1 Date: 5 July – 15 August 2010 Location: Dzungarian Alatau

Date: 5th July – 15th August 2010
Location: Dzungarian Alatau Mountains, Tekeli, Almaty Region
Organisation: ExpAnd (University of St Andrews Expedition Society)
Authors: Eve Blumson, Niall Currie, Andrew Griffiths, Hugh Hanmer, Ed Morgan
Email expand@st-andrews.ac.uk
August 2011
1
Scientific Abstract
Several species of Gyps vultures were until recently among the most abundant raptors
in the world, however massive declines in at least three Gyps species Gyps bengalensis,
Gyps indicus and Gyps tenuirostris endemic to South East Asia occurred during the mid
1990’s because of the use of the veterinary drug diclofenac, which causes visceral gout
and consequently leads to acute renal failure. Habitat destruction reducing the
abundance of natural prey items and changes to agriculture have also led to
widespread declines in vulture species. Virtually nothing is known about the
conservation status of vultures in the former Soviet countries, including the Dzungarian
Mountain Range. This study aimed to 1) to produce baseline counts of vultures
present in the Western Dzungarian Alatau and 2) to produce an inventory of all bird
species encountered during fieldwork and their related altitudinal distributions.
A total of 2 Gypaetus barbatus, 78 Gyps himalayensis and 2 Aegyptius monarchus
encounters were recorded. The mean daily encounter rate was Gypaetus barbatus:
0.20, Gyps himalayensis: 5.20 and Aegyptius monarchus: 0.47. Vultures and other
raptor species do not appear to face as great threats in the Dzungarian Alatau
Mountains as populations in other nearby mountain ranges since traditional practices
have been retained in livestock farming and no evidence of Diclofenac use or ill
vultures was found. Hunting appears to be controlled at a low level. The daily
encounter rate and peak counts suggest healthy populations of both vultures and other
raptor species encountered in the study area.
A total of 78 bird species were recorded in the study area and Black kite Milvus migrans
was the most common species based on its Mackinnon List commonness ranking.
Raptor species also featured highly in this ranking indicating high abundance and
widespread distribution of this group. Although there appears to have been a bias
towards these large and conspicuous species it does suggest a healthy ecosystem for
raptor breeding.
Contents
Introduction
1
The Team
2
Country Background
4
Local Geography
4
Scientific Report
6
Administration and Logistics
27
Permission and permits
Accounts
Fundraising
Equipment
Transport
Accommodation
Medical Arrangements and Risks
Environmental and Social impacts
27
29
30
30
31
31
31
33
Acknowledgments
35
Bibliography
36
Appendices
Appendix 1 - Itinerary
Appendix 2 – Medical Kit List
37
37
39
1
ExpAnd Kazakhstan Vulture Expedition 2010
5th July – 15th August 2010
“What is a scientist after all? It is a curious man looking through a keyhole of
nature, trying to know what’s going on.”
Jacques Cousteau (French Explorer, 1910-1997)
Introduction
In November 2009, planning for the second ExpAnd (University of St Andrews Expedition Society)
expedition was underway after a successful first expedition to Tanzania the previous summer.
Both Andrew Griffiths (2nd Year, Ecology and Conservation) and Niall Currie (4th Year, Biology),
members of the Tanzania expedition, set out once more to organise a second expedition to a
relatively unexplored part of the world in search of science, adventure and personal development.
The expedition aimed to continue the objectives laid down by the founder of ExpAnd, Simon
McAdams (3rd Year, Biology), which include: encouraging research, grow confident in independent
travel and develop friendly contacts with other
cultures and societies overseas.
The expedition was inspired by a talk given by Ed
Lemon (M.Litt, Middle Eastern and Central Asian
Security) to ExpAnd in September 2009 about his
expedition to Central Asia. By March 2010, the final
team was selected and comprised 5 undergraduates
of St Andrews University. The destination was
finalised and the relatively unknown Dzungarian
Alatau mountain range in South Eastern Kazakhstan
was chosen as our area of study and exploration.
Moreover, the team had put forward a research
problem for investigation: to access the abundance
of vultures in the mountain range. Due to the areas
absence on the usual tourist and scientific radar, the
area provided an intriguing opportunity for research
– an opportunity not to be missed!
This report serves as both a scientific report and as
a memoir to the efforts of the 5 team members and
many others who helped put this adventure
together. It intends to give the reader an insight
into this rarely visited area as well as advice as to
how to conduct a further expedition this mountain
range. Although we didn’t achieve all our
objectives, we feel our efforts were not without
merit, and we all had a grand adventure. We hope
you enjoy this report.
