chowchilla
Well-known member
That might explain why I couldn't find it, having a different name n' all.
-
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Iran, Land of Enchantment (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Jos Stratford
- Start date
ghasempouri
Well-known member
His complete name is:
Seyed Babak Musavi
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=24695
another person is: Ali Sadr with this ID: pacoraban
http://www.birdsofiran.com/
Both of them are BF members ... I know them very good
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Caucasus also pretty amazing, visited Georgia for a super spring trip last year - report here.
More on Iran later...
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20 August. Lake Arzhan.
I had um'ed and arr'ed over visiting Lake Arzhan right up to the moment of going - the scant information I had (an I.B.A. notification) suggested that whilst good for wildfowl after the winter rains, it would most likely be a dry dustbowl at the time of my visit. Still, I reasoned, it was basically on my route and the surrounding open woodlands, on steep rocky slopes and dominated by Persian Oak, were said to hold good concentrations of Upcher's Warblers.
Just 40 km west of Shiraz, I arrived on site at the rather late hour of 10 a.m., a quick glance confirming my suspicion that the lake would be dry. I guessed I would stay here an hour or so ...I didn't, Lake Arzhan turned out to be one of the big surprises of my whole trip, 24 hours later I was still birding the area! It was a fantastic little oasis - from the clutter of roadside restaurants, food stalls and small shops catering or the busy Shiraz-Bushehr road, a permanent spring brings life to the otherwise parched area. Flowing through a coppiced woodland, a stream then flows out across the dry lake bed, curling to a final halt in a fairly extensive bed of phragmites, wet marsh and occasional open patch of water. Adjacent, with nomad camps and cattle wandering, the remainder of the vast lake bed is a dusty concoction of trampled turf, weed scrub and thicket. And there were birds everywhere!
Leaving my transport, expecting virtually no birds, I had wandered first into the woodland - a Spotted Flycatcher popped up, then another. 'Ooo birds', thought I. Then more birds, the woodland was heaving, undoubtedly a mix of migrants and residents, seeking shelter and seeking the cool waters of the stream. Before very many minutes, I had settled myself in amongst a flock. Spotted Flycatchers continued to hawk from low branches, but all around a right flurry of action, non-stop birds circulating in loose association - a Rufous Bush Robin low down, several Olivaceous Warblers, three Plain Leaf Warblers, a humble Blackbird and then, a swing of a long dark tail, an Upcher's Warbler, the only one I would see on this trip. From the shade of the trees into a sunny glade, the stream was a magnet to thirsty birds, another buzz of activity - Moorhens and a Water Rail in emergent vegetation, a right chatter and twitter coming from tall dead trees, the boughs positively alive with stacks of Goldfinches and, quite unexpected for me, at least 35 Desert Finches flitting in and out, real smart birds.
Out of the woodland margins, a touch of sunbathing, largely to dry out trousers after an inadvertent step near the stream, a nice marshy hollow promptly found. But what a glorious spot to sunbath - European Bee-eaters swooping, a Hoopoe quietly probing nearby grass, the Desert Finches now sharing thistleheads with the Goldfinches. Up high above, clouding in swirls above towering cliffs, an immense flock of Choughs, 200 strong and tumbling down to the lakebed, scattering to forage amongst the cattle dotted in the distance. Through the black masses, hurtling bullets, 15 Alpine Swifts soared out from the cliff tops, arcing out into blue skies. Plenty of birds to watch, all sides and overhead.
Butterflies numerous too - Silver-washed Fritillaries common, Clouded Yellows and Red Admirals reasonably so, plus quite a number less familiar - various blues and browns, plenty of a big Greyling type I have yet to pin a name. T'was now 35 C, but most pleasant, I decided to follow the stream out across the lake bed - a snake of water and reed, birds abundant all the way. Plenty of Yellow Wagtails, no shortage of Black-headed Buntings and at least 60 Corn Buntings, plus dwellers of the deep reed, one Great Reed Warbler, several European Reed Warblers and at least three Moustached Warblers, typically the latter very much creepers of the reed base. Rising Mallard and circling Marsh Harriers hinted of riches deeper in the marsh, but as afternoon turned to evening, out into the parched grasslands I chose to wander. A Northern Lapwing eyed me warily, surely this locality must attract a Sociable Plover or two on passage. Not his day however. Instead the glories went to Isabelline Wheatears, at least 25 scattered in my immediate environs, a Northern Wheatear thrown in for good measure. As dusk approached, Common Starlings came flocking in, 800 or so settling in the reeds, smaller numbers of Barn Swallows also present. Isabelline Shrike and Lesser Grey Shrike both occupied the remnants of an old fence, the sun was setting.
