Central Asia 2002

Central Asia bird list
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After plenty of time to sample the delights of Istanbul airport, we arrived in Almaty and eventually made our way to the hotel for a hot shower. Refreshed, bright eyed, bushy-tailed and raring to go we headed for the hills. Steppe Buzzards, Blue Whistling Thrushes and Brown and White-bellied Dippers got things off to a good start but as we climbed higher it was obvious that the weather was not our side. The normally glittering waters of Big Almaty Lake were virtually covered in ice and there was far more snow around than I have ever seen before.

The Observatory was clouded in mist and surrounded by snow - not the most welcoming of sights. However by the time we returned to Almaty we had seen most of the specialities including Lammergeier, Himalayan Snowcock, Ibisbill, Altai and Black-throated Accentors, Blue-capped Redstart, Sulphur-bellied Warbler posing beautifully, hordes of Greenish and Hume's Leaf Warblers, Red-fronted Serin, Plain Mountain Finch, Red-mantled Rosefinch and White-winged Grosbeak.

Heading east the landscape flattened out but not before we spent a delightful few hours in 'bunting' valley where the parade of birds included Red-headed, White-capped and Rock Buntings. The Scops Owl at Ash Tree Grove showed well as did the Eagle Owl the next day along with lots of Grey-necked Buntings, and some superb flyovers from Himalayan Griffons and Black Vultures.

The late spring was very evident up at Astana with some of the summer visitors missing and lots of lingering waders still present including staggering numbers of Red-necked Phalaropes. Sociable Plovers eluded us (although they were back in the area we covered a couple of days later) but the Black and White-winged Larks were present in abundance and although the Booted Warblers were yet to arrive, the Paddyfield Warblers were on territory and singing well.

The heavy rains turned the Taukum Desert into an expanse of green, and with so much water around the wells were not pulling in the usual throng of birds. Still, we managed to catch up with most of the things we were looking for including a fine displaying McQueen's Bustard, Calandra, Bimaculated and Asian Short-toed Larks, and a variety of migrants including an obliging Barred Warbler and flocks of Common Rosefinches. Further north we had fantastic views of Yellow-eyed Stock Dove and Saxual Sparrow.

Returning to the mountains paid off as we caught up with a pair of Güldenstadt's Redstarts, more excellent views of Sulphur-bellied Warbler and without doubt the best views ever of Severtov's Tit Warbler that fed quietly around the bushes literally just feet away from us. No one dared breathe - a magical moment. Our last night in Kazakstan was spent in a comfortable hotel, and then we were off following the Silk Road to Uzbekistan.

Our stroll through the hills above Samarkand gave us some fantastic birding, with White-throated Robin, Orphean and Upcher's Warbler all showing well. The ancient buildings wove their magic both in Samarkand and Bukhara, and our delightful, comfortable guesthouse at Bukhara made a welcome change to the anonymous modern hotels. Pander's Ground Jay perched up well for us in the desert, as did the superb male Ménétries Warbler.

Our final excursion to the hills above Tashkent proved to be a real success with up to four Rufous-naped Tits joining their Yellow-breasted cousins, a party of Hawfinches skulking in the bushes, a Scops Owl superbly camouflaged but showing well none-the-less, and some really fine coffee. A last look around the bustling, vibrant city of Tashkent, and then it was home, complete with rugs, plates, spices and lots of memories. A wonderful trip due, in no small part, to a great group.

Bird List

There have been five Central Asia tours to date. Below is a list of all the species recorded on these trips.

As there is still no single recent guide covering the region, many recent taxonomic changes will not be found in older books like Flint's Field Guide to the Birds of Russia. A set of taxonomic notes explaining some of the species given below will be sent with the daily checklist nearer departure.

Column A = Number of tours this species has been recorded on.
Column B = Number of days this species was seen on the last tour.
Column C = Maximum daily count for this species on the last tour.

H = Heard only
(H) = Species seen, but most birds only heard
N = Nesting evident

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