Arend Wassink. Introduction

Transcription

1 ORNITHOLOGICAL TRIP REPORT KAZAKHSTAN TRIP AUGUSTUS SEPTEMBER 2010 Arend Wassink Introduction From 22 August to 8 September 2010, Patrick Palmen and Arend Wassink were birdwatching at the Kenderli resort, situated just south of Fetisovo (42:47 N, 52:37 E), on the eastern Caspian coast of Kazakhstan. The resort, with its green and irrigated gardens and lawns in the middle of an otherwise desert environment, proved to atttract large numbers of passerines. The nearby waterstation (500 m eastwards) and a shallow bay area (3 km southwards) further enhanced the attractiveness for birds. The total area that we searched was approximately 3.5 km2. Although for many species our visit was early (resulting in low numbers), for others passage proved to be in full swing. Species list Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna 8 Sep one juvenile Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata 28 Aug 10 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos 28 Aug two Common Teal Anas crecca 29 Aug one Chukar Partridge Alectoris chukar 6 Sep one heard from nearby hills Common Quail Coturnix coturnix 22, 23 and 25 Aug one heard; 28 Aug one Black-throated Loon Gavia arctica 29 Aug - flock of 16 > south

2 Atlantic Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Daily max 150; 8 Sep 150 Aqtau Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus Daily max 150 Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena 5-8 Sep one adult Black-eared Kite Milvus lineatus Daily max 9, mostly juveniles Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus Daily max 6 Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus 3 Sep - one adult female; 5 Sep - one juvenile Montagu s Harrier Circus pygargus 28 and 31 Aug, 3 and 4 Sep juveniles; 8 Sep - one juv between Fetisovo and Zhanaözen Pallid or Montagu s Harrier Circus pygargus/macrourus 22 and 24 Aug one respectively; 1 Sep one; 5 Sep three; 6 Sep two, all juveniles Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus Daily from 30 Aug max 10 Shikra Accipiter badius On 22 Aug one adult male; almost daily 26 Aug 5 Sep - max 2 per day, mostly juveniles Levant Sparrowhawk Accipiter brevipes 24 Aug one; 2 Sep one; 7 Sep one, all juveniles Steppe Buzzard Buteo buteo vulpinus 5 Sep one; 7 Sep one adult Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus 22 Aug one between Aqtau and Zhanaözen; daily max 2 juv

3 Common Kestrel Falco tinunculus 25 Aug one adult female; almost daily from 2 Sep max 2 Saker Falcon Falco cherrug 7 Sep one Eastern Baillon s Crake Porzana p pusilla 1-5 Sep one adult Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus 23 Aug - one juvenile; 4 Sep - one adult Eurasian Coot Fulica atra 28 Aug 500 Common Crane Grus grus 25 Aug one adult Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus 27 Aug one Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta 4 Sep two Eurasian Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus 24 Aug - one Litte Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius 8 Sep one Aqtau Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula Daily max 20 Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus Daily max 75; 8 Sep one Aqtau Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus 23 Aug 6; 4,5 and 6 Sep one, respectively Little Stint Calidris minuta Daily to 30 Aug max 20 Temminck s Stint Calidris temminckii

4 Daily max three, all juveniles Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea 28 Aug one juvenile Dunlin Calidris alpina 28 Aug eight; 29 Aug one Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus 28 Aug eight Ruff Philomachus pugnax Daily max 6 Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago Almost daily to 3 Sep max three Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata 28 Aug one Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos Almost daily max ten Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus Almost daily max 5 Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus 28 Aug two Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia 28 Aug three Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis 24 Aug one Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola Daily max 15 Common Redshank Tringa totanus 28 Aug two; 31 Aug two Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres 24 and 28 Aug one, respectively; 1 Sep one

5 Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus Aug - two (juveniles); 3 Sep one; 6 Sep one Slender-billed Gull Chroicocephalus genei 28 Aug two adults and one 1st winter Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus Almost daily three; 8 Sep 10 Aqtau Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans Daily max 50 birds, mostly immatures Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia 4 Sep three Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida 28 Aug one juvenile White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus 28 Aug one juvenile Whiskered, Black- or White-winged Tern Chlidonias spec 4 Sep 20; 5 Sep two, flying over the Caspian Sea Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis 8 Sep - four Aqtau Black-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis Daily max 300 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse Pterocles alchata Daily max 30 Common Pigeon Columbia livia (forma domestica) Daily max 50; 8 Sep five Aqtau Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto Daily max 20 European Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur Daily from 24 Aug max 25

