Birding Abroad

Trip Report – Mongolia- 19 August to 4 September 2015

For even the most seasoned of global travellers, Mongolia rates highly as one of the world’s most

compelling destinations. This vast landlocked country, ancestral home to the great Chinggis

(Genghis) Khan and his ancient empires remains largely unspoilt, and with minimal infrastructure

and huge tracts of virgin landscape, it enjoys abundant birds and wildlife. Our tour traversed some of

the country’s remote and largely unchanged landscapes encountering as we went high mountains

and alpine meadows, rivers and streams, tranquil steppe lakes, vast rolling grasslands, the majestic

stony and sandy deserts of the Gobi region, and the southern edge of the great Siberian taiga forest.

Within these wonderful and evocative settings our aim was to witness some of the resident and

passage migrant bird life as well as other terrific wildlife on offer. This Birding Abroad group

comprised the following members: Andrew and John Ashworth, Richard Drew, John and Jane

Hartley, Denis and Dorothy Jackson, Jim Morgan, and the two tour leaders, Lance Degnan and Nick

Whitehouse. We were ably supported by a knowledgeable and helpful local ground crew from Ulan

Bator who accompanied us throughout the tour.

Wednesday 19 August – the group assembled at Humberside airport for a short flight to

Amsterdam, from where our connecting flights to Moscow and then onwards overnight to

Mongolia’s capital Ulan Bator all ran remarkably smoothly and to schedule.

Thursday 20 August - we arrived at Ulan Bator’s Chinggis Khan airport at breakfast time and after

being warmly met by our experienced ground crew (an interpreter/bird guide and driver) complete

with a roomy tour bus, we made our way to the nearby airport pools alongside the Tuul River. Here

an introductory birding session yielded a family party of Demoiselle Cranes in the fields, with small

groups of Swan Geese and Ruddy Shelduck on the pools which also held an assortment of waders

including both Common and Pintail Snipe, two Eastern Black-tailed Godwits, six Red-necked and four

Long-toed Stints and two Broad-billed Sandpipers. More familiar were good numbers of Temminck’s

Stints and Wood Sandpipers. Several White-winged Terns graced the pools whilst overhead small

parties of Pacific Swifts, clearly showing their white rumps, raced across the lovely warm skies

accompanied by a few Common Swifts which afforded a useful comparison. The stop provided an

opportunity to take a revitalising picnic lunch and whilst doing so we watched several Richard’s

Pipits near to our vehicle. Other notable birds included double figure counts for both Eastern Yellow

and Baikal Wagtails, together with a few Citrine Wagtails. A handful of Isabelline Shrikes showed

well and we became accustomed to ever present groups of Red-billed Choughs, a common sight in

Mongolia.

We then drove on westward away from Ulan Bator on a recently constructed tarmac highway (a

relative novelty in Mongolia) and some three hours later arrived at the Hustai National Park in the

late afternoon. As the steppe grasslands opened out during the journey we noted our first Upland

Buzzards sitting and hunting roadside, a species which we then saw daily in varying numbers. We

checked in to our ger camp accommodation at Hustai with its attendant flock of circling Black-eared

Kites, and familiarised ourselves with the camp layout, its workings and excellent facilities, before

venturing out on an excursion out into the wide expanses of the park. Our hope was that we would

Demoiselle Crane one of many encounters on the tour

spot a group of Takhi or Przewalski’s Horses, the last remaining wild horse species in the world.

Careful scanning of the hillsides was eventually rewarded with close views of some 40 of these

attractive animals, in mixed age groups, including a couple of foals, all looking healthy with

handsome coats and manes. Alongside the track a single telegraph wire and a line of poles provided

perches for Amur Falcons, with both males, females and juveniles allowing close approach and

providing stunning views. A couple of coveys of Daurian Partridges were seen trackside, whilst the

margins of a small pool held a few Pallas’s (Reed) Buntings and several Oriental Crows were present

around the ger camp. Small mammals of the rodent variety are very common across the country’s

steppe and desert, and we counted some 20 Mongolian Marmots during our first day, which had

provided some great birding and wildlife at the start of the tour. That evening we sampled our first

full three course meal, helped along with a local beer or two before retiring to our gers complete

with their comfortable divan beds. Even though we were in remotest Mongolia, the creature

comforts on offer at the eco-tourist ger camps are quite splendid, and we are glad to report that

they remained that way throughout the tour.