Night fell, under the coppiced trees I pitched my tent. A reward for my excellent day, I walked up to the roadside restaurants to treat myself to a meal, my first in Iran! A huge helping of rice, kebab and assorted sidelines, my stomach did not know what had hit it.
I had um'ed and arr'ed over visiting Lake Arzhan right up to the moment of going - the scant information I had (an I.B.A. notification) suggested that whilst good for wildfowl after the winter rains, it would most likely be a dry dustbowl at the time of my visit. Still, I reasoned, it was basically on my route and the surrounding open woodlands, on steep rocky slopes and dominated by Persian Oak, were said to hold good concentrations of Upcher's Warblers.
Just 40 km west of Shiraz, I arrived on site at the rather late hour of 10 a.m., a quick glance confirming my suspicion that the lake would be dry. I guessed I would stay here an hour or so ...I didn't, Lake Arzhan turned out to be one of the big surprises of my whole trip, 24 hours later I was still birding the area! It was a fantastic little oasis - from the clutter of roadside restaurants, food stalls and small shops catering or the busy Shiraz-Bushehr road, a permanent spring brings life to the otherwise parched area. Flowing through a coppiced woodland, a stream then flows out across the dry lake bed, curling to a final halt in a fairly extensive bed of phragmites, wet marsh and occasional open patch of water. Adjacent, with nomad camps and cattle wandering, the remainder of the vast lake bed is a dusty concoction of trampled turf, weed scrub and thicket. And there were birds everywhere!
Leaving my transport, expecting virtually no birds, I had wandered first into the woodland - a Spotted Flycatcher popped up, then another. 'Ooo birds', thought I. Then more birds, the woodland was heaving, undoubtedly a mix of migrants and residents, seeking shelter and seeking the cool waters of the stream. Before very many minutes, I had settled myself in amongst a flock. Spotted Flycatchers continued to hawk from low branches, but all around a right flurry of action, non-stop birds circulating in loose association - a Rufous Bush Robin low down, several Olivaceous Warblers, three Plain Leaf Warblers, a humble Blackbird and then, a swing of a long dark tail, an Upcher's Warbler, the only one I would see on this trip. From the shade of the trees into a sunny glade, the stream was a magnet to thirsty birds, another buzz of activity - Moorhens and a Water Rail in emergent vegetation, a right chatter and twitter coming from tall dead trees, the boughs positively alive with stacks of Goldfinches and, quite unexpected for me, at least 35 Desert Finches flitting in and out, real smart birds.
Out of the woodland margins, a touch of sunbathing, largely to dry out trousers after an inadvertent step near the stream, a nice marshy hollow promptly found. But what a glorious spot to sunbath - European Bee-eaters swooping, a Hoopoe quietly probing nearby grass, the Desert Finches now sharing thistleheads with the Goldfinches. Up high above, clouding in swirls above towering cliffs, an immense flock of Choughs, 200 strong and tumbling down to the lakebed, scattering to forage amongst the cattle dotted in the distance. Through the black masses, hurtling bullets, 15 Alpine Swifts soared out from the cliff tops, arcing out into blue skies. Plenty of birds to watch, all sides and overhead.
Butterflies numerous too - Silver-washed Fritillaries common, Clouded Yellows and Red Admirals reasonably so, plus quite a number less familiar - various blues and browns, plenty of a big Greyling type I have yet to pin a name. T'was now 35 C, but most pleasant, I decided to follow the stream out across the lake bed - a snake of water and reed, birds abundant all the way. Plenty of Yellow Wagtails, no shortage of Black-headed Buntings and at least 60 Corn Buntings, plus dwellers of the deep reed, one Great Reed Warbler, several European Reed Warblers and at least three Moustached Warblers, typically the latter very much creepers of the reed base. Rising Mallard and circling Marsh Harriers hinted of riches deeper in the marsh, but as afternoon turned to evening, out into the parched grasslands I chose to wander. A Northern Lapwing eyed me warily, surely this locality must attract a Sociable Plover or two on passage. Not his day however. Instead the glories went to Isabelline Wheatears, at least 25 scattered in my immediate environs, a Northern Wheatear thrown in for good measure. As dusk approached, Common Starlings came flocking in, 800 or so settling in the reeds, smaller numbers of Barn Swallows also present. Isabelline Shrike and Lesser Grey Shrike both occupied the remnants of an old fence, the sun was setting.
Night fell, under the coppiced trees I pitched my tent. A reward for my excellent day, I walked up to the roadside restaurants to treat myself to a meal, my first in Iran! A huge helping of rice, kebab and assorted sidelines, my stomach did not know what had hit it.
