On this mid-summer trip to southern Kazakhstan, a total of 213 species of bird were seen over the eleven days, a good total considering the season and the fact that the Astana area was not visited.

SPECIES LIST

Black Grouse. One seen near the observatory in the Tien Shan – a female sitting atop a stunted juniper in the early morning.

Himalayan Snowcock. In the Tien Shan, a group of 12 mixed adults and young of different ages was seen well on the slopes above the cosmos station. Additionally, another bird flew across the valley at this locality and several more were heard calling both days on the high slopes around the cosmos station and above the observatory.

Chukar Partridge. Two birds were found at the top of one of the narrow side valleys in Kokpek Pass.

Quail. Two birds heard calling – one near Malibay and one in the Kaskelen Valley
Common Pheasant. All in the Ile Valley, two were seen just south of Zhelturanga and three near the bridge over the Ile River.

Mute Swan. 14 birds were noted at Lake Sorbulak.

Ruddy Shelduck. The most impressive totals were at Lake Sorbulak, where at least 300 were present. Additionally, 22 were seen at Lake Borogai and five on Big Almaty Lake in the Tien Shan.

Common Shelduck. Six birds were seen at Lake Sorbulak.

Northern Pintail. Recorded at Lake Sorbulak and Lake Alakol, with counts of eight and one respectively.

Northern Shoveler. Six birds were seen at Lake Sorbulak.

Mallard. Recorded at three sites – two birds at Lake Borogai, 150+ at Lake Sorbulak and 60+ at Lake Alakol.

Gadwall. A minimum of 100 birds were seen at Lake Sorbulak and ten at Lake Alakol.
Garganey. Quite common at Lake Sorbulak, with about 40 seen each day. In addition, 15 birds were noted at Lake Alakol.

Common Teal. A total of about 50 were seen at Lake Sorbulak and 60 at Lake Alakol.

Eurasian Wigeon. A total of three birds were seen - two at Lake Sorbulak and one at Lake Alakol.

Common Pochard. About 15 adults noted at both Lake Sorbulak and the Topar pools, with females and ducklings also noted at the latter.

Ferruginous Duck. Good numbers at the Topar pools, with at least 40 adults present and a number of ducklings. Also about 20 seen at Lake Sorbulak.

Tufted Duck. Eight birds were noted at Lake Sorbulak.

Red-crested Pochard. Recorded at three localities - Lake Sorbulak (60+ birds), Lake Alakol (50+) and the Topar pools (20+ adults, plus ducklings).

Common Goldeneye. An unexpected record, one female at Lake Sorbulak.

White-headed Duck. In reedy pools adjacent to Lake Sorbulak, two males were seen and one female with three chicks.

Little Grebe. Two birds on the Topar pools were the only birds seen.

Great Crested Grebe. Recorded on all the big lakes visited – four birds at Lake Borogai, 150+ at Lake Sorbulak, about 60 at Lake Alakol and 16 on the Topar pools.

Black-necked Grebe. Only seen at Lake Sorbulak, where five were present in one bay and 12 on the reedy pools adjacent to the main road.

Little Bittern. Two males seen at Topar.

Grey Heron. Common at both Lake Sorbulak and Lake Alakol, with at least 65 at the former (including a small breeding colony in reeds) and some hundreds at the latter. In addition, five birds were seen at Topar and three flying over at Zhelturanga.

Great White Egret. Similar in number and distribution to Grey Heron - 50+ at Lake Sorbulak and at least 150 at Lake Alakol. Four birds were also seen at Topar.

White Pelican. Amazing numbers at Lake Sorbulak, at least 800 birds present. About 50 were also seen at Lake Alakol.

Dalmatian Pelican. Perhaps overlooked to a degree, but at least 40 were seen at Lake Sorbulak, most tending to sit a little offshore away from the White Pelicans.

Great Cormorant. Abundant at Lake Sorbulak, with a large breeding colony numbering at least 1000 birds. Additionally, there were at least 100 at Lake Alakol and 20 at both Topar and the Ile River. Looking most out of place, a flock of 115 were also noted flying over the desert in V-formation midway between Kanshengel and Topar.

Pygmy Cormorant. Unexpected and apparently out of range, a flock of 18 birds was found on a small pool at Lake Alakol, the birds present both days but roosting elsewhere.