Friday 21 August – today we enjoyed a full day in the Hustai National Park, exploring one of the

main valleys which contained a mixture of habitats. The flood plain alongside the river held 30 Pacific

Golden Plovers, some still in resplendent summer plumage, whilst the river margins hosted a

selection of more familiar waders such as Northern Lapwing, Temminck’s Stint, Little Ringed Plover

and Common, Green and Wood Sandpipers. A walk across the drier steppe produced several species

of lark, including day totals of 29 Mongolian, 6 Asian Short-toed and 30 Mongolian Horned as well as

a dozen Desert Wheatears. As the day warmed, raptors began to take to the skies, and 17 Cinereous

Vultures, many Black-eared Kites, a Northern Goshawk, Upland Buzzards, five Steppe Eagles, two

Golden Eagles, ten Eurasian Kestrels and 18 Amur Falcons were seen. A saunter along the edges of

the riparian woodland produced our first Dusky and Yellow-browed Warblers of the trip, together

with two Taiga Flycatchers, each of these species being noted almost daily thereafter. Rather more

scarce were three White-cheeked Starlings, but accolade for ‘bird of the day’ surely fell to a couple

of stunning Azure Tits which showed at close range.

For mammal lovers the sight of 250 Mongolian Gazelles sprinting across the wide open steppe and

away across the distant shimmering horizon was very memorable. A rare Tolai Hare, two Long-tailed

Ground Squirrels and yet more views of Przewalski’s Horses were enjoyed during the day. During the

evening and back at camp, we attended an interesting talk given by one of the main conservationists

associated with the Przewalski’s Horse programme, adding to our knowledge of these lovely animals.

Azure Tit - what a beauty

Tolai Hare

Saturday 22 August – after a filling breakfast we set off again and drove further westwards for a

couple of hours, instigating a day count of Upland Buzzards having noted that they were becoming

more frequent. Our first port of call late morning was at Bayannur Lake. Here the reed fringed

margins were ideal habitat for Pallas’s Grasshopper and Paddyfield Warblers and after careful and

patient scanning we were able to see both species, a couple of the former also bursting into their

short song. Eastern Water Rail skulked at the margins whilst a few White-crowned Penduline Tits

moved through the reed tops which also hosted Bearded Tits and six Pallas’s Buntings. A pair of

Eastern Marsh-Harriers quartered the reeds, whilst also in the air were a Booted Eagle, a Saker

Falcon and several Cinereous Vultures. Isolated steppe lakes such as Bayannur provide very valuable

resting and feeding sites for migrating birds, and the muddy margins presented an impressive ‘wader

fest’. Along just one stretch of the shoreline were ten Black-winged Stilts, 25 Pied Avocets, 400

Pacific Golden Plovers, 16 Little Ringed Plovers, 10 Kentish Plovers, three Little Curlews, 55 Red-

necked Stints, five Little Stints, 125 Temminck’s Stints, four Long-toed Stints, two Sharp-tailed

Sandpipers, two Curlew Sandpipers, a single Broad-billed Sandpiper as well as other more familiar

wader species. Hugely impressive was a pair of beautiful White-naped Cranes moving stealthily

through nearby grassland with their part-grown youngster.

Moving on after a picnic lunch, we continued westwards on the surfaced road for another couple of

hours before following a track across the steppe and finally reaching the ger camp at Ogiy Nur,

another but much larger steppe lake, in time for a refreshing afternoon tea. The day’s drive had not

been uneventful however with groups of roadside Demoiselle Cranes numbering 100 birds in total

and small flocks of larks including 19 Mongolian and 45 Asian Short-toed, whilst the count for Upland

Buzzards came to 29. After tea we explored the northern shore of the lake noting 15 Mongolian

Gulls, a selection of waders, a single Hoopoe, two Blyth’s Pipits, and a group of 30 Pere David’s

Snowfinch on the dried out ‘delta’ area where a shallow river fed the lake. We then returned to the

comforts of our ger camp for an evening meal.

