to Choibalsan.
Our lunch stop was in the middle of open steppe, apparently birdless until we
realised that some taller plants held a confiding Pallas’s Leaf Warbler, Little
Bunting and Taiga Flycatchers. Mongolian Gazelles seen again on this drive. At
the river at Choibalsan birds included about 50 Taiga Flycatchers on the edge
of the willows, Daurian Redstart, Olive-backed Pipit and Little Buntings.
Spot-billed Ducks on the river and our only Eurasian Curlew. Night in hotel.
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| Little Bunting |
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| Pallas' Leaf Warbler |
18 May. Choibalsan. An exploration of the trees near the hotel
produced a couple of Japanese Sparrowhawks (one clutching a Pallas’s Leaf
Warbler), a pair of Amur Falcons, Common Rosefinches and our first Eye-browed
Thrush. A lake about 10 miles out of town boasted a flock of 18 Spotted
Redshanks, 2 male Ruffs, 2 pairs of Falcated Ducks, 20 Demoiselle Cranes, 20
Whooper Swans and a Black-faced Bunting on the shoreline. After lunch the
adjacent lake surprised us with about 20 Lapland Buntings coming to drink, as
did a couple of Mongolian Gazelles. A stop by a different part of the river
turned up a Wryneck and a Eurasian Siskin. Finished at about 6pm to allow the team
to start their drive to UB. Night in hotel.
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| Japanese Sparrowhawk |
19 May. Choibalsan to UB. Had a little birding near the hotel and
saw more Eye-browed Thrushes, Siberian Rubythroats and a Dusky Warbler. A
former classmate of Bayanaa dropped us off at a lake near the airport for a few
hours where there were over 50 White-winged Scoters, 80 Common Shelduck, a
small number of waders, pairs of Citrine Wagtails and a pair of Isabelline Shrikes
thinking of nesting in a very small bush. Our plane was delayed for several
hours because of strong winds at UB so there was no time for birding on
arrival. Night in hotel.
20 May. UB to DZ. The long drive south had a few highlights, notably
our best views of Black Vulture and Steppe Eagles beside the road. We stopped
short of DZ to camp in some some low hills and found Asian Desert Warbler
building a nest, a pair of Pallas’s Buntings, a pair of Pallas’s Sandgrouse and
flocks of Mongolian Finches. Night in tent.
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| Steppe Eagle |
21 May. DZ to Yolyn Am. About noon we arrived at a gorge not far
from Yolyn Am and saw our first tourists – as well as Mongolian Pika, Midday
Gerbil, Beautiful Rosefinch and Godlewski’s Bunting. At Yolyn Am there were
more tourists and more species, including Black Redstart, Stonechat, Isabelline
Wheatear, White-winged Snowfinch, Dusky Thrush, Rock Thrush, Grey Wagtail,
Red-billed Chough, Lammergeier and Himalayan Griffon. We also had excellent
views of several Koslov’s Accentors. It was an extremely cold evening and so it
was decided to hire a ger for the night so that it would be warmer for us and
easier for cooking. Night in ger with stove.
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| Midday Gerbil |
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| Kozlov’s Accentor |
22 May. Yolyn Am to Khongoryn Els. Awoke to three inches of snow!
Undaunted we set of to Yolyn Am past a herd of snow-covered Yaks and back down
into the gorge. Too early and cold for most things but Grey Wagtails and
Snowfinches were already active and on the middle slopes there were a few
Siberian Ibex. Driving west we were soon out of the snow and our lunch stop
allowed us to find a Great Grey Shrike nest and Desert Wheatears. A few poplars
at a vegetable patch in the Gobi had a flock of Common Rosefinches, Brown
Shrike, Great Grey Shrike and a few warblers and flycatchers. Our final stop
was a small wetland, at the base of vast and spectacular sand dunes, where
flocks of Mongolian Finches were coming to drink amongst a few Wood Sandpipers
and Ruddy Shelducks. Night in tent.
