Mongolia Birding Tour

Day 1, Arrival in Ulaanbataar – 5th June

Arrival in Ulaanbataar; the capital city of Mongolia. You will arrive at Chinggis Khaan International Airport and transfer to a comfortable hotel close to the Tuul river where, if you arrive early enough, you can see the first birds of this Mongolia birding tour before getting a good night’s sleep before an early start the next day. This is also a nice place for independent birding for those considering arriving a day early.

Days 2-3, Tuul River to Gun Galuut National Park – 6-7th June

We begin our adventure in Mongolia with pre-breakfast birding along the Tuul river close to our hotel. Riverine willow, pools, wet grassland all close to rocky hills provide a habitat mozaic that contains a wide variety of species to start our trip with where there are three standout species for us to look for which are usually very accommodating. Long-tailed Rosefinch is a really stunning little bird that nests in good numbers around here at this time of the year while Azure Tit is probably the cutest bird we will see on this birding tour. White-crowned Penduline Tit is a little more secretive than these previous two but there are enough of them here to make finding them a regular occurence.

At this time of the year the call of Common Cuckoo carries across the area and small numbers of Daurian Jackdaws are nesting within colonies of Rook and Carrion Crows while Red-billed Choughs forage in grassy areas. We can also expect our first views of Ruddy Shelduck, which are likely to be seen on every day of the tour, and other wildfowl here is likely to include Goosander (Common Merganser), Gadwall and Eastern Spotbilled Duck with the possibility of the colourful Mandarin Duck too.

In this area there are usually a few pairs of nesting Amur Falcons, which we will do our best to locate, and a wide variety of other Eurasian species including Black Kite, Hawfinch, Great Tit, White Wagtail, Northern Wheatear and Common Tern but it is the trio of Azure Tit, Long-tailed Rosefinch and White-crowned Penduline Tit that we will be concentrating on here before having breakfast at our hotel.

After breakfast we will leave and make the journey to the wild river valleys and lakes of Gun Galuut Nature Reserve, set in the sort of scenery that one expects of the Mongolian wilderness, making a stop along the way to observe the impressive Chinggis Khan monument. Our ger camp is right within this spectacular area of hills and wetlands, giving us a great base for exploring the surrounding area.  One of the main reasons for visiting this location is to see elegant White-naped Cranes. This is one of the most beautiful of the world’s crane species and it will be something to remember to watch them on their breeding grounds; despite the large number of other species it may be hard to take our eyes off of them. These wetlands play host to lots of other interesting birds too including Black Stork, Eurasian Spoonbill and Demoiselle Crane and if we are very lucky there could be a chance of Siberian Crane; fingers crossed!

Of course, in a wetland there will be wildfowl and this is an excellent place to locate Swan Goose. Along with commoner species such as Common Goldeye, Northern Pintail and Ruddy Shelduck we will also be searching for the small number of Stejneger’s Scoter that pass through here at this time of the year; something to anticipate with excitement. This location is also a place for us to see some waders on their breeding grounds. Northern Lapwing is common but always a nice bird as are Pied Avocet and Black-winged Stilt. The top prize for us here though is Asian Dowitcher a bird which we have our first chance of seeing at this location. Asian Dowitcher is a rare bird here so we will have to search for this fantastic bird while we should be able to spot some other wading species such as Little Ringed Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Common Redshank and Wood Sandpiper with the possibility of other species passing through. At all times, on wet grassland, there are likely to be elegant Demoiselle Cranes parading around with small chicks at this time of the year.

Extensive areas of grassy steppe are home to a dazzling number of larks. The songs of a variety of species fill the skies here with a high level of mimicry from all species but of prime interest to us will be the colourful Mongolian Lark. This species is plentiful here so there will be ample opportunity to study them both on the ground where there brightly-coloured upperparts become obvious, and in flight where they light up with large white patches in their wings. Accompanying them in the grasslands will be Asian Short-toed Larks, also in good numbers, with smaller numbers of Eurasian Skylarks while in the rockier areas Horned Lark is the most numerous species. These grasslands are also the place for us to search for small numbers of Pere David’s Snowfinch which nests in abandoned gerbil burrows. Walking into areas of rocky hillsides will produce colourful Meadow Buntings, a really smart bird when seen at close quarters, as well as Pied Wheatear although Daurian Partridge may make us work harder to see it.