The stately White-naped Crane, seen on four days during the tour

Sunday 23 August – after a leisurely breakfast, we decided to drive around to the south-eastern

shore of the lake and follow the southern shoreline of the lake as far as we could, stopping regularly

to scan the water and the steppe either side of the vehicle. Four splendid summer-plumaged Black-

throated Divers showed well, with grebe totals being 50 Great Crested, 12 Slavonian and 1 Black-

necked. Great Cormorants were very common with 350 being logged. Swan Geese gave nice views

both close to the shore and in groups out on the lake, with 75 being counted, alongside some 30 or

so Ruddy Shelduck. Diving duck included small groups of Common Pochard, a few Tufted Duck and a

few hundred Common Goldeneye. Our main quarry though was the scarce Stejneger’s Scoter, and

after careful checking of each part of the lake we were rewarded with nice views of an adult female.

Several species, like the scoter, are reliant on remote and undisturbed steppe lakes for breeding.

With the new highway stretching over 600 miles west from the capital, Ogiy Nur lake is now within

reach of the emerging middle classes from Ulan Bator, complete with their newly acquired Japanese

4 x4 vehicles, and the lake is clearly becoming a recreational area. Few restrictions or conservation

measures appear to be in place to protect this important lake and its environs, without which many

significant breeding and migrant species will be detrimentally affected. Even protecting sections of

the lake would have significant benefits for wildlife. Swampy margins yielded a few wader species,

which included a Terek Sandpiper, six Eurasian Curlews, eight Turnstone, 35 Temminck’s and two

Long-toed Stints, four Curlew Sandpiper and a Whimbrel showing only the faintest slither of white

on the mantle in flight, a feature of the eastern sub species variagatus. Gulls offshore included more

Mongolian, 50 Black-headed, a single Little and six Pallas’s, the latter mostly adults just coming out

of summer plumage. We returned for lunch at the camp followed by an early afternoon rest and

relax as this was the hottest part of the day (with temperatures at 28 degrees plus) with bird activity

at its lowest. Back in the field by late afternoon, the star bird was an immature Pallas’ Fish Eagle

which came majestically overhead showing its distinctive under-wing pattern before settling at the

lakeside and giving excellent views.

juvenile Pallas’s Fish-eagle, Ogiy Nur

The grassy borderland to the lake held six Richard’s and ten Blyth’s Pipits, allowing us to compare

both plumages and calls. The first Pied Wheatears of the trip were noted alongside several Northern

and four Isabelline. The camp played host to many Barn Swallows and amongst a handful of

seemingly normal Sand Martins were a couple of what appeared to be paler types, being possibly

diluta or Pale Martins, but we left their identity as unconfirmed.

Monday 24 August – this morning we enjoyed another leisurely start before we waved goodbye to

our friendly ger camp hosts to begin the journey back towards Ulan Bator. Calling again at Bayannur

Lake, we noticed that the wader mix had changed in the two days since our last visit, showing how

quickly the migration phases move in the short Mongolian autumn. Spotted Redshanks (c250),

Kentish Plover and Curlew Sandpipers had significantly increased. This time two pairs of White-

naped Cranes were located near the lake, each with a large chick. The grassy borders hosted 15 Bar-

headed Geese with the reed edges produced eight Paddyfield Warblers. Once back in Ulan Bator we

had a break from the birding to visit a cashmere factory to see how the raw material (goats wool) is

made into the most exquisite garments for the fashion world. Having seen the various stages in the

process, several of the group bought some lovely gifts and souvenirs from the factory shop. We later

checked into our comfortable hotel and enjoyed a nice evening meal before retiring for the night.

