MONGOLIA - Birding in a True Wilderness

Mongolia is one of the most untamed countries on earth with more than 80% of the land remaining as wilderness. This amazing land is Central Asia at its best and, of course, the former domain of Genghis Khan and the heart of the great Mongol Empire. This trip will be a real adventure as well as a very memorable birding experience with some awesome scenery, visiting vast wetlands, grasslands, Taiga forests and mountains. Beginning in Mongolia’s capital city, Ulaanbataar, we will visit a wide variety of habitats on this tour, spending most nights out in the wilderness in traditional Mongolian “gers” and tented camps in order to be close to the wildlife.  Visiting larch forests and river valleys, where we will see a wide variety of Asian migrant species, allows us to search for some really spectacular birds including Azure Tit, Black-billed Capercaillie, Rufous-backed (Eversmann’s) Redstart and several species of woodpecker.  Wetlands and Steppe will be a feature of this trip and these areas will provide some wonderful open-country birding which allows us to get great views of a large number of ducks & geese, shorebirds, larks, pipits, finches and raptors. Fantastic birds including Steppe Eagle, Cinereous Vulture, Saker Falcon, Demoiselle Crane, Swan Goose and Mongolian Lark are likely to be our companions in these habitats and key targets will include Oriental Plover, White-naped Crane, Pallas’s Fish Eagle and Relict Gull. We will also find ourselves in semi-desert and mountains where we can see birds typical of Central Asia - finches, shrikes, raptors, buntings and chats – as well as some special attractions including Wallcreeper, Altai Snowcock, Henderson’s Ground Jay and Pallas’s Sandgrouse. The tour will conclude in Ulaanbataar but not before visiting the beautiful Hustai National Park where Preswalksi’s Horse roams free and birds such as Meadow Bunting, Amur Falcon and Daurian Partridge are likely.