6 Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis Daily one or two birds. However, on 7 September four birds (two adults en two juveniles) Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus 24 Aug one juvenile; 31 Aug one adult Little Owl Athene noctua 22 Aug one between Zhanaözen and Fetisovo; 8 Sep one idem Common Swift Apus apus 24 Aug one; 1 Sep one Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus Daily max 200 European Bee-eater Merops apiaster 25 Aug one Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops Daily max 20 Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla Almost daily max 3 Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus o oriolus Daily max 15 (only males subspecifically identified) Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio Daily max 15 Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor 25 Aug one adult Steppe Grey Shrike Lanius lahtora pallidirostris 4 Sep one 1st winter Masked Shrike Lanius nubicus 30 Aug 8 Sep one adult female (photographed). First record for Kazakhstan. Rook Corvus frugilegus Aug one adult; 30 Aug two

7 Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra Daily max 1500 Bimaculated Lark Melanorypha bimaculata Daily max 3000 Greater Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla Daily max 300 Lesser Short-toed Lark Calandrella rufescens Daily max 200 Crested Lark Galerida cristata Daily max 50 Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris brandti Daily max 10 Sand Martin Riparia riparia Daily max 5000; 8 Sep one Aqtau Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Daily max 50; 8 Sep one Aqtau Asian Desert Warbler Sylvia nana 27 Aug one; 29 Aug one Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria 23 Aug three; 24 Aug three; 4 Sep one; 5 Sep one; 7 Sep two Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca halimodendri/blythi Daily max 200 Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis volgae Daily max 5 Garden Warbler Sylvia borin Daily max 20 Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla 1-2 Sep one; 4 and 5 Sep one, respectively, all females

8 Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix 31 Aug one; 2 Sep one Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita From 31 Aug daily, max 50 ssp abietinus 1, 3 and 6 Sep one respectively, identified on call ssp tristis 31 Aug and 3, 6 and 7 Sep several, identified on call Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus Daily max 100 Seebohm s Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia straminae 31 Aug one; 2 Sep one Savi s Warbler Locustella luscinoides 24 Aug one Booted Warbler Iduna caligata 1 Sep three; 3, 4 and 5 Sep, one respectively Sykes s Warbler Iduna rama 26 Aug one; 27 Aug one Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus agricola Almost daily max three Blyth s Reed Warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum Daily - identified among hundreds of Acrocephalus. After 30 Aug this seemed to be the most common migrant Acrocephalus. Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus palustris 28 and 29 Aug, and 1 Sep - one respectively, identified among hundreds of Acrocephalus Caspian Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus fuscus Daily - identified among hundreds of Acrocephalus. Up to 30 Aug this seemed to be the most common migrant Acrocephalus. Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus 29 Aug one 1st winter

9 Clamorous Reed Warbler Acrocephalus stentoreus 4 Sep one Great or Clamorous Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus/ stentoreus 1 Sep three; 5 Sep one Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris 6-7 Sep one 1st winter Rosy Starling Sturnus roseus Daily max ten Common Mynah Acridotheres tristis 22 Aug 22 Almaty airport Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa s striata Daily max 100 Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia 24, 25, 26, 28 and 31 Aug, and on 2 Sep one, respectively Bluethroat Luscinia svecica Daily max 15, some could be identified as ssp pallidogularis Whinchat Saxicola rubetra Daily max eight Siberian Stonechat Saxicola m maurus 5 Sep one female Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina 22 Aug one between Aqtau airport and Aqtau Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe 2 Sep one; 3 Sep two Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka 22 Aug one male between Aqtau and Zhanaözen; daily to 3 Sep max five Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva

10 1 Sep - one adult female or 1st winter; 2 Sep - one heard; 8 Sep - one adult female or 1st winter and one heard European Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca 27 Aug one House Sparrow Passer domesticus Daily max 200 Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis 5-6 Sep one male Rock Sparrow Petronia petronia Aug one Yellow-headed Wagtail Motacilla lutea Daily to 6 Sep max 5 Blue-headed Wagtail Motacilla f flava 5 Sep one male with characters of this ssp Sykes s Blue-headed Wagtail Motacilla flava beema Daily max ten males Grey-headed Wagtail Motacilla thunbergi 29 Aug five males; 1 Sep one male Black-headed Wagtail Motacilla feldegg 1 Sep one male yellow wagtail Motacilla spec Daily max 200. Only males (sub)specifically identified Citrine Wagtail Motacilla c citreola Daily max 75 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea Daily max three White Wagtail Motacilla a alba Daily from 1 Sep max 5; 8 Sep one Aqtau

11 Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris 4 Sep one; 5 Sep one Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis Daily max 300; 8 Sep - one Aqtau Common Rosefinch Carpodacus e erythrinus Daily max 300 Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana Daily max 100 Red-headed Bunting Emberiza bruniceps Daily max 50, all 1st winters Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra Daily max 20 birds Acknowledgement Thanks we are due to Andrei Villaeiev for organising our stay at the Kenderli resort and the team of the Abu Dhabi National Avian Research Center for sending and discussing their trip report of spring 2009 (unpublished, but see Dutch Birding 32: ), that further stimulated us to visit the area.