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| Himalayan Griffon |
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| Pallas’s Sandgrouse |
23 May. Khongoryn Els and two Saxaul Forests. At 6am we were down at
the edge of the dunes where Ruddy Shelducks had ducklings on the pools and
Ravens had recently fledged young at a small tree half way up the massive dunes.
At 9am the first Pallas’s Sandgrouse came to drink and they kept coming in
pairs and small groups for the next 30 minutes. The nearby Saxaul forest was a
strange new habitat for us with unusual flowers and Great Gerbils on show, plus
more Ravens and a Long-legged Buzzard. Brilliant sunshine suddenly turned to
rain but it quickly passed. Across the river there was green pasture adjacent
to the dunes where we took on water and found a Chinese Pond Heron, Greater
Sand Plovers, Eurasian Spoonbills and Lesser Kestrels. In the afternoon we
drove west to another Saxaul forest and after much hard work by Bayanaa he was finally
able to show us a pair of shy, elusive Saxaul Sparrows. Night in tent.
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| Great Gerbil |
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| Cistanche deserticola (a parasitic plant on Saxaul) |
24 May. To the Middle Beautiful Mountains. Near yesterday’s spring
we suddenly had a brief view of two Saxaul Sparrows perched beside the vehicle,
then we were off back eastwards. Had good views of Henderson’s Ground Jays near
our lunch stop. As soon as we arrived at the mountains we saw a few Siberian
Ibex on the slopes, with Lammergeiers overhead. Drove up through the gorge
seeing Pied Wheatears, Rock Thrushes and Godlewski’s Buntings. At supper a pair
of Chukars came close to the vehicle. Night in tent.
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| Khongoryn Els |
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| Ruddy Shelduck |
25 May. Back to DZ. Morning chorus of Mongolian Finches. After
breakfast we walked down the gorge and before we were picked up we had seen an
Oriental Honey Buzzard on migration. We saw a few distant Goitered Gazzelles as
we headed for another plantation. Among the trees there were about 10 Collared
Doves, a Siberian Rubythroat, Dusky Warbler, Arctic Warbler, and Dusky Thrush.
An hour later we were in a small gorge still full of hard-packed ice so we had
to walk up it to see a Saker, Lammergeier and nest building Crag Martins. At DZ
we explored a couple of patches of trees and had our best view of a
Red-throated Thrush and a very low Oriental Honey Buzzard. Night in tent near
airport.
26 May. DZ to UB. Our morning flight left early but Yumi was there
to meet us in UB and take us birding in nearby riverine woodland. Azure Tits
were nesting in a tree hole, Daurian Jackdaws were collecting nest material,
Long-tailed Rosefinches were singing, Hoopoes were calling, Amur Falcons were
perched in the trees and we saw Azure-winged Magpies. In the afternoon she took
us to conifer and birch woodland where we found nesting Black Kites, a Spotted
Nutcracker within a few feet of us, three Brown Shrikes, and Choughs on the
meadows and. Night in a UB hotel.
27 May. UB ponds. Yumi took us to some nearby ponds and though we
did not find Yellow-breasted Buntings there were Richard’s Pipits and
Black-faced Buntings singing in the willows, and White-winged Black Terns and a
Little Gull on the ponds. We finished our birding for the trip with close views
of a nest building White-crowned Penduline Tit.
Afternoon shopping in UB and in the evening we were re-united with our
team for a memorable farewell dinner.
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| Little Gull |
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| White-crowned Penduline Tit |
28 May. The early morning flight to Moscow took us over western
Mongolia.
CARBON
OFF-SETTING: Our travels contribute to
global warming so we have again offset with www.climatestewards.org Barbara has visited their tree-planting
projects in Ghana and thoroughly recommends them to anyone who wants their cash
to do more than just carbon off-setting: the new woodland is mostly on school
land, so students learn agro-forestry skills and get involved in wider
conservation education.
