Nutcracker - Gachuurt
Yellow-browed Warbler - Gachuurt
Olive-backed Pipit - Gachuurt
Siberian Chipmunk - Gachuurt
Willow Tit - Gachuurt
Willow Tit - Gachuurt
Hawfinch - Gachuurt
A species of Skipper - Gachuurt
A species of White - Gachuurt
A species of Clouded Yellow - Gachuurt
A species of Clouded Yellow - Gachuurt
A species of Blue - Gachuurt
A species of Fritillary - Gachuurt
Our final campsite at Gachuurt
Forest at Gachuurt
Left to right Jon, Marc, myself, Barry, Duncan, Richard and Lorand
Gentian at Gachuurt
Argent and Sable - Gachuurt
A species of Skipper - Gachuurt
Pine Bunting - Gachuurt
Pine Bunting - Gachuurt
The Tuul River south of Ulaanbaatar
White-crowned Penduline-tit - Tuul River, Ulaanbaatar
White-crowned Penduline-tit - Tuul River
White-crowned Penduline-tit - Tuul River
Long-tailed Rosefinch - Tuul River
Ulaanbaatar Power Station
Arctic Warbler - Mongolica Hotel
Dusky Warbler - Mongolica Hotel
Dinner was held in a private dining room with Tumen, Oyunna the support team and us. Jon was noticeably late and after checking his room it was apparent that he had dumped his bags and gone out but had not returned. A search team was sent out and soon returned with a dishevelled looking Jon, it turns out he had left the hotel grounds and got lost in the scrub along the river. We enjoyed a tasty meal and copious amounts of Vodka. I crashed at around 11:00.
I awoke fairly late on 23rd and decided to skip breakfast, packed my bags and we were picked from the hotel at 07:30 for our transfer to the Chinggis Khaan International Airport for a 11:05 departure to Istanbul. We departed late at around 13:05 landing at 18:15. Our onward flight to London Heathrow left at 18:35 but the Turkish Airline staff assured us that it would wait - off course it didn't and as we departed the plane it was clear we had missed our onward flight. Fortunately we were quickly rescheduled and were put on the 20:20 flight which landed at Heathrow at 22:30. After saying our goodbys I was on the road and home by 01:30 after being diverted half way around Surrey due to a closed M3.
It had been a great trip, Mongolia is a fantastic country and the birding was great, only 10 ticks but some fantastic species and a good range of eastern species which occur as rare vagrants in the UK. Tumen, Oyunna and the support team did a fantastic job of organising and running the trip and I would definitely recommend them if one is contemplating a trip to Mongolia.
Trip List
Total of 222 species with 10 ticks (shown in bold). World-list now 6,208 (HBW Alive taxonomy).
Altai Snowcock
Chukar
Hazel Grouse
Black-billed Capercaillie
Mute Swan
Whooper Swan
Bar-headed Goose
Greylag Goose
Swan Goose
Siberian Scoter
Common Goldeneye
Smew
Goosander
Common Shelduck
Ruddy Shelduck
Mandarin Duck
Red-crested Pochard
Common Pochard
Tufted Duck
Garganey
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
Chinese Spot-billed Duck
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Common Teal
Great Crested Grebe
Horned Grebe
Black-necked Grebe
Rock Dove
Hill Pigeon
Oriental Turtle-dove
Eurasian Collared-dove
Laughing Dove
Pallas's Sandgrouse
Pacific Swift
Common Swift
Common Cuckoo
Eastern Water Rail
Baillon's Crake
Common Moorhen
Common Coot
White-naped Crane
Demoiselle Crane
Common Crane
Black Stork
Eurasian Spoonbill
Eurasian Bittern
Chinese Pond-heron
Grey Heron
Great White Egret
Pied Avocet
Black-winged Stilt
Pacific Golden Plover
Little Ringed Plover
Kentish Plover
Greater Sandplover