Barbary Falcon. In the Tien Shen, a very noisy pair of Barbary Falcons with fledged young inhabited a spruce grove in the valley behind the observatory.

Saker Falcon. One record only – a single bird at Lake Borogai being mobbed by a Ruddy Shelduck!

Lesser Kestrel. Breeding in a road cutting near the top of the pass, an active colony of about 30 pairs was noted at Kegen Pass.

Common Kestrel. Frequent across much of the country, a total of about 35 birds were noted over the eleven days, including at Kokpek Pass, Sogety Plain, Charyn Canyon, Malibay, Lake Sorbulak, Kanshengel, Topar, Zhelturanga, Kaskelen Valley and the high Tien Shan.
Merlin. One bird seen, a male flying low across the desert at Kanshengel.

Eurasian Hobby. Total records consisted of two birds midway between Almaty and Kokpek, one at Malibay, one at Lake Sorbulak, two breeding pairs at Zhelturanga and a single individual in the Tien Shan.

White-tailed Eagle. At Lake Sorbulak, a pair and juvenile were seen on one day, another juvenile the next. Juvenile Lake Alakol both days.

Lammergeier. All in the Tien Shan, three birds were seen, including an absolutely stunning individual that swung low into a valley beneath me and then landed to pick up a bone lying alongside a stream.

Black Vulture (Cinereous Vulture). Over three days, a total of five birds were seen at Kanshengel.

Eurasian Griffon. Sitting on a sand dune with a Black Vulture, one seen at Kanshengel.

Black-eared Kite (Black Kite, M.m.lineatus). A fairly common raptor with records across the country and a total of 21 birds logged. Singles or pairs were seen near Almaty, Kokpek Pass, the Charyn River, Sogety Plain, Kegen Pass, Lake Borogai, Malibay, Kanshengel, Topar, the Ile River and at various localities in the Tien Shan.

Western Marsh Harrier. Four birds seen – singles at Lake Sorbulak, Lake Alakol, Topar and the Ile River.

Montagu’s Harrier. A female was seen at Lake Alakol and a male near the Ile River.

Shikra. After a single at Lake Sorbulak, a total of five were seen at Zhelturanga.

European Sparrowhawk. One female at Malibay. This bird had caught a Rosy Starling, but I accidently flushed the bird and the Rosy Starling then flew away seemingly unharmed.

Common Buzzard (Steppe Buzzard, B.b.vulpinis). Seen in the Tien Shan only, with two birds in the Kaskelen Valley and a single in the forests below the observatory.

Long-legged Buzzard. The most common raptor seen on my trip. Present in all desert areas, the best totals were nine on the Sogety Plain, at least thirty at Kanshengel over four days and eight along the road between Kanshengel and Topar. Additionally, two were noted at Charyn Canyon, one at Lake Borogai, one at Malibay, three at the Wandering Tree and four at Lake Alakol.

Golden Eagle. Two birds seen at Kokpek Pass.

Steppe Eagle. One seen at Sogety Plain, an adult feeding on the ground.

Booted Eagle. A pair were found in the forest at Zhelturanga.

Short-toed Eagle. A few kilometres south of the Wandering Tree, one was seen sitting in the desert eating a snake.

Common Coot. Recorded at the three main water bodies visited - 65+ at Lake Sorbulak, 45+ at Lake Alakol and 40+ Topar.

Common Moorhen. Seen at the same localities as coot, but in smaller numbers - 25+ at Lake Sorbulak, 10 at Lake Alakol and 15 at Topar.

Black-winged Stilt. This species was abundant at Lake Alakol (many hundreds present) and common at Lake Sorbulak (a minimum of 165 birds). Additionally, about 15 were noted at Lake Borogai, six at the Wandering Tree and up to 20 around the wells at Kanshengel.
Avocet. A flock of 14 was noted at Lake Sorbulak.

Oystercatcher. Three records – 18 birds at Lake Alakol, a pair in a clearing at Zhelturanga and another pair on a sand island at the Ile River.

Ibisbill. At the traditional site, two Ibisbill were seen at Big Almaty Lake in the Tien Shan. Both were feeding on the braided stream that feeds into the lake, though one fed for quite some time on a sand bank by the actual lake itself.

Eurasian Stone-Curlew. One bird at night at Zhelturanga.

