The Deskbound Birder: Upland Buzzard

Showing posts with label Upland Buzzard. Show all posts

Monday, 15 May 2017

Mongolia - 15th May (Day 8) - Khongor Sand Dunes to Orognwr Lake

After a fairly sleepless night of camping at the Khongor Sand Dunes I was woken by chatter about Saxaul Sparrow being seen so after quickly getting dressed we were down in the vegetated dunes watching a small group of Saxaul Sparrow. I had fairly poor views as the need for a caffeine fix was over riding, the birds were hanging around so it was back to camp for breakfast. After omelette and three coffees we wandered back down to the Saxaul Sparrow area and obtained good views – it was 07:30. After loading the cars we spent a short while driving at the foot of the spectacular Khongor Sand Dunes. We saw a few birds, Richard’s Pipit, Pallas’s Sandgrouse, Desert Wheatear and Northern Lapwing. Then it was time to drive. We spent the entire day driving north-west across the Gobi Desert. The scenery was spectacular and stark, we crossed gravel plains and sandy desert and passed into multi-coloured mountains. The scenery outdid the birds and the only species of note was a male Chinese Grey Shrike other than the now familiar Horned Lark, Asian Short-toed Lark, Black Vulture and Lammergeier.

Male Saxaul Sparrow - Khongor Sand Dunes

Female Saxaul Sparrow - Khongor Sand Dunes

Male Saxaul Sparrow - Khongor Sand Dunes

Habitat beside the Khongor Sand Dunes where we saw Saxaulk Sparrow

Pallas's Sandgrouse - Khongor Sand Dunes

Richard's Pipit - Khongor Sand Dunes

Khongor Sand Dunes

Leaving the Khongor Sand Dunes

Leaving the Khongor Sand Dunes area and looking west

Looking south back towards the Khongor Sand Dunes

Me and the Khongor Sand Dunes

The beginning of the long desert drive

Desert Broomrape Cistanche deserticola

Me and Desert Broomrape

Sand Dunes

Beetle on the Sand Dunes

Rumex species (basically a Dock), remarkably flat leaves presumably

adapted to the windy desert habitat

The desert was remarkably stark in places......

.......but just a short distance away was the beautiful Black Mountain and

snow capped peaks in the distance

It was surprising to see this shrub flowering in the starkness of the desert

Lunch stop was at a small ravine with a cave, the latter known as Bayanlig Soum (White Cave), it was mysteriously crowded with Mongolians but we have no idea where they had come from as there does not appear to be a settlement for miles. In the ravine Richard miraculously located an Eagle Owl at its daytime rock crevice roost and we watched around eight Lesser Kestrel as they called and displayed around the ravine. The cave was spectacular with a large hole in the roof. The cave was allegedly occupied by humans 750,000 years ago. After more desert driving we arrived at the small town of Bogd where we raided the shop for ice-cream and sugary drinks and refuelled the Land Cruisers.

Lesser Kestrel - Bayanlig Soum

Eagle Owl - Bayanlig Soum

Prayer Flags

A short way to the south of Bogd is the spectacular Orognwr Lake and we began scanning for waterbirds, we recorded Red-crested Pochard (30), Whiskered Tern (20), Caspian Tern (2), Mute Swan (2), Brown-headed Gull (2), Kentish Plover, Temminck’s Stint and a selection of familiar duck including Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Pochard and Wigeon. However, the highlight was a fine adult summer Relict Gull feeding on the grass on the near shore. It was awalking around on the damp grass catching mosquito of which there had evidently been a recent large emergence of males.

Driving round to the south side of the lake we scanned an island created by weed growth, on this island were around 350 Spoonbill which had constructed their nests on the floating vegetation mat. It was quite a surprise seeing these birds nesting on the ‘ground’. Also here were many nesting Grey Heron and Coot along with Eurasian Bittern (2), Moorhen, Red-crested Pochard, Garganey, nesting Black-headed Gull. An Eastern Marsh Harrier quartered the adjacent rush grassland.

Camp was set-up adjacent to the lake but not so close that we were eaten alive by mosquito. After a welcome beer we went to sleep to the sound of booming Bittern.

Bar-headed Goose - Orognwr Lake

Relict Gull - Orognwr Lake

Relict Gull showing the distinctive wing-tip pattern - Orognwr Lake

Caspian Tern - Orognwr Lake

Upland Buzzard - Orognwr Lake

Orognwr Lake

Get on north shore of Orognwr Lake

Orognwr Lake

Ger - Orognwr Lake

Our campsite on south shore of Orognwr Lake

Orognwr Lake - Note the Spoonbill nesting on the vegetation on the lake in the background

