slenderbilled c
New member
Hi all,
My hubby went to the Russian Altai last May and was not much info available on the net. As we tried to put together bits of info in preparation for the trip I wished there are would be some more out there. So, I thought it would be helpful if I put his report here as maybe some of you want to go there.
He used my personal friends as providers (there is a choice of them now, but I'm a bit "funny" to send my family into unknown).
If you have any questions, pls drop me a line. I'm "native" to the West Siberia and want other people to discover its beauty for themselves.
Report is below, but I'm happy to provide more details on request.
The Russian Altai, 19/5 – 2/6/09: highlights
Participants: Adam & Jacob Gretton, Pavel Morozov (driver), Alex Preis (translator & cook)
Thanks: Very many thanks to Pavel (‘PM’) and Alex for their company and making the trip possible. Huge thanks to Pavel and Olga Barsukov for arranging the trip, and their very kind hospitality in Novosibirsk, and to Sasha Yurlov for advice.
Itinerary
19/5 Novosibirsk – Seminsk pass
20/5 to km 778, near Aktash
21/5 to km 803, east of Aktash (near Mt Aktrou)
22/5 to km 862, between Kurai and Chuya steppes
23 & 24/5 km 859 (23rd: Kosh Agach, 24th: mountain walk to 2740m)
25/5 km 856 (after another Kosh Agach visit)
26/5 East of Belybom (track to Shavla)
27/5 Seminsk pass
28-30/5 Lake Teletskoe biological station
31/5 Pine belt west of Barnaul, NW of Pokrovka
1/6 Mamontovo area - Spirino (?), Ob Sea
Plus half day visit to Taganay, c. 140 km east of Novosibirsk, 6/6
Species highlights
Black Stork: 2 start of Chuya steppe,
Ruddy Shelduck: regular near Chuya steppe (20+)
Red-crested Pochard: 6 near Kosh Agach,
White-winged Scoter: 1 near Kosh Agach, 13 L. Teletskoe,
Bittern: heard near Kosh Agach
White-tailed Eagle: 1 Ob sea near Novosibirsk, , perched on floating tree
Black Vulture: singles Kuray steppe, & Chuya steppe,
Black Kite (lineatus): abundant throughout
Honey Buzzard: 2 (1 in ‘wings up’ display), on way to L Teletskoe,
Hen Harrier: male, Seminsk,
Upland Buzzard (note possible confusion with Long-legged Buzzard):
Eastern Imperial Eagle: 3 adults, (imm)
Golden Eagle: 1, Mt Sarlik,
Booted Eagle: 1, Chagan-Uzun,
Peregrine:
Lesser Kestrel: regular, inc. 4, and 6, (inc. courtship feeding)
Hazel Hen: heard, Lake Teletskoe,
Demoiselle Crane: regular in Kuray and Chuya steppes (16+)
Corncrake: singles heard 1/6 and
Swinhoe’s Snipe: 12+ in full display, Seminsk pass,
Marsh Sandpiper: 2,
Red-necked Phalarope: c.200, Guseletovo near Romanovo, (with 4000+ migrant waders, mainly Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper)
Great Black-headed Gull: colony of 400+ Kasantsevo, near Mamontovo,
White-winged Black Tern: common near Kosh Agach (240+ on, including 170 over one fairly small lake) and 2-3 sites near Mamontovo
Oriental Turtle Dove: regular in lowlands, fewer in mountains
Oriental Cuckoo: regular, Lake Teletskoe
