trip report: turkmenistan, 3 to 14 may 2012 - cloudbirders · turkmenistan, 3rd to 14th may 2012 -...

Trip report: Turkmenistan, 3rd to 14th May 2012 Thomas Pettersson1

Participants Krister Mild, Sweden Thomas Pettersson, Sweden Bjørn Svendsen, Denmark Michael Westerbjerg Andersen, Kyrgyzstan

Summary The trip was very well organized, thanks to Michael at Miksture2 and the ground agent Owadan Tourism3. Our guide, Jabbar, as well as the drivers, Aslan and Misja, was very cooperative, knowledgeable and kind. We knew beforehand that we would not get any permission to visit protected areas, and this was the main reason for not visiting the south east corner, the Kugitang Range with some Tien Shan species, not to be found elsewhere in Turkmenistan. But we were prepared with satellite images and did fairly well anyway. Regarding areas the most regrettable was that we couldn’t visit Repetek Nature Reserve nor did reach higher altitudes in the Kopet Dag.

All in all we recorded 184 species, but we can’t say that we made any major discoveries, although a few sightings were well out of known distribution, e.g. Bay-backed Shrike near Repetek and Calandra Lark in the Kopet Dag. Nevertheless there were some disappointments regarding species that we did not encounter and that we had hoped for (for good reasons, we thought): Lesser Kestrel, Saker Falcon, Caspian Snowcock, Macqueen’s Bustard, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Eurasian Eagle-owl, Scaly-bellied Woodpecker, Greater Short-toed Lark, Water Pipit (coutellii), Radde’s Accentor, Desert Wheatear, Cetti’s Warbler, Moustached Warbler, Paddyfield Warbler, Plain Leaf-warbler, Desert Warbler, Black-headed Penduline-tit, White-crowned Penduline-tit, Zarudny's Sparrow, Trumpeter Finch, White-winged Grosbeak, Grey-necked Bunting.

Phew, that was a rather long list, but, to be fair, we saw a number of species that we are very happy with, in particular Bearded Vulture, White-tailed Lapwing, Yellow-eyed Pigeon, Pallid Scops-owl, Egyptian Nightjar, White-winged Woodpecker, Oriental Skylark, Citrine Wagtail (calcarata), Variable Wheatear, Red-tailed Wheatear, Hume’s Whitethroat, Cinereous Tit, Bay-backed Shrike, Long-tailed Shrike, Pander’s Ground-jay and Saxaul Sparrow.

We also enjoyed the abundance of many species, such as Common Cuckoo, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, European Roller, Oriental Skylark, Pied Bushchat, Blyth’s Reed-warbler, Sykes’s Warbler, Eastern Orphean Warbler, Rosy Starling and Red-headed Bunting.

1 [email protected] 2 http://www.miksture.com/ 3 http://www.owadan.net/en/homepage/

Turkmenistan, 3rd to 14th May 2012

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Introduction

The idea Initially Krister came up with the idea to make a trip to this rarely visited country, at least by western birdwatchers. Not much ornithological information is available, but Turkmenistan seem to hold several mouth watering species that might be easier to track down there, than in any other neighbouring country, e.g. White-tailed Lapwing, White-winged Woodpecker and Pander’s Ground-jay. Also the fact that European, Middle East and Central Asian avifaunas somewhat meet here was intriguing and of course that there was a possibility to make new discoveries. And above that one could expect loads of migrants to Siberian breeding grounds.

Krister established contact with Michael, very much experienced with travelling and bird watching in Central Asia. Bjørn and Thomas joined in and it was decided that we should go in early May 2012. Michael made thorough research and all the arrangements with the local agent. However, it stood soon clear that we should not be allowed to visit any protected areas, e.g. nature reserves. One will need a special permit in order to visit a nature reserve, and usually it would have been approved, but obviously an ongoing internal dispute between two ministers about the responsibility of the reserves made that impossible. But that didn’t let us down, as Krister’s thorough study of satellite images on Google™ Earth showed that there were a lot of interesting habitats to be found, without visiting restrictions, just outside the reserve boundaries.

We decided to concentrate on the southern and eastern parts of the country, with desert (Karakum), river valleys (Tejen, Murgab, Amu-Darya) and mountains (Kopet Dag). But the problems mentioned above also meant that we gave up trying to visit the Kugitang Mountains of Tien Shan in the easternmost part of Turkmenistan. Also some wetlands, such as reservoirs and fish ponds, were on the list.

The country Turkmenistan is a country in Central Asia with a population of about 5 million, and an area around 500 000 km², or almost the size of Spain. Neighbouring countries are Iran and Afghanistan to the South, and Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to the North. It has a coast on the Caspian Sea, but is otherwise landlocked. About 80 % of Turkmenistan's surface is covered by the biggest desert in Central Asia, the Karakum (Black Sand), which forms together with the Kyzylkum (Red Sand) in Uzbekistan the fourth biggest desert in the world. The Karakum covers about 350 000 km². Although largely covered by desert, there is intensive agriculture located in irrigated


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oases. One-half of its irrigated land is planted with cotton, making it the world’s tenth largest producer. The Kopet Dag (‘Many Mountains’) in Southern Turkmenistan forms the border to Iran.

Turkmens represent 85 % of the population with large minorities of Uzbeks and Russians. Official language is Turkmen, but Russian is widely spoken and also Uzbek. English is rarely spoken.

How to get there Most all nationalities need a visa to enter Turkmenistan. Owadan Tourism helped us getting a Letter of Invitation (LOI) which is needed for visa application on arrival. You will get a green Entry Travel Pass with places covered by the visa stated. On arrival you have to register at some authorities, so spare one day for that before venturing out. That was in our case efficiently handled by Owadan Tourism.

We travelled with Turkish Airlines from Stockholm via Istanbul to Ashgabat. The cost from Stockholm was SEK 7 652 (c. 850 €).

There are also other ways to enter Turkmenistan.

Organisation Our trip included ‘everything’, such as transports by car, driver, guide, all meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner; in the field prepared by the Owadan team) and all accommodation (hotel, tent, sleeping bag). The cost was SEK 19 090 (c. 2 100 €) per person.

Internet and mobile phones Do not expect that your mobile phone will work! Ours didn’t during the entire stay, with one exception very close to the Iranian border where we managed to make some calls and send text messages via an Iranian operator. It might be possible to buy a SIM-card in Turkmenistan, but we didn’t try that. Once we borrowed our driver’s mobile phone, only to know that international calls were impossible. International phone calls might be possible at some of the hotel receptions, but in our case that worked only once, at Hotel Margus in Mary.

Access to Internet is possible at some hotels (WiFi or Internet cafés) but not always. At Hotel Ak Altyn in Ashgabat it worked once (out of three times). Note also that access is restricted by the authorities, e.g. Facebook is blocked.

Useful references

Internet Wikitravel: http://wikitravel.org/en/Turkmenistan

Miksture: http://www.miksture.com

Owadan Tourism: http://www.owadan.net/

Embassy of Sweden: http://www.swedenabroad.com/en-GB/Embassies/Central-Asia/About-us/Turkmenistan/


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Travel information (in Swedish) from Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs: http://www.swedenabroad.com/sv-SE/Ambassader/Central-Asia/Reseinformation/Reseinformation-Turkmenistan-sys/

Reference Ayé, R., Schweizer, M. & Roth, T. 2012. Birds of Central Asia. Helm. Not used by us during the trip as it was published afterwards.

Accommodation We used hotels in major cities such as Ashgabat, Mary and Türkmenabat, for a total of six nights. The remainder five nights we camped.

Hotels Ak Altyn Plaza Hotel, Ashgabat: a four star hotel at a cost of US$ 125 for a double room, including breakfast. No international phone calls possible during our stay and Internet connection (WiFi) apparently only random.

Hotel Margus, Mary: a three star hotel. No Internet connection, but international phone calls possible from reception.


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Jeyhun Hotel, Türkmenabat: a three star hotel. No international phone calls possible during our stay but there is an Internet café in the building. With Russian keyboards.

Weather The weather was hot and calm throughout the stay. Of course it’s cooler at higher altitudes, especially at night, but still pleasant. Beware not to burn yourself! During our first three nights in tent we were surprised by thunder and rain.

Itinerary

Thursday, 3rd May Bjørn, Krister and Thomas arrived at Ashgabat International Airport at 0635 hrs. After passport control, visa application (105 US$) and customs, all smooth and friendly procedures, we were met by Jabbar, our guide, and Aslan, our driver, from Owadan Tourism. We swiftly (140 km/h in a Chevrolet Suburban!) transferred to Hotel Ak Altyn, where we met Michael who had arrived the day before. As our mobile phones did not work, we tried to make an international phone call from the hotel, but in vain. But today Internet connection worked (5 US$ per hour) so we could let our relatives know that we were still alive. ☺

We had breakfast and rested to about 1200 hrs. We enjoyed a lunch at Owadan Tourism’s office (N37° 56.521’, E058° 22.942’), from where we headed straight to Gurtly Reservoir, just north of the city, for some initial birding.

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Lunch at Owadan Tourism; from left to right: Michael, Krister, Jabbar and Bjørn. ©Thomas Pettersson Our first stop, 1400-1525 hrs, was at a spot (N38° 01.380’, E058° 22.806’) at the southern shore where after we moved to another spot (N38° 02.706’, E058° 23.105’) in the north eastern part of the reservoir. On the latter spot we strolled around from 1600 to 1810 hrs. We met a guard (fishing), also keen on bird watching, who invited us for tea. He and his dogs escorted us back to the car in case of meeting cobras! Some noticeable sightings from this rather hot afternoon at Gurtly Reservoir: Pygmy Cormorant 1, Greater Flamingo 23, Western Osprey 1, Black Kite (ssp. lineatus) 1, White-tailed Lapwing 4, Little Tern 40, Black Redstart (ssp. phoenicuroides) 1 ♂, Pied Bushchat 20, Blyth’s Reed-warbler 30, Great Reed-warbler 1, Cinereous Tit (ssp. intermedius) 6 and Rosy Starling 40. Our first day was rounded up at a Russian restaurant in downtown Ashgabat. Turkmens don’t seem particularly interested in running restaurants, so most of them are run by either Russians or Uzbeks. With the overnight flight from Istanbul still in mind, we slept in early at Hotel Ak Altyn, a hotel of high standard.

