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Birding Tours in Uzbekistan

One-day birding tours

Uzbekistan is the main tourist country of Central Asian in Great Silk Road. Every year hundreds of thousands tourists visit Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara to feel the ancient history of Turkestan. But the nature of Uzbekistan is interesting and special too. We offer you one-day birding tour to some birding spots locating in short distance from main tourist cities of country. We offer at your disposal birding guide and car for three persons, lunch and transfer from/to hotel of your staying. Tours are available year around (March-June and September-November seasons are recommended), excluding July-August due the heat. In December-February tours are depended of weather, and targeted to migrating and wintering birds.

Routs from Tashkent. Rout 1. Tuyabuguz reservoir, the wetland with floodland forest along the Akhangaran river, locating at distance of 70 kms from Tashkent. That's one of most important ornithological areas in Uzbekistan. The following birds are available to watch here: Pygmy Cormorant, Great Bittern, Little Egret, Ferruginous Duck, Shikra, White-tailed Sea-Eagle, White-tailed Lapwing, Pallas's Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Pallid Scops Owl, White-winged Woodpecker, Turkestan Tit, Wallcreper, Eversman's Redstart, Olivaceous Warbler. At migrating and wintering seasons the wetland birds of about 30 species are available here in number up to 25 thousands specimen. Up to 40 species of passerine birds are observed in coastal trees and bushes in migrating.

Rout 2. BeldesaraiChimgan, the juniper thickets in mountains of Western Tien Shan (110-2400 m), locating in beauty gorge at 80 kms of Tashkent. During the back way we can do some stops for watching birds in Chirchik river in Tashkent valley. Staying night in mountain campings is possible to client's request. We have a chance to view the following species of birds: Black Stork, Pygmy Cormorant, Lammergeier, Eurasian Griffon, Himalayan Griffon, Black Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Booted Eagle, White-winged Woodpecker, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, White-capped Bunting, Rock Bunting, Red-headed Bunting, Rufous-naped Tit, Yellow-breasted Azure Tit, Hume's Whitethroat, Blue Whistling Thrush etc.

Rout 3. Yangiabad. Visiting the walnut-juniper mountain forests of Western Tien Shan, and Angren river along the Kurama ridge. The length of the rout is 130 kms one way. Spending night in Yangiabad hotel is possible. The following species of birds are available to watch in this rout: Black Stork, Lammergeier, Eurasian Griffon, Black Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Golden Eagle, Shikra, Chukar, Tawny Owl, Scops Owl, White-winged Woodpecker, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, White-capped Bunting, Rufous-naped Tit, Yellow-breasted Azure Tit, Blue Whistling Thrus, White-winged Grosbeak etc.

Chimgan

Tawny Owl

Yangiabad

Routs from Samarkand. Rout 4. Takhta Archa pass. The midlands of Pamir-Alai (1800-2400 m), where bushes and tree thickets mixed by the large rounded stones on the slopes. Distance from the Samarkand is 60 kms. Following species of birds are available to watch here: Lammergeier, Eurasian Griffon, Himalayan Griffon, Black Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Booted Eagle, Hobby, Chukar, White-winged Woodpecker, Hume’s Short-toed Lark, lesser grey Shrike, Long-tailed Shrike, Turkestan Shrike, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, White-throated Robin, Blue Rock thrush, Eastern Orphaen Warbler, White-capped Bunting, Rock Bunting, Red-headed Bunting, Rufous-naped Tit, Yellow-breasted Azure Tit, Rock Sparrow.

Rout 5. Zeravshan National Park. Unique floodland forest of Zeravshan river locating at 20 kms from Samarkand. That's a habitat of wild Bactrian Deers (Cervus elaphus bactrianus) and Zeravshan Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus zenafschanicus). The following species of birds are also available here: Shikra, Eurasian Scops Owl, Pallid Scops Owl, White-winged Woodpecker, Long-tailed Shrike, Upcher's Warbler, White-crowned Penduline Tit, Turkestan Tit. The special trget of rout is chance to view Bactrian Deer in wildlife.

Takhta-Karacha

White-throated Robin

Routs from Bukhara. Routh 6. Rout to Kyzylkum desert to looking for Pander's Ground Jay is the longest of routs, in which you have a chance to feel the Kyzylkum desert. Rout is along the road from Bukhara to Khiva crossed the sandy lowland containing artezian wells and little tree groves, which are the spots of concetrating of tens of speceis of birds in migration season. Only in this area you have chance to view some of nice inhabitants of desert area. Here you can to watch Purple heron, Glossy Ibis, Long-legged Buzzard, Macqueen's Bustard, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Steppe Grey Shrike, Pander's Ground Jay, Desert Warbler, Streaked Scrub Warbler, Desert Ficnch etc. In addition to birds other animals are available to view, such as Snakes, Lizzards, Horsfield’s Tortoise, Gerbils, Yellow Ground Squirrel, Corsac Fox.

Rout 7. Tudakul – Amu-Bukhar channel – "Dzeiran" Ecocenter. Habitat is the large semi-desert area with channels and flooding lands, where we can observe both wetland and desert birds of Central Asia. For additional payment you can visit special nursery of ungulates and view Goitered Gazelles, Onagers, and Przewalski's Horses in almost wildlife. Rout's length is 150 kms. Birds of the rout are Dalmatian Pelican, Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Marbled Duck, Ferruginous Duck, Shikra, White-tailed Lapwing, Caspian Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Caspian Tern, Little Owl, oriental Skylark, Black-headed Wagtail, Black-backed Citrine Wagtail, Ménétries’s Warbler, Pied Bushchat, Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin etc.

Pander's Ground Jay

Kyzylkum desert

Conditions of tour:


duration: 1 day (3 days in a row maximum)
destination < 200 km
season: year-around, excluding July-August
number of customers: 1-3
food: 1 time (lunch)
no accommodation
no transfer from/to airport
price:
Routs 1,2,3 (Tashkent) per day: 1 person USD 120; 2 persons USD 135; 3 persons USD 150.
Routs 4,5 (Samarkand) per day: 1 person USD 190; 2 persons USD 210; 3 persons USD 230.
Routs 6,7 (Bukhara) per day: 1 person USD 220; 2 paersons USD 250; 3 persons USD 280.

Contact person. Anar Issabekova (anarissabekova@birds.kz)

Big Year 2024

rare birds records


Northern Red-flanked Bluetail (Tarsiger cyanurus)

© Bakhtiyor Mardonov
2024-02-21
Zarafshan National park.

First phto ficsation of species in Uzbekistan. Fifth record in the country and first in winter!


Arctic Skua (Stercorarius parasiticus)

© Maksim Mitropolskiy
2023-10-11
Bukhara region, Alat district, Dengizkul lake

First photo record of this species in Uzbekistan


Western Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava)

© Vyacheslav Yusupov
2021-12-01
Namangan

The first photo-registration in the winter period in Uzbekistan and Northern Eurasia.


Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus)

© Timur Abduraupov
2019-06-01
Surkhandarya region, Aktepa hunting farm

First observation of this species in Uzbekistan

unidentified birds


2023-12-26

Анна Ясько: Бормотушка. Похожа на северную из-за явной светлой брови и темной вершины клюва.

2023-04-16

John Pilgrim: Looks like a Terek Sandpiper to me...

more unidentified birds...