1
The Team
Andrew Griffiths – Chief Leader
Age: 19
2nd Year, Ecology & Conservation
Having grown up on a small dairy farm in West Sussex, Andrew is always keen
to explore and find new experiences. Andrew has completed a couple of long
distance trails and has been walking in all the major mountain regions in the
UK. He has been on many expeditions including one to Corsica in 2007 and he
was a member of the ExpAnd expedition to Tanzania in 2009. He is an active
member of St Andrews University Mountaineering Club, often leading walking
and climbing routes. He attended a wilderness medical training course in
preperation for the expedition.
Niall Currie – Heath, Safety and Medical Officer
Age: 22
4th Year, Biology
Niall lives near Aberdeen and has a passion for travelling, the outdoors
and a keen interest in Conservation Biology. He regularly visits the
wilder parts of Scotland on hillwalking and kayaking trips. Niall was a
founding member of the University of St Andrews Expedition Society,
taking part in its maiden expedition to Tanzania in 2009.
Expedition experience also includes Frontier expedition to
Tanzania 2005, which involved bird transect surveys. Niall completed GPS and
GIS training and Wilderness Medical Training course at the Royal Geographical
Society. In the future he intends to
pursue a career in conservation.
Eve Blumson – Treasurer
Age: 19
2nd Year, Biochemistry
Eve has a interest in travel and experiencing different cultures. She is originally
from London but has quickly developed an enjoyment in many outdoor
activities since moving to the Highlands of Scotland 3 years ago. She is
secretary of St Andrews University Mountaineering Club and organises all
mountain meets and completed a mountain safety seminar, has GPS
experience and attended a WMT course this year.
2
Edward Morgan – Geographic Technician
Age: 19
1st Year, Geography
Edward, from Surrey, has been passionate about the outdoors from a
young age and has been fortunate to travel extensively throughout the UK
and many parts of Europe. Having completed a successful British Schools
Exploring Society Expedition (BSES Expeditions) to South-Western
Greenland in 2009, Edward now works part time for BSES, promoting
wilderness expeditions and alternative methods of education to schools
and youth groups. In his spare time, Edward works as a volunteer outdoor
instructor for the Scout Association, specialising in hill walking, rock climbing
and caving.
Hugh Hanmer – Ornithological Specialist
Age: 20
2nd Year, Zoology
Hugh, from Northumberland, has a passionate interest in conservation with a
lifelong interest in birds and in the great outdoors. He regularly visits the
wilder parts of Scotland as an active member of the university canoe club and
has competed at Scottish and British University level in several disciplines. He
has travelled fairly extensively round the world during a gap year principally
assisting in projects involving studying migratory birds through scientific bird
ringing and other forms of surveying in countries including Canada and
Australia. He currently holds a BTO C permit bird ringing licence and has
assisted in various projects throughout the UK.
The Expedition team
3
Country Background
Kazakhstan emerged in 1991 out of the old Soviet Union as the 9th largest country in the world. It
stretches from the Tian Shan Mountains in the east, that border China and Kyrgyzstan, to the low
lands and semi deserts that lie next to the Caspian Sea. Kazakhstan has changed a lot since the
communist era and has started to embrace a more modern future through liberalisation of their
society and economics. Whilst still not a true democracy, the urban regions of Astana and Almaty
boast cosmopolitan environments with modern shopping malls, boutiques and a bustling nightlife
along with some striking examples of relative poverty left over from the soviet era.
Local geography of the study area
Our study area consisted of the Western Kazakh section of the Dzungarian Alatau mountain range
which straddles the Kazakh-Chinese border, consisting of peaks that reach a maximum height of
4464m. The geology of our study area consists of sandstones, aleurolites, and schists of the
Devonian and Carboniferous periods. The topography was formed primarily as a result of Cenozoic
tectonic movements, consists of alternating mountain ranges and intermontane basins divided by
steep tectonic scarps. Biogeographically, the mountain slopes below 2500m are heavily vegetated
and contain a great diversity of flora and fauna. Despite, most of the biomass living under snow
and ice for 5 months of the year, biomass is at its climatic climax and genetically diverse leading to
tall species of pine and large mammals such as the Tian Shan Brown Bear inhabiting the area. Most
of the larger species of flora and fauna tend to inhabit the shady areas of the northern facing
slopes that receive less sunlight. Climatically, the area can be described as extreme continental
with winter temperatures dropping to -15°C and summer temperatures in excess of 30°C. The
study area is 1500 miles from the nearest ocean and so this has little influence over the areas
climate.
