Dear Aurélien!
Marvelous photos from Mongolia
As usual photos of high standard and superb quality from you - pure pleasure to watch.
Palla's Sandgrouse varies in numbers, and at present it seems the numbers further west of Mongolia (and in Central Asia, west of Almaty-area) decrease. The population fluctuates and varies in numbers, especially on the species border ranges. They are now more or less disappeared from the semi-deserts west of Almaty, and this spring we didn’t hear/watch a single bird in these semi-deserts. Few years ago DOZENS and even hundreds, but now... silence. They still are present, and not-to-difficult to find in their "old" habitats, the clay-plains east of Almaty.
It's probably the most famous Central Asian bird among the other CA-"dream species" and when one have studied the history and seen paradoxus in the wild it's easy to understand why!
Ill soon and hopefully be among them again.
Best greetings
Michael
PS/ looking forward to more Mongolian-pics Aurélien :)
Dear Aurélien,
With Peter S. and Michael W.A., cudos for Henderson's Ground Jay and Pallas's Sandgrouse.
Dear Michael,
Thanks for comments.
Any hypotheses about why Pallas's is disappearing from the mentioned semi-deserts?
Yours ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, C.
Gad vide om det er skov(steppe?) brande, der er den udløsende faktor for denne - og andre (Øland) forekomster af denne art i disse dage. Vel de første vestlige observationer i umindelige tider. Tid for en DK obs? Gad vide, hvad der udløste invasionerne i de gode gamle dage, hvor der jo sås utrolige mængder - ornitolog tætheden taget betragtning. Der var dog givetvis flere Steppehøns - og vel antageligt også flere skyde villige jægere til at dokumentere fundene.
Beskrivelse: April’s observations and ideas of unusual high numbers of Pallas Sandgrouse outside normal range seem to be true. Last week’s re-visit to Konchengel in SE-Kazakhstan again provided excellent encounters. I think foreign birders will have great pleasures with this species this summer, and it really will be exciting to follow the influx in the coming year. As written at Aprils PS pictures, I’m quite sure that’s something is on its way… I have never seen such numbers of PS in Central Asia during more than 15 years birding in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. I have been told about high numbers of PS in autumn at certain places in Central Kazakhstan, but I have never witnessed so. Now there is influx of PS in SE-Kazakhstan, and I’m quite convinced it’s not a coincidence – something is unusual. Whether it’s the cold spring (we still have Humes Leaf Warblers in the lowland – they should weeks ago have been back on their breeding grounds in the mountains), lack of food or a good breeding season last year that provide these high numbers of PS this spring is not clear.
Anyway – it’s a magnificent bird with its orange face, characteristic wide sounding flight calls, its pin-tail and very charming behavior. It seems shy when its seen in the distance and circles around - ually heard before seen. Its flight is extremely rapid and suddenly its close – and not that shy… often bumps down near the surprised birder. Sometimes they arrive quietly and surprise the birder with its presence…
This is a bird I highly can recommend... for everyone interested in Central Asian birds – it’s a mythic and magnificent bird
Beskrivelse: April’s observations and ideas of unusual high numbers of Pallas Sandgrouse outside normal range seem to be true. Last week’s re-visit to Konchengel in SE-Kazakhstan again provided excellent encounters. I think foreign birders will have great pleasures with this species this summer, and it really will be exciting to follow the influx in the coming year. As written at Aprils PS pictures, I’m quite sure that’s something is on its way… I have never seen such numbers of PS in Central Asia during more than 15 years birding in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. I have been told about high numbers of PS in autumn at certain places in Central Kazakhstan, but I have never witnessed so. Now there is influx of PS in SE-Kazakhstan, and I’m quite convinced it’s not a coincidence – something is unusual. Whether it’s the cold spring (we still have Humes Leaf Warblers in the lowland – they should weeks ago have been back on their breeding grounds in the mountains), lack of food or a good breeding season last year that provide these high numbers of PS this spring is not clear.
Anyway – it’s a magnificent bird with its orange face, characteristic wide sounding flight calls, its pin-tail and very charming behavior. It seems shy when its seen in the distance and circles around - ually heard before seen. Its flight is extremely rapid and suddenly its close – and not that shy… often bumps down near the surprised birder. Sometimes they arrive quietly and surprise the birder with its presence…
This is a bird I highly can recommend... for everyone interested in Central Asian birds – it’s a mythic and magnificent bird
Beskrivelse: Heavy cropped picture of PS... Anyway!