Around our camp area Red-billed Choughs, Common Swift, Barn Swallows of the rufous bellied tytleri subspecies and Rock Sparrows can be found and at the adjacent river we can check groups of Common Sand Martin to see if any Pale Martins are alongside them. These might give us some difficulties in separating them but the Daurian Jackdaws that follow us from Ulanbataar will be easier!

Gulls are perhaps not every birder’s favourites but here we are likely to see our first Mongolian Gulls of the tour and there is a chance to locate a Relict Gull or two. If we do not see this rare bird here we have better chances later on in the trip. Wetland areas are also a good place to find Eastern Marsh Harrier as it cruises around looking for prey and other raptors are likely to include Upland Buzzard and Cinereous Vulture. Our accommodation is set in an impressive location.

Days 4-6, Terelj National Park – 8-10th June

Leaving very early we make the journey to Gorkhi-Terelj National Park for the first of three days, exchanging the open wetland steppe for hills and boreal woodland, otherwise known as taiga. We plan on making a stop to enjoy breakfast in the field in some spectacular wilderness at a spot where Common Rockthrush and Blyth’s Pipit make their home. Entering this habitat patchwork will bring us a good number of bird species and, indeed, there are some real specialities to look for here. Among the avian prizes awaiting us here the biggest attraction is the impressive Black-billed Capercaillie. This massive beast is not easy to locate, even when lekking, but if we put in the effort, and cover a lot of ground on foot, we should be in luck.  This impressive bird should be a real highlight of this Mongolia birding tour. If we are lucky then Hazel Grouse may also reveal itself to us in the same habitat.

Looking for these exciting species will put us in the right habitat for a lot of other birds, including many East Asian migrants that sometimes turn up in Europe. The trees should be alive with the songs of several species of Phylloscopus warblers including the smart Pallas’s Leaf Warbler and the more sombre-looking Yellow-browed Warbler. Add to this Dusky Warbler, Arctic Warbler and Two-barred Warbler and you have a real collection of these difficult-to-identify birds. At this time of the year they will be in song, though, which will make things easier. On its wintering grounds Chinese Bush Warbler is almost impossible to see but when it is breeding it will sit up and sing for us, allowing us to study this difficult species and Thick-billed Warbler should perform similarly.

The woodland here is alive with the song of Olive-backed Pipits and Daurian Redstarts and on the forest edge we can admire the lovely Pine Bunting. Species such as Willow Tit, Common Cuckoo and Eurasian Nuthatch can be fairly abundant in the woodland areas while Red-throated Thrush, Oriental Cuckoo and Red-flanked Bluetail are birds that can require a little more effort to see well. There are some exciting woodpeckers that lurk in this forest too although they exist at low density and can be hard to track down. Great Spotted Woodpecker is common but Black Woodpecker is more sparsely distributed but can be noisy allowing us to locate it. Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker is the most sought-after woodpecker species here and we will check out areas of dead trees for this scarce bird. Hopefully Ural Owl will be occupying its usual day roost.

The meandering river valleys with scattered woodland host yet more species with bird such as Black-faced Bunting, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Rosefinch, Coal Tit, Taiga Flycatcher, Mandarin Duck, Brown Shrike and Eurasian Hoopoe to be seen with Demoiselle Crane, Northern Lapwing and Citrine Wagtail breeding on the wet areas of grassland. On nearby rocky crags we will be hoping that good weather will enduce a few Godlewski’s Bunting to sing while in areas of human occupation there could be Hill Pigeon and Siberian House Martin.

In the afternoon of our last day here we will make the drive back towards Ulan Bataar to stay in the hotel where we began the trip in preparation for an internal flight early the next morning, concluding the first part of our Mongolia birding tour.

Day 7, Flight to Hovd – Har-su Lake – 11th June

We will have a very early start today to transfer to Chinggis Khaan International Airport for our flight to the town of Hovd in western Mongolia, expecting to arrive in time to spend some hours of the late morning lakeside birding at Har-us Lake, an area of steppe wetland with a stunning mountain backdrop; a wonderful setting for birding in.

We will concentrate on wetland birds here with White-headed Duck being one of the key targets for us and we are likely to see our first Red-crested Pochards of the trip here too. The magnificent Pallas’s Gull can be found here too; one of Asia’s most impressive gulls along with another regional speciality Mongolian Gull. The reedy fringes of the lake harbour a number of “little brown jobs” uttering a selection of scratchy and reeling songs including Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler, Savi’s Warbler, Great Reed Warbler and Paddyfield Warbler, all rather easier to see on their breeding grounds than on their wintering areas. Other species that can be seen in the reeds include Bearded Tit and Isabelline Shrike.

