Mongolia: Far East Migration

IMPORTANT: Having flexibility during this tour is essential for seeing as many migrants as possible. Our itinerary is designed to be modified on the fly, and the exact route we take will depend on the weather forecast and seasonal conditions. Please note that this is a special tour where we are going to be focused on enjoying migration, which by definition is unpredictable. There will be some days with a lot more birds than others! Our other Mongolia tours include Classic Specialties bird tours and Snow Leopard mammal tours.

Day 1: The tour starts early this morning at Ulaanbaatar International Airport (UBN). From there we will drive to Gun Galuut Nature Reserve, where the lake and surroundings should produce White-naped Crane, Demoiselle Crane, a variety of waterfowl including Stejneger's Scoter, various shorebird species, our first Mongolian Larks, and more. In the afternoon we will head towards Terelij National Park. Night camping.

Day 2: All morning in the forest at the best stakeout for Black-billed Capercaillie, where we should enjoy superb views of these incredible birds. We have a very good chance of seeing multiple males displaying, often at very close range! Other birds in the area include Hazel Grouse, Red-flanked Bluetail, Red-throated Thrush, Olive-backed Pipit and Pine Bunting. We will then start driving east, seeing Steppe Eagles, Upland Buzzards and Daurian Jackdaws on the way, making a stop at Murun Plantation. Here we should see good numbers of migrants that might include several thrushes, buntings and warblers. Night camping.

Day 3: We will carry on driving east, stopping at another plantation functioning as a migrant trap before passing by the city of Choibalsan. After buying supplies, we will continue off road through the vast Mongolian-Manchurian grassland, seeing more Mongolian Lark, Asian Short-toed Lark, Blyth's Pipit, and others, as well as large herds of Mongolian Gazelle. Before reaching our campsite in the late afternoon we will pay a visit to some nearby plains where Oriental Plover breed, and we should see them doing their striking petrel-like display flights. Night camping.

Day 4: Exploring Elm Tree Valley and surroundings. This valley comprises a series of shallow, narrow canyons with rather open thickets of elm trees (unusual in this region where trees are largely absent) which act as a magnet for migrants. In mid May the trees will have few leaves, making spotting bird quite easy. Raptors are common here: a small colony of Amur Falcons will entertain us right next to the tents, a pair of Saker Falcons usually nests nearby, and Japanese Sparrowhawk constantly fly up and down the valley in search of prey. Thrushes, including White's, Eyebrowed, Naumann's, Dusky, and hybrids will be on the move, while we should also encounter Taiga Flycatcher, Amur Stonechats, Isabelline Shrike, Brown Shrike, Yellow-browed Warbler, Pallas's Warbler, Dusky Warbler, Siberian Rubythroat, Oriental Greenfinch, plus Tristram's Bunting, Black-faced Bunting, Little Bunting, Chestnut Bunting, and Pallas's Reed Bunting. If lucky, we might find a late Siberian Accentor or some White-crowned Penduline Tit. Night camping.

Day 5: After some morning birding in the valley again we will start driving southeast towards the extensive Buir Nuur Lake, located close to the border with China. Once we reach its shores we will set up our campsite at this magical place, where Richard's Pipits are common, and start exploring the bird-rich area. Night camping.

Days 6-7: If water levels are right, we will spend two days checking the main lake, its surrounding lagoons, and a narrow strip of willows. A good variety of shorebirds in breeding plumage should be found at the shallower areas, hopefully including Asian Dowitcher as well as Long-toed Stint, Red-necked Stint, Pacific Golden Plover, and Siberian Sand-Plover. Amongst the ducks present we hope to find both Falcated Teal and Baikal Teal, while Swan Goose and "real" Mute Swans are widespread. This lake tends to be a reliable place at this time of the year to see Relict Gulls, on their way to their breeding grounds in western Mongolia, sometimes even flying above our tents! Migrant passerines we might see include Yellow-breasted Buntings, Siberian Pipit, taivana Eastern Yellow Wagtail, plus many of the birds already mentioned from previous days, but surely some new species too. Numbers of migrants can significantly change from day to day (and even within hours) here, with big numbers of one species one day, completely replaced by another the next day. Night camping.

Day 8: After some early morning birding we will head towards a remote area of low hills that rise from the vast steppe where the threatened Rufous-backed Bunting (AKA Jankowski's Bunting) was found back in 2019. This species was previously thought to be restricted to a handful of sites in northern China, and it remains one of Asia's most Endangered birds. We aim to reach the place by the late afternoon, in time for some initial exploration of the area. Night camping.

Day 9: We will spend one full day birding in this area, getting good views of our target buntings, while Meadow, Yellow-throated, or Yellow-browed Buntings could all turn up, together with many other migrants like perhaps early Thick-billed Warblers. While uncommon, Radde's Warbler and Yellow-rumped Flycatcher are also possible. These hills are home to the declining Daurian Partridge too, while Japanese Quails are usually found in the nearby grassland. Night camping.

Day 10: Early morning birding around the campsite. Afterwards we will make our way back to Elm Tree Valley, where a week's difference will undoubtedly mean a very different set of migrants - and more leaves too! Night camping.

Days 11-12: If we are lucky we might experience a large fall of Siberian Blue Robin (such as the one we had in similar dates in May 2024, where up to 750 birds were counted), while late-season Phylloscopus warblers such as Arctic and Two-barred should now be present, as well as Dark-sided Flycatcher, Asian Brown Flycatcher, and maybe Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler or Lanceolated Warbler. Oriental Cuckoo, more buntings, and perhaps a retiring but stunning Siberian Thrush or uncommon White-throated Rock Thrush could be found. Night camping.

Day 13: Today we will embark on the long drive back west, aiming to camp on a mountain area where Bearded Vulture and Cinereous Vulture nest, while Pied Wheatear and Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush are common on the slopes. Night camping

Day 14: After some morning birding we will continue driving west towards Ulaanbaatar,  perhaps stopping again at Gun Galuut if there had been sightings of Siberian Cranes nearby. Overnight in a comfortable hotel near the airport.

Day 15: Morning transfers to Ulaanbaatar International Airport (UBN) for international departures.