Trip report written by Amarkhuu. (Amarkhuucccp@yahoo.com)
From July 24 to August 20 2010, I took part in birding trip with German birdwatchers and ornithologists to East Mongolia.
The route of the birding trip was from Ulaanbaatar - Gvn galuut Lake - Bereewen Monastery - Khurkh valley - Binder’s Owoo - Onon river - Tsengeleg Lake – Menen steppe - Buir Lake - Khalkh river – Numrug – Choibalsan – Undurkhaan – back to Ulaanbaatar. On our trip we could record a new species for Mongolia, the Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostris). We observed this species at Nariin Lake close to the Buir Lake. In total we observed 234 birds during the trip. I our team were some of the best German ornithologists.
Birds seen on the trip:
Aquila clanga- Greater Spotted Eagle
Larus relictus -Relict Gull
Grus vipio- White-naped Crane
Aquila heliaca- Eastern Imperial Eagle
Falco cherrug -Saker Falcon
Limnodromus semipalmatus -Asian Dowitcher
Otis tarda -Great bustard
Anas falcata- Falcated Duck
Grus grus -Common Crane
Anthus trivialis- Tree Pipit
Coturnix japonica- Japanese Quail
Ardeola bacchus- Chinese Pond-heron
Cygnus Cygnus- Whooper swan
Cygnus olor- Mute swan
Pernis ptilorhyncu- Oriental Honey Buzzard Xenus cinereus- Terek Sandpiper
Numenius minutus- Little Curlew
Hydroprogne caspia- Caspian Tern
As one of the trip’s highlights we recorded a new species for Mongolia. It was the Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostris). This species is breeding in Northern Russia, Siberia, Yakutia, Chukotka and Koryakia. It migrates to SE Asia and Australasia, through coastal Russian Far East, Japan, Korea and China. On migration and in the winter quarters it forms dense flocks on intertidal wetlands.
Great knot (Calidris tenuirostris) (Photo by Steve klasan)
Another specialty of our trip was the observation of the Siberian crane (Grus leucogranus). We saw a flock of 7 of these wonderful birds in the Khurakh valley in Khentii aimag. This species is a summer visitor to a restricted area of the Russian Arctic. In E Asia, local east of the Lena, Wintering in freshwater marshes and lakes in E China. It moves through NE China and single specimens stray occasionally in winter to Korea and Kyushu, join other cranes, but it has also occurred in Japan in Apr- Aug at, for example, wetlands in E Hokkaido.
Siberian crane (Crus leucogeranus) (Photo by Amarkhuu)