In the grassy areas around the lake there exist a wide range of passerines for us to search for too. Larks feature here with the song of Greater Short-toed Lark frequently heard; Turkestan Short-toed Lark can be found here too. Mongolian Finches can sometimes be seen here too, feeding on the ground or drinking from wet patches and the striking lucocephala subspecies of Western Yellow Wagtail is a common sight.

Congregations of birds on muddy margins of the lake are where we will search for Relict Gull. This rare gull occurs in very small numbers at this time of the year and we will search for it among the large numbers of Black-headed Gulls which are likely to be joined by Caspian Terns too. Species like Eurasian Spoonbill, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet and Kentish Plover are likely to prove welcome distractions while we search for rarer birds.

By mid-afternoon we will start to move along to our next destination arriving on the lower slopes of Jargalant Mountain in time to search for one the prime targets of this whole birding tour: Mongolian Ground Jay. Walking slowly through rocky, stony semi desert we hope to find this remarkable bird as it becomes active in the late afternoon.

After a good day of birding we settle in at our ger camp which is situated in a spectacular place.

Days 8-9, Jargalant Mountains – 12-13th June

An early start plunges us into the awesome scenery of the Jargalat Mountains where we will spend the next few days searching for high altitude species. Birding within gorges, alpine meadows and rocky ridges one of our prime targets, and possibly the hardest to find, in Altai Snowcock; this bird calls from rocky ridges and other exposed areas and we will attempt to spot them as they do this. Rock Ptarmigan can sometimes be found in similar areas too and this is usually an excellent place to see a range of raptors including huge birds such as Himalayan Griffon, Cinereous Vulture and the iconic Lammergeier. Saker Falcon occurs in this habitat and another good bird to connect with is Upland Buzzard, much longer-winged than most other Eurasian Buzzard species.

Up at the highest altitudes the beautiful Guldenstadt’s (White-winged) Redstart holds its territory and is always a delight to see but there are plenty of other passerines here too including White-winged Snowfinch, Brown Accentor and Water Pipit singing from rocky outcrops. A little lower down areas of shrubby scrubland on the hillsides are the home of various species such as Sulphur-bellied Warbler, smart Grey-necked Bunting, Common Rockthrush and the impressive Barred Warbler. We will also scan rockfaces for Wallcreeper, one of the most delightful birds of the mountains and a much-hoped-for bird throughout its range.

If we haven’t caught up with them already this is a good place to see cute little Mongolian Finches while Black Redstarts and Pied Wheatears call from their rocky songposts. Overhead groups of Common Swifts scream along and there are colonies of Eurasian Crag Martin and Western House Martin to enjoy too. There will be plenty of opportunity to search for Mongolian Ground Jay should we not find them on the first attempt. Birds are the focus of this birding tour to Mongolia, of course, but we will also be looking carefully for mammals that will certainly include pikas and marmots but the prime hope will be Snow Leopard. Two days in this area gives us time to devote to the search for all of these exciting species.

Days 10-11, Durgan Lake – Homyn Tal – 14-15th June

Leaving the Jargalant Mountains early we transfer, via a short stop for Hill Pigeon, to Durgan Lake, a large lake with a network of reedy pools, streams and open water set within a vast area of stony steppe. Large numbers of Pallas’s Sandgrouse are frequently seen here, particularly in the early hours, and groups of Greater Sand Plovers frequently gather here too. Areas of short grassland harbour Greater Short-toed Larks and Western Yellow Wagtails while secluded pools should give us great views of Black-throated Divers and there is the possibility of Dalmatian Pelican here.

Reedy areas are good for singing Savi’s Warblers, nesting Paddyfield Warblers and Great Reed Warblers as well as groups of Bearded Tits. If we are lucky we may also come across Little Bittern, Western Marsh Harrier and Long-legged Buzzard. This area is also frequented by groups of Saiga Antelope so we will put some effort into finding these too.

Moving on to Homyn Taal where we encounter sand dune desert and arid steppe the birds of this habitat include smart Lesser Kestrel and Desert Wheatear with mammals including the reitroduced Takhi, or Przewalski’s Horse. In this area we can also look for Grear (Steppe) Grey Shrike and perhaps Pale Martin near the river camp but one of the main reasons for visiting this area is as a backup site for Mongolian Ground Jay; if we saw it already then we can find the time to get improved views, and perhaps some photographs, here.

