Birdwatching in Uzbekistan

Dates:

April 24 -01 may 2012
May 01 - 08 may 2012
May 08 - 15 may 2012
May 10 - 17 may 2012

Day 1:

TO TASHKENT

Flight to Tashkent.

Day 2:

TASHKENT TO SAMARKAND

Morning arrival in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. We’re met by our local guide and driver and follow the ancient Silk Road out of town towards Samarkand, which will be our base for the next two nights. Fortunately, transport has improved considerably since the days of Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, Tamerlane and Kuteiba ibn Muslim - the celebrated Arab commander. Today, we travel along good roads in comfortable air-conditioned luxury. We will not, however, be overlooking birds along the way, and we will make several roadside halts in search of the more numerous and widespread species of northern Uzbekistan.

White Storks nest on roadside power pylons, while European Rollers and European Bee-eaters adorn the roadside wires. We can also expect to encounter the distinctive ‘Masked’ form of White Wagtail, Pied Wheatears, Lesser Grey Shrikes, Rose-coloured Starlings, Common Mynas and perhaps a scattering of raptors including Shikra and Eurasian Hobby. Along the way, we hope to find Variable Wheatear, which closely resembles the more numerous and widespread Pied Wheatear. Pressing on to Samarkand, we should arrive with some time to explore this fascinating historic city. Night in Samarkand.

Day 3:

BIRDING AROUND SAMARKAND

This morning, we drive out to the scrub and bush covered hills that surround the city of Samarkand - home to a wealth of exciting species, many of which are more numerous and occur here in greater numbers than elsewhere in their range.

High on the list of species we most want to see here will be the irresistible White-throated Robin and Upcher’s Warbler, followed closely by Eastern Rock Nuthatch, Eastern Orphean Warbler and the gorgeous Red-headed Bunting. Isabelline Shrikes also await, as do a few pairs of desirably cute Yellow-breasted Tits, while overhead thermalling raptors may include Eurasian Black Vultures and Eurasian Griffons. Tracking down the subtle Hume's Short-toed Lark, which also occurs here in small numbers, is something of an identification challenge and will push our skills to the limit. If we are very fortunate, we may encounter the beautiful Asian Paradise Flycatcher and perhaps even find its delicate cup-shaped nest over a stream. On our return to Samarkand we’ll make a short stop to search for Finsch’s Wheatear. Night Samarkand

Day 4:

SAMARKAND TO BUKHARA

We start the day with an optional, pre-breakfast excursion to wetlands on the outskirts of Samarkand, near the Zarafshan River, where we may come across Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, the lovely White-crowned Penduline-tit, Turkestan Tit and many migrants, possibly including Blyth's Reed Warbler.

Following breakfast, we spend the remainder of the morning looking at some of the outstanding architecture of historic Samarkand and learn something of its history. Don’t forget to bring your optics though as we are quite likely to encounter Alpine Swifts, Laughing Doves and perhaps a passing Eurasian Hobby over the ancient city.

After lunch, we continue our journey along the Silk Road to Bukhara. Although this is a long drive, we will break the journey to search for our first White-tailed Lapwings and Citrine Wagtails by roadside wetlands, and if we are lucky we may bump into other birds characteristic of this arid region including Eurasian Stone-curlews and Collared Pratincoles. Bukhara was formerly one of the most important trading cities along the ancient Silk Road, this historic city has a rich and colourful history, and is endowed with an overwhelming number of historic sites of interest. The blue domes and towering minarets of Bukhara provide a wonderful backdrop to our stay, while the markets and bazaars are bustling, a great place to barter for jewellery, spices and the famous Bukhara rugs. We shall have some time to explore this wonderful city. Night Bukhara.

Day 5:

THE WETLANDS OF BUKHARA

We will spend the entire day exploring wetlands which surround the oasis city of Bukhara. Known as an oasis since ancient times, these wetlands are extremely attractive to a wealth of water and marsh-loving species. We can expect to watch Pygmy Cormorants and Glossy Ibis gliding low over the reedbeds, and an abundance of herons and egrets, along with subtly plumaged Marbled Ducks. Muddy edges are home to elegant White-tailed Plovers, while graceful Collared Pratincoles hawk overhead and raucous Caspian Gulls voice their annoyance. Adjacent reedbeds are alive with an abundance of reed-loving warblers including Clamorous Reed and Paddyfield Warblers, as well as Bearded Reedlings. Such diversity seems even more extraordinary in the desert!

