Hotspots

Terelj National Park 

Just 66km (41 miles) north of Ulaanbaatar (UB), nestled into the Terelj River valley lies this national park and birding hotspot, considered one of the most scenic areas in Mongolia. Here, we hope to connect with the Black-billed Capercaillie. A bird of larch forests, the males gather in select spots to display for females. We’ll need some luck to encounter them and we’ll listen for their odd crackling, popping call, but with some luck we could connect with this extremely large grouse. As we go, we’ll also keep eyes peeled for Taiga Flycatcher, Pine Bunting, Red-throated Thrush, Two-barred Greenish Warbler and Daurian Jackdaw. But a small fraction of the park is open to the public, others are drawn here for rock-climbing, the scenery, the hot springs, and the lake. Parts of it host Brown Bears.

Gun Galuut Nature Reserve 

About 80 miles southeast of UB, the Gun Galuut NR offers a good diversity of habitats, with mountains, expansive steppes, rivers, lakes and wetlands. We visit one wetland where the rare White-naped Crane  typically breeds, and also see several lakes that often hold waterfowl and waders. With luck we could encounter birds such as Demoiselle Crane, Stejneger’s Scoter, or Père David's Snowfinch, a regional special of the natural grasslands here. For mammals there are a number of rodents we could see, and fortunate visitors could see Gray Wolf or Argali (Mountain Sheep).

Gobi Gurvan Saikhan Mountains & Yolyn Am

Among the nation’s newest and its largest national park, the Gurvan Saikhan Mountains are known as “The Three Beauties” for the three scenic if smaller subranges that comprise the Gurvan Saikhan. Well known as a dwelling place for Argali and Siberian Ibex, we shall visit the unique Yolyn Am. Resting within the Zuun Saikhanii Nuruu (the Eastern Beauty) subrange, “Yol” is the Mongolian word for the Bearded Vulture (or Lammergeier), and thus this is “the Valley of the Vultures”. While we hope to bump into this bird somewhere along the way, we also seek Wallcreeper, Godlewski’s Bunting, Mongolian Accentor, Beautiful Rosefinch, Barred Warbler, and Sulphur-bellied Warbler. Yolyn Am is known for its ice field which by the end of winter may be several meter thick and several kilometers long. In route to the park, we will seek the dashing Oriental Plover, and hit a couple migrant hotspots. 

The Gobi Desert & Khongor Sand Dune 

The Gobi is the 6th largest desert in the world, bigger than Texas and California combined. It is a rather diverse desert, exhibiting a variety of habitats. Resting in the southern reaches of the Gobi, stretching up to 7 miles wide, 62 miles long, and rising up several hundred feet high, is Khongoryn Els, the Khongor Sand Dune, also called Duut Mankhanor the "Singing Sands". Due to wind, the enormous dunes here continually shift and re-shape, releasing small avalanches, and emitting a resonant sound, that sounds sort of like a plane taking off in the distance. On the way to the dune, we will look for rare mammals such as Asiatic Wild Ass (a.k.a. Onager), Goitered Gazelle and Mongolian Gazelle. Nearby we’ll explore hilly areas to look for Mongolian Ground-jay, and we will hit a small patch of Saxaul forest (Saxaul is a shrub/tree in the Amaranth family) to try and see Saxaul Sparrow, while looking too for Asian Desert Warbler, Southern Grey Shrike, Desert Wheatear, and Long-legged Buzzard.

Baga Bogd Mountain 

Like so many places we visit, there is a stark beauty to the landscape here. The Baga Bogd is a part of Gobi Altai mountain range, and it is famous as the best place to see magnificent Altai Snowcock. We will spend significant time seeking this special, and should encounter some other birds here too, like Grey-necked Bunting, Mongolian Finch, Wallcreeper, Barred Warbler and Sulphur-bellied Warbler. 

Holboolj Lake 

One those sites basically only visited by birders, Holboolj Lake is known for being a good spot for gulls, terns, ducks and some waders. One of our best chances for Relict Gull and Asian Dowitcher, we could also find birds like Pallas’s Gull, the three “marsh” terns (White-winged, Black and Whiskered), waterfowl species such as Swan Goose, Bar-headed Goose, Garganey, or Red-crested Pochard. With luck we could encounter the dapper Pallas’s Sandgrouse or some oddball rarity attracted to this watering hole.

