2011 Tour Narrative
After a long flight via Berlin and Moscow what better way to start our Mongolian adventure than a shower, breakfast and then a few hours birding along the Tuul river. Back in the UK just one Arctic or Dusky Warbler would make a good days birding, but here we had multiples of both plus Thick-billed, Pallas’s and Two-barred Greenish Warblers, Brown Shrikes, Siberian Rubythroat, Pacific Swifts, Dark-sided, Red-throated and Asian Brown Flycatchers, Isabelline Wheatears, Saker Falcon, Black (Black-eared) Kites, Black Vulture, Eurasian Hobby, Daurian Jackdaws, Red-billed Choughs, Black Stork, Lesser spotted Woodpecker, White-cheeked Starling and perhaps best of all White-crowned Penduline Tits. What a start!
In contrast to previous tours we were taking an afternoon flight to the south which allowed us time to recover from our long journeys and do a little exploring near the city. Sadly the pools we checked were dry but we still saw a Booted Eagle, Horned Larks and Demoiselle Cranes.
Once in the south we met our usual ground crew, a sort of family to me now, and the real adventure had begun.
Our initial drive took us across barren desert with our first Père David’s Snowfinches, more cranes, Desert and Isabelline Wheatears and our first Pallas’s Sandgrouse, not bad! That evening we camped in wild surroundings, with flyover Pallas’s Sandgrouse and singing Horned Larks about the only signs of life, and yet somehow our chef served up a 4 course meal, which I couldn’t make in my own kitchen!
Our visit to Boon Tsagaan Nuur was full of variety with a great selection of shorebirds including Grey-tailed Tattler, Terek Sandpiper, Long-toed Stints, Broad-billed and Curlew Sandpipers, Pacific Golden Plovers and both Lesser and Greater Sandplovers. Wildfowl were represented with Swan and Bar-headed Geese, Whooper Swans, Garganey and Stejneger’s Scoters. The lack of vegetation didn’t stop Red-throated Thrush, Black-faced Bunting and Asian Brown Flycatcher being seen, and Will even had a Dusky Thrush in the lakeside grass. The beaches of the lake held Pallas’s and Mongolian Gulls, and groups of Caspian and White-winged Black Terns were regular. On one evening an Osprey flew through but he was always overshadowed by the Pallas’s Fish Eagles that dotted the lake shore. Sadly we failed to find Relict Gulls again, with their nomadic tendencies and the ever-changing lake shore helping this species maintain its enigmatic reputation.
The large lake at Orog Nuur has been all but dry for many years now but some natural springs mean that just enough wet areas remain to hold plenty of Citrine Wagtails, Richard’s Pipits, displaying Eastern Black-tailed Godwits and a singing Paddyfield Warbler as well as a host of familiar-in-the-UK waders such as Common Snipe, Redshank and Northern Lapwing.
Leaving the wetlands behind we drove across miles of uninhabited deserts where our driver’s navigational abilities were simply amazing. These desolate areas still produced special birds with Pallas’s Sandgrouse being seen on every day of our ‘Gobi’ leg, as well as several encounters with Henderson’s (Mongolian) Ground Jays, some brief Saxaul Sparrows, Steppe Grey and Isabelline Shrikes, Mongolian Finches and Asian Desert Warblers.
We took our vehicle through narrow mountain passes, not knowing if the tracks we were taking would suddenly fade out, what an adventure! At various stops we were entertained by Pied Wheatears and Grey-necked Buntings, whilst Lammergeiers soared overhead. The spectacular sand dunes of Khongoryn Els are worthy of a visit in their own right, but how about throwing in several thousand Pallas’s Sandgrouse coming in to drink.
Everything was going along nicely, and after a tense journey we saw not one but NINE Oriental Plovers in an hour! The desolate habitats this species inhabits, coupled with its amazing migration down to Australia, the striking plumage of the males and its spectacular display flight means that this species is one of the most highly sought after, and as it won bird of the trip, also highly enjoyed!
On arriving at our Ger camp we were keen to check the surrounding trees where Pallas’s, Dusky, Two-barred Greenish, Arctic, Thick-billed, Oriental Reed and Pallas’s Grasshopper Warblers were all seen over several visits as well as a tristis Chiffchaff, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Common Rosefinches, Hawfinch, Rosy Starling and the semi resident Isabelline Shrikes, Desert and Isabelline Wheatears, Rock Sparrows, Little Owl and Lesser Kestrels.
