PLODDINGBIRDER: Mongolia part 3!

Saturday, 11 August 2018

Mongolia part 3!

Wallcreeper

Our visit to the Jol Valley was cut short by the weather, despite the rain we did see 3 Wallcreepers, Beautiful Rosefinch, more Lammergeirer's, and numerous Pica's and Voles.

Beautiful Rosefinch

Mongolian Finch's

Daurian Shrike

A short stop at a small wetland near Dalanzgad before the long journey back to Ulan Batur, saw Daurian Shrikes, White-cheeked Starlings, Chine Pond Heron, Little Tern, Isabelline Wheatears, Crested larks, a Paddyfield Warbler, Pacific Swifts, Richards Pipits, Hobby, Saker, Wood, Green and Common Sandpipers, Hoopoe's and more.

Juvenile Isabelline Wheatear

Richards Pipit

Crested Lark

Steppe Eagle by the road to Ulan batur

Mongolica Hotel our base for our last 3 days, a little bit of luxury for us, hot showers and beer, though cabbage soup for breakfast was not welcomed by all our group but as usual I ate everything put in front of me. We did spend 1 night at the research centre in the Khustai National Park which was very basic, but the food was superb, as was the scenery birds and mammals.

Przewalski's Horses only to be found in the Khustai National Park

Along with the horses, many Siberian Marmots were seen, Griffon and Black Vultures were numerous, also seen Golden Eagle, Saker's, Amur falcons, Upland Buzzards, Demoiselle Cranes, Pied and Isabelline Wheatears, Mongolian Larks, many eastern Short-toed Larks were seen but all evaded my camera, Meadow Bunting, a very brief view of a Daurian Partridge and many more birds and mammals.

Upland Buzzard

Meadow Bunting

Juvenile Pied Wheatear

Blyth's Pipit

Amur Falcons

Mongolian Lark

Saker

3 Asiatic Dowitchers with Black-tailed Godwits

We visited Lake Bayan where Citrine Wagtailsabd various flava Wagatils were abundant but mainly camera shy, White-naped, Common and Demoiselle Cranes, genuine Bar-headed Geese, the only Gulls seen on the trip were also present here, 3 Black-headed Gulls! Richards Pipits were plentiful, Eastern Reed Buntings, Great Reed Warblers, distinctive rusty breasted form of Barn Swallow, a Swinhoe's Snipe identified from poor photographs, numerous Curlew Sandpipers were present, White-winged and Black Terns, a couple of superb very striking male Eastern Marsh Harriers. At the same site several singing Pallas's Reed Buntings one of the birds I most wanted to see.

Barn Swallow

Pallas's Reed Bunting

Azure Tit

In the grounds of the Mongolica Hotel Azure Tits, White Capped Penduline Tits, Great Tits, White-cheeked Starlings, Daurian Jackdaws, Black-eared kites, Amur falcons, Chough, White-backed Woodpeckers, Eastern Common Terns and of course Tree Sparrows amongst others.

Daurian Jackdaws

White-backed Woodpecker

Eastern Common Terns

Taiga Flycatcher

A short visit to Terlja National Park gave excellent views of Taiga Flycatcher, Eastern Nuthatch, Hawfinch, Marsh Tits, Willow Tits, Lesser-spotted Woodpecker, a strange plumaged White-backed Woodpecker, Grey Wagtail and Dusky Warbler.