Friday, 4th May Early rise and we left Ashgabat at 0515 hrs, heading south east.


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Jabbar seems to wonder… And Krister is ready for sound recording. ©Thomas Pettersson

Just after dawn we arrived at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds (N37° 42.083’, E059° 06.373’), where we had breakfast and birded 0630-1145 hrs. Some of the ponds were full of birds, mostly migrants, but also the surrounding scrub and dried out ponds held some interesting birds. E.g. we found several breeding pairs of Menetries’s Warbler (ssp. turcmenica) as well as Siberian Stonechats (ssp. maurus). Four Oriental Skylarks were in song and Sykes’s Warblers were abundant. Among passerines also a few Red-headed Buntings were present as well as one Isabelline Shrike and one Red-tailed Shrike, a few Eastern Olivaceous Warblers (ssp. elaeica) and Blyth’s Reed-warblers in abundance. Wildfowl were sparse but four each of Red-crested Pochard and Ferruginous Duck are worth mentioning. In particularly one of the ponds, one of the farthest from the main road, there were a lot of resting waders, e.g. Little Stint 50, Black-winged Pratincole 5 and Red-necked Phalarope 550.

After that encouraging experience we continued, trying to reach Tejen River area before dusk. Although roadside birding made the journey somewhat slow, and at one stop (N37° 36.416’, E059° 14.947’) we enjoyed a Golden Eagle (ssp. daphanea), Black Stork 1, Common Buzzard (ssp. vulpinus) 3, Rosy Starling c. 1000 and a Brown-necked Raven. At this point, very close to the Iranian border, we in fact managed to make some calls with our mobile phones, via an Iranian operator. But on the way back a few days later, at the very same spot, it didn’t work at all…

We had lunch in the town of Tejen (N37° 22.356’, E060° 31.259’), 1400-1510 hrs.

In late afternoon we approached Tejen River and made a random stop and did some birding 1630-1730 hrs at a spot near Tedzhenstroj with a dense thicket that looked promising (N36° 54.389’, E060° 54.285’). Although there were not many birds, at least not detectable in the heat.

We found a decent site (N36° 53.951’, E060° 50.927’) near Tejen River at 1745 hrs, where we put up the tents (one tent each!). Jabbar and Aslan made up fire and prepared dinner for us while we strolled around for birds. One of the most interesting sightings was a family party of Streaked Scrub-warbler


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(ssp. platyura). We had dinner at dusk accompanied by some Green Toads and howling Jackals. Just after we had gone to bed a dust storm came over us. A lot of dust blew in through the mosquito nets, and covered us. Well, the storm passed over and shaking the dust off could very well be done next morning, we thought. Only moments later we woke up to the too familiar sound of thunder and it started to rain. The rain made the dust into mud before our tents could be covered. The tents, our sleeping bags and the rest of the equipment never got really clean from this. So, even if the sky is clear when you go to sleep – be prepared for everything!

Saturday, 5th May We woke up to clear skies at 0530 hrs and birded around the camp site. Worth mentioning are White-tailed Lapwing 15, Red-wattled Lapwing 1 and White-throated Robin 1 ♀. After breakfast we left at 0905 hrs. We made a short stop at the bridge over Tejen River (N36° 54.132’, E060° 53.029), 0945-1000 hrs, where Michael flushed a Little Bittern. After that we searched for tracks to reach some riverside forest with woodpeckers and pigeons in mind. On that detour, 1000-1145 hrs, we spotted three different Little Owls (ssp. bactriana), a very pale subspecies. Eventually we reached the flooded river by some trees (N36° 51.697’, E061° 00.088’). Almost immediately we saw a Yellow-eyed Pigeon and heard the song from another. We didn’t find any woodpeckers, but in all we encountered superb views of at least five Yellow-eyed Pigeons. We left that spot at 1130 hrs and headed for lunch at Hauz-Han where we enjoyed grilled carp at a roadside restaurant 1340-1445 hrs.

Digesting grilled carp (or waiting for it) and taking notes. From left to right Michael, Bjørn, Thomas and Aslan. ©Krister Mild

Ekulf’s plastic toothpicks became popular after that carp. Left to right: Jabbar, Krister and Michael. ©Thomas Pettersson

At this time the air condition system in the car had broke down which made travelling long distances hardly unbearable. Therefore we decided to go to Mary to get the car repaired. We had refreshments in Mary 1600-1720 hrs, when we left with two replacement cars and with two new drivers. Now we headed south to Murgab River, where we intended to camp and explore the area next morning. The road was a pothole nightmare and we found a place to camp just before dusk, 2000 hrs, near Krasnoe Znamja (N36° 46.976’, E062° 27.867’). Guess what, thunder and rain again! Along the road the sight of Red-necked Phalaropes in flooded ditches was odd.

Sunday, 6th May We woke up at 0540 hrs and birded around camp site until 0745 hrs. Then we headed further south, trying to find some good spots in Murgab River basin. The river was flooded, and so most of the roads and tracks (N36° 08.261’, E062° 40.812’), and made it very difficult to reach e.g. riverside forests.


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Among birds seen 1010-1250 hrs, we could mention Cinereous Vulture 1, Little Stint 500 and one hundred migrating Slender-billed Gulls.

Murgab River flooded, the village of Tashkepri to the right. ©Thomas Pettersson

A short stop were made at a large flooded area (N36°14.663’, E62°39.075’), 1300-1310 hrs, where we saw e.g. Common Shelduck, Black-tailed Godwit. Still having woodpeckers in mind, in particular Scaly-bellied Woodpecker, we walked around in the village of Tashkepri (N36° 16.304’, E062° 39.013’), 1325-1355 hrs, which held a lot of large trees. But no woodpeckers were seen there. Apparently our guide felt a little bit uneasy with us strolling around the village with binoculars and cameras, so we didn’t stay long. After that we had a five hour journey on potholes to Mary, where we checked in at Margus Hotel at 1900 hrs.

Monday, 7th May We left Mary already at 0440 hrs heading for Karakum desert and hopefully Pander’s Ground-jay. During the night another Chevrolet Suburban was delivered to our service and also a new driver, Misja. Misja had driven from Ashgabat during the night and was rather tired. On the way to Repetek area we had to stop for a power nap. Approaching the village of Repetek we headed out on tracks in the saxaul desert at 0750 hrs. We visited a couple of farms with sparrows in mind. We did not find any Zarudny’s Sparrows but at one of the farms (N38° 46.118’, E063° 19.264’) we saw a few Saxaul Sparrows and Desert Finches 1010-1125 hrs. At another farm (N38° 45.214’, E063° 14.363’), 1145-1305 hrs, a Kazakh family invited us to taste fermented camel milk. Very refreshing in the heat!

Michael and Thomas enjoying fermented camel milk. ©Krister Mild

We had lunch at a roadside truck stop restaurant (N38° 47.981’, E063° 21.879’), 1345-1450 hrs, where we also spotted a few more Saxaul Sparrows. We also visited the entrance to Repetek Natural Reserve (N38° 33.894’, E063° 10.938’), 1520-1610 hrs, just for chance. But there were no possibilities that we could sneak in.


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Trying to enter Repetek Natural Reserve – in vain. Left to right: Krister, local boss, Jabbar, Bjørn and Michael. ©Thomas Pettersson So plan B was to find a place in the desert for camping and spend the next day in the field. While waiting for dinner to be prepared for us to bring from the truck stop, we strolled around and found e.g. Long-tailed Shrike. Driving away, Krister spotted a Pander’s Ground-jay at roadside (N38° 49.581’, E063° 23.089’), but we chased it for 20 minutes, 1900-1920 hrs, without anyone else seeing it. They are apparently good runners… We continued on tracks into the desert and just about dusk, 2015 hrs, we found a place to camp, next to a strange open area with small craters and a peculiar smell. Perhaps a former shooting ground? Someone mentioned chemical weapons, nuclear weapons… Well, the story repeats itself, just after bedtime it started to rain and thunder making more or less all of us wet again. The rain ceased and we were rewarded by hearing displaying Egyptian Nightjars from our tents, no less than three birds. Also a European Nightjar was heard as well as an over flying Eurasian Bittern.

Tuesday, 8th May We rose at 0545 hrs and started to track down a Pander’s Ground-jay. We were thoroughly rewarded with at least five birds seen well and song also heard. Krister spotted a White-winged Woodpecker and the rest of us saw a male Bay-backed Shrike, well out of known range. Also a couple of Steppe Grey Shrikes (ssp. pallidirostris) were spotted and Great Tit (ssp. bokharensis) as well as Streaked Scrub-warbler were common. We left the camp site at 1100 hrs and spent some time near the village of Repetek, birding near a derelict railway station (N38° 50.029’, E063° 24.071’), 1120-1210 hrs. The only European Honey-buzzard of the entire trip flew over.


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Habitat for Pander's Ground-jay near Repetek. ©Krister Mild

We had lunch in an Uzbek restaurant in Türkmenabat (N38°59.642’, E063°32.000’), 1255-1350 hrs. After that it was time to try to find some good areas for birding near Amu-Darya River. Initially we found ourselves birding in a garden and small farm (with permission from the owner, of course; N39°33.566’, E062°52.600’; 1600-1710 hrs). From that area we can mention Common Kingfisher 2, Common Chiffchaff (ssp. tristis) 3 and Barred Warbler 1.

As we didn’t have permission to visit Amu Darya Nature Reserve, nor were allowed to pass over the bridge to the northern bank of the river, we tried to find some good spots with the help from satellite images. We looked in particular for riverside forests to the north west of Türkmenabat. After a random stop at the river bed (N39°36.957’, E062°52.649’), 1735-1800 hrs, with no particular birds, we found an area with riverside forest near Tash-Akyi that looked very promising (N39°38.657’, E062°48.181’), 1850-1915 hrs. As daylight was fading it was decided to visit the place early next morning. After a two hour transfer back to Türkmenabat we checked in at Hotel Jeyhun for two nights.