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birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Now there's a sentence with a great sense of foreboding to it....:-O
antshrike69
Well-known member
Brilliant report Jos, and what a stonker of a jay!
MKinHK
Mike Kilburn
Jos can you clarify - before this "first meal" you had been surviving entirely on milk - Maasai genes coming through or are you only just being weaned? Is this budget travel taken to extremes or . . . the mind boggles!!
Anyway Lake Arzhan sounds like a wonderful place to go birding.
Cheers
Mike
Anyway Lake Arzhan sounds like a wonderful place to go birding.
Cheers
Mike
Chlidonias
Well-known member
"Spotted Flycatchers continued to hawk from low branches, but all around a right flurry of action, non-stop birds circulating in loose association - a Rufous Bush Robin low down, several Olivaceous Warblers, three Plain Leaf Warblers, a humble Blackbird and then, a swing of a long dark tail, an Upcher's Warbler, the only one I would see on this trip."
the blackbird being even too humble to be given a bold text?
the blackbird being even too humble to be given a bold text?
ghasempouri
Well-known member
So sad story Jos,
You are right. Many of most important lakes (IBA area) had already left without any organization control and legal supervision. Before 1978, Arzhan was one of the best candidate area for rehabilitation of Persian Lion, but now?
Also for Urumia lake in NW (Urumia national park) water level decreased down to 4 meter with 200,000,000 Ton salt and without any program for future. It lose at least 120000 Flamingos and many other kind of birds and 2 valuable species of Artemia spp. Many of natural wetland convert to fish pond with a wrong farm approach even without any primary assessment in carrying capacity and after 2~3 years shoot again. Sorry for bad news!
You draw a real scene of current situation in Iran.
Thanks
Mahmoud
You are right. Many of most important lakes (IBA area) had already left without any organization control and legal supervision. Before 1978, Arzhan was one of the best candidate area for rehabilitation of Persian Lion, but now?
Also for Urumia lake in NW (Urumia national park) water level decreased down to 4 meter with 200,000,000 Ton salt and without any program for future. It lose at least 120000 Flamingos and many other kind of birds and 2 valuable species of Artemia spp. Many of natural wetland convert to fish pond with a wrong farm approach even without any primary assessment in carrying capacity and after 2~3 years shoot again. Sorry for bad news!
You draw a real scene of current situation in Iran.
Thanks
Mahmoud
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....the blackbird being even too humble to be given a bold text?
Duly boldened, apologies to the Blackbird
Er, basically yes. As any unfortunates who have had the (non)pleasure of travelling with me, at home or away, food rarely figures high on my itinerary, a day or so without not a real issue. However, whenever I hit real high temperatures my appetite simply vanishes for a few days, so prior to this conscious decision that I really must make the effort, actual food intake had been limited to kind offerings by Baluchi fishermen, two felafal sarnies in Bandar Abbas and a kilo of oranges that I thought wise to consume. But worry not, further food intakes did occur before leaving Iran :-O
Not entirely sure I am totally weaned however - my milk consumption accounted for the third biggest expenditure on the whole trip!
Unfortunately, no gory details of spilt stomach contents nor Iranian equivalents of Delly-Belly are to follow - bar some rather nice diseases picked up in the tribal areas of Pakistan many many moons back, I have never been ill abroad - probably due to unsavory habits from childhood, or maybe simply due to the fact I eat nothing, thus nothing seems to bug me. I do not complain.
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Ladies loo at Persepolis (apologies for the mangy animal that got in the way of an otherwise fine shot)
PS. yet to process most pictures, more to follow in due course.
Attachments
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jurek
Well-known member
Memories! Many years ago I saw Small Indian Mongoose in Iran, just from behind, running away in the marsh. It took 10 years before ID books appeared and I could identify it.
merryslug
Well-known member
Ladies loo at Persepolis (apologies for the mangy animal that got in the way of an otherwise fine shot)
PS. yet to process most pictures, more to follow in due course.
:-O Adorable!
21 August. Lake Arzhan, then to the West.
Lengthy journey westward today, venturing into true lands of heat despair, a festering humidity that would hit the roof, a cocktail to sap the juices.