Our full day at Yolyn Am had the potential to be a wash out, as low cloud and rain reduced visibility to next to nothing. The key in these situations is to remain optimistic, although as we set off into the murk even this was diminishing slightly, it was clear enough to see some close White-winged Snowfinches and our first Kozlov’s and Brown Accentors, and then the mist dropped down again…and became thicker. We reached the part of the valley where we stood our best chance of seeing Wallcreeper, or at least I think it was the right place, the fact we couldn’t even see the mountain sides around us gave an indication of how poor the visibility was. And then something changed, just a slight breeze, or a rise in temperature, and there was our chef picking out our first Wallcreeper, as both Common and Beautiful Rosefinches performed, and ‘red-bellied’ Black Redstarts and from there on in our day just got better and better.
One by one new birds came, such as Twite, Water Pipit, Himalayan Vultures, and then a singing Great Rosefinch, Godlewski’s Buntings, more accentors and a distant Altai Snowcock who thankfully decided that 1pm was a perfectly acceptable time to sit on top of the ridge! Due to a later return flight to the city we opted for a second visit to Yolyn Am, and what a difference! If yesterday’s walk in and out had seemed like two different places then today’s visit was even more dramatic. We saw many of the same species again, starting with singing Altai Snowcocks and ending with low overhead Lammergeiers, with Alpine Accentor joining the list and another Wallcreeper for good measure! In addition to this the sun shone, the sky was blue, and we had chance to enjoy the mountain scenery for what it is, breathtaking. We also saw a good selection of mammals including Siberian Ibex (we had seen both gazelle species 2 days earlier) and then made a short stop at the Gobi museum.
Once back in the city we were ‘bumped’ back to reality with the congested, pot-holed, roads but after a night in a hotel to clean up we were up early and off exploring again. Our ground agent’s Ger camp at Jalman meadows is undoubtedly one of the best in the country but before we could savour filter coffee and Mars bars we had some great birding. Highlights of that day included Amur Falcons, Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, Daurian Jackdaws, Grey-headed and White-backed Woodpeckers, Pine Bunting, Olive-backed Pipit, Red-throated Thrush, Oriental Cuckoo, Yellow-browed Warblers, Siberian Rubythroat, Long-tailed Rosefinch and an amazing encounter with a dead sheep! Well, the sheep wasn’t doing much but the sky was full of Black Vultures, with a couple of Griffon Vultures, plenty of Steppe Eagles and Black Kites. They seemed unconcerned by our presence as we got to study the hierarchy at the kill and witness large raptors right over our heads, another special day!
We were once again up early at Jalman with Azure Tit our target, and one of these cute fluff balls was finally seen! Elsewhere there was more of the same from yesterday and Eurasian Wryneck, Black-faced Buntings, Two-barred Greenish Warblers and Black Grouse ‘bubbling’ somewhere near our camp.
Time was now flying by and we had just a day to enjoy Gun Galuut where the last pair of White-naped Cranes fed alongside Demoiselles, the sky was full of Mongolian Larks, while an Eurasian Skylark narrowly avoided being Hobby prey and as it recovered 2 Sakers had a go as well, it amazingly survived! The wet areas held Marsh and Wood Sandpipers, Citrine Wagtails and a small, short-tailed, silent pipit that evaded identification. Nearby lakes held more Stejneger’s Scoters, Slavonian and Black-necked Grebes, White-winged Black and Whiskered Terns, as well as large flocks of Demoiselle Cranes. Just as we were about to leave we also found a migrant Chinese Bush Warbler…talk about 11th hour birding.
So that was just some of the birding highlights, but Mongolia is far more than that, it’s wild sceneries, endless vistas and harsh climate only enjoyable via a little bit of hardship. This hardship comes in the form of camping (5 nights), in tents that withstood the one evening of strong winds, with our chef not only finding birds for us but also cooking amazing evening meals and varied breakfasts, and a birthday cake in the Gobi! Our driver was exceptional, one of the best I have ever met; careful, considerate and patient with those birders’ demands of ‘back a bit’…’stop’ etc! We also spent 5 nights in gers, where it was good to be able to stand up straight, fall asleep to a glowing fire, serve ourselves hot tea or just spread out our belongings (as well as using the shower and toilet facilities, and drink cold beer!)
All the ground crew were exceptional, not least our translator who started the trip as a non-birder, but by the end of the trip had shown us what amazing eyesight she has. This was just another one of her skills that ranged from setting up a tent on her own faster than we could in pairs and cheerfully being on hand to help with anything we asked her. Mongolia is a special place and long may it remain so. James Lidster
Updated: June 2011