Wednesday, 9th May – Victory Day On this day Turkmenistan still celebrates the victory of Soviet Union in World War II, although the celebrations did not affect our birding or else. We departed from the hotel at 0435 hrs and arrived to the spot from yesterday (N39°38.657’, E062°48.181’) at 0620 hrs. At this time it stood clear to us that we were in fact visiting the Amu Darya Nature Reserve! Although there were no signs at all and people we met did not seem to have any objections. The forest was alive with birds and we birded there for about four hours. There were a lot of (15) Greenish Warblers in song as well as Common Nightingales. A couple of White-winged Woodpeckers were seen well and also heard drumming. Great Tits (ssp. bokharensis) were abundant. Of more odd birds an Oriental Turtle-dove (ssp. meena), Eurasian Wryneck and Savi’s Warbler are worth mentioning. We made a brief stop for lunch at Amu-Darya riverside (N39°38.742’, E062°46.061’), 1035-1200 hrs. From that spot we saw our only Caspian Gull, a couple of Carrion Crows (ssp. orientalis) and a male Ring-necked Pheasant (ssp. zarudnyi). The latter had a large white wing patch and no visible neck collar.


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We transferred back to Türkmenabat 1200-1400 hrs and had a rest at the hotel 1400-1710 hrs.

On satellite images we had found a complex of small ponds and wetland just south of the town (N38°59.753’, E063°25.942’), where we birded 1740-1935 hrs. The area is vast and difficult to view, so to fully explore you probably need a whole day. The abundance of Sykes’s Warbler and Eastern Olivaceous Warbler were striking and we estimated the density to 25 birds per hectare and 15 birds per hectare, respectively. Otherwise it was rather quiet, but perhaps we never reached the best ponds; Mallard 6, Glossy Ibis 12, Purple Heron 6, Little Egret 4, Grey Heron 9.

The team, except for the photographer, at the wetlands near Türkmenabat. From left to right: Krister, Misja, Jabbar, Michael and Bjørn. ©Thomas Pettersson

Thursday, 10th May We left Türkmenabat at 0540 hrs and this day we aimed to reach Ashgabat in the evening, but with a few stops for some birding. Firstly we stopped at Repetek village 0645-0735 hrs, searching in vain for Zarudny’s Sparrows. We had lunch at Hauz-Han, in the very same fish restaurant as a few days ago. This restaurant can be recommended. On the 70 km stretch from Hauz-Han to Tejen 1200-1315 hrs, we counted some roadside birds from the car and this reflects the abundance of some species: Western Marsh-harrier 9, Shikra 3, Common Cuckoo 29, European Roller 148, Pied Bushchat 69.

Next stop was not until Gevers Pivot Fields (N37°52.174’, E058°44.104’), where we birded 1645-1815 hrs. This area held quite a few interesting birds, but the highlight was the incredible density of Oriental Skylarks. We counted to at least 75 birds, 55 of them in song! Other birds worth mentioning were Black-winged Pratincole 3, Common Quail 2, Red-throated Pipit 2 and Upcher’s Warbler 1.

We arrived at Ashagabat at 1900 hrs and checked in at Hotel Ak Altyn. Jabbar left us tonight, and we thanked him heartedly for some very pleasant days!


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Friday, 11th May The remaining days of our trip were dedicated for Kopet Dag Mountains and we left Ashgabat at 0500 hrs, this time without a guide, except for Misja, our driver. After dawn we made a short (0620-0630 hrs) random stop in the foothills at about 400 meters above sea level (N38°05.076’, E057°53.334’). At that spot we heard a couple of See-see Partridges, our one and only Desert Lark and a handful of Woodlarks.

We had no given spots to head for, so we relied heavily on Krister’s study of satellite images. The aim was to reach higher altitudes with Juniper. And eventually we did, thanks to Misja’s skilled driving techniques on rough tracks. At a point where the track was no more, we had reached (0850 hrs) a level of 1220 meters above sea level, just where Junipers start to occur. This was also decided to be the campsite for the night (N37°59.086’, E057°54.416’).

Kopet Dag seen from our first campsite there. ©Thomas Pettersson

We birded in the area until dusk. The slopes were very steep and we reached only 1310 meters a.s.l. on foot. Rock Buntings (ssp. par) were common as well as Red-fronted Serin, Bimaculated Larks and Tawny Pipits. At the higher mountain ridges we saw c. 30 Red-billed Choughs and some Chukars. There were also some (c. 10) Pale Rockfinches in the area. In a vegetated wadi we found no less than about 50 Eastern Orphean Warblers, many of them in song and also chasing each other, perhaps recently arrived. In that area we also found three Hume’s Whitethroats. Among wheatears we spotted Northern Wheatear 1, Variable Wheatear 8 and Red-tailed Wheatear 1. Also one single over flying Eurasian Crimson-winged Finch and small parties of European Goldfinches of the grey-headed subspecies paropanisi can be mentioned. After dusk we heard European Nightjar as well as Eurasian Scops-owl. The night was clear and calm, for a change.

Saturday, 12th May We birded around the campsite 0530-0700 hrs with not much news, except for two Common Woodpigeons (ssp. iranica). We headed slowly downhill and birded en route 0700-1145 hrs. We found


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a good set of birds, such as Bearded Vulture 2, Long-legged Buzzard (dark morph), Golden Eagle 1 adult, Finsch’s Wheatear c. 10 (ssp. barnesi), Eastern Rock Nuthatch 4 (ssp. iranica) and Pale Rockfinch 20. Further on our way we found a gathering of 150 Northern Ravens (ssp. tibetanus), all of them adults, moulting primaries. In a small village we also saw a ‘snake’ on a dust road, and it looked really nasty, about one meter long and thick as an arm. We speculated heavily about what kind of venomous species this would be, and ‘cobra’ was mentioned. Well, after hand we figured out it to be a European/Russian Glass Lizard Pseudopus apodus, i.e. not a snake!

The Glass Lizard, mentioned in the text. ©Thomas Pettersson We moved on further uphill, trying to reach higher altitudes again. This time we reached 800 meters a.s.l. (N38°00.096’, E057°50.728’), but managed to climb in wadis to about 1050 meters a.s.l., but not reaching any Juniper habitat. From this area (1200-1615 hrs) a Red-breasted Flycatcher can be mentioned. After that we transferred downhill to find a place for camping in a valley, where we arrived at 1735 hrs (N38°03.103’, E057°51.092’; 500 m a.s.l.). We birded in the area until dusk and the following sightings are worth mentioning: Black Stork 3, Black Kite 2 (one of each race, migrans and lineatus), Tawny Owl 1 pullus, Alpine Swift 10 and Blue Rock-thrush 1. At a short walk after dusk a Pallid Scops-owl was heard.


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Our second campsite at Kopet Dag. ©Krister Mild

Sunday, 13th May We birded around camp site 0530-0915 hrs with the following highlights: Peregrine Falcon 1, See-see Partridge 5, Common Cuckoo 40, Finsch’s Wheatear 30, Isabelline Wheatear 50 and Reed Bunting 1, the latter a female presumably of the subspecies korejewi.

We decided to go to Germab village at a high plateau in the Kopet Dag.

Germab oasis. ©Krister Mild

En route 0915-1200 hrs we made a few random stops, e.g. at a barren area where we surprisingly found a Calandra Lark. Being in the vicinity of the Iranian border, there was no surprise with military presence. At a checkpoint with young and insecure soldiers it took a while for Misja to convince them that we were harmless birdwatchers. While waiting for things to sort out, we enjoyed good views of a Little Owl. Germab (N38°00.646’, E057°44.713’) is a wonderful place, 770 m a.s.l., a lush oasis with


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several freshwater wells in an otherwise barren landscape. It’s not hard to imagine that this could be a magnet for migrating birds. We birded there 1200-1415 hrs and saw some good birds, such as Red-footed Falcon (1 male) and a couple of Citrine Wagtails (ssp. calcarata). A local farmer told us about when he found a Grey Wolf and three Striped Hyenas feeding on one of his cows!

‘There it was where I found my cow’. See text. ©Krister Mild

We transferred back to Ashgabat 1415-1730 hrs and checked in at Hotel Ak Altyn for a final night in Turkmenistan, although Michael and Bjørn stayed for another night.

Monday, 14th May Krister and Thomas departed from Turkmenistan at 0740 hrs, back to Sweden via Istanbul-Atatürk.


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Annotated species list I follow the systematic adopted by IOC 4.2. See also a summary of sightings in Appendix 1. 1. Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna (LINNAEUS 1758). One sighting: 2 at Murgab River on 6th

May. 2. Mallard Anas p. platyrhynchos LINNAEUS 1758. Two sightings: 1 ♂ at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on

4th May; 6 ♂♂ at wetlands just S of Türkmenabat on 9th May. 3. Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata LINNAEUS 1758. Two sightings: 3 (2 ♂♂, 1 ♀) at Babadurmaz

Fish Ponds on 4th May; 6 at Murgab River on 6th May. 4. Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina (PALLAS 1773). One sighting: 4 (3 ♂♂, 1 ♀) at Babadurmaz Fish

Ponds on 4th May. 5. Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca (GÜLDENSTÄDT 1770). Two sightings: 4 (2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀) at

Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; 1 ♂ at Murgab River on 6th May. 6. Chukar Alectoris chukar koroviakovi (ZARUDNY 1914). Up to 5 birds heard at Kopet Dag daily 11th

to 13th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only. 7. See-see Partridge Ammoperdix griseogularis (J. F. BRANDT 1843). Three sightings: 2 in song at

Kopet Dag (N38° 05.076’, E057° 53.334’) on 11th May; 1 in song at Kopet Dag (N38° 05.076’, E057° 53.334’) on 12th May; 5 seen at Kopet Dag (N38° 03.071’, E057° 51.031’) on 13th May.