First however, excellent hours on the Arzhan grasslands, following the trace of the stream, winding down towards the phragmites marsh. With the early hour, much activity in the reeds - European Reed Warblers at least 15, Moustached Warblers five and Great Reed Warblers two, plus Moorhens all the way and squeals of Water Rails. Early sorties in the morning sun, European Bee-eater woke from slumber on wires overhead, while Desert Finches and Black-headed Buntings, 40 of the latter, dropped in to drink. Flocks of Chough and dozens of Isabelline Wheatears punctuated the grasslands, two Lapwings and two Tawny Pipits too. New birds this morning included a small lock of Calandra Larks and a couple of Common Snipe rising from the marsh, but the glories of the day went to a superb male Little Bittern. Convinced his camouflage was a tad better than reality, this engaging character froze at my approach - gentling wobbling in line with the sway of reeds, he would have indeed been difficult to spot at a distance. At just a few metres away however, he was a little plum, just standing there for admiration, a most fine specimem of a bird.
A quick nosey around the coppiced woodland, Plain Leaf Warbler and Isabelline Shrike up for the taking and then it was to the road to begin my trip to the west.
Hitch-hiked all the way, a trip of 550 km through arid rugged lands and down onto the hot desolate plains of southern Khuzestan Province, blighted by the ugly consequences of lying above the bulk of Iran's oil and gas. Hard on the eye, the landscape a Mad Max'ian play of oil flares, industrial spill-over and pipelines, all quite unattractive and hardly enhancement to a flat nothingness of desert, vegetation absent. Coupled with a heat and humidity oppressive to the point of bubbling brains, the local tourist board I am sure have an uphill struggle to sell the delights of this region! And at its heart, the city of Ahvaz - an industrial sprawl, vast and featureless, its only appeal being both Night Heron and Pied Kingfisher as I crossed a city bridge, mayhem on the roads one side, a calm deep flow of the river the other. I arrived in central Ahvaz just before dusk - temperature was a staggering 46 C, the humidity was off the scales. I was dripping, sweat flowing, I had no intentions of staying in this place. To a savari station I went, one hour and a bit later, I checked into a mercifully air-conditioned hotel in the historic town of Shush, next day was going to be a struggle I began to appreciate!
Lengthy journey westward today, venturing into true lands of heat despair, a festering humidity that would hit the roof, a cocktail to sap the juices.
First however, excellent hours on the Arzhan grasslands, following the trace of the stream, winding down towards the phragmites marsh. With the early hour, much activity in the reeds - European Reed Warblers at least 15, Moustached Warblers five and Great Reed Warblers two, plus Moorhens all the way and squeals of Water Rails. Early sorties in the morning sun, European Bee-eater woke from slumber on wires overhead, while Desert Finches and Black-headed Buntings, 40 of the latter, dropped in to drink. Flocks of Chough and dozens of Isabelline Wheatears punctuated the grasslands, two Lapwings and two Tawny Pipits too. New birds this morning included a small lock of Calandra Larks and a couple of Common Snipe rising from the marsh, but the glories of the day went to a superb male Little Bittern. Convinced his camouflage was a tad better than reality, this engaging character froze at my approach - gentling wobbling in line with the sway of reeds, he would have indeed been difficult to spot at a distance. At just a few metres away however, he was a little plum, just standing there for admiration, a most fine specimem of a bird.
A quick nosey around the coppiced woodland, Plain Leaf Warbler and Isabelline Shrike up for the taking and then it was to the road to begin my trip to the west.
Hitch-hiked all the way, a trip of 550 km through arid rugged lands and down onto the hot desolate plains of southern Khuzestan Province, blighted by the ugly consequences of lying above the bulk of Iran's oil and gas. Hard on the eye, the landscape a Mad Max'ian play of oil flares, industrial spill-over and pipelines, all quite unattractive and hardly enhancement to a flat nothingness of desert, vegetation absent. Coupled with a heat and humidity oppressive to the point of bubbling brains, the local tourist board I am sure have an uphill struggle to sell the delights of this region! And at its heart, the city of Ahvaz - an industrial sprawl, vast and featureless, its only appeal being both Night Heron and Pied Kingfisher as I crossed a city bridge, mayhem on the roads one side, a calm deep flow of the river the other. I arrived in central Ahvaz just before dusk - temperature was a staggering 46 C, the humidity was off the scales. I was dripping, sweat flowing, I had no intentions of staying in this place. To a savari station I went, one hour and a bit later, I checked into a mercifully air-conditioned hotel in the historic town of Shush, next day was going to be a struggle I began to appreciate!
Great stuff Jos, I'm really enjoying reading about your travels in Iran & the birds sound fantastic. It's certainly a country I'd like to visit. Nearly 20 years ago I drove down to Turkey & had an interesting trip with lots of birds & some great experiences with the local people. I mention this because it's something I'd love to do again but for a longer period & extending it to Iran & Georgia. I look forward to reading about the rest of your trip.
Neil.
Neil.