Tuesday 25 August – we were up early and off to the airport ready for our internal flight to

Dalanzadgad, gateway town to the vast Gobi Desert. All went smoothly, the flight taking an hour and

a quarter before we landed and were collected by our trusty ground crew complete with a new tour

bus for the second leg of our epic journey.

Team shot Dalanzagdad airport 30 August 2015

After acquiring some important provisions for the journey, such as sweets and strawberry cakes! we

journeyed west over vast stony plains, pausing regularly to scan for a lingering Oriental Plover, a

species which breeds here during the summer, and which could still be around. But it seemed the

plovers had probably already dispersed and none was found, but many groups of Asian Short-toed

and Mongolian Larks and several of Pied, Desert, Isabelline and Northern Wheatears were noted.

Our main birding stop of the day was at a small area of irrigated agricultural land, perhaps only 400

metres square; a mere ‘dot of green’ in the midst of the vast Gobi, when seen from above by any

overflying migrants. Here we were treated to some superb birding that would enthuse any UK birder

who watches a coastal hotspot. The list included, Pintail Snipe, Hoopoe, Wryneck, Blyth’s Pipit, six

Olive-backed Pipits, four Dusky Warblers, three Yellow-browed and a single Arctic Warbler, seven

Asian Brown Flycatchers, 20 Taiga Flycatchers, 6 Isabelline Shrikes, one Brown Shrike, two Steppe

Grey Shrikes, ten Common Rosefinch and three Pallas’s Buntings. Not surprisingly a Northern Harrier

was drawn in to seek out a potential meal.

We then arrived at the Gobi Tour ger camp, where we had some lunch and a rest, before venturing

out for a late afternoon visit to the nearby ‘Flaming Cliffs’ of Bayanzag. This is the site of the famous

discovery of fossilised dinosaur eggs in 1920 by American palaeontologist Roy Chapman Andrews,

said to be inspiration for the film Jurassic Park. It was quite remarkable to think that the beautiful

rock strata here had yielded so many dinosaur relicts, and equally of the endeavours of Chapman

Andrews and his expedition to bring such treasures to the world. A few souvenirs were bought from

local stall holders who waited patiently for passing groups of tourists, and we enjoyed some time

just reflecting and absorbing the awe-inspiring landscape. A couple of flocks of Pallas’s Sandgrouse

totalling 21 birds flew over, a nice sight against the multi-coloured skies and sun-soaked sandstones.

A brief walk around an area of Saxaul scrub produced a very confiding Thick-billed Warbler, whilst

the mammal list was augmented by close views of eight Great Gerbils. We returned to the camp

Asian Brown Flycatcher

where we enjoyed a video presentation, the grainy footage recounting the endeavours of the

Chapman Andrew expeditions. A nice evening meal, accompanied by beer and wine saw an end to

the day.

Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs above and the rather strange Saxaul trees below

Wednesday 26 August – this morning, those that wanted a more leisurely start stayed at the camp

whilst those seeking more of the ‘migrant fest’ at the nearby irrigated farm were there at dawn for

another enjoyable birding session. This included most of the species seen the previous day, plus two

Thick-billed Warblers and a Two-barred Greenish Warbler which obligingly called a couple of times.

Thick-billed Warbler above and Two-barred Greenish Warbler below

After breakfast we embarked on what was to be one of the longest journeys of the trip, made on

rough tracks across the splendid Gobi to our next destination at Khongor Els. One distant horizon

gave way to another, with mirages and the profiles of far off mountain ranges changing each hour as

we journeyed across such a naturally beautiful and isolated landscape. The spectacular scenery was

dotted with a few isolated gers, temporary homes to nomadic families and a centuries old way of

life. Intermittent stops were made throughout the day with the bird list having a typically ‘desert’

feel to it, including over 200 Pallas’s Sandgrouse, 200 Asian Short-toed and 500 Mongolian Horned

Larks and 20 Desert Wheatears. New though were six Asian Desert Warblers, skulking in sparse

vegetation and eventually giving good views, and two Siberian Stonechats. Our Mongolian guide

knew a site where Black-tailed Gazelles could be found and we duly came across 21 of these lovely

animals where the desert rose to the foothills. Groups of Bactrian Camels, their presence so typifying

the landscapes we were crossing, were noted throughout the day, totalling some 100 individuals.

