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<\/a><\/p>\nSiberian Rubythroat – Dalanzadgad<\/p>\n
Daurian Redstart – Dalanzadgad<\/p>\n White-cheeked Starling and Red-throated Thrush – Dalanzadgad<\/p>\n Oriental Plover<\/p>\n Female Oriental Plover<\/p>\n Oriental Plover, male in display flight<\/p>\n Oriental Plover, male over is desert habitat<\/p>\n We continued our drive eventually leaving the asphalt, a road surface we would not see for the next three days. We headed out through the Gobi Desert the landscape gradually becoming drier, flatter and stonier.<\/p>\n Stops along the way produced Steppe Eagle and Greater Sand-plover while Pallas’s Sandgrouse were regularly seen flying at speed along the roadside. We stopped at a small plantation consisting of a planted shelter belt and irrigated agricultural fields.<\/p>\n Here we recorded Pallas\u2019s Warbler . Pallas\u2019s Bunting , Little Bunting Dusky Warbler , Pin-tailed\/Swinhoe\u2019s Snipe and Wryneck .<\/p>\n Steppe Eagle<\/p>\n Steppe Eagle<\/p>\n Greater Sand-plover, male on territory<\/p>\n Dusky Warbler<\/p>\n Tolai Hare Lepus tolai<\/p>\n Pallas’s Bunting<\/p>\n Pallas’s Warbler<\/p>\n Daurian Redstart<\/p>\n Ger with all mod-cons<\/p>\n Driving onwards across gravel plains we came to a large wetland area, the water level was low and birds were very distant and in the heat haze not identifiable, we recorded Little Owl in a small barn, Taiga Flycatcher , Siberian Stonechat and Barry slipping on his arse and getting covered in mud and goat shit! Heading further west, we had great views of a pair of Mongolian Ground-jay adjacent to the road and found the birds nest.<\/p>\n Tussocky habitat close to a lake in the desert<\/p>\n Lake side vegetation and scenery<\/p>\n Lake and goats<\/p>\n Little Owl of raceplumipes<\/p>\n Mongolian Ground-jay<\/p>\n Mongolian Ground-jay<\/p>\n The Mongolian Ground-jay nest was located on the top of this bush which was<\/p>\n no more than 1.5m high<\/p>\n Mongolian Ground-jay nest and eggs<\/p>\n Mongolian Ground-jay nest<\/p>\n It was time for lunch and we headed up a ravine in the mountainside and found our lunch laid out for us in a spectacular ravine. While we ate we had great views of an adult Lammergeir plus Pied Wheatear , Chukar and Rufous-tailed Rockthrush.<\/p>\n Our lunchtime ravine<\/p>\n Lunch<\/p>\n Chukar<\/p>\n Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush<\/p>\n Female Pied Wheatear<\/p>\n Male Pied Wheatear<\/p>\n Male Pied Wheatear<\/p>\n Lammergeier<\/p>\n Following a dirt road west we drove parallel to the magnificent Khongor Sand Dunes the dunes progressively becoming larger and larger while backed by contrasting black and red rock mountains.<\/p>\n A short stop in an area of gravel desert with scattered scrub soon produced Asian Desert Warbler and we eventually obtained good views of these birds as they ran between scrub patches and occasionally sat-up to survey the surrounding land.<\/p>\n Greater Sand-plover<\/p>\n Asian Desert Warbler habitat<\/p>\n Asian Desert Warbler<\/p>\n Asian Desert Warbler<\/p>\n Asian Desert Warbler<\/p>\n Horned Lark nest and eggs<\/p>\n Desert habitat<\/p>\n The lower areas of the Khongor Sand Dunes<\/p>\n Desert Scenery<\/p>\n Our Russian support vehicle racing through the desert<\/p>\n Arriving at our camping area we birded an area of dunes and Saxaul Scrub where we had good views of Desert Wheatear and Hill Pigeon but Saxual Sparrow eluded us.<\/p>\n Our campsite over looked the Khongor Sand Dunes and we enjoyed a couple of beers overlooking the dunes watching a beautiful sunset and studying the moons of Jupiter.<\/p>\n Male Desert Wheatear<\/p>\n Female Desert Wheatear<\/p>\n The magnificent Khongor Sand Dunes<\/p>\n The magnificent Khongor Sand Dunes<\/p>\n Hill Pigeon<\/p>\n Hill Pigeon – Quite a distinctive bird when in flight<\/p>\n Hoopoe – Khongor Sand Dunes<\/p>\n Hoopoe – Khongor Sand Dunes<\/p>\n Red-cheeked Ground-squirrel Spermophilus erythrogenys- Khongor Sand Dunes<\/p>\n Khongor Sand Dunes<\/p>\n Desert ThumbCynomorium coccineum, said to cure erectile dysfunction and relished by our driver………<\/p>\n Our campsite at the foot of the Khongor Sand Dunes<\/p>\n My tent and the sunset<\/p>\n Sunset over the Khongor Sand Dunes<\/p>\n <\/p>\n