3.7km
Map: Campsite areas
4
Kazakhstan has a transition economy, that is to say, the country is moving away from its preindependence centrally planned economy to a more free market economy with greater private
ownership. Society is far more conservative than its western counterparts and although strongly
encouraged, English is rarely spoken. Tourists and black ethnic minorities are almost non-existent
and although the cities of Almaty and Astana are showing real cosmopolitan characteristics the
rural areas are still incredibly poor, with high levels of unemployment, poor sanitation and
epidemic levels of corruption. All this taken into account makes for implementing an expedition a
real challenge.
Group members in a Yurt in Taldykorgan. Photo: Niall Currie
5
Vulture survey and bird species altitudinal distribution in
the Western, Dzungarian Alatau mountain range
Introduction
Vulture and species background
Vultures are almost exclusively scavenging species, consuming the soft tissues primarily of ungulates as
well as other large mammals. The old world vultures are members of the family Accipitridae. The species
that have previously been recorded in the Almaty region of Kazakhstan are; Eurasian Griffon vulture (Gyps
fulvus), Himalayan Griffon vulture (Gyps himalayensis), Eurasian Black vulture (Aegyptius monarchus),
Lammergeier or Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) and Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus)
(Katzner & Skylarenko, 2002). Gyps species are colonial nesters and communal feeders; feeding alongside
both conspecific and heterospecific vulture individuals at carcass feeding sites.
Declines, diclofenac and current conservation status
Several species of Gyps vultures were until recently among the most abundant raptors in the world with
widespread distributions and relatively high abundance in suitable habitats. However, massive declines in
at least three Gyps species Gyps bengalensis, Gyps indicus and Gyps tenuirostris endemic to South East Asia
occurred during the mid 1990’s. All three species now appear on the IUCN critically endangered list.
Strong evidence (Green et al 2006) has linked these catastrophic declines with the veterinary, antiinflammatory drug diclofenac sodium (diclofenac), which causes visceral gout and consequently leads to
acute renal failure. Since its introduction to veterinary medicine in India and Pakistan in 1993 diclofenac’s
use became widespread in livestock farming in this region. Experimental studies have proven this link
between diclofenac use and death in these species. Subsequent experimentation has shown that it has
similarly lethal effects in African white-backed vultures and Eurasian griffon vultures. This suggests that
other Gyps vultures and perhaps other closely related species are likely to be susceptible to the effects of
diclofenac contaminated carrion (Swan et al, 2006). Other forms of toxicity and direct persecution have
also impacted on vulture numbers. More diffuse effects are also likely to have contributed to declines in
vulture populations since the second half of the 20th century, including habitat destruction reducing the
abundance of natural prey items and changes to agriculture and animal husbandry reducing livestock
carrion availability (Pain et al, 2003). These potential threats highlight the need for monitoring of other
vulture species in the Central Asian region, which may also be affected either during the breeding season,
or when wintering in south Asia.
Of the species listed above as being potentially present in the study area, Eurasian Black Vultures Aegypius
monachus are at the highest risk, being listed as ‘Near threatened’ by the IUCN (International Union for
Conservation of Nature http://www.iucnredlist.org/). Eurasian Griffon Vultures Gyps fulvus and Himalayan
Griffon Vultures Gyps himalayensis are both in the Least Concern category, although both have
experienced range reductions having become locally extirpated in some areas (Slotta-Bachmayr et al,
2004). However, their total populations have not been accurately assessed and Gyps himalayensis is
poorly studied in comparison to Gyps Fulvus (Xin Lui et al, 2009). Virtually nothing is known about the
conservation status of vultures in the former Soviet countries (Katzner & Sklyarenko, 2002), including the
Dzungarian Mountain Range. Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus are listed as ‘Rare’ on the Kazakh Red Book
(Institute of Zoology, 1996) and Himalayan Griffon vultures are considered ‘Vulnerable’ but there is
currently a lack of data available to base this status on.
6
Other bird species
Little is known about the presence and distribution of the avifauna of the Dzungarian Alatau Mountains.
Altitude affects bird distribution by determining the structure of ecological communities. This is thought to
be caused in three main ways: firstly by causing sudden differences in habitat type, secondly by gradual
changes in environmental parameters along a gradient and thirdly competition (Terborgh, 1971; Terborgh
& Weske, 1975).
The main threats to virtually all birds of Kazakhstan are land use changes, hunting and disturbance.
