Urban Birding. Almaty.

7.45am. Alfarabi-Mendikulova crossroad. On the road to school with son we found the dead Quail. Perhaps it run into the lighting billboard on the wall of high building.

5.20pm. Alfarabi-Zharokova crossroad. I noticed the group of the bird very high in the sky. They were flying very high, much higher than flying to spend the night Rooks and Crows, but they were flying up and up but without circling. The height of flying also was expressed by the slow moving of group, I watched them about five minutes, during this time birds moved just a few. Birds were large, because in the height I saw the soaring without wing bits. Group was without any form such as raw or wedge of Cranes, Gulls or Cormorants. I noticed two large groups with some little ones between them. The largest group contained more than 1000 birds, the second one about 400-500 birds. Birds were flying in eastern direction. I didn't have binoculars and camera, but the weather was overcast. I guess they were Steppe Eagles. But I don't know why they flew to east. And the number of birds is unusual.