Northern Lapwing. The best count was of at least 200 birds at Lake Sorbulak. Elsewhere, three were noted at Lake Borogai, ten at Kanshengel, ten at Lake Alakol and four at Topar.

Lesser Sand Plover. Slightly unexpected, two birds were found on salt pool at Lake Alakol.

Greater Sand Plover. Only five birds seen - two at Lake Sorbulak and three at Lake Alakol.

Caspian Plover. One of the highlights of Kanshengel, a female and well-grown chick were found at the well 10 km north of the village.

Kentish Plover. Four birds were seen at Lake Sorbulak and three at Lake Alakol.

Little Ringed Plover. Fairly common at both Lake Sorbulak  and Lake Alakol, with counts of about 20 and 40 birds respectively. In addition, six were seen at Lake Borogai, eight at the Wandering Tree and a total of ten at various wells at Kanshengel.

Common Snipe. One bird seen, an individual at the well immediately north of Kanshengel village.

Black-tailed Godwit. Eight birds were seen at Lake Alakol.

Eurasian Curlew. Records consisted of 16 bird at Lake Sorbulak and eight at Lake Alakol.

Spotted Redshank. Three at Lake Sorbulak.

Common Redshank. Fairly common at Lake Sorbulak and Lake Alakol, with counts of 60 and 185 respectively.

Marsh Sandpiper. One record only, a single at Lake Alakol.

Common Greenshank. One at Lake Sorbulak and two at Lake Alakol.

Green Sandpiper. A scatter of records - three at Lake Sorbulak, six at assorted wells at Kanshengel, two at Lake Alakol and two at Topar.

Wood Sandpiper. Five birds were seen at Lake Sorbulak and six at Lake Alakol.

Terek Sandpiper. One bird noted at Lake Sorbulak and 14 at Lake Alakol.

Common Sandpiper. Widespread – two at the Charyn River, two at Charyn Canyon, six at Lake Borogai, two at Malibay, four at Lake Sorbulak and one on Big Almaty Lake in the Tien Shan.

Little Stint. One bird was seen on the small pool at the Wandering Tree and about 15 at Lake Alakol.

Dunlin. Two birds seen at Lake Alakol.

Curlew Sandpiper. 12 birds seen at Lake Alakol, all in full summer plumage.

Ruff. A minimum of 45 were noted at Lake Sorbulak and 25 at Lake Alakol.

Collared Pratincole. Presumably breeding at the locality, a total of eleven birds were seen at a couple of sites around Lake Alakol.

Black-winged Pratincole. Black-winged Pratincoles traditionally breed further north in Kazakhstan, but two birds were noted with Collared Pratincoles at Lake Alakol.

Black-headed Gull. Records consisted of 150+ Lake Sorbulak and 45 Lake Alakol.

Slender-billed Gull. Ten birds present at Lake Alakol.

Caspian Gull. Common at Lake Sorbulak and Lake Alakol, with minimum counts of 100-200 birds at both sites.

Great Black-headed Gull (Pallas’s Gull). One of the highlights of the trip, a splendid flock of about 55 birds was found in a small bay at Lake Alakol. Roosting on a sand bank, the birds were present both days and consisted almost entirely of summer-plumage adults, though a few fledged chicks were also present, begging food from the adults.

Gull-billed Tern. Only recorded at Lake Alakol, where at least 40 were present.

Caspian Tern. Five individuals were seen at Lake Alakol and five at the Ile River.

Common Tern. Only recorded at Lake Sorbulak and Lake Alakol, where minimum counts were 20 and 100 respectively.

Little Tern. Abundant at Lake Alakol, with at least 250 present. In addition, one seen at Lake Borogai.

Black Tern. Six birds seen at Lake Alakol, four at Topar.

White-winged Black Tern. One individual noted at Lake Alakol.

Black-bellied Sandgrouse. In the Sogety area, about 25 came to drink at the waterhole near km 192 and another two seen at the nearby Lake Borogai. Elsewhere, 12 were noted at the Wandering Tree and at least sixty per day in the Kanshengel area.

Pallas’s Sandgrouse. Far higher numbers than expected. All coming to watering holes, at least 65 were seen on the Sogety Plain, a single at the well 10 km north of Kanshengel and a minimum of 90 at another well about 5 km north of Kanshengel.