8. Common Quail Coturnix c. coturnix (LINNAEUS 1758). One sighting: 2 in song at Gevers Pivot Fields on 10th May.

9. Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus principalis P. L. SCLATER 1885. Four sightings: 3 (2 ♂♂, 1 ♀) at near Tedzhenstroj on 4th May; 2 in song at Tejen River on 5th May; 8 in total at Murgab River on 6th May; 1 near Mary on 7th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only. Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus zarudnyi BUTURLIN 1904. Three sightings: 1 in song at Amu-Darya River on 8th May; c. 10 seen or heard in song at Amu-Darya River on 9th May; 5 at wetlands just S of Türkmenabat on 9th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only. Only one male seen, at Amu-Darya River on 9th May, having large white wing patch and seemingly lacking white neck collar.

10. Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis capensis (SALVADORI 1884). One sighting: 2 (1+1) at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

11. Great Crested Grebe Podiceps c. cristatus (LINNAEUS 1758). One sighting: c. 50 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May.

12. Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus PALLAS 1811. Two sightings: 23 at Gurtly Reservoir on 3rd May; 1 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May.

13. Black Stork Ciconia nigra (LINNAEUS 1758). Three sightings: 1 soaring en route (N37° 36.419’, E59° 14.939’) Ashgabat to Tejen on 4th May; 1+2 on cliffs in Kopet Dag (N38° 03.102’, E57° 51.093’) on 12th May.

14. Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus (LINNAEUS 1766). Five sightings of 59 birds in total: 8 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; 18 at Tejen River on 5th May; 15 at Murgab River on 6th May; 6 at Amu-Darya River on 8th May; 12 at wetlands just S of Türkmenabat on 9th May.

15. Eurasian Bittern Botaurus s. stellaris (LINNAEUS 1758). One sighting: 1 heard (‘krau’) over flying at night in Repetek area on 8th May.

16. Little Bittern Ixobrychus m. minutus (LINNAEUS 1766). One sighting: 1 flushed at Tejen River on 5th May.

17. Western Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis (LINNAEUS 1758). One sighting: 1 over flying at Tejen River on 4th May.

18. Grey Heron Ardea c. cinerea LINNAEUS 1758. Three sightings: a few at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; 5 at Murgab River on 6th May; 9 at wetlands just S of Türkmenabat on 9th May.

19. Purple Heron Ardea p. purpurea LINNAEUS 1766. Seven sightings of c. 25 birds in total: 1 at Gurtly Reservoir on 3rd May; 4 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; 1 at Tejen River on 5th May; c. 10


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at Murgab River on 6th May; 2 at Repetek on 7th May; 6 at wetlands just S of Türkmenabat on 9th May; 1 en route Hauz-Han to Tejen on 10th May.

20. Great Egret Ardea a. alba (LINNAEUS 1758). Three sightings: 1 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; 5 at Tejen River on 5th May; 1 at Murgab River on 6th May.

21. Little Egret Egretta g. garzetta (LINNAEUS 1766). Six sightings of 17 birds in total: 3 at Gurtly Reservoir on 3rd May; 5 at Murgab River on 6th May; 1 at Amu-Darya River on 8th May; 2 at Amu-Darya River on 9th May; 4 at wetlands just S of Türkmenabat on 9th May; 1 en route Hauz-Han to Tejen on 10th May.

22. Pygmy Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmeus (PALLAS 1773). Three sightings: 1 at Gurtly Reservoir on 3rd May; 4 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; 1 at Murgab River on 6th May.

23. Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis (BLUMENBACH 1798). One sighting: 6 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May.

24. Western Osprey Pandion h. haliaetus (LINNAEUS 1758). Two sightings: 1 at Gurtly Reservoir on 3rd May; 1 at Tejen River on 4th May.

25. Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus aureus (HABLIZL 1783). One sighting: 2 adults at Kopet Dag (N38°01.764’, E57°54.614’) on 12th May.

26. Egyptian Vulture Neophron p. percnopterus (LINNAEUS 1758). Two sightings: 1 adult near Repetek on 7th May; 1 adult en route Tejen to Ashgabat on 10th May.

27. European Honey-buzzard Pernis apivorus (LINNAEUS 1758). One sighting: 1 adult ♂ over flying at Repetek on 8th May.

28. Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus (LINNAEUS 1766). One sighting: 1 soaring at Murgab River on 6th May.

29. Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos daphanea SEVERTSOV 1888. Two sightings: 1 2nd calendar year en route (N37° 36.419’, E59° 14.939’) Ashgabat to Tejen on 4th May; 1 adult at Kopet Dag (N37° 59.086’, E057° 54.416’) on 12th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

30. Shikra Accipiter badius cenchroides (SEVERTSOV 1873). Eight birds seen: 1 ♂ in Ashgabat on 3rd May; 1 ♂ en route Tejen River to Mary on 5th May; 3 (2 ♂♂, 1 ♀) at Amu Darya River on 9th May; 3 en route Hauz-Han to Tejen on 10th May.

31. Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus subsp. (LINNAEUS 1758). Three sightings: 2 at Murgab River on 6th May; 1 at Repetek on 7th May; 1 at Amu-Darya River on 8th May. Subspecies not assessed, but could be either nominate A. n. nisus or A. n. nisosimilis (TICKELL 1833).

32. Western Marsh-harrier Circus ae. aeruginosus (LINNAEUS 1758). Seen daily and throughout except at higher altitudes in Kopet Dag. Highest daily count is c. 25 on both 4th May (Ashgabat to Tejen River) and 6th May (Murgab River).

33. Black Kite Milvus migrans migrans (BODDAERT 1783). One sighting: 1 at Kopet Dag (N38°03.102’, E57°51.093’) on 12th May. Black Kite Milvus migrans lineatus (J. E. GRAY 1831). Three sightings: 1 at Gurtly Reservoir on 3rd May; 1 at Amu-Darya River on 9th May; 1 catching insects on slope at Kopet Dag (N38°03.102’, E57°51.093’) on 12th May.

34. Long-legged Buzzard Buteo r. rufinus (CRETZSCHMAR 1827). Eight birds seen: 3 in total at Murgab River on 6th May; 1 en route Tejen to Ashgabat on 10th May; 2 (1 dark morph, 1 intermediate morph) at Kopet Dag on 12th May; 2 (1 dark morph, 1 intermediate morph) at Kopet Dag on 13th May.

35. Common Buzzard Buteo buteo vulpinus GLOGER 1833. One sighting: 3 together in flight over agriculture area, most probably migrating, en route Ashgabat to Tejen on 4th May. Subspecies assessed on behaviour and habitat. Common Buzzard Buteo buteo menetriesi BOGDANOV 1879. Three sightings of altogether 8 birds 11th to 13th May, all in Kopet Dag area, most probably on breeding grounds.

36. Common Moorhen Gallinula ch. chloropus (LINNAEUS 1758). One sighting: 1 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May.


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37. Common Coot Fulica a. atra LINNAEUS 1758. Only seen in low numbers at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May and at Murgab River on 6th May.

38. Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus (LINNAEUS 1758). Seen almost daily at various wetlands, except at Repetek area and at Kopet Dag. Highest daily count is c. 30 on 5th May at Tejen River.

39. Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus aigneri (LAUBMANN 1913). One sighting: 1 at Tejen River on 5th May.

40. White-tailed Lapwing Vanellus leucurus (LICHTENSTEIN 1823). Nine sightings of altogether 48 birds: 4 at Gurtly Reservoir on 3rd May; 4 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; 6 at Tejen River on 4th May; 15 at Tejen River on 5th May; 10 at Murgab River on 6th May; 1 at wetlands just S of Türkmenabat on 9th May; 1 en route Repetek to Hauz-Han on 10th May; 2 en route Hauz-Han to Tejen on 10th May; 5 en route Tejen to Ashgabat on 10th May.

White-tailed Lapwing at Gurtly Reservoir on 3rd May 2012. ©Thomas Pettersson

41. Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius curonicus GMELIN 1789. Three sightings: 4 at Gurtly Reservoir on 3rd May; noted at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; 3 at Murgab River on 6th May.

42. Kentish Plover Charadrius a. alexandrinus LINNAEUS 1758. One sighting: 10 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May.

43. Black-tailed Godwit Limosa l. limosa (LINNAEUS 1758). One sighting: 3 at Murgab River on 6th May.

44. Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus (PALLAS 1764). One sighting: 5 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May.

45. Common Redshank Tringa totanus subsp. (LINNAEUS 1758). Seen and/or heard in low numbers on five days at various wetlands: Babadurmaz Fish Ponds, Tejen River, Murgab River, Amu-Darya River. Subspecies not assessed but could be either nominate T. t. totanus or T. t. ussuriensis BUTURLIN 1934.

46. Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis (BECHSTEIN 1803). Two sightings: 1 at Tejen River on 5th May; 1 at Murgab River on 6th May.

47. Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus LINNAEUS 1758. Two sightings: 3 at Tejen River on 5th May; also noted at Murgab River on 6th May.

48. Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola LINNAEUS 1758. Recorded on seven days at various wetlands such as Babadurmaz Fish Ponds, Tejen River, Murgab River and Amu-Darya River. Highest daily count is c. 300 at Tejen River on 5th May.

49. Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos (LINNAEUS 1758). Recorded on five days in low numbers. 50. Little Stint Calidris minuta (LEISLER 1812). Recorded in high numbers at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds,

Tejen River and Murgab River. Highest daily counts are c. 150 at Tejen River on 5th May and c. 500 at Murgab River on 6th May.

51. Temminck’s Stint Calidris temminckii (LEISLER 1812). Two sightings: 2 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; c. 15 at Murgab River on 6th May.


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52. Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea (PONTOPPIDAN 1763). Two sightings: 6 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; 10 at Tejen River on 5th May.

53. Dunlin Calidris a. alpina (LINNAEUS 1758). Two sightings: noted at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; c. 30 at Tejen River on 5th May.

54. Ruff Philomachus pugnax (LINNAEUS 1758). Two sightings: 5 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; 2 at Murgab River on 6th May.

55. Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus (LINNAEUS 1758). Two sightings: c. 550 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; also a few seen in ditches (!) at roadside en route Mary to Murgab River on 5th May.

