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Sorbulak

24 photos
breeding dance of Great Crested Grebes
breeding dance of Great Crested Grebes
The last day before the rainy week me and Sanzhar Abdikhalyk uded to go to Sorbulak. The main target of trip is migrating birds. The first stopping we made over the Karaoi village, where he little finches were singing the songs in roadside thickets. I thing we saw more the one hundred Bramblings, Chaffinches, Grey-headed Goldfinches, Linnets. Further we watched these birds many times and numerous in single trees.

In the water of Little Sorbulak there are a lot of Ducks and Coots, in the second reservoir we counted 3-4 thousands of water birds concentrated in the center of reservoir. In the gulf of first reservoir we watched hundreds of Cormorants in breeding plumage. In other spots we saw the breeding games of Great Crested Grebes. Of shorebirds we saw only Little Ringed Plovers which are in flocks yet. The Wagtails were a lot (Masked, White, Cintrines Wagtails), also we saw Water Pipits and Shrikes. In spite of prohibition of hunting we permanently heard the sounds of shots.

When we arrived to tree-belt in southern shore of Big Sorbulak the weather became cloudy. Air from the water was cold because the ice of Sorbulak is not yet melt fully, the large area are covered by ice plates which are rubbed one another. But cold is not problem to birds which are rather much here. We saw Common Redshanks and Pied Avocets, Little Ringed Plovers of the latest migrants. On the ice and shore there are many Ducks, mostly Pintails, three White-tailed Sea-Eagles probably looked for dead fish, we saw Gulls were eating fish. In the Pelican island birds are absent (surprise for us). Saw some Whooper Swans, one of flying by Swan looked like Tundra one but we are not sure.

Savka lake is free from ice but channel is not yet. In the lake there are much of different Ducks, but no Grebes and White-headed Ducks. We saw Ruff, Common Snipe, Redshanks, and one Black Stork flying in Sorbulak direction. Though Black Stork nests in Kurty river not far from this spot I watcher it in Sorbulak first time.

I tried to take photos of large Gulls, almost all of them surprisingly were not Caspian Gulls in my opinion.

Trip list of birds. Total 75 species.
Grey-headed Goldfinch
Grey-headed Goldfinch
Long-legged Buzzard
Long-legged Buzzard
Desert Finch
Desert Finch
Greenfinch
Greenfinch
Little Ringed Plover
Little Ringed Plover
White Wagtail
White Wagtail
Sparrowhawk
Sparrowhawk
Great Cormorant
Great Cormorant
Isabelline Shrike
Isabelline Shrike
Greater Short-toed Lark
Greater Short-toed Lark
Pied Wheatear
Pied Wheatear
Isabelline Shrike
Isabelline Shrike
Black-bellied Sandgrouses
Black-bellied Sandgrouses
Isabelline Wheatear
Isabelline Wheatear
water birds in 2nd reservoir
water birds in 2nd reservoir
Dalmatian Pelican
Dalmatian Pelican
male Brambling
male Brambling
Redshank and Little Ringed Plover
Redshank and Little Ringed Plover
ice plates in Big Sorbulak
ice plates in Big Sorbulak
Whooper Swans
Whooper Swans
Common Snipe
Common Snipe
channel is ice covered yet
channel is ice covered yet
Black Redstart
Black Redstart

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