Leaving from Kastrup!
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In late June
we departed to Mongolia for field work with the mission to capture two species
of swift - common and pacific swifts. Common swifts are migrating to Africa,
while the Pacific swifts migrate to Australia. The goal is to track the
migration of the two species. We met with our great fieldwork team members
Batmunkh Davaasuren and Jugdernamjil Nergui (aka Juugee) at the Wildlife
Science and Conservation Center of Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar. Upon arriving in
Ulaanbaatar, after a long flight, we started immediately to prepare for the
field trip. Our Land Cruiser was filled with camping gear, food, a kitchen, binoculars,
loggers and ringing equipment as we set out for the expedition.
The Land Cruiser we travelled in. C. Rengefors |
It was a true adventure to leave the hectic
capitol Ulaanbaatar and later the tarmac road to enter one of the many dirt
roads that cross the interior of Mongolia.
Mongolia impressed us very much, and especially the genuine flavor as well as
the kindness of the very competent Mongolian people. We both immediately felt
at home and spent a great time with our exceptionally skilled team members.
One of the missions
was to capture Pacific swifts at a natural breeding site, which we found in a
rocky environment near Binder. The place was magnificent, peaceful and exotic.
It was great to see all the swifts swarming around the colony and occasionally
gathering in dense chattering flocks just above the rocks where the nests were
located. They had placed their nests in crevices of the rocks, and some birds
were still incubating when we arrived.
Binder Rock landscape at sunrise. S. Åkesson |
Our camping site at Binder Rock. S. Åkesson
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Nets up at Binder Rock. S. Åkesson. |
The rocks
were indeed spectacular, located above a vast open pasture with wetlands mixed
into it. Distributed all across the grassland were Gers where the nomadic
people spent their summer months with their cattle and families.
Typical ger door. A ger is mongolian 'jurta'. C. Rengefors
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Dinnertime inside the ger. Fresh
lamb-meat. C. Rengefors
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Each way we placed our eyes along the
horizon we saw cows, horses, camels, yaks, sheep and goats, and they sum up to
impressive total number of ca 80 million in Mongolia.
The plant, insect, and bird community of the grazed land was
rich. Grasshoppers with spectacular flight displays. Edelweiss everywhere and a
top area in the world for cranes, with five species represented, including both
European and Siberian cranes, as well as Demoiselle and Hooded cranes. The most
numerous species were White-naped cranes.
On some of
the rocks we found petroglyphs possibly dating back to over 10-15 000
years ago, showing signs, rhinoceros and other animals.
Petroglyphs at Binder Rock. S.
Åkesson
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The rocks contained a sacred area and when we arrived to
the field site a Shaman was sitting with his drum at the base of the rocks,
drumming along and meeting with local farmers. Not long after, heavy rains and
a thunder storm passed and the dry grass finally got some precipitation, so it
could start to grow and provide new nutritious grass to the livestock in need. The
rocks also held a large colony of bats, probably of several species, but
unknown to us. We had to get them out of our nets at night though, and in one
evening we captured more than 25 bats!
Bats captured by mistake at Binder
Rock,
we actually wanted to catch swifts! S. Åkesson |
The Pacific
swifts were captured at the colony with mistnets, and we attached loggers to
track their migration by GLS as well as to record their flight behaviors during
migration by our own CAnMove loggers. It means, as for our other swift studies,
that we have to return and recapture the birds next year, which we very much look
forward to do.
We are most
grateful to the Wildlife Science and Conservation Center of Mongolia, including
Director Nyambayar Batbayar, and our swift field team members Batmunkh
Davaasuren and Juugee Nergui, as well as the rest of the field team at the Center
for their excellent support and warm friendship. See you again next year!
Goodbye for this time!
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//Christina
and Susanne
And some more pictures!
Susanne and Nyambayar at the field
station of the Ogii Lake,
350 km west of Ulaanbaatar. C. Rengefors |
Susanne at the field station of Ogii
Lake giving instruction
on how to attach loggers to Barn swallows. C. Rengefors |
Looking for birds close to Khustai
Mountains. C. Rengefors
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Taking pictures with “tubkikaren” and
the phone. C.Rengefors
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Mongolians love colors! Houses
outside Ulaanbaatar. C. Rengefors
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The mayor of the city of Binder, 400
km northeast of Ulaanbaatar. C. Rengefors
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Close encounter with African Shaman during the Crane Festival. S. Åkesson |
The Crane Festival in Binder. C.
Rengefors
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The Mongolian flag. C. Rengefors
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Shooting with arrows, during a
completion
at the Crane Festival. C. Rengefors |
Stuck in the mud with local farmer
giving advice! C. Rengefors
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Friends following us through the
riverbed. C. Rengefors
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Female Amur falcon held by Otgonbayar Tsend. C. Rengfors
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We also got some different species
in our nets.
Christina holding an Isabelline wheatear. S. Åkesson |
Beautiful bird caught in the swift net, Hoopoe bird. C. Rengefors |