56. Black-winged Pratincole Glareola nordmanni FISCHER 1842. Six sightings of at least 13 birds in total: 5 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; noted at Tejen River on 5th May; 1 at Amu-Darya River on both 8th May and 9th May; 2 en route Tejen to Ashgabat on 10th May; 3 at Gevers Pivot Fields on 10th May.

57. Slender-billed Gull Chroicocephalus genei (BRÈME 1839). Three sightings: 7 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; 35 at Tejen River on 5th May; c. 100 migrating north at Murgab River on 6th May.

58. Common Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus (LINNAEUS 1766). Three sightings: 5 at Gurtly Reservoir on 3rd May; 1 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; also noted on 5th May.

59. Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans PALLAS 1811. One sighting: 1 immature at Amu-Darya River on 9th May.

60. Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon n. nilotica (GMELIN 1789). Three sightings: 3 at Murgab River on 6th May; 10 at Amu-Darya River on 8th May and 2 there also on 9th May.

61. Little Tern Sternula a. albifrons (PALLAS 1764). Rather numerous at various wetlands such as Gurtly Reservoir, Babadurmaz Fish Ponds, Murgab River and Amu-Darya River. Highest daily counts are c. 40 at Gurtly Reservoir on 3rd May and c. 25 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May.

62. Common Tern Sterna hirundo subsp. LINNAEUS 1758. Seen in low numbers at Gurtly Reservoir on 3rd May, Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May, Amu-Darya River on 8th and 9th May and at Hauz-Han on 10th May. Highest daily count is 6 at Gurtly Reservoir on 3rd May. Subspecies not assessed, but could be either nominate S. h. hirundo or S. h. minussensis SUSHKIN 1925.

63. Whiskered Tern Chlidonias h. hybrida (PALLAS 1811). Seen in low numbers at various wetlands such as Gurtly Reservoir, Babadurmaz Fish Ponds, Murgab River and Amu-Darya River. Highest daily count is 5 at Murgab River on 6th May.

64. White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus (TEMMINCK 1815). Two sightings: 1 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; 1 at Tejen River on 4th May.

65. Black Tern Chlidonias n. niger (LINNAEUS 1758). One sighting: 2 at Tejen River on 5th May. 66. Rock Dove Columba livia gaddi ZARUDNY & LOUDON 1906. Feral Rock Doves seen throughout, but

small flocks of seemingly pure wild birds seen at Kopet Dag 11th to 13th May, at most 10 on 12th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

67. Yellow-eyed Pigeon Columba eversmanni BONAPARTE 1856. One sighting: 5 (2 in song) at Tejen River (N36° 51.697’, E061° 00.088’) on 5th May.

68. Common Woodpigeon Columba palumbus iranica (ZARUDNY 1910). One sighting: 2 flying by at Kopet Dag (N37° 59.086’, E057° 54.416’) on 12th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

69. European Turtle-dove Streptopelia turtur arenicola (HARTERT 1894). Three sightings: 5 at Tejen River on 5th May; 1 at Murgab River on 6th May; 3 at Amu-Darya River on 9th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

70. Oriental Turtle-dove Streptopelia orientalis meena (SYKES 1832). One sighting: 1 at Amu-Darya River on 9th May. Subspecies assessed on plumage characters.

71. Eurasian Collared-dove Streptopelia d. decaocto (FRIVALDSZKY 1838). Commonly seen throughout except at higher altitudes at Kopet Dag.


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72. Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis ermanni (BONAPARTE 1856). Rather commonly seen except in Ashgabat area and at Kopet Dag. First sighting at Tejen on 5th May. Subspecies assessed on plumage characters.

73. Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus subtelephonus ZARUDNY 1914. Seen daily throughout, at some sites in high densities, apparently with reproduction behaviour (calling, chasing), e.g. 29 seen from car en route Hauz-Han to Tejen (70 km) on 10th May and c. 40 at Kopet Dag on 13th May. Plumage characters, especially thin barring below, indicate subspecies C. c. subtelephonus.

74. Pallid Scops-owl Otus brucei obsoletus (CABANIS 1875). One sighting: 1 ♂ in song at Kopet Dag (N38° 03.071’, E057° 51.031’) on 12th May.

75. Eurasian Scops-owl Otus scops turanicus (LOUDON 1905). Four sightings: 1 ♂ in song near Repetek on 8th May; 3 ♂♂ in song at three different locations at Kopet Dag on 12th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

76. Tawny Owl Strix aluco willkonskii (MENZBIER 1896). One sighting: 1 juvenile seen and heard food begging at Kopet Dag (N38° 03.071’, E057° 51.031’) on 12th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

77. Little Owl Athene noctua bactriana BLYTH 1847. Seven sightings: 3 (1+1+1) seen at Tejen River on 5th May; 1 seen at Murgab River on 6th May; 1 calling at Repetek on 8th May; 1 calling near Türkmenabat on 8th May; 1 seen near Germab on 13th May. All individuals seen were very pale which indicates assessed subspecies.

78. European Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus unwini HUME 1871. Three sightings: 1 ♂ in song near Repetek on 8th May; 1 ♂ in song at 1200 m a.s.l. at Kopet Dag on 11th May; 2 ♂♂ in song at Kopet Dag on 12th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

79. Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus ae. aegyptius LICHTENSTEIN 1823. One sighting: 3 heard (2 ♂♂, 1 ♀) at night near Repetek on 8th May.

80. Alpine Swift Tachymarptis melba tuneti (TSCHUSI 1904). One sighting: 10 at Kopet Dag (N38°03.071’, E057°51.031’) on 12th May.

81. Common Swift Apus apus subsp. (LINNAEUS 1758). Seen almost daily but in low numbers. Subspecies not assessed but could involve either nominate A. a. apus or A. a. pekinensis (SWINHOE 1870).

82. European Roller Coracias garrulus semenowi LOUDON & TSCHUSI 1902. Commonly seen throughout, except at higher altitudes at Kopet Dag, sometimes in high densities in agricultural areas. Highest count is 148 seen from car en route Hauz-Han to Tejen (70 km) on 10th May. Subspecies principally assessed on distribution, but many birds were notably pale, indicating assessed subspecies.

83. Common Kingfisher Alcedo a. atthis (LINNAEUS 1758). Two sightings: 1 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; 2 at Amu-Darya River on 8th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

84. Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops p. persicus PALLAS 1773. Commonly seen throughout, except at higher altitudes at Kopet Dag. Highest daily count is c. 200 at Amu-Darya River on 8th May.

85. European Bee-eater Merops apiaster LINNAEUS 1758. Commonly seen throughout, even at moderate altitudes at Kopet Dag, but almost always in lower numbers than previous species. Highest daily count is c. 50 at Kopet Dag on 12th May.

86. Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa e. epops LINNAEUS 1758. Seen daily throughout in low numbers. Highest daily count is 10 at Kopet Dag on 12th May.

87. Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla sarudnyi LOUDON 1912. One sighting: 1 at Amu-Darya River on 9th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

88. White-winged Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucopterus (SALVADORI 1870). Two sightings: 1 in saxaul desert scrub near Repetek (N38° 51.256’, E063° 28.908’) on 8th May; 2-3 in riverine forest at Amu-Darya River (N39° 39.069’, E062° 47.872’) on 9th May. All birds seen and heard calling, at one occasion also drumming.


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89. Common Kestrel Falco t. tinnunculus LINNAEUS 1758. Seen almost daily but in low numbers. Highest daily count is 3 on 4th May (Ashgabat to Tejen River). Not recorded on 7th May (Repetek area) or on 9th May (Amu-Darya River area).

90. Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus LINNAEUS 1766. Two sightings: 1 ♂ at Kopet Dag on 11th May; 1 ♂ at Germab on 13th May. Both obviously on migration.

91. Eurasian Hobby Falco s. subbuteo LINNAEUS 1758. 1 in Ashgabat at dusk on 3rd May. Also seen at three sites at Kopet Dag, 7 birds in total, on 12th to 13th May.

92. Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus subsp. TUNSTALL 1771. One sighting: 1 passing quickly, chased by Hobby, at Kopet Dag on 13th May. Subspecies not assessed, but in theory up to five different subspecies could be involved, including F. p. pelegrinoides TEMMINCK 1829!

93. Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio subsp. LINNAEUS 1758. Recorded on six days throughout, but more frequently at Kopet Dag on 11th to 13th May. Also 4 seen from car en route Hauz-Han to Tejen (70 km) on 10th May. Subspecies not assessed, but could be either nominate L. c. collurio or L. c. kobylini BUTURLIN 1906, although Ayé et al. (2012) propose nominate L. c. collurio.

94. Isabelline Shrike Lanius i. isabellinus HEMPRICH & EHRENBERG 1833. Two sightings: 1 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; 1 at Tejen River on 5th May. Subspecies assessed on plumage characters.

95. Red-tailed Shrike Lanius phoenicuroides (SCHALOW 1875). Recorded on eight days throughout, more frequently at Kopet Dag on 11th to 13th May, e.g. 5 on 12th May. Subspecies assessed on plumage characters.

96. Bay-backed Shrike Lanius vittatus nargianus VAURIE 1955. One sighting: 1 ♂ at Repetek on 8th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

97. Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach erythronotus (VIGORS 1831). Recorded on three days: 1 near Repetek on 7th May; 1 at Amu-Darya River on 8th May; 6 en route Hauz-Han to Ashgabat on 10th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

98. Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor J.F. GMELIN 1788. Recorded on eight days throughout, in total c. 20 birds. 7 seen from car en route Hauz-Han to Tejen (70 km) on 10th May.

99. Steppe Grey Shrike Lanius pallidirostris CASSIN 1851. Two sightings of singles at Repetek on 8th May.

100. Indian Golden Oriole Oriolus kundoo SYKES 1832. Recorded on seven days, usually in low numbers, but more frequently at Kopet Dag, at most c. 15 on 13th May. Unfortunately no males were studied well enough to assess species on plumage characters, but song differed slightly from O. oriolus (LINNAEUS 1758) and on known distribution O. kundoo is the species occurring in Turkmenistan, at least in the northern and eastern parts. Although, according to Ayé et al. (2012), breeding birds in southern Turkmenistan are supposed to be O. oriolus.