Even out in the Gobi, herdsman on horseback (but increasingly these days on motorised ‘trikes’)

watch over large flocks of grazing goats, sheep, cattle, horses and yaks, and any isolated watering

hole for these hardy animals is also a magnet for migrant birds. One such stop over our picnic lunch

produced Temminck’s Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, various wagtails and a fine Saker Falcon, as well as

Pallas’s Pika for the mammal list. As we descended from the Western Beauty Mountains we could

see the vast sand dunes of Khongor Els, which became more golden as the sun sank lower in the late

afternoon - a splendid sight. After ‘checking in’ to the Gobi Erdene ger camp and having a refreshing

afternoon tea, we visited the Saxaul forest at the base of the towering sand dunes.

Several Steppe Grey Shrikes were noted, and as sun set closed in, small groups of Saxaul Sparrows

began to gather, providing nice views of this extremely localised desert specialist. The eventual

count reached c.250 before the birds disappeared to their overnight roost within the Saxaul trees.

Gobi Erdene ger camp

After our evening meal, John led a ‘jerboa’ hunt around the camp and its outskirts, where complete

with torches we had great fun tracking down and watching at close quarters several different

rodents including Gobi Jerboa and Northern-Three-toed Jerboa. Some of the animals were very tame

even allowing us bend down to stroke them!

Thursday 27 August – for this morning’s session we returned to the sand dunes and enjoyed a nice

stroll along the narrow stream which flows around the edge. Here amongst the clumps of waterside

irises, we had great views of six Pallas’s Grasshopper Warblers, the skulking birds sometimes slowly

creeping out into the open, allowing us to check out all the identification features.

Gobi Jerboa

some cracking views of Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler were had

In such arid surroundings any water attracts birds, with the stream hosting two Eurasian Spoonbills,

small flocks of both Pacific Golden Plovers and Northern Lapwings, 25 Pintail Snipe and several

Common, Green and Wood Sandpipers. The short grass margins away from the stream were

favoured by pipits, with 15 Richard’s and seven Blyth’s giving great comparative views in the lovely

warm sunshine. Other birds seen during the morning session included two Hill Pigeons amongst the

commoner Rock Pigeons, several Isabelline Shrikes, 12 Common Rosefinches, the first Yellow-

breasted Bunting of the trip plus overflying Peregrine, Saker Falcon and small groups of Pallas’s

Sandgrouse. Three of the group scrambled adventurously to the summit of the towering dunes

giving them amazing views over the landscape. Khongor Els is also known as the “singing dunes”

from the peculiar sounds made as the winds swirl around its ridges. We took lunch at the camp

followed by an early afternoon rest through the hottest part of the day, before once again venturing

out into the field. We located an area of undulating dry rocky ravines a few kilometres from the

camp, potential habitat for the very scarce and highly localised Mongolian (or Henderson’s) Ground-

Jay. Diligently checking each ravine we eventually found a single bird which gave excellent views.

Further searching yielded three more of these very unusual birds which are resident here and so

have to tolerate both the extreme heat of summer and the numbingly cold winter encountered in

the Gobi desert. Mongolian Gerbil scurried across the parched earth. Well pleased with the day’s

birding we returned to camp for evening meal, which was again followed by a torch-lit sortie around

the camp in search of yet more small mammals with Five-toed Pygmy Jerboa being added to our list.

Friday 28 August – today we set off for another long drive eastwards broken with several stops in

suitable habitats for species new to the trip. The first of these was in the Western Beauty Mountains

where we enjoyed close views of a group of fine Siberian Ibex, several Daurian Pika and a Tolai Hare.