April’s observations and ideas of unusual high numbers of Pallas Sandgrouse outside normal range seem to be true. Last week’s re-visit to Konchengel in SE-Kazakhstan again provided excellent encounters. I think foreign birders will have great pleasures with this species this summer, and it really will be exciting to follow the influx in the coming year. As written at Aprils PS pictures, I’m quite sure that’s something is on its way… I have never seen such numbers of PS in Central Asia during more than 15 years birding in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. I have been told about high numbers of PS in autumn at certain places in Central Kazakhstan, but I have never witnessed so. Now there is influx of PS in SE-Kazakhstan, and I’m quite convinced it’s not a coincidence – something is unusual. Whether it’s the cold spring (we still have Humes Leaf Warblers in the lowland – they should weeks ago have been back on their breeding grounds in the mountains), lack of food or a good breeding season last year that provide these high numbers of PS this spring is not clear.
Anyway – it’s a magnificent bird with its orange face, characteristic wide sounding flight calls, its pin-tail and very charming behavior. It seems shy when its seen in the distance and circles around - ually heard before seen. Its flight is extremely rapid and suddenly its close – and not that shy… often bumps down near the surprised birder. Sometimes they arrive quietly and surprise the birder with its presence…
This is a bird I highly can recommend... for everyone interested in Central Asian birds – it’s a mythic and magnificent bird
Beskrivelse: De foregaaende dage har frembudt en usaedvanlig forekomst af Steppehoene i det sydlige Kasakhstan. I omraader hvor der iagtages faa, dvs 1-3 fugle, har vi i de forloebne dage fraadset i Steppehoens.
19.april c.250 fugle... og 20.april 69 i Konchengel. Sidstnaevnte en lokalitet, hvor den er sjaelden.
Maaske blot et klimatisk betinget influx - eller i bedste fald et oploeb til en videre faerd mod vest.
Steppehoene er vitterligt en superart med status af naermest mytisk karakter - isaer uden for omraader som Mongoliet og Kina hvor den bestemt ikke er sjaelden.
Arend fra Holland fik mindelser om dengang i 1964 eller var det 1968 hvor han paa cykel og 50 kg mindre i omfang iagttog en Steppehoenen ved en Fasan fodringsplads i Holland. Fire birdere fik vist bogfoert fuglen dengang. Et gensyn i april 2010 var lige saa godt.
I forhold til eksempelvis Sortbuget Sandhoene som PLEJER at vaere langt mere talrig, er Steppehoene en Ferrari - den flyver vildt hurtigt, og tilbagelaegger lange straekninger paa ingen tid.
Saa maaske... et gensyn i de jyske sandklitter i foraaret 2011 eller paa vildtforhandlernes diske... som for laenge siden i 1880'erne da de susede rundt i Dannevang.
Alle har en droem...
Beskrivelse:
A few out of more than 5000 Pallas's Sandgrouses that morning.
Photographed from a car driving 70 km/h. The birds flew about the same speed.
Beskrivelse: Steppehøne, han,
14. september 1889 (skudt?)
Birkelse, Nordjylland
Den udstoppede fugl findes pt. i Skovgårds/Rosendahls fuglesamling i Skjern. Tak til Tove Rosendahl for adgang hertil.
Anders, 99.9+% af monterede fugle er anatomisk forkerte.
Bedøm derfor aldrig størrelsen ved at sammenligne et stykke dårlig taxidermi med et andet. Kun ved at måle de ikke manipulerbare dele (såsom vinge, hale, tarse og næb), kan den sande størrelse fastslås.
Mvh.
Peter
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Hej Kenneth!
jeg arbejder pt med en artikel om Steppehøne-invasionerne i DK i 1800-tallet, og er derfor interesseret i at vide, fra hvilken samling disse udstopppede fugle stammer fra. Måske du skulle angive det på de øvrige billeder af andre arter?
VH/Michael
Hej Michael
Det er P. Heibergs samling.
Det er en forglemmelse som jeg vil få rettet inden alt for længe.
Det lyder spændende med din artikel. Hvor kan man læse den?
Skal dine referencer til fund af Steppehøne være godkendt af SU? Jeg kender til minimum 3 fund, men hvor skindet pt. er blevet væk. Disse oplysninger vil ikke blive tilsendt SU., men hvis du vil referere til dem, er du velkommen til dette.
Lad mig høre fra dig, hvis du er interesseret.
Hilsen
Kenneth
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