Hunting of a wide range of bird species is a common pursuit with variable levels of regulation and
enforcement for many species (Chemonics International Inc., 2001).
Objectives
Here we present the results of a survey conducted in the Western section of the Dzungarian Alatau
mountain range. Our objectives were 1) to produce baseline counts of vultures present in this area and 2)
to produce an inventory of all bird species encountered during fieldwork and their related altitudinal
distributions. Due to the continuation of traditional livestock rearing methods and the relative lack of
human disturbance, it was expected that healthy vulture populations would be found in this area.
Fieldwork took place between 10th July and 6th August 2010 with fieldwork taking place on 19 days.
Methods
Aim 1: Vulture counts
Trekking transects were used to record vulture species and other raptors encountered. As vulture populations are
of low density the aim was to cover as much ground as possible although this proved difficult due to
challenging terrain and access problems. The study aimed to cover as many habitat types as possible,
however this was limited by logistical constraints. Transects were further split into 500m sections. Counts
of raptor species were recorded opportunistically whilst scanning the sky when walking along a path
transect. Species, number, age class (adult/sub-adult/juvenile/unknown) and direction along with
estimated distance were recorded for each sighting. Griffon vulture age was determined by general body
colour, bill colour and shape of ruff feathers (Blanco and Martinez 1996, Elosegi 1989). The position of all
sightings of raptor species were marked with GPS units and routes walked were tracked. Counts did not
take place in conditions of high wind or heavy rain and days of unsuitable weather were removed from the
encounter rate data where indicated. Sampling was conducted between 9.30 - 18.00 on days with fair
weather, since vultures require thermals to soar. Different routes were walked each day, attempting to
avoid double counting. Routes were chosen with no bias to number of sightings of vultures and tried to
cover all possible directions radiating from each campsite.
Distant raptors were identified using binoculars and a high quality spotting scope using The Collins Bird
Guide 2nd Edition and The Princeton Birds of East Asia. ‘The birds of Kazakhstan’ (Wassink, A. & Oreel, G.
J. (2007), ISBN 978-90-811462-1-0, ordered at www.birdsofkazakhstan.com) was used for species
distribution information. Where possible, photos of raptors were taken to allow confirmation of
identification at a later time.
Observations were made by 3 team members and identification and age class were determined by the
team member with the most ornithological experience (Hugh Hanmer). Other team member recorded
sightings and GPS data.
7
While the team rested at the end of each transect, point counts were conducted from high vantage points,
which generally >270 degree views. From distance and direction data, vulture encounter positions could
be plotted.
Double counting
Double counting was expected to be the greatest problem for gaining accurate counts especially for
walking transects. Splitting the study area into habitat types, and clearly defined 500m transect sections,
help to reduce this as each section should be reasonably independent of double counts. Point counts
conducted from vantage points give a better indication of typical foraging behaviour and may indicate the
likelihood of double counting on walking routes. Additional information such as time sighted, flock size,
age class (adult or juvenile), condition, height, speed and flight direction were recorded and used to
distinguish between individuals to some extent (Viriani et al, 2008). This allowed informed decisions to be
made about the likelihood of the bird being the same or a different individual. The time interval between
successive sightings was also important in this respect. For example if a vulture appeared from the
direction another vulture disappeared from within 15 minutes previously and it appears indistinguishable
from the first, then there would be a strong case for not recording this second sighting. Double counting
will in any case similarly affect other subsequent surveys using this technique, so will give comparable data
allowing future population trends to be assessed.
Data analysis
Due to difficult terrain and highly variable visibility depending on altitude and location, vulture encounter
rate was more dependent on time rather than distant travelled. Therefore data displayed in based on
encounter rate per day. Although fieldwork still took place on some days with weather conditions
unsuitable for vulture activity, these days were removed from the analysis. Weather was recorded on each
day and those with high cloud cover or rain and low air temperature were discounted.
Interviews of locals
When the opportunity arose, locals were questioned on possible sightings of vultures and their attitude to
vultures and the local use of Diclofenac. This provided some indication of breeding sites, seasonal trends
and changes over time and direct human influence on vulture abundance (see questionnaire). This data
has been treated with caution.
Aim 2: Species list and MacKinnon Lists
A Species list was produced based on opportunistic sightings of all bird species along the route. The study
area was split into different habitat types and altitudinal zones. MacKinnon lists were produced in each
study area, providing data on species present and relative abundance. A list of 10 species was recorded in
order they were observed. Each species was only recorded once per list even if multiple individuals were
sighted. This allowed the commonness of species to be assessed. MacKinnon Lists have the benefit over
timed bird counts in reducing variability in data caused by observer skill and walking speed. A minimum of
10 lists were completed for each study area. Lists were recorded at different times of day in each habitat
to reduce time of day effects. A mixture of walking counts and point counts were used to produce lists.