Buuntsagaan Lake

Between the Khangai and Gobi-Altai mountain ranges lies a chain of saline lakes. The area is known as the Valley of the Lakes, and together they form a Ramsar site, and thus are wetlands of international importance. Buuntsagaan is the largest lake in the area and birds of special attention here include Relict Gull, Swan Goose, and Pallas’s Fish Eagle, but we could also encounter other waterfowl or waders (shorebirds).

Khangai Mountains 

Famous as the cradle of Mongolian and nomadic civilization, these mountains also offer some great birding.  The Alpine meadow habitats here allow for some beautiful species. Chief among these is the rare Hodgson’s Bushchat. A species in steep decline due to deterioration of grasslands on its wintering grounds in Nepal and northeastern India, here we could see it in its breeding finery. Along with it, we’ll hope to see the finely marked Altai Accentor, as well as the smart White-winged Redstart, and the less smart Blyth’s Pipit. 

Bayan Lake & Takhilt Lake 

Two remote, beautiful lakes and well known birding spots, known as locations for threatened Dalmatian Pelican, Pallas's Fish-Eagle, and Saker Falcon. Other raptors are possible too such as Cinereous Vulture and Upland Buzzard, and we hope to find reedbed specialists and wetland birds like Pallas’s Reed Bunting, Bearded Tit, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Oriental Reed Warbler, Paddyfield Warbler, Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler, Eastern Marsh Harrier and White-naped Crane.

Hustai National Park 

Established in 1993 to protect reintroduced Przewalski’s Horse, this park is a wonderful mix of forest, steppe, grasslands, and sand dunes. The horse, known locally as Takhi, is considered to be the only remaining wild horse species in the world. Once widespread across the steppes of western Europe and Asia, since the mid 1900s it has been confined just to Mongolia’s Gobi region. The park also supports other mammals such as elk, Tarbagan Marmots and out on the steppes of the park, Mongolian Gazelles. We’ll keep an eye out for raptors and could see Golden Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Saker Falcon, Amur Falcon, and other birds like Daurian Partridge, Meadow Bunting and the handsome Mongolian Lark. 

Gachuurt Forest & UB Outskirts

The forests outside of Ulaanbaatar can have Hazel Grouse, Siberian Jay, Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker, Eurasian Goshawk by the end of our trip some new spring arrivals may have pitched in, like Chinese Bush Warbler. We’ll also keep an eye out here for Siberian Rubythroat, Black-faced Bunting, Dusky Warbler and even possibly Gray-headed Tit. Nearby the Tuul River can sometimes offer encounters with Azure Tit, White-crowned Penduline Tit, Amur Falcon, Long-tailed Rosefinch, Azure-winged Magpie and White-cheeked Starling. 

Rigor & Pace

Most accommodations are in yurts (also called “gers”) or pitched tents (tented camps). Mongolia is sparsely populated with few options for places to stay away from the capital, UB. The camps are comfortable and well located for scenery, birds and wildlife, but not luxurious. We mix in a few hotels too, particularly in UB, and with one also mid-tour. Camping spaces are limited such that single tents are also limited. If you wish for a single room in the hotels, that can be arranged but for single space while camping, please inquire with us and we can see if a single tent or ger is possible 

Transportation during the tour is mostly via Toyota Land Cruisers (4WD), and we do have some long drives required to cover ground. Luckily we can see birds almost anywhere as we go. But there are a couple days of prolonged driving (4+ hours). 

Weather is quite variable in May/June, though normally is warm or even hot during the day. At night it cools down and often remains so early in the morning. On the days when we are higher up, it can be chilly. Rain and even snow are possible.

There is little hiking or strenuous activity during this trip. Mostly we are on flat terrain and when on foot are going at a reasonable (birder’s) pace, but there may be days when we spend several 3-5 hours on foot. There may be a couple of options for more strenuous hikes in places where there is time for it, but this would be optional.

 Sunset at Boon Tsagaan Lake by Louis Bevier