Hello!
I'm new to this forum, and I've come with a questions and puzzle's which I hope you can help me solve.
The Facts:
The Pleske's or Iranian Ground Jay is almost certainly endemic to Iran. There are no confirmed records outside Iranian borders, however it might occur in Afghanistan and even as far as Kashmir.
There is hardly anything known about it, except that birders know that the best place to watch it are semi-desertous plains with Zygophyllum atriplicoides.
Although the Fieldguide to the Birds of Middle East claims it to be elusive, (proffesional) birders I have consulted claimed that watching it wouldn't be really difficult, as it often perches on bushes and after some time of accomodation even looses its fear of humans and comes close.
Park-guards at the Touran National Park - more info on that later - said that the bird would even come up to your campfire and that it is rather curious.
The bird should not be rare or threatened. In fact, the population should be quite healthy.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Middle East says that the nest of it has NOT been described up to now.
THIS BUGGED ME!
My Plan:
Going to somewhere, where I knew this bird occured and try to gather information of its breeding behaviour.
The place I chose was the Touran National Park. It lies in north-central Iran, consists of desert and semi-desert and isolated peaks, salt plains, and said Zygophyllum covered areas.
I consulted many birders and ornithologists, and after finding out that no one knew much more about this bird than I, I set out.
Talking to Park guards with as much as 35 years of work background, I found that they seemed to have seen (pairs of) chicks running on the ground in late april. This was also confirmed by the ornitholgists and birders. But none had seen a nest.
So, on March 11. I went to the Touran National Park, and filnally after 4 hours walk in the scrubby desert landscape, I finally saw the bird. It flew off a Atraphaxis bush, in a dry riverbed, and quickly ran away, disappearing.
To my excitement, I seemed to have hit the heart on my very first day! In bush the bird had been perched on, there was a nest. And everything seemed right: The nest looked much like a magpie's, being domed only smaller, and containing four eggs like crows eggs, each less than an inch long, sandy colored with brownish speckles, especially on the poles.
I hid some 200 metres farther away, so the bird might come back. But it didn't. Not even after an hour I had been completely out of sight. Sigh...
On the next day, there was a heavy rainstorm so I decided to leave t come back in a few of days. I just had some long conversations with older park rangers.
On March 16. I was there again, and this time with the park SUV, I was driven to the riverbed where the nest was. On the way, I saw five Ground Jays, but couldn't take any picture. Still, I was even more hopeful, as i had seen FIVE birds, only on my way there!!!
I got out 1 km farther from the nest. But even spending 8 hours in field was not enough to catch glimps of a bird. Until, when I was going back, I saw a bird, and managed to take a picture. I'll attach it.
Spending ten hours searching, staying hidden, watching the plain from hilltops, all where no good on the day after.
Question:
Does anybody know ANYTHING about the breeding/nesting beviour of any other Ground Jay? Perhaps this could help me further. I couldn't find any useful info on the net...
What else could I do? Do you have any ideas about this?
My most sincere Thanks in advance
smiles
sam
I'm new to this forum, and I've come with a questions and puzzle's which I hope you can help me solve.
The Facts:
The Pleske's or Iranian Ground Jay is almost certainly endemic to Iran. There are no confirmed records outside Iranian borders, however it might occur in Afghanistan and even as far as Kashmir.
There is hardly anything known about it, except that birders know that the best place to watch it are semi-desertous plains with Zygophyllum atriplicoides.
Although the Fieldguide to the Birds of Middle East claims it to be elusive, (proffesional) birders I have consulted claimed that watching it wouldn't be really difficult, as it often perches on bushes and after some time of accomodation even looses its fear of humans and comes close.
Park-guards at the Touran National Park - more info on that later - said that the bird would even come up to your campfire and that it is rather curious.
The bird should not be rare or threatened. In fact, the population should be quite healthy.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Middle East says that the nest of it has NOT been described up to now.
THIS BUGGED ME!
My Plan:
Going to somewhere, where I knew this bird occured and try to gather information of its breeding behaviour.
The place I chose was the Touran National Park. It lies in north-central Iran, consists of desert and semi-desert and isolated peaks, salt plains, and said Zygophyllum covered areas.
I consulted many birders and ornithologists, and after finding out that no one knew much more about this bird than I, I set out.
Talking to Park guards with as much as 35 years of work background, I found that they seemed to have seen (pairs of) chicks running on the ground in late april. This was also confirmed by the ornitholgists and birders. But none had seen a nest.
So, on March 11. I went to the Touran National Park, and filnally after 4 hours walk in the scrubby desert landscape, I finally saw the bird. It flew off a Atraphaxis bush, in a dry riverbed, and quickly ran away, disappearing.
To my excitement, I seemed to have hit the heart on my very first day! In bush the bird had been perched on, there was a nest. And everything seemed right: The nest looked much like a magpie's, being domed only smaller, and containing four eggs like crows eggs, each less than an inch long, sandy colored with brownish speckles, especially on the poles.
I hid some 200 metres farther away, so the bird might come back. But it didn't. Not even after an hour I had been completely out of sight. Sigh...
On the next day, there was a heavy rainstorm so I decided to leave t come back in a few of days. I just had some long conversations with older park rangers.
On March 16. I was there again, and this time with the park SUV, I was driven to the riverbed where the nest was. On the way, I saw five Ground Jays, but couldn't take any picture. Still, I was even more hopeful, as i had seen FIVE birds, only on my way there!!!
I got out 1 km farther from the nest. But even spending 8 hours in field was not enough to catch glimps of a bird. Until, when I was going back, I saw a bird, and managed to take a picture. I'll attach it.
Spending ten hours searching, staying hidden, watching the plain from hilltops, all where no good on the day after.
Question:
Does anybody know ANYTHING about the breeding/nesting beviour of any other Ground Jay? Perhaps this could help me further. I couldn't find any useful info on the net...
What else could I do? Do you have any ideas about this?
My most sincere Thanks in advance
smiles
sam