Where paths covered several altitudinal zones, species that had already been noted in each zone were
listed separately to determine altitudinal distributions.
Data analysis
A species accumulation curve was generated by adding those species not recorded on any previous list to
the total species number. This number was then plotted as a function of list number to produce an
indication of whether the complete bird assemblage was being approached in the list of species recorded.
8
Species boundaries were ascertained simply by using the minimum and maximum altitudes that each
species was observed at. This data only included altitude of the observer and not the soaring height of
raptors. The mechanism behind this i.e. competition or environmental factors is beyond the scope of this
project and has not been investigated.
The Mackinnon commonness index was produced by calculating the mean MacKinnon List rank for each
species across all the lists comprising of 10 species sightings. Percentage of lists that each species
appeared in was also calculated.
Results
Vultures/raptors
Three different species of vulture were encountered in the study; Lammergier Gypaetus barbatus,
Himalyan Griffon Gyps himalayensis and Eurasian Black Vulture Aegyptius monarchus. Vultures were
encountered at ten separate sites and these locations have been mapped onto figure 1. Himalayan Griffon
Vultures were encountered most frequently, with 78 sightings in total over nine out of the ten sights.
Lammergiers were encountered the least frequently with only two being seen over two sites. Six Eurasian
Black vultures were seen in total over two sites.
At one site all three vulture species were seen together, indicating that they can co-occur in close
proximity. Despite having slightly different food resource niches, competition is known to exist in Europe
over nest sites between Eurasian Griffons Gyps Himalayensis and both Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus
and Eurasian Black vultures Aegyptius monarchus (Katzner et al, 2004). All age classes of Himalayan
Griffon vultures were sighted (Table 1); juvenile, sub-adult and adult. One of the two Lammergiers seen
was identified as a juvenile and one of the five Eurasian Black vultures seen was a sub-adult.
Table 1. Total vulture sightings and ages
The total number of each vulture species sighted, split by age class.
Species
Lammergier Vulture
Himalyan Griffon Vulture
Eurasian Black Vulture
Juvenile
1
7
-
Sub-adult
4
1
9
Age class
Adult
Age unknown
1
8
59
5
Total sightings
2
78
6
3.2km
Figure 1. Study area
The four campsites and hotel Isbek are labelled and denoted by dark circles. The vulture sighting locations are
denoted by light circles and labelled VS1-10.
Table 2. Vulture sightings
The date and time of each sighting along with the number and species of vulture seen. The sighting locations refer to
figure 1. PC = point count location.
Date of
sighting
(dd/mm/yy)
12/07/10
14/07/10
Time of sighting
(24hr clock)
No. of vultures
Vulture species
Location on figure 1
08:53
12:27 – 15:26
09:37
09:48 – 12:07
11:12
09:30 – 13:45
14:05
09:35
11:42 – 15:08
14:51
16:10
14:33 – 15:16
09:22
Himalayan Griffon
Himalayan Griffon
Eurasian Black
Himalayan Griffon
Himalayan Griffon
Himalayan Griffon
Himalayan Griffon
Lammergier
Himalayan Griffon
Himalayan Griffon
Lammergier
Eurasian Black
Himalayan Griffon
Himalayan Griffon
VS1
VS2 - PC
15/07/10
15/07/10
20/07/10
27/07/10
28/07/10
29/07/10
29/07/10
3
26
5
2
9
2
10
1
1
11
1
1
8
6
03/08/10
06/08/10
10
VS3
VS4 - PC
VS5
VS6 - PC
VS7
VS6
VS8 - PC
VS9 – PC
VS10
Vulture sightings were highly heterogeneous in their distribution (Fig. 1), with several sightings containing
the majority of the individuals seen. These sites appeared to be in areas of good thermal uplift where
soaring behaviour was observed.
Table 3. Raptors encountered
Mean daily raptor encounter rate by species per camp site study area +/- Standard Error and total number of
encounters. Target species (vultures) in bold. It should be noted that the mean Gyps himalayensis encounter rate is
inflated by the group of 26 individuals encountered on 14/07/10.