Rock Dove. Small numbers, generally in the range of 10-20 birds, at most sites visited. The only large gathering was of about 200 birds around old buildings at Lake Sorbulak.

Yellow-eyed Dove (Pale-backed Dove). Fairly common in the turanga forest at Zhelturanga, ten seen on one day, twelve the next.

Wood Pigeon. Only seen in the agricultural areas immediately north of the Tien Shan mountains – in total, a minimum of 15 were seen whilst driving from Almaty to Kokpek Pass and about five at Malibay.

Oriental Turtle Dove. Eleven birds seen – one in the Charyn Canyon, eight in Kaskelen Valley and two in the Tien Shan.

Eurasian Collared Dove. Fairly common in the agricultural areas and villages between Almaty and Kokpek Pass, a total of about 30 logged on the journey through.

Common Cuckoo. Singles were noted on the Sogety Plain, at Malibay, at Lake Sorbulak and in the Tien Shan, while two were seen at Zhelturanga.

Pallid Scops Owl. One calling at Zhelturanga.

European Scops Owl. One dead on road near Lake Sorbulak, one calling at Zhelturanga
Little Owl. Two at Lake Alakol.

Short-eared Owl. One at dusk at Kanshengel.

European Nightjar. Two records – one seen on the Sogety Plain, one heard at Zhelturanga.

Common Swift. All in the foothills of the Tien Shan and adjacent areas, total records were 30+ near Kokpek Pass, 10 at Charyn Canyon, 60+ at Kegen Pass and 10 at Lake Borogai.

European Roller. A total of 116 birds logged over the eleven days, the Sogety Plain and the higher altitude areas of the Tien Shan being the only localities where birds were not seen. The best counts were about 30 in the agricultural area around Malibay, at least 30 at Lake Sorbulak and 14 at Zhelturanga. Birds were also common along the entire route from Almaty and Kokpek Pass and, to a lesser degree, throughout the Kanshengel area. Smaller numbers were also noted at Lake Alakol, Topar, along the Ile River and in the Kaskelen Valley.

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater. Three birds were noted at Lake Alakol and one near the Ile River.

European Bee-eater. Less common than perhaps expected – the only large counts were minimums of 30 at Malibay and 40 in the Kanshengel area. Elsewhere, two were noted between Almaty and Kokpek Pass, eight at the Wandering Tree, one at the Charyn River and six at the Ile River.

Hoopoe. Twenty birds logged on the trip – family parties of six and five respectively at Malibay and Lake Alakol, plus two birds at Zhelturanga and singles at Sogety Plain, Lake Borogai, Lake Sorbulak, the Wandering Tree, between Kanshengel and Topar and at two locations between Almaty and Kokpek Pass.

Wryneck. One record, a single in mixed riverine forest in the lower parts of the Tien Shan.

White-winged Woodpecker. One of the specialities of Zhelturanga, ten birds were seen over the two days, including an adult and fledged youngster in the village itself.

Turkestan Shrike. Recorded in all of the arid semi-desert areas visited, except Sorbulak Lake and the Kanshengel area. Total records were six at Kokpek Pass, five at the Charyn River, four on Sogety Plain, two in Charyn Canyon, one at Kegen Pass, two at Lake Borogai, two at Malibay, ten around Lake Alakol, five along the road between Kanshengel and Topar and four near the Ile River.

Lesser Grey Shrike. Common between Almaty and Kokpek Pass (a minimum of 20 birds seen), but few records elsewhere – one at the Charyn River, one at Lake Borogai and a pair with three young at the Wandering Tree.

Long-tailed Shrike. A pleasing find, two adults were feeding fledged young in roadside bushes about 10 km south of Zhelturanga.

Steppe Grey Shrike (Asian Grey Shrike). Except a single at Lake Alakol, all birds were in the Kanshengel area – seven along the Kopar road, two near the wells and at least 20 in the dunes along the Topar road.

Eurasian Nutcracker. Nine birds recorded in the Tien Shan, all in the higher elevation spruce forests.

Magpie. Recorded in all areas, except the arid deserts, i.e. not at Sogety or Kanshengel. Most common at Sorbulak Lake and between Almaty and Kokpek Pass, but also seen at Kegen Pass, Zhelturanga, along the Ile River, in the Kaskelen Valley and in the Tien Shan mountains.