On the afternoon of day eleven we will begin driving across Western Mongolia’s vast wilderness to our camp at Margaz Mountains.

Days 12-13, Margaz Mountains & Bayan Nuur – 16-17th June

With two full days our time in this area will be spent exploring a variety of habitats that include wonderful bird-rich wetlands, massive sand dunes, verdant oases and granite tors set in mountain scenery. The lake of Bayan Nuur is one of the most bird-rich areas of Mongolia and it is one of the most reliable places across its range to see the rare Pallas’s Fish Eagle; Cinereous Vultures, Steppe Eagles and White-tailed Eagles can also be found here.

The areas of open water here will provide us with another excellent chance of seeing Stejneger’s Scoter as well as breeding Black-throated Divers along with family groups of the striking Bar-headed Goose. This area of wetlands gives us another chance to find one of the rarer wading birds, Asian Dowitcher, as well as commoner species including Greater Sand Plover and Northern Lapwing. Areas of rushes and reeds give us the opportunity to search for Pallas’s Reed Bunting and Bluethroat while scanning through large numbers of commoner ducks such has revealed small numbers of Falcated Duck on previous tours.

The more mountainous and rocky areas provide us with an excellent chance to get good views of the endemic Mongolian Accentor with large numbers of Rock Sparrow nesting in the crags. Although birds are our focus our camp has several resident trackers who will be devoted to scouring the area for Pallas’s Cat and Snow Leopard. Rather than having to spend huge amounts of time scanning hillsides in cold weather we will spend our time birding but as soon as the trackers have any positive news for us we will drop everything to see if we can get a sighting of these mercurial mammals; we have been successful in the past but obviously we will need some luck too to connect with these shy creatures.

Day 14, Margaz Mountains – Uvs Lake – 18th June

We plan to leave early this morning in order to reach a breeding site for Oriental Plover before heat shimmer becomes a potential problem. From a slightly elevated ridge we can scan a wide area of breeding habitat for the white-headed male Oriental Plovers and then get ourselves closer once we have located the area in which they are active. Once we have obtained the best views of this stunning wading bird that we can there is a drive of a few hours across stony desert and rolling steppe to our final birding destination of Uvs Lake, having lunch at our accommodation situated very close to the best birding.

With the long day length at this time of the year we will have plenty of time for birding, at Uvs Lake, in the late afternoon and early evening light. Although we may have already seen Relict Gull this is the best location for getting close range views of this rare species and there is a small breeding colony here so if we didn’t see them earlier in this birding tour then we have a very good chance here.

Among the large numbers of Black-headed Gulls the slightly larger Relict Gull stands out, with its jet black head and contrasting white eye spectacle, and we have a good chance of getting excellent views and photographs too here. Other species we can enjoy at this location include intricately patterned Black-throated Divers, calling Common Cranes with chicks, Pallas’s Gull, Paddyfield Warblers babbling from the reedy fringes and, if we didn’t see them before, this location gives us another excellent opportunity to find White-headed Duck. The sound of armies of Eurasian Skylarks in song flight is the background to birding here where there should be some late passage waders, a selection of wildfowl and we can probably add birds such as Black Tern and Common Reed Bunting to our trip list too.

Day 15, Ulaan Gom – Ulaan Bator – 19th June

Waking up, for the final time, in Mongolia’s wide landscapes we have time to look for Relict Gull and White-headed Duck if we still need to. Some pre-breakfast birding near the lake sets us up for a short drive to an area of farmland close to the town of Ulan Gom in which there is a colony of endangered Yellow-breasted Buntings which can usually be easily seen singing from exposed perches. This location gives us a habitat we will not have encountered before on this trip and there is the opportunity to see species that include Eurasian Wryneck, Grey-capped Goldfinch, Tree Pipit, Common Grasshopper Warbler and Common Chiffchaff (subspecies tristis).

An afternoon flight from Ulaan Gom will get us back to Ulaan Bator where we will check in to the hotel from which we began our Mongolia birding adventure. Our final dinner together will conclude this Mongolia birding tour.

Day 16, Departure – 20th June

Travel from the hotel to Chinggis Khaan International Airport for our flights leaving Mongolia at at a time that suits your departure.