Species
Lammergier
Gypaetus barbatus
Himalyan Griffon Vulture
Gyps himalayensis
Eurasian Black Vulture
Aegyptius monarchus
Golden Eagle
Aquila chrysaytos
Short toed Eagle
Circaetus gallicus
Booted Eagle
Aquila pennata
Black Kite
Milvus migrans
Hen Harrier
Circus cyaneus
Long legged Buzzard
Buteo rufinus
Steppe Buzzard
Buteo buteo vulpinus
Eurasian sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisus
Common Kestrel
Falco tinnumculus
Eurasian Hobby
Falco Subbuteo
Barbary Falcon
Falco pelegrinoides
Merlin
Falco columbarius
Camp
1
Camp
2
Camp
3
Camp
4
0.00
0.00
0.40
0.00
10.00
0.67
2.00
0.00
1.25
0.00
0.40
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.20
0.00
0.00
0.20
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.20
0.00
4.00
2.40
3.80
5.40
2.00
0.60
0.20
0.00
0.50
0.20
0.20
0.00
1.00
1.20
2.00
3.60
0.75
0.00
1.60
0.00
0.50
6.40
3.80
2.40
0.00
0.40
1.00
0.20
0.50
0.00
0.20
0.00
0.00
0.20
0.00
0.00
Overall
mean
0.20
0.20
5.20
5.20
0.47
0.47
0.06
0.06
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.07
3.89
3.89
0.63
0.63
0.21
0.21
0.20
0.20
0.73
0.73
3.42
3.42
0.42
0.42
0.20
2.00
0.05
0.05
SE +/-
Total
Encounters
0.09
2
1.86
78
0.35
7
0.06
1
0.07
3
0.07
1
0.64
74
0.27
12
0.11
4
0.57
38
0.41
11
0.86
65
0.19
8
0.11
3
0.05
1
In addition to focusing on vulture species, all raptor sightings were recorded (Table 3). Kestrel Falco
tinnumculus, Black Kite Milvus migrans and Steppe Buzzard Buteo buteo vulpinus sightings were numerous
with sightings of these species on most field days.
Other species
A total of 78 species (Appendix 1) were recorded in the study area. Species number continued to increase
with the cumulative number of Mackinnon Lists. This was partly due to coverage of new habitats in each
new study area (Fig. 2). The first few lists in each new study area saw a sharp rise in species discovery,
although this was least pronounced in the last camp. Area 4 also experienced a levelling off of new
species. This suggests that most species present were encountered in the habitats covered, although it
was not possible to access the higher altitude areas of the mountain which may been inhabited by more
specialist species not found elsewhere.
11
Graph 1. Species accumulation curve
The cumulative number of species plotted against the cumulative number of Mackinnon Lists split into the four
different study areas with differing habitat.
Black kites Milvus migrans were the most commonly sighted species (Table 4) and Himalayan Griffon
Vultures Gyps himalyensis had the 9th highest encounter rate.
Vulture sighting. Photo: Hugh Hamner.
12
Table 4. 20 most common species
The 20 most common species recorded in order of commonness rank calculated from Mackinnon Lists. % of lists
sighted gives an indication of commonness but ranking was calculated by finding the mean rank in each Mackinnon
list recorded. Vulture species are shown in red and other raptor species in blue. The percentage of lists containing
the two other vulture species is also shown for comparison.
13
Species (common name)
Species (scientific name)
Black Kite
Common Kestrel
European Goldfinch
Carrion Crow
Steppe Buzzard
Grey Wagtail
Eastern Stonechat
Hen Harrier
Himalayan Griffon Vulture
Greenish Warbler
Oriental Turtle Dove
Black-Billed Magpie
Common Rosefinch
Eurasian Hobby
Common Redstart
Hume's Leaf Warbler
Red-headed bunting
Black Stork
Long-legged buzzard
Great Grey Shrike
Milvus migrans
Falco tinnumculus
Carduelis carduelis
Corvus corone
Buteo buteo vulpinus
Motacilla cinerea
Saxicola torquatus maurus
Circus cyaneus
Gyps himalayensis
Phylloscopus trochiloides
Streptopelia orientalis
Pica pica
Carpodacus erythrimus
Falco Subbuteo
Phoenicurus phoenicurus
Phylloscopus humei
Emberiza bruniceps
Ciconia nigra
Buteo rufinus
Lanius Major
% of lists sighted
68.33
55.00
50.00
48.33
41.67
31.67
25.00
26.67
21.67
16.67
23.33
20.00
20.00
13.33
13.33
13.33
13.33
11.67
8.33
10.00
Gypaetus barbatus
Aegyptius monarchus
5.00
5.00
Other vulture species
Lammergeier
Eurasian Black Vulture
No vultre species were encountered below 1500m (Fig. 3). Certain species such as Moticilla personata
were restricted to riparian habitat and therefore distribution may have been influenced more directly by
habitat availability. Some species were fairly ubiquitous across altitudes including Carrion Crow Corvus
corone, and Eastern Stonechat Saxicola torquatus maurus.
