Itzhon plateau.

When drive from Bakbakty to Almaty the road over the Malay-Sary passes on semi-desert landscape. In this place trees are present only as elms roadside thickets, but asian elms in dry climate don't grow high and don't formed the forests. The single trees are the haven to the birds, but to me these trees are absolutely guaranty of interesting photos. In the morning I specially stay near the asian elm to make photos of birds. In this elm there were male Red-backed Shrike, male unidentified Shrike, Spotted Flycatcher and Lesser Whitethroat. If to this list add also Calandra Larks, Sky Larks, Turkestan Shrikes, Lesser Grey Shrikes, Stonechats, many-many Red-headed Buntings and a lot of Rosy Starlings, we form the short list of basic species of the area from Malay-Sary to Kapchagai. The additions to this short list are raptors (Long-legged Buzzards and Kestrel), Cuckoos, as yet rare Rollers and pair of Black-bellied Sandgouses.

My second stay was near the large clay coomb. In the holes in slopes of coomb the Rollers, Jackdaws, Kestrels and Rock Doves nest. In the bottom of coomb there are trees (asian elms and russian olives). It is strange but birds easy react to watcher located over them. This fact let me to make photos of little passerines living in the coomb. I saw Lesser Whitethroats, Greenish Warblers, Chiffchaff, Common Nightingale, Grey-headed and Red-headed Buntings, Turkestan and Hybrid Shrikes. (Last years the number of Red-backed Shrikes growth.) While I was watching little birds this year first Bee-eaters flew by.

In some places the roadside thickets are so thin that even little birds are visible from the moving car. In one of these places I saw some little passerines and the Cuckoo on the next tree. Cuckoo hid from the potential victims and camouflages as dry branch of tree. And it was effectual!

Next stay - Kapchagai. Before Kapchagai there were the hundreds of Rosy Starlings, but in Kapchagai there were dozens of Black Kites, and also one Ruddy Shelduck and several Moorhens. But most noticable birds were certainly the Kites. Near Almaty I stayed again to see to Penduline Tits. They are already arrived and began to build new nest. In same place I watched Kingfisher and pair of Reed Warblers too.