RUSSIA Ural Mountains 7–14 June 2010 Leaders: Georg Booyko, Vaughan and Svetlana Ashby

This ground-breaking new tour to the easternmost boundary of the Western Palearctic (the watershed of the Ural Mountains) is designed to see a number of species that are only recorded as extremely rare vagrants in Europe. In particular, we will be looking for Oriental Cuckoo, Black-throated Accentor, Siberian Rubythroat, Black-throated and White’s Thrushes, Lanceolated Warbler, Azure Tit and Long-tailed Rosefinch, all amongst stunning scenery in an area that is rarely visited by birders.

Day 1 Overnight flight from London via Moscow to Yekaterinberg.

Day 2 We arrive in Yekaterinberg early in the morning and then drive north for six hours to our camp base for the next five nights. We will take our time and will stop en route at various birding spots. Here, we are in the Eastern Palearctic, as we will be at our camp near the town of Severouralsk, but it is only a short drive from the boundary of the Western Palearctic! Our campsite is at an altitude of around 500m above sea level, which seems quite low but, in reality, the Ural Mountains are little more than hills, with the highest point in our area being just 1,112 metres.

Days 3–6 Our camp is well situated in the transition zone between the forest and the tundra. At this latitude, forestation begins to dwindle at around 500m and we are in the zone of sparse Alder, Aspen and Juniper. Lower down can be found Birch, Larch and Siberian Pine whilst higher up we venture into true mountain tundra. Daylight hours will be long at this time of year as we are at the same latitude as Scotland.

Every day we will cross the WP boundary and search for the speciality birds of the area. Western Capercaillie together with Hazelhen can be found in the forests lower down. Slightly higher up, in the transition zone, Black Grouse are resident, whilst on the mountain tundra, Willow Grouse are found alongside Eurasian Dotterel. Greenish, Lanceolated and River Warblers, Blyth’s Reed-warbler, Azure Tit and Little, Rustic and Yellow-breasted Buntings can be found lower down in the river valleys whilst in the Siberian Pine forests, Oriental Cuckoo, Black-throated and White’s Thrushes, Bluethroat, Red-flanked Bluetail, Siberian Rubythroat and Parrot and White-winged Crossbills all breed. Higher up, Great Snipe lek in the marshes and Arctic Warblers sing from the dwarf willows. The area is rich in owl species, with Eurasian Eagle-owl, Northern Hawk-owl, Great Grey, Tengmalm’s and Ural Owls all possible, although as this is a rarely visited area, there are no ‘stake outs’. Woodpeckers are also widespread and should include Black, Eurasian Three-toed, Grey-headed and White-backed.

We will, of course, see many common European birds during the course of the week, whilst other possible special birds in the area include Spotted Eagle, Siberian Accentor, Pine Grosbeak and Pine Bunting, although all are extremely rare and we will need luck on our side to see them.

Day 7 After some early morning birding, sadly we have to pack up and head back to Yekaterinberg, birding en route of course. Arriving in Yekaterinberg in the late afternoon/early evening, we will check into a comfortable hotel and enjoy nice, hot showers in our en-suite facilities! After our farewell dinner there may be time for a brief look around this historical city.

Day 8 After some early morning birding, sadly we have to pack up and head back to Yekaterinberg, birding en route of course. Arriving in Yekaterinberg in the late afternoon/early evening, we will check into a comfortable hotel and enjoy nice, hot showers in our en-suite facilities! After our farewell dinner there may be time for a brief look around this historical city.

General Information The weather can be highly variable at this time of year, and we can expect anything from hot and sunny conditions to heavy rain. The tented accommodation in camp will be rather basic. Walking is generally easy and we will not be at high altitude – generally below 1,000 metres. Visas are required.

Group Size Minimum number for tour to go ahead: 7; maximum group size: 16 with three leaders.

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