14
Graph 2. Maximum and minimum altitudes of species encounters. Does not include species only encountered once. Maximum height reached 2586m minimum
1100m
15
Discussion
Aim 1: Vultures counts
Carcass feeding sites
No carcass feeding sites were encountered during the expedition. It is however possible that more vultures
may have been present around the higher pastures which we could not reach. From interviews with locals
it was ascertained that much of the grazing at this time was taking place on high altitude pasture and
therefore carcass feeding sites may have been in these areas since livestock carrion is likely to make up a
large percentage of the diet of all three vulture species encountered (Heredia, 1996; Lu et al 2009;
Margalida et al, 2009).
Breeding sites and age structure
No breeding sites were found, although it is likely that these would be found at higher altitude in rockier
regions deeper in the mountain range since cliffs and gorges are typical nesting sites for all 3 species.
Lammergeier are particularly associated with cliffs and high altitude rocky mountainous terrain. Interviews
with locals suggested that Lammergeier nesting sites were known at higher altitude locations but this
information must be treated with caution as it was not possible to confirm these sites. It is also likely that
chicks of all three species would have fledged the breeding sites by the time of the fieldwork in July and
August making the detectibility of nesting sites low while they were unoccupied.
Vulture sightings were often from a long distance away, making judgment of age classes difficult even with
the use of a telescope. Where age could be determined, a large proportion of the Himalayan Griffon
Vultures Gyps himalayensis, were determined as sub-adults or juveniles. This suggests that this species
may be breeding successfully in the Dzungarian Mountain region studied. There were too few sightings of
the other vulture species for any inferences about their population structure to be made. However the
Gyps himalayensis individuals whose age could be determined suggested a high proportion of juveniles and
sub-adults in the population.
Distribution and population size
The main sightings were in areas where thermal uplifts formed and soaring behaviour or grouping on the
ground around these sites was observed in Gyps Himalyensis and Aegyptius monarchus. Several of the
sightings involved individuals engaged in foraging behaviour.
The lowest vulture encounter rate per day was at the Chazha study area (Area 2, Fig. 1). This may have
been because it was too near the edge of the mountain range to have a large vulture presence, although it
may also have been due to the number of days of unsuitable weather for vulture foraging. There may be
low food availability of natural prey in this area as a result of greater exploitation by man although cattle
were present here. Not enough data was collected to determine which explanation might account for the
lower encounter rate. The altitude in itself should not have prevented vulture presence, since in SouthEast Asia Gyps Himalyensis has been observed at elevations at 600m (Yong Ding Li & Kazorndorkbua, 2008)
which is well below the height of Area 2. Power lines were present in this area and may have discouraged
large raptors flying low.
Habitats at higher altitude were not surveyed because of the logistical difficulties of travel, so it was not
possible to produce an abundance estimate for any of the vulture species encountered. Distance being
surveyed also varied greatly throughout the day since point counts took place at high vantage points,
whereas data was still collected on route where visibility was far poorer. This makes it difficult to produce
a reliable encounter rate per km figure. Since all habitat types and altitudinal bands were not surveyed it
16
would be inappropriate to extrapolate the vulture abundance seen in the study area to a larger section of
the Dzungarian Alatau mountain range.
The only possible population estimate that can be suggested is the maximum number of individuals of each
species encountered at one time, since it is possible that all the other Gyps Himalyensis encounters on
other days were in fact re-sightings of the same individuals. However this is likely to give a very
conservative number. Radio tracking studies (Xirouchakis & Andreou, 2009) have shown that the better
studied Gyps fulvus can cover a foraging range of 390–1300 km2 , So Gyps himalayensis is likely to be
similar The mean home range of young Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus was 4,932 sq km (Heredia &
Heredia, 1997) so all our study sites were easily within the foraging range of both species. 26 Gyps
himalayensis were seen in one location as were 5 Aegyptius monarchus. Gypaetus barbatus sightings
were of single individuals. The low abundance of the latter is expected since Lammergeir are known to
hold territories of up to 500 sq km in summer in the Alps. One of the sightings was identified as a juvenile,
which is congruent with the fact young disperse widely and may travel large distances from natal nesting
sites. Whereas the adults control the same territories year round and would be expected to be found in
optimal nesting habitat. Such habitat was not covered in this study which was on the periphery of the main
mountain range. Reports from locals suggested that a healthy population existed towards more rugged
peaks.
