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Sorbulak


2020-11-28| Askar Isabekov

Trip to Sorbualk. Yesterday weather forecast promised rain and snow of 94% probability, but nobody paniced. Gennady explained his calm by the words that here never be a long time rain, even it will be present just only during two hours. In real the forecast was true, but rain and snow were only during one and half hours.

The weather in morning was cold (-2C), then it became warmer all day. Sky of course was cloudy, but after the snowfall sky was slightly opened, and the sunset was very nice. All day was windy, therefore Sorbulak was heavy stormed. In the way we discussed the wish-list, but it was short due the season, with the Gulls in the top, probably because my Caspian 'lifers' depended to it. Gulls were our first birds in Sorbulak, along the first dam there was a flock of about one and half hundreds birds, which I firstly considered as a Mew Gull due the rounded heads and short bills. But they was not Mew Gulls but one of the former 'argentatus' group, but definitly not Caspian Gulls (but Caspian Gull after all - A.I.) Gulls were shy and quickly dispersed, and then we didn't observe Gull in same big number untill the end of our birding.

Then we noticed Swans, and the first recorded ones were the rare Tundra Swans, the four adult birds. Then we watched the same birds but in bigger group together with first winter birds. Also we two times recorded the single Tundra Swans, in total 11 specimens in day. Mute Swans were in two points totally about ten birds, with a background of five hundreds Whooper Swans.

Big Sorbulak is wholy ice-free, but in Little Sorbulak even the 1st reservoir is frosten in the half far from the channel's mouth. The first lake of the 2nd reservoir also is half frosten, the rest lakes were not checked. There are quite a lot and diverse Ducks, mostly Mallards. Of a dabbling ducks we aslo saw Common Teals and Northern Showelers. The Common Shelducks were in a few number together with Swans. Diving Ducks were quite a lot in moth of channel in Big Sorbulak. That time the strong wind was. Ducks flew back and forward, but resing in water birds looked as dark points, however we noticed many Goldeneyes (main of diving ducks), Tufted Ducks, Common Pochards, Ferrugineus Ducks, Red-crested Pochards, Smews, Goosanders. And of course we were lucky to watch the Long-tailed Duck. We recorded this duck two times with a gap of several hours, perhaps they were the different birds. So there are not one but at least two Long-tailed Ducks in Sorbulak more likely.

In evening we drove to the second dam where commonly Gulls and White-tailed Sea-Eagles gathered. But now the dump is perhaps not work, so the Sea-Eagles were in a bit of number, but the Gulls were almost absent. But we noticed the very large flock (about 3 thousands birds) of Ruddy Shelducks which was enlarged every moment because more and more birds came from the foraging places. It's quite a strange to see so big number of Ruddy Shelducks now in Sorbulak. Even Cormorants left the lake (we saw just three birds), but Ruddy Shelducks still here. But in other hand the fields are still not fully snow covered, means possible to forage. So we may recorded the last days of Ruddy Shelducks in Sorbulak.

Totally we saw 46 species of birds, but the significant ones are just Long-tailed Duck, Tundra Swan and Ruddy Shelduck (because the uncommon number in this season).


1. Tundra Swans


2. Steppe Gulls (?)


3. Red Fox


4. Whooper Swans


5. Great Cormorant


6. Mute Swans


7. Tundra Swan and Whooper Swans


8. Goosanders


9. Common Goldeneyes


10. Long-tailed Duck


11. Northern Shovellers


12. Ruddy Shellducks


13. Voctoria and Gennady unsuccessfully tried to flush Ruddy Shellducks


# species number

1Black-Necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)3

2Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)3

3Great White Egret (Egretta alba)1

4Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)10

5Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus)500

6Bewick's Swan (Cygnus bewickii)11

7Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea)3000

8Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)15

9Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)500

10Common Teal (Anas crecca)3

11Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)6

12Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina)1

13Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)20

14Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca)5

15Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)20

16Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis)2

17Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)150

18Smew (Mergellus albellus)10

19Goosander (Mergus merganser)10

20Common Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)1

21Eastern Buzzard (Buteo japonicus)1

22White-tailed Sea-Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)40

23Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)4

24Caspian Gull (Larus cachinnans)150

25Mew Gull (Larus canus)1

26Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)

27Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)2

28Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)5

29Common Mynah (Acridotheres tristis)

30Black-Billed Magpie (Pica pica)

31Eurasian Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)

32Rook (Corvus frugilegus)

33Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)

34Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix)

35Black-throated Thrush (Turdus atrogularis)10

36Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)1

37Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula)

38Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)1

39Great Tit (Parus major)5

40Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)30

41Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)10

42Grey-headed Goldfinch (Carduelis caniceps)3

43Eurasian Linnet (Acanthis cannabina)15

44Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra)50

45Pine Bunting (Emberiza leucocephala)5?

46Northern Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)3

comments:
2020-11-30. Фаттахова Ольга:

Суперинтересное местечко, даже зимой!


2020-11-30. Аскар Исабеков:

Сорбулак - это наша радость!


2020-12-02. Нина Штейнбреннер:

Аскар класс! Сорбулак и для нас уже родной))) Спасибо за рассказ)



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rare birds records

rare birds were not found yet

unidentified birds


2024-03-25

no any comments:

2024-03-22

Олег Марцун: Я б сказав, що галка.Видно сіру шию.

2024-03-13

Сергей Л. Волков: Ясно, спасибо, Дмитрий.

more unidentified birds...