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WINGS Birding Tours – Photo Gallery

Mongolia

We begin by exploring an area close to the capital where we get a taste of things to come with such gems as the delightful Azure Tit.
Or perhaps an Amur Falcon.
…and there are also tricky hybrid thrushes - this is a Dusky x Naumann’s, Thrush hybrid.
Hustai National Park is the only place on the tour where we’ll see the ancient Przewalski’s Horse.
It is also a great location for what is surely the best lark in the World - Mongolian Lark.
…and Blyth’s Pipit is common in areas of hills with longer grasses.
Demoiselle Cranes are widespread, their long drooping tertials forming a characteristic silhouette…
The Ger camps attract migrants in a tree-less landscape - here a Lanceolated Warbler hunts for food at the base of a Ger.
We then visit a series of superb wetlands, each holding an array of birds.
And where we hope to find the rare Relict Gull
White-naped Cranes breed in the extensive reedbeds,
While clouds of White-winged Black Terns feed over the wet grassland.
There will be masses of shorebirds, including Asiatic Dowitchers
and there are always surprises, such as this Baillon’s Crake parading in the open,…
and a sighting of the white-headed form of Western Yellow Wagtail is always a treat.
The wetlands attract raptors such as this Eastern Marsh Harrier.
Or a wandering immature Pallas’s Fish Eagle
Our tour takes us along the road less travelled.
We use a small fleet of 4x4 vehicles enabling us to reach places other vehicles cannot, such as high on Ikh Bodg with the water of Orog Nuur in the distance.
In this setting we see birds we would otherwise miss such as the Khangai Asian Rosy Finch.
Where there are no ger camps, we’ll have our own camp with tents tall enough to stand in, all prepared in advance by our ground crew.
Who also prepare some amazing food…..
…served in some stunning settings, such as here on the shores of Orog Nuur
Our journey through Mongolia takes us to some wonderful locations in search of birds.
And we pass through some awe-inspiring scenery
Where we see some highly sort-after species such as Henderson’s Ground Jay,..
Pallas’s Sandgrouse, which can occur in big flocks, ..
the elegant Oriental Plover,…
…and Saxaul Sparrow
The vast open steppe is home to the mighty Steppe Eagle,…
and the powerful Saker Falcon.
The ger camps we use often have small trees and bushes, which in this sea of grass act as a magnet for migrants…
including such gems as the tiny Pallas’s Leaf Warbler….
and Little Bunting.
This gathering of migrants will not go unoticed by a passing Japanese Sparrowhawk
As well as migrants, the many of the camps also have a pair or two of Daurian Shrikes breeding.
Away from the plains birding in the hills brings a new group of birds. This is Yolyn Am, the aptly-named Valley of the Vultures
Haunt of the mighty Lammergeier
And where the Wallcreepers can be very confiding.
And where we see the rare Koslov’s Accentor, a bird restricted to western and southern Mongolia
Heading north we start to leave to steppe behind as we enter the vast taiga forest
Our final stop is the wonderful Jalman Meadows Ger camp
Where the inside of the gers are decorated and kept nice and warm with a small stove
The riparian woodland of the nearby Tuul Gol river is home to a host of special birds,
Such as the beautiful Siberian Rubythroat,
and Black-faced Bunting, which is reasonably common.
Gloriously pink-headed, the Long-tailed Rosefinch is a favourite of this woodland.
The real star of the area is the rare Black-billed Capercaillie, here a female froze on a branch for us all to admire.
And no tour to Mongolia would be complete without a visit to the massive statue of the man whose blood runs through the country, Chinggis Khan
Who watches the sun set on the mighty empire he once ruled

 

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