We went into the office of the Wildlife Science and Conservation Centre of Mongolia and meet Nyambayar Batbayar the Director. Later we sorted out a couple of local SIM cards and did a bit of birding early pm around the National Park in Ulaan Bataar. The park was very quiet birdwise and the only birds of interest were a pair of Daurian Redstarts, a Willow Tit, Olive-backed Pipit and a Taiga Flycatcher.
A few Butterflies and Dragonflies were also in the park.
Small Tortoiseshell
Black Darter
The Gobi birding holiday didn't quite live up to our expectations. The person that we'd booked to take us to the good sites for birds subcontracted the job to a guide who had not even been to the Gobi before and knew nothing about birds, and a driver that didn't know the desert tracks. We did not get to see the itinerary before we left and only got a copy when the guide sent us one via Facebook messenger once we were on the road, and it was not very unrealistic with little time for birding, even if we could find the good spots. We decided to make the best of it, in spite of the problems getting around and with accommodation not having been booked.
Day 1
We left Ulaan Bataar far too late after waiting for the itinerary, being introduced to the guide and driver, we then had to go to get supplies, and then wait around while her husband bought her a guide book on Mongolia. We should have seen the writing on the wall.
We headed south on the asphalt road, and after the first 50 or so km, there were a number of pools near the road, most were missed, but we did manage to get them to stop by one immediately next to the road that held a few Avocet. A few Rock Sparrows came in whilst there and along the road we had Upland Buzzards, a Steppe and Golden Eagles.
Avocets
Upland Buzzard
Not long after turning off the asphalt road, the driver and guide were clearly struggling with the route. We had obviously gone wrong and directions were asked at a yert. This was the first time we ended up driving off track. We lost a lot of time and approached the pass from the wrong direction, completely missing the forest that we'd hoped to bird and having taken a quick look at a temple stronghold, carried on to the place we expected to stay.
Temple at Baga Gazryn Chuluu
It was supposed to be full and we ended up at a farmer's yert. There was no running water, the toilet was a hole in the ground and we slept on a surface as hard as a table covered with a rug. Not what we expected for $150 each per day. We had probably already missed our chance of certain larks and pipits on the plains, that we'd driven through at speed and there was no chance of a Gobi sunset through the cloud and rain.
The farmer's yert
Day 2
We got up early and had a walk around the place where we'd stayed. We found some Shore Larks, Blyth's Pipits and Rock Sparrows, single Isabelline, Northern and Pied Wheatears, and Chris found a single Pere David's Snowfinch, while we waited for Boghi to prepare breakfast out of the back of the 4x4. The day was earmarked for visits to local markets - so we instead got the driver to take us to a nearby lake. We were surprised by the numbers of Citrine Wagtail.
Citrine Wagtail
Eastern Yellow Wagtail
Red Fox
The pools had a number of ducks and waders, the interesting species being Eastern Spot-billed Duck and Painted Snipe, and in addition to the Wagtails, Black-faced Bunting.
Pin-tailed Snipe
Common Snipe
Whooper Swan
Black-faced Bunting
Red-billed Chough
We continued towards Yolyn am (Vulture Valley) but we clearly would not arrive in time to visit. On route we had six Mongolian Larks, our first small flock of Pallas's Sandgrouse, and another Steppe Eagle and what was to be the very prominant Upland Buzzard.
We stopped off for supplies in Dalanzadgath, finding two vehicles, parked up, carrying horses. They had been to a race meeting. The prized winners are shown by the blue sash. A Steppe Grey Shrike was located on the top of a pole above a nearby garage.
Camels seen along the way
Stopping for directions again, spotted this ger with cheese curd drying on the roof.
Modern ger
We arrived at the valley after the park closed, then started hunting around for somewhere to stay. We found one at about 9pm, too late for an evening meal. This accommodation situation had to be improved.
Our ger wasn't bad, but the guide and driver slept in the car
- and that was the crux of our accommodation problems.
Chris soon found out the daily budget our guide had been given and it seemed the organizer was pocketing over $1000 for the week!
Day 3
We managed to reach the valley for 8am (some feat, as breakfast had already been prepared on the gas rings and everything then packed up back into the car), but we had to leave in two and a half hours to make the next destination.
Approaching the valley
Mongolian Jird
Mongolian ponies with stockman at the valley
Mongolian Pika
Godlewski's Bunting
Brown Accentor
Pale Clouded Yellow
Siberian Ibex
Himalayan Vultures
Birds seen included Himalayan Vultures, Lammergeir, Crag Martin, Wallcreeper, Brown Accentor, Hume's Lesser Whitethroat, and Godlewski's Bunting.