Oyunna and our brilliant support team

Dinner at our campsite at Orognwr Lake

Links to Other Days of the Trip (Click to View)
Day 1 and 2 – International flight then Ulaanbaatar to Mungum Sum
Day 3 - Mungunmorit and Gachuurt area
Day 4 - Drive to Dalanzadgad
Day 5 – Gurvan Saikhan National Park
Day 6 - Gurvan Saikhan National Park
Day 7 - Gobi Desert and Khongor Sand Dunes
Day 9 - Baga Bogd Mountain and Kholboolj Lake
Day 10 - Kholboolj Lake and Barig Mountain
Day 11 - Barig Mountain and Sangiin Lake
Day 12 (Part 1) - Sangiin Lake and Bayan Lake
Day 12 (Part 2) - Sangiin Lake and Bayan Lake
Day 13 - Hustai National Park and Terelj National Park
Day 14 - Terelj National Park and Gachuurt Area
Day 15 and 16 - Gachuurt Area, Tuul River and International flight

Friday, 12 May 2017

Mongolia - 12th May (Day 5) - Dalanzadgad and Gurvan Saikhan National Park

After some early morning birding around the guest house at Dalanzadgad which produced much the same as yesterday including Isabelline Shrike, Pallas’s Bunting, Red-throated Thrush and Long-toed Stint we packed our bags and headed into the Yolo Valley in the Gurvan Saikhan National Park around 45 minutes away.

Isabelline Shrike - Delanzadgad

Naumann's Thrush - Dalanzadgad

Crested Lark - Dalanzadgad

Crested Lark preening and showing the tail pattern nicely- Dalanzadgad

Long-toed Stint - Dalanzadgad

The habitat outside our guest house at Dalanzadgad, the bushes to the

right supported many passerines while the stream links to a reservoir to the

left and out of few and was excellent for waders and wildfowl

Heading towards the Yol Valley in the Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Heading into the Yol Valley in the Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Gurvan Saikhan National Park is a spectacular mountainous park dominated by barren peaks and lightly vegetated valleys. The park was established in 1993 and extends to nearly 27,000 square kilometres. It is the largest national park in Mongolia, stretching 380 km from east to west and 80 km from north to south. The park is named for the Gurvan Saikhan Mountains in which it is located.

A short way into the park a quick stop and a walk produced our first Mongolian Accentor, Brown Accentor and a White’s Thrush. We headed to the parking spot at Yolyn Am and walked the valley to an area known as “Vulture’s Bedroom’. This produced Taiga Flycatcher, Little Bunting, Brown Accentor, Lammergeier, Koslov’s Accentor, Tree Pipit, Northern Wheatear, Isabelline Wheatear, White’s Thrush, Guldenstadt’s Redstart, Chinese Beautiful Rosefinch and a stunning Wallcreeper. It was evident that the valley supported good numbers of migrants and we were amazed at how these species must migrant from south-east Asia, perhaps over the Himalayas, then across the vast and hostile Gobi Desert to find themselves in a remote mountain valley with an onward journey into Russia yet to face. We headed to our campsite for lunch set within a beautiful mountain valley and ate a rather large lunch of a dish known as Mimosa which basically consisted of egg and salad followed by rice and meat.

Isabelline Wheatear was common with many birds on territory and performing a

rather spectacular and noisy display flight - Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Isabelline Wheatear - Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Mongolian Accentor, like a drab Dunnock but confined to Mongolia as a

breeding species - Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Yolyn Am Valley, Gurvan Saikhan National Park

White-winged Snowfinch - Yolyn Am Valley, Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Tree Pipit- Yolyn Am Valley, Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Red-cheeked Ground Squirrel - Yolyn Am Valley, Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Lammergeier - Yolyn Am Valley, Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Brown Accentor - Yolyn Am Valley, Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Mongolian Accentor - Yolyn Am Valley, Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Spot the Wallcreeper - Yolyn Am Valley, Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Chinese Beautiful Rosefinch - Yolyn Am Valley, Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Golden Eagle- Yolyn Am Valley, Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Mongolian Pit Viper Gloydius halys - Yolyn Am Valley,

Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Yolyn Am Valley, Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Photographing Mongolian Accentor on the mountain side Mongolian

Accentor - Yolyn Am Valley, Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Yolyn Am Valley, Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Little Bunting - Yolyn Am Valley, Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Grey Wagtail - Yolyn Am Valley, Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Back out into the park we headed down a valley to an area known as the Ice Cave seeing Upland Buzzard and Saker Falcon at the nest, White’s Thrush and Mongolian Finch. Dinner at our campsite was followed by a night drive where we saw little but for Red Fox and a rather spectacular Mongolian Five-toed Gerboa. Bed was at 12:00 and I slept okay in the fairly warm conditions.

Barry eating his Mimosa

Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Isabelline Wheatear - Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Pallas's Pica - Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Tobias insisted that I took this tractor with me to Mongolia and he wanted me to take

pictures of it with the birds I saw, we has some fun with this Pica!

Upland Buzzard, its nest seemingly stuck to the cliff face - Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Upland Buzzard - Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Black Vulture - Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Citrine Wagtail- Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Driving through the Gurvan Saikhan National Park, the road narrowing

Driving through the Gurvan Saikhan National Park, the end of the road

Frozen River Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Golden Eagle - Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Little Bunting - Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Saker on nest - Gurvan Saikhan National Park

White's Thrush, seeing this species on barren slopes makes one realise that they are not so out of place in a Geo on Fair Isle - Gurvan Saikhan National Park