The slopes and valley bottom were explored on foot and with patience we located 12 Mongolian

Finches, rather surprisingly, the only ones of the trip. The dark rocks provided a fitting home for

eight Pied Wheatears, both Steppe and Golden Eagles flew overhead and any patch of scrub seemed

Henderson’s Ground-Jay a most sought after species

to contain a Dusky Warbler. Tradition holds that visitors should pay their respects to the spirits of

Mother Nature by walking three times around one of the stone-piled Ovoos which can be often

found near mountain colls. The group were happy to follow the ritual. We dropped in for lunch at

the Gobi Mirage Ger Camp, and then resumed our long journey, noting flock after flock of both

Mongolian Horned and Asian Lesser Short-toed Larks and a couple of Lesser Kestrels before by late

afternoon we had arrived at the Dungenee Ger camp, our home for the next two nights. The final

session of day saw us visit the Little Yolim Am valley, for a foretaste of the following days birding.

Here in the steep sided gorge we noted four Lammergeiers, two Himalayan Griffon Vultures, 20 Crag

Martins, a few Black Redstarts and 55 White-winged Snowfinch.

Saturday 29 August – today our bus took us to the head of the Yolim Am valley, also known as

“Valley of the Lammergeier”, from where we ventured out on foot exploring the main valley and

side dales. The area is noted for several species of accentor, one of which, Koslov’s, is Mongolia’s

only endemic bird. We duly found 25 Koslov’s during the day, along with four Brown Accentors. The

spectacular valley provides valuable vegetation for migrant passerines, and our walk produced a

good range of species including two each of Wryneck and Bluethroat, several Siberian Stonechats,

Thick-billed Warbler and Isabelline Shrike. The slopes and streams were home to three bunting

species; a single Godlewski’s, three Grey-necked and an obliging Yellow-breasted which bathed in

the shallow crystal clear waters as we watched on. Twite is a species which enjoys a wide

geographical range in Europe and Asia and here we found four individuals amongst the rocky slopes,

which also held at least 60 Pied Wheatears. Ten ‘eastern’ Water Pipits and a single Red-throated

Pipit were present along the streams, with a few Citrine, Eastern Yellow, Baikal and many Grey

Wagtails. A large footprint in the trackside dust was examined by our Mongolian guide, who believed

it to be that of a Snow Leopard which had passed that way a few hours earlier. What a sight that

would have been! Little Owl was noted back at the camp where we enjoyed another nice evening

meal.

Sunday 30 August – today we rose early, had breakfast, and made the short journey back to

Dalanzadgad airport. Here whilst waiting for our internal flight back north to the capital, a flock of 20

Amur Falcons drifted overhead, their migration (amazingly to South Africa) clearly now well

underway. We checked into the Bayangol hotel in the capital, and then had an afternoon of free

time, enjoying some sightseeing around the impressive government square. Yet more cultural

experiences followed when we attended a one hour concert with traditional dancing and music

Lammergeier Koslov’s Accentor

The imposing cliffs of Yolyn Am

played on original woodwind, string and percussion instruments. Contortionists put on a body-

bending (and mind bending!) display but perhaps best of all were the Mongolian throat singers.

Quite how these singers generate such sounds simultaneously from both ends of the scale is really

remarkable. All the group came away saying how much they had enjoyed the concert, a taste of

culture and a brief break from birding and wildlife watching.

Monday 31 August - duly refreshed and ready for the final leg of our epic journey, we travelled

eastwards out of Ulan Bator for three hours, firstly along a paved road and latterly off road on

tracks. The fields were full of corvids, with 70 Red-billed Chough, 250 Daurian Jackdaws, 20 Eastern

(dark-billed) Rooks and 20 Common Ravens being logged. Roadside telegraph wires provided

perches for three Amur Falcons. Our destination was Gun Galuut nature reserve, set in the stunning

wide valley of the fast flowing Herlen river. Just before reaching the camp we checked Lake Ikh Gun

where a good selection of water birds were noted including five Slavonian and a single Black-necked

Grebe, 13 Whooper Swans and a wide selection of commoner ducks, as well as 20 Demoiselle