Red-billed Chough. Less common than Yellow-billed Chough, numbers up to ten were nevertheless seen on both days around the Cosmo Station in the Tien Shan.

Yellow-billed Chough (Alpine Chough). Favouring the area around the Cosmo Station, flocks of 25-35 were seen both days in the Tien Shan.

Rook. Common to abundant between Almaty and Kokpek, at Lake Sorbulak and along the Ile River. Very few noted elsewhere.

Carrion Crow. Fairly common across most of the sites visited, generally in small numbers. Best count was about 35+ at Lake Sorbulak.

Common Raven. All in the Tien Shan, two birds were seen on one day, a single on the next.

Brown-necked Raven. Twelve birds were seen about 8km south-west of Kanshengel, plus two along the road between Kanshengel and Topar.

Jackdaw. Common between Almaty and Kokpek and at Lake Sorbulak. Unrecorded elsewhere.

Indian Golden Oriole. 10+ between Almaty and Kokpek Pass, one at Malibay.

Great Tit. Very common in the Malibay area, with a minimum of 25 seen. Elsewhere, two near Almaty, two at Lake Sorbulak and two in the Kaskelen Valley.

Turkestan Tit. Abundant in the Zhelturanga area – ten birds seen on the first day (including a nesting pair), at least 25 next day. Five also seen at the bridge over the Ile River.

Azure Tit. Nine birds seen – two near Almaty, five at Malibay and two at Zhelturanga.

Coal Tit (rufipectus). 10+ per day in the coniferous forests of Tien Shan.

Bearded Tit. A flock of six at Lake Sorbulak, a flock of seven Lake Alakol.

Black-headed Penduline Tit. An unexpected find at Lake Alakol, a pair of adults was feeding fledged young in reeds at the north end of the lake. This species is sometimes recorded at Topar, but I visited this site only briefly.

White-crowned Penduline Tit. At Malibay, an adult and eight fledged juveniles were found after a search of about an hour.

Sand Martin. Several birds noted in the Pale Martin colony at Malibay, along with at least ten at Lake Sorbulak and 50+ each day at Lake Alakol.

Pale Martin. A large colony with at least 100 burrows was found adjacent to the road immediately east of Malibay village.

Eurasian Crag Martin. One record only – 15+ at Charyn Canyon.

Barn Swallow. Widespread, with small numbers recorded at all localities visited except the higher altitudes of the Tien Shan. Generally counts were below 20 birds at each locality, the only exceptions being about 30 at the Charyn River, 75 + at Lake Sorbulak and 40+ at Malibay.

House Martin. All records were in the southern areas visited, the bird being common between Almaty and Kokpek Pass, along the Charyn River, at Kegen Pass and in the Tien Shan mountains.

Calandra Lark. Common at Kanshengel, particularly in the areas of the wells and along the road to Kopar, counts of at least 200 per day. A minimum of 40 were also seen along the road between Kanshengel and Topar.

Bimaculated Lark. Not very common – a single bird was noted at the dripping pipe on Sogety Plain and counts of four and ten were recorded along the Kopar road at Kanshengel.

Crested Lark. Surprisingly few records - 12 birds in the area of the Wandering Tree, a total of Kanshengel (along the Kopar road) and 30+ along the road between Kanshengel and Topar.

Greater Short-toed Lark. Extremely abundant at Kanshengel, many hundreds seen each day, both in the areas around the wells and along the road to Kopar. Even more common on the road between Kanshengel and Topar, where many thousands present. Elsewhere, 60+ were seen each day on the Sogety Plain.

Lesser Short-toed Lark (Asian Short-toed Lark). At Kanshengel, four along road to Kopar.
European Skylark. Four singing birds noted at Kegen Pass.

Oriental Skylark. An unexpected bird, one at the drinking pool on Sogety Plain.

Horned Lark (Shore Lark). 40+ each day on Sogety Plain.

Cetti’s Warbler. All from brief bursts of song, two at Malibay, two at Lake Sorbulak and several at Topar.

Moustached Warbler. Appeared abundant at Lake Alakol, where at least 20 were noted each day.

Common Grasshopper Warbler. In the Kaskelen Valley, a pair were found nesting adjacent to the road.

Great Reed Warbler. Singing birds seen and heard at both Lake Sorbulak and Lake Alakol.