Scops Owl: heard
Ural Owl: one watched on the ground down to 12m, Seminsk, also heard east of Aktash
White-backed Woodpecker: one probable from the car, near Barnaul
Black Woodpecker
Grey-headed Woodpecker: near Yaloman
Horned Lark: common in steppe areas
Citrine Wagtail: near Kosh Agach
‘Masked’ White Wagtail (M.a.personata): common
Tawny Pipit
Olive-backed Pipit: 2 at Seminsk
Dipper: 1 at L Teletskoe
Black-throated Accentor: 2 at 2500m, and 4+ at Seminsk
Altai Accentor: 2 at 2600m
Siberian Rubythroat: L Teletskoe and Taganay
Bluethroat: Sarlik, Taganay
Pied Wheatear: quite common in rocky steppe areas (e.g. 11)
Desert Wheatear: 4, Chuya steppe
Isabelline Wheatear: common in Altai
Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush: 1 Kuray steppe
Black-throated Thrush: common Seminsk and Teletskoe (25+)
Paddyfield Warbler: in reedbeds
Blyth’s Reed Warbler: common at L Teletskoe (10+)
Great Reed Warbler: only near Mamontovo
Booted Warbler: 1 by lake at edge of steppe
Wood Warbler: 1 only
Dusky Warbler:
Hume’s Leaf Warbler: very common
Greenish Warbler: very common
Willow / Alpine Tit: common (strong response to Alpine Tit playback, not to Willow Tit)
Siberian Tit: Seminsk
Spotted Nutcracker: not common
Daurian Jackdaw: 2-3 Chagan-Uzun, 2 Kuray steppe, with pale-headed hybrids and normal Jackdaws
Rose-coloured Starling: 2 with 18 Starlings, Ortolyk
Rock Sparrow: 1 past Beltir
Brambling: very smart males, Seminsk
Common Rosefinch: common
Long-tailed Rosefinch: Tuganay
Two-barred Crossbill: in flight only
Twite: 3 in Beltir
Pine Bunting: & some hybrids with Yellowhammer)
Ortolan Bunting: common between Kuray and Chuya steppes
Yellow-breasted Bunting: 1 at Taganay
Pallas’ Reed Bunting: 1 male by lake near Chagun-Uzun
Misses (seen on previous trips)
Azure Tit; Isabelline Shrike (no shrikes seen at all!); Pacific Swift (has nested in Novosibirsk)
Other misses
Altai Snowcock (many droppings and a feather found at 2700+m)
My hubby went to the Russian Altai last May and was not much info available on the net. As we tried to put together bits of info in preparation for the trip I wished there are would be some more out there. So, I thought it would be helpful if I put his report here as maybe some of you want to go there.
He used my personal friends as providers (there is a choice of them now, but I'm a bit "funny" to send my family into unknown).
If you have any questions, pls drop me a line. I'm "native" to the West Siberia and want other people to discover its beauty for themselves.
Report is below, but I'm happy to provide more details on request.
The Russian Altai, 19/5 – 2/6/09: highlights
Participants: Adam & Jacob Gretton, Pavel Morozov (driver), Alex Preis (translator & cook)
Thanks: Very many thanks to Pavel (‘PM’) and Alex for their company and making the trip possible. Huge thanks to Pavel and Olga Barsukov for arranging the trip, and their very kind hospitality in Novosibirsk, and to Sasha Yurlov for advice.