Cranes. New wader species for the trip were Marsh Sandpiper, Sanderling, Ruff and 11 Red-necked

Phalaropes. After lunch we checked a small line of willows nearby only to be rewarded with a

cracking male Siberian Rubythroat. The afternoon’s birding session covered vegetation along the

river margins and the alpine meadows and marshes which stretch for miles here. Whilst checking

the wet meadows we noticed a solitary bird very similar in appearance to a White Stork. Closer

inspection revealed that the bird possessed a red eye ring, a bill that was strong and all black and

additionally a small red gular patch at the base of the bill. When the bird flew, it showed very

distinctive greyish white outer webs along the secondaries and inner primaries, producing a pale

‘flash’ in the wings. In combination, these features showed the bird to be an Oriental Stork, an

endangered species which has a world population of fewer than 2000 birds. There are fewer than

ten records in Mongolia, so our guide put in a call to Ulan Bator’s small band of twitchers, who duly

arrived later to witness this rare event.

The water meadows were ideal for ‘flava’ wagtails, birds we had noted throughout the trip wherever

water was available. Of the adult males that we saw, most were Eastern Yellow Wagtails of the race

tschutschensis (very similar to western Blue-headed Wagtails), with the occasional bird of the race

macronyx to be seen (very similar to western Grey-headed Wagtail) and here at Gun Galuut a single

bird of the race taivana was noted (distinctly different from any western ‘flava’ wagtail and also

known as Green-headed Wagtail). As we went for our evening meal, small flocks of Rock Sparrows

came into roost nearby.

Tuesday 1 September – our quest this morning was to locate the scarce Argali sheep which live in

the mountains surrounding Gun Galuut. We drove for several miles into the mountains, stopping

frequently to scan and just as we had almost given up, a group of seven of these splendid beasts, the

adult males complete with large curled horns, were located before they slipped away not to be seen

again. The Oriental Stork as again present as were two pairs of White-naped Cranes out on the

marshes where two Eurasian Hobbies flew past. The camp willows again held a Rubythroat, this

time a female, as well as three Brown Shrikes, Wryneck, two Yellow-breasted Bunting, three Pallas’s

Grasshopper Warblers, 15 Dusky Warblers, Thick-billed Warbler and four Common Rosefinches.

After lunch we explored the small steppe lakes to the north west of Gun Galuut, noting a good

section of waders including five Marsh Sandpipers and increasing numbers of duck including many

Pintail, five Garganey and two of the much rarer Baikal Teal. As well as the fabulous birding and

wildlife on offer at this premier standard ger camp, it is perhaps the sheer magnificence of the wide

open vista complete with crystal clear river, glistening and winding away to distant horizons which

makes Gun Galuut such a marvellous place to stay.

Wednesday 2 September – this morning we had a leisurely breakfast before setting off for the three

hour drive towards Jalman Meadows, located within the Khan Khenti strictly protected area. We

paused a couple of times during the journey, noting our only Corsac Fox of the trip, and as we began

to enter the southern reaches of the Siberian taiga forest, our first Pine Buntings. One such spot

produced our only ‘Great Grey Shrikes’ of the trip, all four birds juveniles, but complete with

brownish tinges to their upperparts. Traditional nomenclature has these birds, the race sibiricus, as

the most easterly of the Great Grey Shrike complex. But they seem to be much more closely related

to the race borealis (from North America) and it seems these two races will one day be split as a

species in their own right - Northern Grey Shrike. A walk through the coniferous forest produced a

great surprise when a Ural Owl was spotted sitting in a tree and looking straight towards us. After

we all had obtained great views it glided off silently deep into the forest. The habitat here is home to

the scarce Black-billed Capercaillie, and led by our guide, we first heard bill clacking noises thought

to belong to one of these birds and then one was flushed but this also dashed away out of sight from

the group. Marsh, Willow, Coal and Great Tits were noted as well as Eurasian Nuthatches and Jays,

whilst deep into the forest a couple of the group managed to see two Red-flanked Bluetails.