Oriental Plover
Northern Lapwing
Whimbrel
Black-tailed Godwit
Ruff
Curlew Sandpiper
Temminck's Stint
Long-toed Stint
Sanderling
Little Stint
Asian Dowitcher
Eurasian Woodcock
Swinhoe's Snipe
Common Snipe
Terek Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
Common Greenshank
Common Redshank
Wood Sandpiper
Marsh Sandpiper
Black-headed Gull
Brown-headed Gull
Pallas's Gull
Relict Gull
Arctic Herring Gull
Common Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
Whiskered Tern
White-winged Tern
Common Tern
Little Owl
Northern Long-eared Owl
Ural Owl
Eurasian Eagle-owl
Osprey
Bearded Vulture
Himalayan Griffon
Cinereous Vulture
Greater Spotted Eagle
Steppe Eagle
Golden Eagle
Booted Eagle
Western Marsh-harrier
Eastern Marsh-harrier
Hen Harrier
Japanese Sparrowhawk
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Northern Goshawk
Black Kite
Upland Buzzard
Eastern Buzzard
Common Hoopoe
Eurasian Wryneck
Grey-faced Woodpecker
Three-toed Woodpecker
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Lesser Kestrel
Common Kestrel
Amur Falcon
Eurasian Hobby
Saker Falcon
Brown Shrike
Isabelline Shrike
Chinese Grey Shrike
Great Grey Shrike
Red-billed Chough
Asian Azure-winged Magpie
Eurasian Jay
Mongolian Ground-jay
Eurasian Magpie
Northern Nutcracker
Daurian Jackdaw
Rook
Common Raven
Carrion Crow
Coal Tit
Willow Tit
Siberian Tit
Azure Tit
White-crowned Penduline-tit
Lesser Short-toed Lark
Mongolian Lark
Horned Lark
Eurasian Skylark
Crested Lark
Eurasian Reed-warbler
Northern House Martin
Barn Swallow
Eurasian Crag Martin
Pale Sand Martin
Yellow-browed Warbler
Hume’s Leaf-warbler
Pallas’s Leaf-warbler
Dusky Warbler
Siberian Chiffchaff
Arctic Warbler
Asian Desert Warbler
Lesser Whitethroat
Bearded Reedling
Eurasian Treecreeper
Eurasian Nuthatch
Wallcreeper
Common Starling
White-cheeked Starling
White’s Thrush
Eyebrowed Thrush
Naumann’s Thrush
Dusky Thrush
Red-throated Thrush
Asian Brown Flycatcher
Siberian Blue Robin
Siberian Rubythroat
Orange-flanked Bush-robin
Red-throated Flycatcher
Black Redstart
Common Redstart
Daurian Redstart
Guldenstats Redstart
Rufous-tailed Rock-thrush
Common Stonechat
Northern Wheatear
Isabelline Wheatear
Desert Wheatear
Pied Wheatear
Brown Accentor
Mongolian Accentor
Saxaul Sparrow
House Sparrow
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Rock Sparrow
White-winged Snowfinch
Small Snowfinch
Tree Pipit
Olive-backed Pipit
Red-throated Pipit
Water Pipit
Richard’s Pipit
Blyth’s Pipit
Grey Wagtail
Citrine Wagtail
Eastern Yellow Wagtail
White Wagtail
Brambling
Hawfinch
Chinese Grosbeak
Common Rosefinch
Beautiful Rosefinch
Long-tailed Rosefinch
Mongolian Finch
Twite
Redpoll
Red Crossbill
Two-barred Crossbill
Eurasian Siskin
Lapland Longspur
Meadow Bunting
Godlewski’s Bunting
Pine Bunting
Pallas’s Bunting
Yellow-breasted Bunting
Little Bunting
Black-faced Bunting
Links to Other Days of the Trip (Click to View)
Day 1 and 2 – International flight then Ulaanbaatar to Mungum Sum
Day 3 - Mungunmorit and Gachuurt area
Day 4 - Drive to Dalanzadgad
Day 5 – Gurvan Saikhan National Park
Day 6 - Gurvan Saikhan National Park
Day 7 - Gobi Desert and Khongor Sand Dunes
Day 8 – Gobi Desert to Bogd
Day 9 - Baga Bogd Mountain and Kholboolj Lake
Day 10 - Kholboolj Lake and Barig Mountain
Day 11 - Barig Mountain and Sangiin Lake
Day 12 (Part 1) - Sangiin Lake and Bayan Lake
Day 12 (Part 2) - Sangiin Lake and Bayan Lake
Day 13 - Hustai National Park and Terelj National Park
Day 14 - Terelj National Park and Gachuurt Area
