Breakfast in the camp
The next day, 2nd of June, we woke into a wet wasteland. Although nearly a desert, there was a rain in the night. We got up early in order to look for gazellas and bustards from the nearest tiny hill. We waited for an hour or so and actually saw a Goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) far in the distance and also the Golden jackal (Canis aureus).
We returned to our kemp where the organizers prepared breakfast for us. On to camping tables we could grab whatever we like and very important thing for me - we could make a milk tea. I also filled my thermo mug to have tea that would last me at least till lunch :)
Isabelline Wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina) chasing a Pied Wheatear (Oenanthe pleshanka)
After breakfast we moved to a nearby place with a few abandoned houses and a well next to them. We saw several song birds, warblers, wheatears, also a Turkestan Shrike (Lanius phoenicuroides). The well had other visitors and apparently a family of hoopoes. We sat close and waited to see if any sandgrouse made its way here. Sandgrouses and related and also somewhat resemble pigeons. They are very shy and flee at a great distance. They often visit wells like this and are known for soaking their bellies in water which they then use to cool down their offspring. Very interesting birds I saw for the first time. Only one species, though, a black-bellied sandgrouse.
Russian tortoises (Agrionemys horsfieldii) were plentiful in the steppe
We then drove to other place and spotted the Demoiselle Cranes far in the distance on the flat land. We slowly walked towards them, not to disturb them, since cranes are usually shy, too. In the end they flew away, but we shortly found another pair. They were closer to the road, so we stopped the car, but didn't dare to move away from it. And managed to take some pictures. Unfortunately of the cranes had a hurt leg it couldn't use and only seemed like a dead weight to it. Poor bird.
Demoiselle Crane (Anthropoides virgo)
Closeby there was a shed and some construction, apparently abandoned, near another small well. It was too small to attract many birds. While inspecting it, someone of our group noticed a foal, fallen into a hole of the contruction, into a space where it couldn't even fully stand. The only way was through the hole up. We were thinking of a way to pull it up, I caught it near its shoulderblades to prevent it from going to the corner where we couldn't reach. I was discouraged by the group, however, as they worried it could get startled and break my arm through the hole. We then called our drivers. Ours was not a very old guy, who decisively walked to the small horse, with the help of the other caught its legs, despite the foal crying desperatly and pulled it out. The foal was scared and hit the fround a bit, but it was ok. It probably spent a few days in the hole. It had some small injuries and was very thin. It took it a while to be able to stand firmly and walk. And when it regained its posture, it started following our driver. Despite scaring it, the foal may have known he just saved its life and it had nowhere to go.
Following its savior
Just at that moment, horses were approaching the well from a distance. The driver approached then as the cal was following him. When they got close to the herd, the horses saw the driver and backed away, wanting to avoid him. When they noticed the foal. The whole herd turned and approached them. Although the foal was scared again and backed away.
Horses approaching the lost foal
The horses wanter to get a sniff of it, but the foal got startled and started running, then followed by the whole herd that started running too. We were a bit worried, the foal may have not even walked for a few days and now it had to go in a full gallop. It if fell, the horses would probably stamp it to death. However, they seem to accept it in the end and a mare and a few young ones stayed close to it. The foal followed the herd back to the well, but when the herd left, it was lying there, not willing to follow. It was just going around the structure, maybe waiting for its mom. There were a few more herds closeby, so we hoped that the mum will find her baby when her herd goes for a drink. Unfortunately, a few hours later when we again drove by, the foal was still there, not moving away from the building. It was a very sad sight, but there was just nothing we could do. And the drivers assured us the horses are clever and will know what to do. Hopefully.
A dangerous curiosity
We then returned to the well we've been at in the morning, still trying to see more sangrouses and any bird that could come her. We couldn't stay for very long, though, as we heard a loud noise. It was a herd of cows making their way here. As they were getting closer, the calfs got impatient and started running toward us, followed by the big ones. We were quick to make way. And left then as all the birds fled, too.
Thirsty cows
We continues to yet another well, a 20 minutes or so further into the nowhere. The well was bigger and occupied by obviously nesting stilts, and a few other waders. As for sangrouses, the black-bellied ones appeared, too, but were too shy to land.
Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
It was about time for a late lunch. We were driven to the small restaurant of whateer it was, where we also dined yesterday. They had tables prepared for us outside. Yesterday they served shashliks - mutton cubes skewered with some vegetables cooked over an open fire or a bed of coals and manti dumplings, today we had plov - somethign similar to risotto. The owner always asked in Russian (most people of our group understood and spoke Russian as they were of the older generation that learned it in school. Most except for me and one other guy I guess. But still, Russian is similar to Czech, so the phrase he called all the time "Kamu čaj?" (Who wants tea?) was well understood by me. He was always carrying a kettle and when he poured it to a few people, he went back to put it on the stove to boil more water. We were thirsty, however, it was hot, and most Czech people won't get satisfied with tea (like me), but noticed a fridge with plenty of beer cans and asked for the "cold tea" instead. The owner learnd quickly and next time distributed the beer first thing for the dinner. ...until he ran out of the good one, Žatecký Gus, by its name, words and design apparently trying to approximate our Czech beer. Wow, the world is small!
Lunch
After the lunch, Askar, our guide, proposed we split into two groups. First, the photographers, can go back to the last well, wait unmoving and hope to get pictures of the stilts or sandgrouses, or whichever birds gets close enough. The second group, mostly birdwatchers enthusiastic not for photos, but more birds and new species, would go to the "wood" nearby. Our birdwatcher group was bigger and we were looking forward to seeing a forrest here, at least something more familiar to us. That was what people started claiming, until someone paying more attentions sayd: "Are you sure he said a forrest? Forrest? Here? He said a tree, didn't he?"
Most people went silent right away and asked Askar. And he confirmed, laughing a bit: "Haha, no forrest here, there is only wasteland. And this one tree... It is only a single big tree by the road where birds who nest on the trees gather as this is their only breeding opportunity far and wide."
Wow, interesting....
Lesser Grey Shrike (Lanius minor)
We drove for a while on the straight main road, leading ahead to the distance. Until far, far away, on the horizon, we saw a big tree. The only one we could see. And indeed, that was our destination. We spent at least three hours watching the tree from all sides, and walking aroung in the steppe full of mostly Calandra and Short-toed Larks. Also Tawny Pipits.
On the tree, on the other hand we saw small Syke's Warblers, Barred Warbler, Rosy Starlings, nesting Indian Sparrows and Spanish Sparrows, Brown and Lesser Grey Shrikes who desperately looked for anything taller than grass to sit on and both had nests in the tree, too. And we saw other birds, too. Along the roads there were always plenty of Black Kites, Long-legged Buzzards, Eurasian Rollers and sometimes also European Bee-eaters. And not to talk about birds only, we met a few nice lizards and agamas, as well as Yellow Ground Squirrels.
For the dinner, a bit wet as it rained again, we went back to the same restaurant, now greeted with pelmeni in a soup of sorts? After we were done, a few of us went looking for birds in some other trees nearby. I always tried to stick close to Askar, as he was ofter where you can actually see interesting birds. And a good idea it was. We found a couple of Rock Sparrows in a tree, which were gone before the rest of the group arrived.
It was getting dark again when we returned back to our camp. Someone dug a hole and built small tall tents over it - one as a provisory shower, the other a toilet. Such luxury! I took a bottle of water to get a shower, inside the tent today was a bit more... private :) And at least someone actually tried the construction out :D
Yellow Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus fulvus)
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