Indeed, many dry country species breed here too, from Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, Oriental Skylarks, Sykes’s, Eastern Olivaceous and Mйnйtries’s Warblers through to Rufous Scrub Robins, Pied Bushchats, Long-tailed Shrikes and many more. Being a wetland in such an arid region, many migrants will also be attracted to the abundant food available to them. In May, almost anything is possible! Night Bukhara

Day 6:

MORNING IN THE KYZYL-KUM DESERT, EVENING FLY TO TASHKENT

Taking a picnic breakfast with us we make an early start into the Kyzyl-Kum desert, where we expect to arrive just after dawn. This very special region is home to one of the most sought-after of all the birds that occur in Central Asia - the legendary Turkestan Ground Jay. Although they are quite numerous and widespread here, these wonderful birds are always much easier to locate in the cool of the early morning.

While we are waiting for one to show, an Asian Desert Warbler may distract us as it flits from bush to bush, or a mouse-like Streaked Scrub Warbler may scurry around our feet. Nearby, Southern Grey Shrikes drop onto any unfortunate passing lizard, and Isabelline Wheatears call in warning. Very soon, a Turkestan Ground Jay will appear and keep us occupied as it sprints across the desert, occasionally perching up to allow us good views before dashing off again. In 2007, we even found the nest of this attractive species and were able to watch a pair and their helper completing the nest set in a low bush.

We’ll enjoy our breakfast at a roadside farm where the small bushes attract a wealth of migrants. Here we may see Common Redstarts, Common Nightingales, Moustached and Clamorous Reed Warblers, Common Whitethroats, Greenish Warblers, Spotted Flycatchers, Isabelline Shrikes, Eurasian Golden Orioles and much more. As the desert warms up, bird activity drops off markedly and by mid morning it can seem almost lifeless. We will return to Bukhara for lunch.

For those who wish to, there will be an opportunity later in the day to take in some of the sights of Bukhara, including the historic town centre with its surrounding old madrassahs, marvel at the Kalyan Minaret - a 150-foot tall tower built in the 12th century - and also the Miri-Arab Madrasa and Trade Domes. In the evening, we catch a flight to Tashkent. Night Tashkent

Day 7:

THE CHIMGAN HILLS

We leave Tashkent and drive up into the Chimgan Hills, which form an extension to the mighty Tien Shan range, Asia’s legendary ‘Celestial Mountains’. Although not as high here as in neighbouring Kazakhstan, these wooded hills are home to some very special birds. We have the entire day to explore, watching for the likes of Eurasian Golden Oriole, the distinctive hafizi race of Common Nightingale and Yellow-breasted Tit - looking for all the world like an Azure Tit with a dash of yellow across the breast.

Our hotel, set in a delightful location, is a great place to grab a drink and just sit and watch. Red-rumped Swallows nest outside our rooms, while overhead a procession of raptors may include Lammergeier, Eurasian Griffon, Eurasian Black Vulture and Booted Eagle. Later in the day, we’ll explore the juniper scrub, where Rufous-naped Tits should be feeding their newly fledged youngsters and Hume’s Lesser Whitethroats churr from nearby thickets. We should also encounter White-capped and Rock Buntings, which breed on the rocky hillsides. Night Chimgan Hills

Day 8:

CHIMGAN HILLS & TASHKENT

Flight schedules permitting, we’ll enjoy some final birding in these delightful hills below the towering Mt. Chimgan before we must head back down to Tashkent. Gentle valleys hold Blue Whistling Thrush and Grey Wagtail by the streams, while the scrub and rocky outcrops are home to Siberian Stonechats and Rock and Red-headed Buntings. In addition, we have further opportunities to catch up on some species were may missed so far, perhaps including White-winged Woodpecker or Asian Paradise Flycatcher.

Returning to Tashkent in the afternoon, we board our early evening flight back. Arrival back the same day, where our Uzbekistan tour concludes.