We then embarked on a lengthy drive to the Khongor sand dunes. We didn't have much chance to bird, but stopped near a large lake for lunch preparation. There were terns visible in the distance but we didn't walk down, instead watching some buntings in challenging plumage in a grassy field.
Banded Darter, female and male
The distant lake
Passing through the Gobi steppe
There were fantastic numbers of Pallas's Sandgrouse
A carcass provided opportunity to view vultures, Black
and Himalayan.
We arrived towards the end of the day and it being too late to go to the dunes, had a brief camel ride just as the rain set in.
Around the gers at the end of the day was a single White-cheeked Starling, Hoopoe and a pair of Steppe Grey Shrikes.
Day 4
We were up before breakfast and explored an area of Saxual trees near the camp. We found no Saxual Sparrows, but there had been a fall of Desert Wheatears.
One of a number of Desert Wheatears
Mongolian Short-toed Lark
Khonror sand dunes, known as the singing sands
Moving on we began the drive towards Bayanzag. Not far from the dunes we had a group of three Black-tailed (Goitered) Gazelles.
Black-tailed (Goitered) Gazelles.
A little further on these hills held a decent flock of Mongolian Finches.
It was another lengthy journey and we had made a lot of headway when a warning light came up on the vehicle. When we pulled into the town at Dalanzadgad, off our expected route, we knew we had back tracked for a repair. We spent a little time birding in the town Dinosaur park.
Dusky Warbler
Wryneck
The park is quite small but in a small area held ten Dusky Warblers, three Yellow-broweds, four Taiga Flycatchers and the Wryneck.
On route to our overnight stop we caught up with a group of six Mongolian Gazelle.
Mongolian (White-tailed) Gazelle
The detour for a repair meant that we missed sunset at the flaming cliffs. We would have to return in the morning. Accommodation was problematic again. We didn't find somewhere until well after dark.
Day 5
The flaming cliffs, the site of Roy Chapman Andrews discovery of the first dinosaur eggs in the 1920s and while at the campsite we saw a Siberian Rubythroat hopping around in a trench.
Fossilised bones are visible in lower layers of the sandstone
Even managed to find some Ravens
Pallas's Sandgrouse
As we drove the landscape changed from dry desert
Less sand, more vegetation as it becomes more mountainous, and a
Henderson's Ground Jay
Ong river
Isabelline (Daurian) Shrike
Day 6
Up early again for a walk along the river to see whether there were migrants in the bushes and trees near the river. We managed some Common Rosefinch, Dusky Warbler and Chukar. We also saw Tolai Hare.
The area around the river was full of small Mongolian Toads.
More time spent in the car until arrival at Sangiin Dalai Lake, but again we didn't know where we should go. We walked along the lake edge while lunch was prepared, watching the gulls and terns. We couldn't find Relict Gull among the Mongolian and Black-headed Gulls. The lake held a large number of duck, over 150 Ruddy Shelduck, a few Whooper Swans and small group of Bar-headed and Swan Geese, groups of Common and Whiskered Terns, 35 Spoonbill and four Cranes. There was a colony of Gray Marmots around one side of the lake on a raised area.
Mongolian Gulls
Bar-headed Geese
Whooper Swans and more Bar-headed Geese
Eurasian Spoonbill flock
Swan Geese
Ruddy Shelduck
We stayed at the Two horses campsite overnight.
Day 7
The plan for the final day was to drive to Khustai National Park. Another snag, petrol was needed and there was a power cut so petrol station pumps could not be used. We waited an hour at a station. During that time we got a chance to watch some little rodents that we had been seeing from the car.
Brandt's Vole
We also drove past a couple of small groups of Demoiselle Cranes.
Demoiselle Crane
We didn't arrive at the park until well after midday and set off at around 2pm. We managed to find the Przwalski horses although a long way off. Marmots were less shy and many could be seen along the road. Birds were extremely scarce.
Tarbagan Marmot
Przwalski horse
Elk
Alashan Ground Squirrel
Ulaan Bataar was 80km away and we reached our hotel in the early evening.
We had one day to recover from our Gobi holiday, then on to Khovd to volunteer at the ringing camp, and spent the day in the City, paying a visit to the dinosaur museum. On our way back to the hotel we visited the National Amusement Park and adjacent scrub area, which by the pm was very quiet apart a party of eight Himalayan Partridges that we flushed.