Clamorous Reed Warbler. Undoubtedly under-recorded, the only confirmed records were at Lake Alakol where the species was present in the reeds.

Eurasian Reed Warbler. At least five birds noted at Lake Sorbulak and common at Lake Alakol.

Paddyfield Warbler. One noted at Lake Sorbulak.

Syke’s Warbler. Only recorded at two locations - two birds at Lake Alakol and five at Zhelturanga.

Sulphur-bellied Warbler. Occupying boulder-strewn slopes with stunted juniper, three birds were above the observatory in the Tien Shan.

Hume’s Leaf Warbler. Abundant in the coniferous forests in the Tien Shan.

Greenish Warbler. A singing bird was seen at Lake Sorbulak, two were noted in Kaskelen Valley and at least ten in the lower areas of the Tien Shan.

Lesser Whitethroat (halimodendri). Four birds seen at Zhelturanga.

Hume’s Whitethroat. Two records - one bird at Kokpek Pass and three at Kegen Pass.

Common Whitethroat. Six birds noted in the Kaskelen Valley.

Asian Desert Warbler. All in typical habitat, four were seen on the Sogety Plain, one at Kanshengel and three at Lake Alakol.

White-browed Tit-Warbler. One of the highlights of the Tien Shan, a male was found just above the observatory.

Wren. Two birds seen in the coniferous forests of the Tien Shan.

Goldcrest. Several birds seen and heard in the Tien Shan.

Common Myna. Common between Almaty and Kokpek, with four also seen on the Sogety Plain, two at Kanshengel, four in the Kaskelen Valley and two quite high in the Tien Shan mountains.

Rosy Starling. Most common in the Malibay and Kanshengel areas, where flocks of up to 500 were recorded. Elsewhere, numerous flocks of up to 40 birds were seen between Almaty and Kokpek village, at both Lake Sorbulak and Lake Alakol, and along the Ile River. At Malibay, one was caught by a Sparrowhawk, but escaped and flew away.

European Starling. Two records – a flock of about 30 between Almaty and Kokpek Pass and a flock of 200+ at Lake Sorbulak.

Blue Whistling Thrush. Five birds seen – all along streams, three were in the Kaskelen Valley and two in the Tien Shan.

Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush (Common Rock Thrush). One bird on the Sogety Plain.

Eurasian Blackbird. In the Tien Shan foothills, a minimum of ten were noted in the Kaskelen Valley and seven in the Tien Shan.

Mistle Thrush. Two birds in the Kaskelen Valley, nine in the Tien Shan.

Common Nightingale. Few recorded due to a lack of song – total records consisted of one between Almaty and Kokpek Pass, one at the Charyn River, four in Charyn Canyon and two at Malibay.

White-tailed Rubythroat. One of the highlights of the trip, a splendid male seen above the observatory in the Tien Shan.

Blue-capped Redstart. Two males seen in the higher areas of coniferous forest in the Tien Shan.

Eversmann’s Redstart. Found in open juniper forest immediately behind the observatory in the Tien Shan, a pair of adults were feeding two fledged young.

Black Redstart. One record – a single near the observatory in the Tien Shan.

Guldenstadt’s Redstart. Both breeding in the old buildings around the Cosmo Station, two pairs were found in the Tien Shan. In both cases, the adults were carrying food to nests.

Siberian Stonechat. At least 12 seen in the Kaskelen Valley.

Northern Wheatear. Only seen in the higher altitudes of the Tien Shan, about ten or so birds seen each day.

Isabelline Wheatear. With absolute minimums of 50 per day, abundant in the Sogety and Kanshengel areas and along the road between Kanshengel and Topar. Elsewhere, two were seen at the Charyn Canyon, 20+ at Kegen Pass, five at Lake Borogai, 10 in the Malibay area, five at the Wandering Tree and about 20 at Lake Alakol.

Desert Wheatear. 15+ at each day at Sogety Plain.

Pied Wheatear. Moderately common in the low hills in the Sogety area – four were seen at Kokpek Pass, three near the dripping pipe on Sogety Plain, five in the Charyn Canyon and four at Kegen Pass. In addition, three were noted at Lake Alakol.

House Sparrow. Present in Almaty and Malibay village. Elsewhere, sparrows were also noted in several other villages, but not specifically checked to separate from the very similar Indian Sparrow.