101. Common Magpie Pica pica bactriana BONAPARTE 1850. Seen daily in low numbers throughout, except at higher altitudes at Kopet Dag.

102. Pander’s Ground-jay Podoces p. panderi J. G. FISCHER VON WALDHEIM 1821. Two sightings: 1 near (N38° 49.581’, E063° 23.089’) Repetek on 7th May; 5-6 near (N38° 51.256’, E063° 28.908’) Repetek on 8th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

103. Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax centralis STRESEMANN 1928. Two sightings: c. 30 at Kopet Dag on 11th May and 2 there on 12th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

104. Eurasian Jackdaw Corvus monedula soemmerringii J. G. FISCHER VON WALDHEIM 1811. Seen almost daily in low numbers throughout except at higher altitudes at Kopet Dag.

105. Carrion Crow Corvus corone orientalis EVERSMANN 1841. Three sightings: 2 at Amu-Darya River on 9th May; 4 at Kopet Dag on 12th May; noted at Kopet Dag on 13th May.

106. Hooded Crow Corvus cornix sharpii OATES 1889. Recorded on six days, usually singles or in low numbers. Highest daily count is c. 10 on 3rd May.

107. Brown-necked Raven Corvus ruficollis LESSON 1831. Two sightings: 1 en route Ashgabat to Tejen on 4th May; 1 at Murgab River on 6th May.


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108. Northern Raven Corvus corax tibetanus HODGSON 1849. Three sightings at Kopet Dag: 1 on 11th May; a gathering of c. 150 adults, all in primary moult, on 12th May; noted on 13th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

109. Great Tit Parus major bokharensis M. H. C. LICHTENSTEIN 1823. Recorded on three days but only in the north: 1 at Repetek on 7th May; c. 20 at Repetek on 8th May; c. 50 at Amu-Darya River on 9th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

110. Cinereous Tit Parus cinereus intermedius ZARUDNY 1890. Recorded on four days: 6 at Gurtly Reservoir on 3rd May; 1 at Murgab River on 6th May; 1 at Kopet Dag on 11th May; 5 at Kopet Dag on 13th May. Subspecies assessed on plumage characters and distribution.

111. Bearded Reedling Panurus biarmicus russicus (C. L. BREHM 1831). One sighting: 1 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

112. Desert Lark Ammomanes deserti orientalis ZARUDNY & LOUDON 1904. One sighting: 1 in song at Kopet Dag (N38° 05.076’, E057° 53.334’) on 11th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

113. Woodlark Lullula arborea pallida (ZARUDNY 1902). Recorded at Kopet Dag with 5 on 11th May and 1 on 12th May.

114. Oriental Skylark Alauda gulgula inconspicua SEVERTSOV 1873. Three sightings: 4 in song at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; 1 in song at Amu-Darya River on 9th May; c. 75 (!) seen and 55 of them in song at Gevers Pivot Fields on 10th May.

115. Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis dulcivox HUME 1872. Recorded at Kopet Dag daily 11th to 13th May, at most c. 10 in song on 11th May.

116. Crested Lark Galerida cristata iwanowi LOUDON & ZARUDNY 1903. Seen almost daily and throughout in low numbers. Subspecies assessed on distribution only. N.B. Ayé et al. (2012) does not mention this race at all from Central Asia, but propose G. c. subtaurica (KOLLIBAY 1912) in ‘SW Tkm’.

117. Bimaculated Lark Melanocorypha bimaculata torquata BLYTH 1847. Recorded at Kopet Dag daily 11th to 13th May, at most c. 20 in song on 11th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

118. Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra psammochroa HARTERT 1904. One sighting: 1 seen at Kopet Dag (N38° 03.670’, E057° 41.609’) on 13th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only. On known distribution this is an odd record.

119. Sand Martin Riparia r. riparia (LINNAEUS 1758). Recorded on eight days in low numbers throughout. Quite a few birds were checked for other possible species or subspecies, but with negative result.

120. Barn Swallow Hirundo r. rustica LINNAEUS 1758. Seen daily throughout but in low numbers. 121. Common House Martin Delichon urbicum meridionale (HARTERT 1910). Seen almost daily in low

numbers throughout, except at Kopet Dag. Subspecies assessed on distribution only. N.B. According to Ayé et al. (2012) D. u. meridionale occurs south of Turkmenistan only.

122. Streaked Scrub-warbler Scotocerca inquieta platyura (SEVERTSOV 1873). Recorded on four days: a family party of 6 at Tejen River on 4th May; also recorded in small numbers at Repetek daily 7th to 9th May. Subspecies assessed on habitat, plumage characters and distribution. Streaked Scrub-warbler Scotocerca inquieta montana STEPANYAN 1970. One sighting: 3 at Kopet Dag on 12th May. Subspecies assessed on habitat, plumage characters and distribution.

123. Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus acredula (LINNAEUS 1758). Two sightings: 2 at Gurtly Reservoir on 3rd May; 1 at Amu-Darya River on 9th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

124. Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita tristis BLYTH 1843. Two sightings: 3 at Amu-Darya River on 8th May; 1 at Kopet Dag on 12th May. Subspecies assessed on call and plumage characters. Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita menzbieri SHESTOPEROV 1937. One sighting: 1 at Kopet Dag on 11th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

125. Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides ludlowi WHISTLER 1931. One sighting: c. 15 in song at Amu-Darya River on 9th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.


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126. Great Reed-warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus zarudnyi E. J. O. HARTERT 1907. One sighting: 1 in sub-song at Gurtly Reservoir on 3rd May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

127. Clamorous Reed-warbler Acrocephalus stentoreus brunnescens (JERDON 1839). Recorded on nine days at most wetlands, sometimes in huge numbers, e.g. c. 50 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

128. Blyth’s Reed-warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum BLYTH 1849. Commonly recorded on nine days throughout, many of them in full song or in sub-song. Highest daily count is c. 55 on 4th May of which c. 50 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds.

129. Eurasian Reed-warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus fuscus (HEMPRICH & EHRENBERG 1833). Recorded on four days in low numbers at sites with suitable habitat, e.g. 4 at Gurtly Reservoir on 3rd May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

130. Sykes’s Warbler Iduna rama (SYKES 1832). Commonly recorded throughout, except at Kopet Dag, sometimes in very high densities. At wetlands just south of Türkmenabat we estimated c. 25 birds per hectare on 9th May!

131. Eastern Olivaceous Warbler Iduna pallida elaeica (LINDERMAYER 1843). Recorded on nine days throughout, usually in low or moderate numbers, at most c. 10 at Amu-Darya River on 8th May, but occasionally in high densities, such as c. 15 birds per hectare estimated at Amu-Darya River on 9th May.

132. Upcher’s Warbler Hippolais languida (HEMPRICH AND EHRENBERG 1833). One sighting: 1 seen at Gevers Pivot Fields on 10th May.

133. Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinioides fusca (SEVERTSOV 1873). One sighting: 1 in song at Amu-Darya River on 9th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

134. Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria merzbacheri SCHALOW 1907. One sighting: 1 at Amu-Darya River on 8th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

135. Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca curruca (LINNAEUS 1758). Recorded on two days: 1 at Gurtly Reservoir on 3rd May; c. 10 at Murgab River on 6th May. Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca halimodendri SUSHKIN 1904. Recorded at Repetek on three days: 4 on 7th May; 2 fledged young on 8th May; also recorded on 9th May.

136. Hume’s Whitethroat Sylvia a. althaea HUME 1878. Recorded at Kopet Dag with 3 on 11th May and 2 on 12th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

Hume’s Whitethroat at Kopet Dag on 11th May 2012. ©Thomas Pettersson


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137. Eastern Orphean Warbler Sylvia crassirostris balchanica ZARUDNY & BILKEVICH 1918. One odd record at Amu-Darya River on 9th May, but locally abundant at Kopet Dag on 11th and 12th May, at most c. 50 on 11th May. Most birds seemed to have arrived recently and had not established territories, i.e. not much singing but more of chasing each other. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

138. Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis icterops MÉNÉTRIES 1832. Only recorded at Kopet Dag 11th to 13th May, at most 10 on 12th May. Subspecies assessed on plumage characters and distribution.

139. Menetries’s Warbler Sylvia mystacea turcmenica ZARUDNY & BILKEVICH 1918. Recorded on four days: 6 (3 pairs feeding young) at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; 1 ♂ at Tejen River on 4th May; 7 (3+2+2) at Tejen River on 5th May; 5 at Murgab River on 6th May; 1 ♀ feeding young at Kopet Dag on 13th May. Subspecies assessed on plumage characters and distribution.

140. Eastern Rock Nuthatch Sitta tephronota iranica BUTURLIN 1916. Recorded at Kopet Dag on 12th May (4 birds) and 13th May (1 bird). Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

141. Common Myna Acridotheres t. tristis (LINNAEUS 1766). Commonly seen throughout, even at higher altitudes at Kopet Dag.

142. Rosy Starling Pastor roseus (LINNAEUS 1758). Seen daily in often huge flocks throughout, except at higher altitudes at Kopet Dag. Highest daily counts: c. 1000 on 4th May (Ashgabat to Tejen River); c. 500 on 6th May (Murgab River Valley); c. 900 on 10th May (Tejen to Ashgabat).

143. Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris nobilior HUME 1879. Seen daily in low numbers throughout, except at higher altitudes at Kopet Dag. Subspecies assessed principally on distribution, but birds seen were darker than nominate and with seemingly longer bill.

144. Common Blackbird Turdus merula subsp. LINNAEUS 1758. Recorded only in central Ashgabat, where several heard singing, and at Kopet Dag 11th to 13th May, including recently fledged young. Subspecies not assessed, but could be either T. m. aterrimus (MADARÁSZ 1903) with known occurrence in northern Iran, or T. m. intermedius (RICHMOND 1896) with known occurrence from Tien Shan to north-west Afghanistan. Ayé et al. (2012) propose T. m. syriacus HEMPRICH & EHRENBERG 1833 in ‘SW Tkm’.