Itinerary
19/5 Novosibirsk – Seminsk pass
20/5 to km 778, near Aktash
21/5 to km 803, east of Aktash (near Mt Aktrou)
22/5 to km 862, between Kurai and Chuya steppes
23 & 24/5 km 859 (23rd: Kosh Agach, 24th: mountain walk to 2740m)
25/5 km 856 (after another Kosh Agach visit)
26/5 East of Belybom (track to Shavla)
27/5 Seminsk pass
28-30/5 Lake Teletskoe biological station
31/5 Pine belt west of Barnaul, NW of Pokrovka
1/6 Mamontovo area - Spirino (?), Ob Sea
Plus half day visit to Taganay, c. 140 km east of Novosibirsk, 6/6
Species highlights
Black Stork: 2 start of Chuya steppe,
Ruddy Shelduck: regular near Chuya steppe (20+)
Red-crested Pochard: 6 near Kosh Agach,
White-winged Scoter: 1 near Kosh Agach, 13 L. Teletskoe,
Bittern: heard near Kosh Agach
White-tailed Eagle: 1 Ob sea near Novosibirsk, , perched on floating tree
Black Vulture: singles Kuray steppe, & Chuya steppe,
Black Kite (lineatus): abundant throughout
Honey Buzzard: 2 (1 in ‘wings up’ display), on way to L Teletskoe,
Hen Harrier: male, Seminsk,
Upland Buzzard (note possible confusion with Long-legged Buzzard):
Eastern Imperial Eagle: 3 adults, (imm)
Golden Eagle: 1, Mt Sarlik,
Booted Eagle: 1, Chagan-Uzun,
Peregrine:
Lesser Kestrel: regular, inc. 4, and 6, (inc. courtship feeding)
Hazel Hen: heard, Lake Teletskoe,
Demoiselle Crane: regular in Kuray and Chuya steppes (16+)
Corncrake: singles heard 1/6 and
Swinhoe’s Snipe: 12+ in full display, Seminsk pass,
Marsh Sandpiper: 2,
Red-necked Phalarope: c.200, Guseletovo near Romanovo, (with 4000+ migrant waders, mainly Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper)
Great Black-headed Gull: colony of 400+ Kasantsevo, near Mamontovo,
White-winged Black Tern: common near Kosh Agach (240+ on, including 170 over one fairly small lake) and 2-3 sites near Mamontovo
Oriental Turtle Dove: regular in lowlands, fewer in mountains
Oriental Cuckoo: regular, Lake Teletskoe
Scops Owl: heard
Ural Owl: one watched on the ground down to 12m, Seminsk, also heard east of Aktash
White-backed Woodpecker: one probable from the car, near Barnaul
Black Woodpecker
Grey-headed Woodpecker: near Yaloman
Horned Lark: common in steppe areas
Citrine Wagtail: near Kosh Agach
‘Masked’ White Wagtail (M.a.personata): common
Tawny Pipit
Olive-backed Pipit: 2 at Seminsk
Dipper: 1 at L Teletskoe
Black-throated Accentor: 2 at 2500m, and 4+ at Seminsk
Altai Accentor: 2 at 2600m
Siberian Rubythroat: L Teletskoe and Taganay
Bluethroat: Sarlik, Taganay
Pied Wheatear: quite common in rocky steppe areas (e.g. 11)
Desert Wheatear: 4, Chuya steppe
Isabelline Wheatear: common in Altai
Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush: 1 Kuray steppe
Black-throated Thrush: common Seminsk and Teletskoe (25+)
Paddyfield Warbler: in reedbeds
Blyth’s Reed Warbler: common at L Teletskoe (10+)
Great Reed Warbler: only near Mamontovo
Booted Warbler: 1 by lake at edge of steppe
Wood Warbler: 1 only
Dusky Warbler:
Hume’s Leaf Warbler: very common
Greenish Warbler: very common
Willow / Alpine Tit: common (strong response to Alpine Tit playback, not to Willow Tit)
Siberian Tit: Seminsk
Spotted Nutcracker: not common
Daurian Jackdaw: 2-3 Chagan-Uzun, 2 Kuray steppe, with pale-headed hybrids and normal Jackdaws
Rose-coloured Starling: 2 with 18 Starlings, Ortolyk
Rock Sparrow: 1 past Beltir
Brambling: very smart males, Seminsk
Common Rosefinch: common
Long-tailed Rosefinch: Tuganay
Two-barred Crossbill: in flight only
Twite: 3 in Beltir
Pine Bunting: & some hybrids with Yellowhammer)
Ortolan Bunting: common between Kuray and Chuya steppes
Yellow-breasted Bunting: 1 at Taganay
Pallas’ Reed Bunting: 1 male by lake near Chagun-Uzun
Misses (seen on previous trips)
Azure Tit; Isabelline Shrike (no shrikes seen at all!); Pacific Swift (has nested in Novosibirsk)
Other misses
Altai Snowcock (many droppings and a feather found at 2700+m)
