We set the alarms for 4.15 and made our way back up to the shelters by about 5.00am. We scanned until about 8.30, seeing some great Ibex activity, a few horses and around 13 Hill Pigeons coming to the pool to drink. From the shelter we saw Pied Wheatear, Lammergeier, Godlewski’s Buntings and a Rock Thrush. We walked back down to the tents and then on down to Base Camp 2 for breakfast. The cars were then loaded up with all our gear, including the food tent and we returned to Base Camp. On the way we saw a good selection of birds including Pallas’ Sandgrouse, Isaballine and Desert Wheatears and Asian Short-toed Larks. We drove through another area for Henderson’s Ground Jay and were lucky enough to get reasonable views of a pair as they foraged around the base of a bush. We also came across a Desert Warbler flitting around a bush.
We visited a spring with a marshy pond and small stream running down the valley. The provision of water meant there was grass growing along the stream, with an unexpected Little Ringed Plover, and a small wooded area with a fence. We found at least four sp of dragonfly on the marshy pool, including a Blue Skimmer, Globe Skimmer, a Sympetrum and a blue tail, but just Daurian Shrike among the trees.
Chris saw a Tolai Hare but it disappeared round the fence before we could catch up.
We stopped in a lovely gorge called Khavtsgaet for lunch. As we drove in a family of Chuker Partridges scrambled up the rocks, the chicks were only a few days old but still managed to scramble up the rocks. The cars dropped us off part way along and we walked along the valley. There was a shallow stream meandering along the floor and so there was plenty of grass for the herd of ponies and a flock of about 20 Mongolian Finches which flitted along the valley rocks.
After lunch we drove back through some stunning scenery where the roads were often river beds and one place was yet another valley full of small rodents, mainly Picas, and some of the narrowest, single tacks through the valley ever. In one valley there was a juvenile Cinerous Vulture sitting in a nest looking down at us and some nice flowers dotted about. It was a real pleasure to come back to some familiar views as we arrived back at camp.
We had another lovely dinner before setting off for a spotlighting session round the valleys. Our first highlight was finding a Pallas' Cat which eventually shot down the hillside and headed off up the valley. We then walked the long valley and found some Young Eagle Owls at the top of the rocks. Spotlighting further up and two torches caught an adult in their lights, the torches caused the Owl to drop it's prey and then it landed heavily in some greenery at the side of the valley.
The prey turned out to be a baby Pallas' cat minus it's head. The lights were taken off the owl and it flew off into the night to resume it's hunting.
We visited a spring with a marshy pond and small stream running down the valley. The provision of water meant there was grass growing along the stream, with an unexpected Little Ringed Plover, and a small wooded area with a fence. We found at least four sp of dragonfly on the marshy pool, including a Blue Skimmer, Globe Skimmer, a Sympetrum and a blue tail, but just Daurian Shrike among the trees.
Chris saw a Tolai Hare but it disappeared round the fence before we could catch up.
We stopped in a lovely gorge called Khavtsgaet for lunch. As we drove in a family of Chuker Partridges scrambled up the rocks, the chicks were only a few days old but still managed to scramble up the rocks. The cars dropped us off part way along and we walked along the valley. There was a shallow stream meandering along the floor and so there was plenty of grass for the herd of ponies and a flock of about 20 Mongolian Finches which flitted along the valley rocks.
After lunch we drove back through some stunning scenery where the roads were often river beds and one place was yet another valley full of small rodents, mainly Picas, and some of the narrowest, single tacks through the valley ever. In one valley there was a juvenile Cinerous Vulture sitting in a nest looking down at us and some nice flowers dotted about. It was a real pleasure to come back to some familiar views as we arrived back at camp.
We had another lovely dinner before setting off for a spotlighting session round the valleys. Our first highlight was finding a Pallas' Cat which eventually shot down the hillside and headed off up the valley. We then walked the long valley and found some Young Eagle Owls at the top of the rocks. Spotlighting further up and two torches caught an adult in their lights, the torches caused the Owl to drop it's prey and then it landed heavily in some greenery at the side of the valley.
The prey turned out to be a baby Pallas' cat minus it's head. The lights were taken off the owl and it flew off into the night to resume it's hunting.
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