145. Rufous-tailed Scrub-robin Cercotrichas galactotes familiaris (MÉNÉTRIÉS 1832). Recorded on seven days throughout, except at Amu-Darya River and at Kopet Dag. Usually in low numbers and highest daily count is c. 10 at Tejen River on 5th May. Subspecies assessed on plumage characters and distribution.

146. Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata sarudnyi SNIGIREWSKI 1928. Recorded daily throughout in usually low numbers, up to 10 at Murgab River on 6th May. Subspecies assessed on plumage characters and distribution.

147. Bluethroat Luscinia svecica subsp. (LINNAEUS 1758). One sighting: 1 ♀ at Murgab River on 6th May. Subspecies not assessed but could be either L. s. pallidogularis (ZARUDNY 1897), L. s. saturatior (SUSHKIN 1925) or L. s. abbotti (RICHMOND 1896), perhaps also nominate L. s. svecica.

148. Common Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos golzii CABANIS 1873. Recorded on eight days throughout, usually in low numbers, but markedly common in riverside forest at Amu-Darya River and in well vegetated wadis at Kopet Dag, also at higher altitudes. Highest daily counts are c. 10 at Amu-Darya River on 9th May and c. 15 at Kopet Dag on 11th May. Subspecies assessed principally on distribution with some support from visual sightings.

149. White-throated Robin Irania gutturalis (GUÉRIN-MÉNEVILLE 1843). One sighting: 1 ♀ at Tejen River on 5th May.

150. Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva (BECHSTEIN 1792). One sighting: 1 ♀-type at Kopet Dag on 12th May.

151. Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros phoenicuroides (F. MOORE 1854). One sighting: 1 ♂ at Gurtly Reservoir on 3rd May. Subspecies assessed on plumage characters.


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152. Common Rock-thrush Monticola saxatilis (LINNAEUS 1766). Two sightings: 1 ♂ at Repetek on 7th May; 1 ♂ at Kopet Dag on 11th May.

153. Blue Rock-thrush Monticola solitarius longirostris (BLYTH 1847). One sighting: 1 ♂ at Kopet Dag (N38° 03.071’, E057° 51.031’) on 12th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

154. Siberian Stonechat Saxicola m. maurus (PALLAS 1773). Recorded on six days throughout, but more frequently at Kopet Dag 11th to 13th May. Breeding (alarm call, feeding, fledged young) recorded at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds, Murgab River, wetlands just south of Türkmenabat and at several sites at Kopet Dag. Subspecies assessed on plumage characters.

Siberian Stonechat at Kopet Dag on 12th May 2012. ©Thomas Pettersson

155. Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata rossorum (HARTERT 1910). Commonly seen throughout, except at higher altitudes at Kopet Dag. E.g. 69 seen from car en route Hauz-Han to Tejen (70 km) on 10th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

156. Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe libanotica (HEMPRICH & EHRENBERG 1833). Three sightings: 1 ♀ at Repetek on 7th May; noted at Repetek on 8th May; 1 ♂ at Kopet Dag on 11th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

157. Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina (TEMMINCK 1829). Recorded on four days: 8 at Murgab River on 6th May; a few at Repetek on 7th May; 1 at Kopet Dag on 12th May; c. 50, including several family parties, at Kopet Dag on 13th May.

158. Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka (LEPECHIN 1770). Singles recorded on three days: 1 2nd calendar year ♂ at Repetek on 7th May; 1 ♂ en route Repetek to Hauz-Han on 10th May; 1 ♂ at Kopet Dag on 12th May.

159. Variable Wheatear Oenanthe picata (BLYTH 1847). Recorded at Kopet Dag with 7 (6 ♂♂, 1 ♀) on 11th May and 5 on 13th May. Moreover 1 ♂ ‘capistrata’ form at Kopet Dag on 11th May.

160. Finsch’s Wheatear Oenanthe finschii barnesi (OATES 1890). Recorded at Kopet Dag with 10 on 12th May and c. 10 family groups with fledged young on 13th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.


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161. Red-tailed Wheatear Oenanthe chrysopygia (DE FILIPPI 1863). Recorded at Kopet Dag with 1 on 11th May and 1 on 13th May.

162. Saxaul Sparrow Passer a. ammodendri GOULD 1872. Three sightings: 2 at farm near (N38° 46.086’, E063° 19.194’) Repetek on 7th May; 3 at truck stop restaurant near (N38° 47.983’, E063° 21.837’) Repetek on 7th May; 2 at Repetek on 8th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

Saxaul Sparrow near Repetek on 7th May 2012. ©Thomas Pettersson

163. House Sparrow Passer domesticus bactrianus ZARUDNY & KUDASHEV 1916. Commonly seen throughout. Subspecies assessed on plumage characters and distribution.

164. Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis transcaspicus TSCHUSI 1902. Three sightings: 3 at Gurtly Reservoir on 3rd May; noted also at Murgab River on 6th May and Repetek on 10th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

165. Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus dilutus RICHMOND 1896. Singles or small numbers noted on eight days. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

166. Pale Rockfinch Carpospiza brachydactyla (BONAPARTE 1850). Recorded locally commonly at Kopet Dag, daily on 11th to 13th May, at most c. 20, many in song, on 12th May.

167. Rock Sparrow Petronia petronia intermedia E. J. O. HARTERT. Recorded at Kopet Dag daily on 11th to 13th May, at most c. 20 on 12th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

168. Western Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava feldegg MICHAHELLES 1830. Two sightings: 1 male at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; 2 at Repetek on 10th May. Form ‘melanogrisea’ recorded on three days: 5 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May, but also at Tejen River on 5th May and Murgab River on 6th May. Western Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava beema (SYKES 1832). One record at Repetek on 7th May. All subspecies assessed on plumage characters.

169. Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola calcarata HODGSON 1836. Three sightings: 1 ♂ at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May; 1 ♀ at Hauz-Han on 10th May; 2 (♂♀) at Germab on 13th May. Subspecies assessed on plumage characters.

Citrine Wagtail (ssp. calcarata) at Germab on 13th May 2012. ©Thomas Pettersson


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170. Grey Wagtail Motacilla c. cinerea TUNSTALL 1771. One sighting: 1 at Amu-Darya River on 9th May. 171. White Wagtail Motacilla a. alba LINNAEUS 1758. Form ‘dukhunensis’ seen twice: 3 at Babadurmaz

Fish Ponds on 4th May; 1 at Murgab River on 6th May. Form ‘persica’ seen once: 1 at Babadurmaz Fish Ponds on 4th May. White Wagtail Motacilla a. personata GOULD 1861. Recorded on nine days throughout in low numbers (1-2).

172. Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris (LINNAEUS 1758). Recorded only at Kopet Dag, where up to 10 seen and heard in song daily 11th to 13th May.

173. Tree Pipit Anthus t. trivialis (LINNAEUS 1758). One sighting: 2 over flying at Repetek on 8th May. Race A. t. haringtoni WITHERBY 1917 is also a possibility.

174. Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus (PALLAS 1811). One sighting: 2 at Gevers Pivot Fields on 10th May.

175. Eurasian Crimson-winged Finch Rhodopechys sanguineus (GOULD 1838). One sighting: 1 at Kopet Dag (N37° 59.086’, E057° 54.416’) on 11th May.

176. Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus kubanensis LAUBMANN 1915. Recorded on three days: 2 in song at Murgab River on 6th May; c. 5 in song at Amu-Darya River on both 8th and 9th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only. N.B. Ayé et al. (2012) do not mention this subspecies to occur in Central Asia, but only C. e. ferghanensis (KOZLOVA 1939) as a breeder and nominate C. e. erythrinus (PALLAS 1770) as a passage migrant.

177. Desert Finch Rhodospiza obsoleta (M. H. C. LICHTENSTEIN 1823). Recorded on five days, 54 birds in total: c. 15 at Repetek on 7th May; c. 25 at Repetek on 8th May; 5 at Repetek on 10th May; 3 at Kopet Dag on 12th May; 6 at Kopet Dag on 13th May.

Desert Finch near Repetek on 8th May 2012. ©Thomas Pettersson

178. Common Linnet Carduelis cannabina bella (C. L. BREHM 1845). Recorded on four days: 1 at Tejen River on 5th May; noted at Kopet Dag daily 11th to 13th May, e.g. 10 on 11th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

179. European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis paropanisi KOLLIBAY 1910. Small parties seen at Kopet Dag on 11th, 12th and 13th May, up to 15 on 11th May. Subspecies assessed on plumage characters and distribution.


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European Goldfinch (ssp. paropanisi) at Kopet Dag on 11th May 2012. ©Thomas Pettersson

180. Red-fronted Serin Serinus pusillus (PALLAS 1811). Small flocks (family parties) seen at Kopet Dag on both 11th and 12th May.

181. Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra buturlini H. E. JOHANSEN 1907. Recorded in low numbers on six days, a few in south and south-east but more frequent at Kopet Dag. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

182. Rock Bunting Emberiza cia par E. J. O. HARTERT 1904. Commonly recorded in Kopet Dag on both 11th and 12th May, at most c. 25 on 11th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

183. Red-headed Bunting Emberiza bruniceps J. F. BRANDT 1841. Commonly recorded in south, south-east and at Kopet Dag, e.g. c. 50 at Kopet Dag on 11th May. Not recorded at all north of Mary.

Red-headed Bunting. ©Thomas Pettersson

184. Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus korejewi (ZARUDNY 1907). One sighting: 1 ♀ at Kopet Dag (N38° 03.071’, E057° 51.031’) on 11th May. Subspecies assessed on distribution only.

Acknowledgements Many thanks to my fellow birders, Krister, Michael and Bjørn, our excellent guide Abdul Jabbar at Owadan Tourism and to our excellent drivers, Aslan, Misja and two chaps whose names I didn’t catch up with.


