Birds in flight

 My favourite type of birding is on foot. Most often you'd find me walking through habitat, with scope on one shoulder, camera on the other. I think this is an optimal way for general birding, rather than sit in a hide or drive around in a car. This choice has a few outcomes. First, I see many birds, including birds in flight, and identify many birds on call - not easy when you're in a hide or in a car. Second, my photos are often distant (birds often won't let me approach on foot) and often in flight. Especially since I sold my 500mm lens two years ago, I enjoy shooting small birds in flight. In most cases, photos are rubbish and worth nothing. Sometimes, like today, it works slightly better...

This morning I birded with Piki at Tal Shachar, few minutes from home. It was a special morning because it's Piki's birthday today (Happy Birthday!), and because for the first time since March I put on a second layer first thing. At first, birding was a bit slow, but eventually things picked up. The first bird I photographed today was perched in fact, not in flight, this male Red-backed Shrike, too gorgeous to walk past without attention:

The western section of the alfalfa was half-quiet, there were some pipits and wagtails, nothing major, and Marsh, Montagu's and Pallid Harriers cruised over the field.

Pallid Harrier

Eventually we found two Richard's Pipits that flew up, giving that bursting call. 

Jonathan had just arrived with a busload of punters, and one of the pipits flew directly towards the group. Not sure if anyone but Jonathan saw it.

We made it to the eastern section of the field, that was really busy. Yellow Wagtail numbers went down from many hundreds a month ago to just over 100, and pipit numbers are up, many Red-throats and Tree, several Tawny.

Tawny Pipit

Then a small bird flew up from the field, calling that familiar thin and sharp 'Tzip'. I got my bins on it, Piki too, Little Bunting! Boom! Unfortunately it flew off and away, and we lost it in the distant wood. I was very happy to find it - Little Bunting was one of my Big Year targets for October. This is an exceptionally early record.

Happy and motivated, we continued birding in the alfalfa. It was heartwarming to see good numbers of European Rollers, mostly juveniles. They are not doing well in Israel, and are classified as Vulnerable. Also globally (especially in Europe) their status isn't positive. So 12 in a single field was good.

That underwing is simply stunning

Among the many Spur-winged Lapwings there was a single newly-arrived Northern Lapwing.

All in all it was a great morning, eBird checklist here. Thanks Piki!

Look south

Today I had a good day down south with Meidad. We started early at Hameishar Plains. It felt dry and rather quiet, but eventually our list there included Asian Desert Warbler, Temminck's and Bar-tailed Larks, Spotted and Crowned Sandgrouse, several Siberian Stonechat and this wonderful young female (dark eyes) Hen Harrier, cruising over the plains in soft golden light:

An early afternoon visit to Urim powerline produced five Sociable Lapwings one minute after I went offroad. They were sat in a field and were spooked when the irrigation started, circled in front of me and landed in a tomato (?) field nearby:

5 and 5

Critically Endangered

Then this stunning 2cy male Pallid Harrier flew by, leaving my jaw on the floor:

Still clutching the remains of its last meal

Kazakh steppes

The final days of the Rockjumper tour I was leading were spent in the steppes and wetlands around Nursultan (until recently Astana...). Together with our sharp-eyed local guide Andrey, we birded one day west of the city, and another day south. Birding was fantastic, with non-stop action both in quality and in numbers. Insect load was seriously heavy this year, perhaps due to exceptionally wet winter and very hot spring (climate change anyone?), and did effect our birding, especially in the vicinity of wetlands and during the hot mid-day hours. However, despite this limitation, we all had a great time. There are too many highlights to include in a single post, so I will try to be concise.

Perhaps the rarest species we saw is the globally Critically Endangered Sociable Lapwing. We had them in several sites on both days, enjoyed and appreciated them immensely. I know them well from Israel in winter, but seeing them on their breeding grounds, in full breeding plumage, was something else. We treated them with utmost care and respect, and did not chase them around for better photos or angles. This pair actually flew towards our minibus and posed. We drove off quickly.

Sociable Lapwing - male

Sociable Lapwing - female

We often found the lapwings accompanied by another threatened species, Black-winged Pratincole. Lovely birds.

Another prominent steppe bird was Demoiselle Crane - elegant, beautiful and pleasantly common:

The lark scene on the steppes was dominated by two quality species, both Central Asian specialties - Black Lark, and White-winged Lark.

Black Lark

White-winged Lark

It was brilliant to see Booted Warblers in good densities at more humid steppe sections. Now I feel prepared to find one in Israel. Interesting that in Uzbekistan we found them breeding in deep desert habitat, compared to Sykes's Warbler that breeds there in Tamarix scrub.

Booted Warbler

In the same habitat by wet meadows and wetland edges, Bluethroat, Sykes's Yellow Wagtail and Siberian Stonechat also breed in good densities.

Two prominent hunters, patrolling over the steppes, were Short-eared Owl, frequently encountered day-foraging, and the stunning Pallid Harrier.

We had one encounter with Saiga on the steppes - two youngsters that were rather tame (shame on the horrible heat haze and harsh light that killed my photos). Their mother fled at amazing speed as soon as it spotted us.

The wetlands were rich and exciting. Each one was different, depending on their water levels, salinity, nutrition richness etc. Some wetlands held fantastic numbers of Red-necked Phalaropes and other staging shorebirds. One wetland held an estimated 30,000 phalaropes - it was impossible to capture this by camera.

Mixed flock of Red-necked Phals, Curlew Sands, Dunlin and Little Stint

Another wetland held a large breeding colony of Pallas's, Steppe, Russian Mew and Slender-billed Gulls.

Pallas's Gulls and guests

Steppe Gull 

Other wetlands held large numbers of breeding White-winged and Black Terns, providing excellent photographic opportunities as they surface-forage.

Wetland reedbeds and wet grassy edges are what Paddyfield Warbler need - some males were singing ferociously from reedtops:

Scattered woodlands held the beautiful Pine Bunting, and breeding Red-footed Falcons:

I eBirded on the road all the birds seen on tour, and took many more (too many?) photos during my days in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. My eBird checklists, and photos and audio I uploaded to Macaulay Library, can be seen through my public eBird profile here (KZ and UZ).

This concludes my Rockjumper 'Best of Central Asia' tour updates. I hope you enjoyed - join me there in 2021?