Indian Sparrow. Recorded in several areas, far from human habitations - one bird seen on Sogety Plain, six at Lake Borogai, 15+ in the Kanshengel area and one along the Ile River.

Spanish Sparrow. One record – a flock of 15 at Lake Alakol.

Tree Sparrow. Flocks were noted in several areas, including about 15 birds near Kokpek Pass, 15 at Malibay, 25 at Zhelturanga and at least 20 at the Ile River.

Rock Sparrow. In the same general area, one was noted near Charyn Canyon and a flock of 10 on the lower slopes of Kegen Pass.

Brown Accentor. Favouring the open juniper forest near the observatory, one bird seen in the Tien Shan.

Black-throated Accentor. In the same general area as the Brown Accentor, five birds were seen in the stunted juniper areas behind the observatory in the Tien Shan.

Altai Accentor. One of the highlights of the trip, one bird seen near the Cosmo Station in the high Tien Shan.

Brown Dipper. Only one record – a single bird on a stream at mid-altitude in the Tien Shan.

White Wagtail (Masked Wagtail, M. a. personata). Widespread and quite common in areas with water. Records included at least 20 between Almaty and Kokpek, five in the Charyn Canyon, 12 at the Wandering Tree and singles and pairs at various localities including Malibay, the Ile River and Kaskelen Valley.

Yellow Wagtail (Black-headed Wagtail, M.f.feldegg). Abundant at Lake Alakol, at least 40 birds seen both days and breeding noted. In addition, a single was seen at Lake Sorbulak.

Grey Wagtail. All on mountain streams, three were seen in the Kaskelen Valley and six in the Tien Shan.

Tawny Pipit. About ten each day at Sogety Plain, four Malibay, 15 Kanshengel, ten Lake Alakol, five along the road between Kanshengel and Topar.

Tree Pipit. Four birds seen in the Kaskelen Valley.

Water Pipit. In the high Tien Shan, about ten birds were noted around and below the Cosmo Station.

Eastern Goldfinch (C.c.paropanisi). Small flocks noted on three occasions - four birds near Malibay, three in the Kaskelen Valley and four in the Tien Shan.

Red-fronted Serin. In scattered pairs and small flocks, a total of 18 birds were noted in the Tien Shan. In all cases, the birds favoured the area around the tree line and most were seen along the road at or just below Big Almaty Lake.

Plain Mountain Finch. All on the slopes below the Cosmo Station, a total of about 160 birds were seen at Tien Shan.

Crimson-winged Finch. Rather unexpected, at least 15 birds were coming to drink at the dripping pipe on Sogety Plain.

Mongolian Finch.  About ten birds were seen at the dripping pipe on Sogety Plain. Also seen on the adjacent plains, probably the same birds.

Common Rosefinch. All in moderate altitude hills, ten birds were noted at Kegen Pass, at least 30 in the Kaskelen Valley and 15 in lower parts of the Tien Shan.

Red-mantled Rosefinch. Inhabiting the open juniper forests near the observatory, a total of eleven birds were seen in the Tien Shan.

White-winged Grosbeak. Another of my main targets in the Tien Shan, a total of five birds were seen in the general observatory area – one pair on juniper slopes towards Big Almaty Lake, one immediately behind the observatory and one pair in the valley beyond the observatory.

Common Crossbill. At least 15 birds were seen each day in the Tien Shan, mostly in the coniferous zones below Big Almaty Lake.

Rock Bunting. Seen in two locations - eight birds at Kokpek Pass and five in the Kaskelen Valley.

White-capped Bunting. Two records - a male at Kokpek Pass and a male at Kegen Pass.

Meadow Bunting. At a traditional site for this species, a male and female were feeding young in the nest in the Kaskelen Valley.

Reed Bunting. Four birds were seen at Lake Alakol.

Corn Bunting. One record – a single at the well on Sogety Plain.

Grey-necked Bunting. Common at the dripping pipe on Sogety Plain, at least 15 coming to drink each day. One bird also seen at Kokpek Pass.

Red-headed Bunting. About 125 birds logged over the eleven days, the best counts being of up to 15 a day in the Kanshengel area, at least 35 along the road between Kanshengel and Topar, a minimum of 25 at Zhelturanga and about 20 along the Ile River. Two were also noted near Malibay, one at the well on Sogety Plain and four at the Wandering Tree.