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Appendix 1 Species (subspecies) May 2012

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna 2

Mallard Anas p. platyrhynchos 1 6

Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata 3 6

Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina 4

Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca 4 1

Chukar Alectoris chukar koroviakovi 5 x x

See-see Partridge Ammoperdix griseogularis 2 1 5

Common Quail Coturnix c. coturnix 2

Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus principalis 3 2 8 x

Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus zarudnyi 1 15

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis capensis 2

Great Crested Grebe Podiceps c. cristatus 50

Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus 23 1

Black Stork Ciconia nigra 1 3

Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus 8 18 15 6 12

Eurasian Bittern Botaurus s. stellaris 1

Little Bittern Ixobrychus m. minutus 1

Western Cattle Egret Bubulcus i. ibis 1

Grey Heron Ardea c. cinerea x 5 9

Purple Heron Ardea p. purpurea 1 4 1 10 2 6 1

Great Egret Ardea a. alba 1 5 1

Little Egret Egretta g. garzetta 3 5 1 6 2

Pygmy Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmeus 1 4 1

Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis 6

Western Osprey Pandion h. haliaetus 1 1

Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus aureus 2

Egyptian Vulture Neophron p. percnopterus 1 1

European Honey-buzzard 1


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Species (subspecies) May 2012 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Pernis apivorus Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus 1

Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos daphanea 1 1

Shikra Accipiter badius cenchroides 1 1 3 3

Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus nisus/nisosimilis 2 1 1

Western Marsh-harrier Circus ae. aeruginosus 11 25 x 25 x x x 9 1

Black Kite Milvus migrans migrans 1

Black Kite Milvus migrans lineatus 1 1 1

Long-legged Buzzard Buteo r. rufinus 3 1 2 2

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo vulpinus 3

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo menetriesi 1 2 5

Common Moorhen Gallinula ch. chloropus 1

Eurasian Coot Fulica a. atra x x

Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus 10 1 30 x x x x

Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus aigneri 1

White-tailed Lapwing Vanellus leucurus 4 10 15 10 1 8

Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius curonicus 1 x 3

Kentish Plover Charadrius a. alexandrinus 10

Black-tailed Godwit Limosa l. limosa 3

Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus 5

Common Redshank Tringa totanus totanus/ussuriensis x x 1 x x

Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis 1 1

Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus 3 x

Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola 6 31 300 x x x x

Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos 2 x x x x

Little Stint Calidris minuta 50 150 500

Temminck’s Stint Calidris temminckii 2 15

Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea 6 10

Dunlin Calidris a. alpina x 30

Ruff 5 2


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Philomachus pugnax Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus 550 x

Black-winged Pratincole Glareola nordmanni 5 x 1 1 5

Slender-billed Gull Chroicocephalus genei 7 35 100

Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus 5 1 x

Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans 1

Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon n. nilotica 3 10 2

Little Tern Sternula a. albifrons 40 25 10 x 1 x

Common Tern Sterna hirundo hirundo/minussensis

6 2 x x x

Whiskered Tern Chlidonias h. hybrida 2 x 1 5 2

White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus 3

Black Tern Chlidonias n. niger 2

Rock Dove Columba livia gaddi x 10 x

Yellow-eyed Pigeon Columba eversmanni 5

Common Woodpigeon Columba palumbus iranica 2

European Turtle-dove Streptopelia turtur arenicola 5 1 3

Oriental Turtle-dove Streptopelia orientalis meena 1

Eurasian Collared-dove Streptopelia d. decaocto x x x x x x x x x x

Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis ermanni x 1 x x x x

Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus subtelephonus 5 15 1 3 x 2 1 29 1 20 40

Pallid Scops-owl Otus brucei obsoletus 1

Eurasian Scops-owl Otus scops turanicus 1 3

Tawny Owl Strix aluco willkonskii 1

Little Owl Athene noctua bactriana 3 1 2 1

European Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus unwini 1 1 2

Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus ae. aegyptius 3

Alpine Swift Tachymarptis melba tuneti 10

Common Swift Apus apus apus/pekinensis x x x x x x x x x x

European Roller Coracias garrulus semenowi 1 2 x x x x x 148 2 x


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Common Kingfisher Alcedo a. atthis 1 2

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops p. persicus 10 10 x x x 200 50 x 5 x

European Bee-eater Merops apiaster 10 10 x x x x x x x 50 x

Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa e. epops 6 1 x x x x x 2 x 10 x

Eurasian Wryneck Jynx t. torquilla 1

White-winged Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucopterus 1 2

Common Kestrel Falco t. tinnunculus 1 3 x x 2 1 x x x

Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus 1 1

Eurasian Hobby Falco s. subbuteo 1 3 4

Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus subsp. 1

Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio subsp. 1 1 5 2 1 4

Isabelline Shrike Lanius i. isabellinus 1 1

Red-tailed Shrike Lanius phoenicuroides 1 1 x x 2 2 5 3

Bay-backed Shrike Lanius vittatus nargianus 1

Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach erythronotus 1 1 6

Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor 2 x 1 x 1 7 2 1

Steppe Grey Shrike Lanius pallidirostris 2

Indian Golden Oriole Oriolus kundoo 1 1 2 3 2 3 15

Common Magpie Pica pica bactriana x x x x x x x x x x

Pander’s Ground-jay Podoces p. panderi 1 5

Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax centralis 30 2

Western Jackdaw Corvus monedula soemmerringii x x x x x x x x

Carrion Crow Corvus corone orientalis 2 4 x

Hooded Crow Corvus cornix sharpii 10 x x x x x

Brown-necked Raven Corvus ruficollis 1 1

Northern Raven Corvus corax tibetanus 1 150 x

Great Tit Parus major bokharensis 1 20 50

Cinereous Tit Parus cinereus intermedius 6 1 1 5

Bearded Reedling Panurus biarmicus russicus 1


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Desert Lark Ammomanes deserti orientalis 1

Woodlark Lullula arborea pallida 5 1

Oriental Skylark Alauda gulgula inconspicua 4 x 75

Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis dulcivox 10 x 5

Crested Lark Galerida cristata iwanowi x x x x x x x x x x

Bimaculated Lark Melanocorypha bimaculata torquata

20 10 10

Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra psammochroa

1

Sand Martin Riparia r. riparia 2 3 x x x x x x

Barn Swallow Hirundo r. rustica x x x x x x x x x x x

Common House Martin Delichon urbicum meridionale x x x x x x x x

Streaked Scrub-warbler Scotocerca inquieta platyura 6 x x 1

Streaked Scrub-warbler Scotocerca inquieta montana 3

Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus acredula 2 1

Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita tristis 3 1

Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita menzbieri 1

Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides ludlowi 15

Great Reed-warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus zarudnyi

1

Clamorous Reed-warbler Acrocephalus stentoreus brunnescens

10 51 x x x 2 1 x 10

Blyth’s Reed-warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum 30 55 x x x 25 6 x 10

Eurasian Reed-warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus fuscus 4 2 x x

Sykes’s Warbler Iduna rama 2 55 x x x x x x

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler Iduna pallida elaeica 1 3 x 4 10 x 1 x 2

Upcher’s Warbler Hippolais languida 1

Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinioides fusca 1

Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria merzbacheri 1

Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia c. curruca 1 10

Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca halimodendri 4 2 x


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Hume’s Whitethroat Sylvia a. althaea 3 2

Eastern Orphean Warbler Sylvia crassirostris balchanica 1 50 15

Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis icterops 2 10 1

Menetries’s Warbler Sylvia mystacea turcmenica 7 7 5 1

Eastern Rock Nuthatch Sitta tephronota iranica 4 1

Common Myna Acridotheres t. tristis x x x x x x x x x x x

Rosy Starling Pastor roseus 40 100

0 30 500 x x x 900 10 x

Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris nobilior x x x x x x x x x x

Common Blackbird Turdus merula subsp. 2 x x x 3 x

Rufous Scrub-robin Cercotrichas galactotes familiaris 5 10 1 x x 5 1

Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata sarudnyi 4 3 x 10 x x x 1 3 x x

Bluethroat Luscinia svecica subsp. 1

Common Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos golzii 1 1 5 x 10 15 x x

White-throated Robin Irania gutturalis 1

Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva 1

Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros phoenicuroides

1

Common Rock-thrush Monticola saxatilis 1 1

Blue Rock-thrush Monticola solitarius longirostris 1

Siberian Stonechat Saxicola m. maurus 5 2 1 4 10 20

Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata rossorum 20 x x x x x 1 69 x

Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe libanotica 1 x 1

Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina 8 x 1 50

Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka 1 1 1

Variable Wheatear Oenanthe picata 8 5

Finsch’s Wheatear Oenanthe finschii barnesi 10 30

Red-tailed Wheatear Oenanthe chrysopygia 1 1

Saxaul Sparrow Passer a. ammodendri 5 2

House Sparrow Passer domesticus bactrianus x x x x x x x x x x x

Spanish Sparrow 3 x x


- 36 -


Passer hispaniolensis transcaspicus Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus dilutus 2 x x x x x x x

Pale Rockfinch Carpospiza brachydactyla 10 20 10

Rock Sparrow Petronia petronia intermedia 1 20 10

Western Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava feldegg 1 2

Western Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava feldegg ‘melanogrisea’

5 x x

Western Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava beema x

Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola calcarata 1 1 2

Grey Wagtail Motacilla c. cinerea 1

White Wagtail Motacilla a. alba ‘dukhunensis’ 3 x

White Wagtail Motacilla a. alba ‘persica’ 1

White Wagtail Motacilla a. alba 2

White Wagtail Motacilla alba personata 2 1 x x x x 1 2 x

Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris 10 10 x

Tree Pipit Anthus t. trivialis 2

Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus 2

Eurasian Crimson-winged Finch Rhodopechys s. sanguineus 1

Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus kubanensis 2 5 5

Desert Finch Rhodospiza obsoleta 15 25 5 3 6

Common Linnet Carduelis cannabina bella 1 10 x 5

European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis paropanisi 15 x x

Red-fronted Serin Serinus pusillus x x

Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra buturlini x 1 1 x x x

Rock Bunting Emberiza cia par 25 x

Red-headed Bunting Emberiza bruniceps 5 x x x 50 x x

Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus korejewi 1

trip report: turkmenistan, 3 to 14 may 2012 - cloudbirders · turkmenistan, 3rd to 14th may 2012 -...

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