Alongside the river, a short walk produced Long-tailed Rosefinch, Little and three Black-faced

Buntings, 12 Red Crossbills and six Daurian Redstarts. Clearly the change of habitat was yielding

many more new species for the trip. We checked into our final ger camp at Jalman Meadows and

then enjoyed a late afternoon walk through the riparian woodland. Here singles of Great Spotted,

Grey-headed and Eurasian Three-toed Woodpeckers were located. The riverside scrub held 30 Olive-

backed Pipits, 28 Dusky Warblers, 12 Yellow-browed Warblers, three Arctic Warblers, a Bluethroat,

five Siberian Rubythroats and eight Pine Buntings, whilst the grassy slopes of the camp were a

favourite haunt for Richard’s Pipits, with 15 in one small area. This was truly excellent birding! It

appeared from the darkening clouds and eddying winds that had started, that we were in for a

downpour, but the storm passed around us, though it was noticeable that the air was beginning to

cool, now that we were into September. The evening meal was accompanied by some traditional

folk singing from a neighbouring table full of Norwegian tourists. A brief night time small mammal

hunt around the camp hunt produced several Long-tailed Ground Squirells.

Jalman Meadows – a very pleasant valley indeed

Siberian Rubythroat – here a female

Thursday 3 September – this was our last full day in Mongolia, and so we determined to spread out

and explore the forest and river valley around Jalman Meadows. Just a morning’s birding produced

group totals of two Northern Goshawks, two Steppe Eagles, single Hobby, Saker Falcon and Black

Grouse, two Eurasian Three-toed Woodpeckers, two Red-throated Thrushes, two Pallas’s

Grasshopper Warblers, 40 Dusky Warblers, two Pallas’s Leaf Warblers (still singing), 17 Arctic

Warblers (clearly their passage was well underway), a single Dark-sided Flycatcher, four Siberian

Rubythroats, seven Daurian Redstarts, Siberian Stonechat, 30 Richard’s Pipits, five Azure Tits, six

Long-tailed Rosefinches, 60 Pine Buntings, one Little Bunting, five Black-faced Buntings, plus many

other birds. Six Siberian Chipmunks were the last of our significant mammal finds. We had strolled,

with no one else in sight, on a circuit of just a few miles, simply absorbing the outstanding scenery

and birdlife. We returned to camp for lunch and then sadly it was time to pack and make our move

back towards Ulan Bator. The drive took us past the massive monument to Genghis Khan, where we

stopped to visit the museum inside, with displays of ancient Mongol relicts depicting the different

eras within the history of this great nation.

Our trip was all but over and we enjoyed a final evening meal together in the fine setting of a

restaurant in the heart of the modern city. Few countries have such a stark difference between the

rural and urban population. Whilst nomadic Mongols live their simple but well adapted life style,

their cousins in the capital are lurching headlong into the future. Ulan Bator is changing at a dizzying

pace and many Mongolians have embraced wholeheartedly the global economy and consumerism.

The country is often held up as a model of an emerging democracy. Inward investment and

exploitation of its riches means that Mongolia is changing and fast, but its sheer vastness means

there will be still be much for visiting naturalists for many years to come. Let’s hope the country can

welcome both modern developments whilst at the same time guarding its history and marvellous

wildlife for future generations to come.

Friday 4 September – we rose early, said farewell to our extremely helpful ground agent guides and

boarded the flights to Moscow, to Amsterdam and finally to Humberside, arriving back in the UK in

the afternoon, only a few minutes late – fairly good going when considering a route of this distance.

All agreed it had been an experience of a lifetime, matching and even bettering our expectations,

with great birding and wildlife and some wonderful memories.

Many thanks to Andrew Ashworth for allowing us to use his excellent photographs taken on tour

Lance Degnan and Nick Whitehouse

Birding Abroad, 2015

Lance.degnan@virgin.net, nickwhitehouse@btinternet.com

Nick and Lance in Ulan Bator 2015