As no previous baseline population estimate has been ventured for the Dzungarian Alatau Mountains it is
not possible to determine whether population changes in vulture numbers have occurred. However,
anecdotal evidence from the small number of locals questioned suggests that no decline has been
experienced. In fact one herder interviewed thought that overall numbers had increased over the last 5-10
years. The vulture species that interviewees claimed to have seen concurred with our sightings.
Threats and conservation
As well as habitat destruction and changes to farming methods, common cause of decline for many of red
listed birds, especially in raptor species is shooting by poachers, electrocution on electrical transmission
lines for larger birds, which were present in some areas of the study (Chemonics International Inc., 2001).
Electricity pylons were found in Area 2, which may have some impact on the populations of large bird
species in the area.
Diclofenac, changes in farming methods and habitat destruction
Diclofenac did not appear to be in use in the area studied as far as could be determined. No vultures seen
displayed neck droop, or any other signs of ill health. A local vet interviewed in Tekeli was not aware of its
use in the region. However, government vets rather than private businesses deal with cattle inoculations
and treatment. Still, it is likely that Diclofenac has not been widely used in this area for economic and
cultural regions. Livestock herding has retained its traditional practices, with herders living in yurts in the
mountain pastures during the summer month. It appears that the mountainous topography has not
allowed intensification of livestock farming methods. A new threat to vulture populations for the species
affected by Diclofenac as Ketroprofen has emerged as a second livestock drug with toxic side effects to
scavengers (Taggart et al, 2009). The extent of this problem appears to be far more limited since
Ketroprofen is not used nearly as extensively and there is no evidence to suggest it is in use in the area
studied.
The local geography has probably also protected against habitat loss and mining activities that took place
at the edge of the mountains during the Soviet era largely appear to have ceased.
17
Hunting
Hunting is a popular activity in Kazakhstan involving all sizes of birds and many mammal species as quarry.
Interviews revealed that it is illegal for locals to hunt birds in the study area, but permits can be obtained
by tourists for certain species. When a herder was asked whether he hunted vultures, he replied no, but
revealed that he would like to if it was not illegal to do so. Another herder told us that some occasional
hunting of vultures still takes place for use of their organs in traditional medicine. There was no evidence
of vultures being persecuted as pests like certain vulture species are in other parts of the world. It
therefore appears that laws are helping to protect vulture populations to some extent and that hunting in
the region is at a low and probably sustainable level. Still, some occasional hunting for use of organs in
traditional medicine takes place. There was no evidence of vultures being persecuted as pests like certain
vulture species are in other parts of the world.
In conclusion, it appears that vultures and other raptor species do not face the same threats as populations
in other nearby mountain ranges as reported by Katzner & Skylarenko (2002). The daily encounter rate
and peak counts suggest healthy populations of both vultures and other raptor species encountered in the
study area.
Aim 2: Avifauna encountered
The Mackinnon List Commonness index appears to show bias towards raptor species. Reasons for this may
include conspicuousness of these species due to size and height of flight. Bias towards soaring species may
have arisen from focus on the sky and speed of walking because of the main study objective. A lack of bird
identification experience in some expedition members could also have reduced the probability of small
species being observed and identified. However, many raptor species forage widely across many habitats
giving such species a higher probability of being encountered on many occasions than those species that
are restricted to one particular habitat type or narrow altitude band. Recording times were mainly aimed
at Vulture peak activity times which are during mid day, which tends to be a time of low activity for many
smaller species. Sampling was especially likely to miss nocturnal species, for example only one encounter
of each of the two owl species was recorded. The expedition did not reach high enough altitudes to find
upper limits of some species.
The results indicate the high abundance and ubiquity across habitats (Appendix 3) of several raptor species
as well as several other generalists. Some IUCN Red List ‘Near Threatened’ species were encountered
(Eurasian Black Vulture; Aegyptius monarchus and European Roller; Coracias garrulus), as well as Kazakh
Red Book endangered (Category 1 and 2) species such as Barbary Falcon Falco pelegrinoides and Shorttoed Eagle Circaetus gallicus, demonstrating the importance of the Dzungarian Alatau Mountains as a
breeding stronghold for threatened species.
18
References
Chemonics International Inc. (2001). Biodiversity Assessment for Kazakhstan Available at:
http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNACN468.pdf. Last accessed 12/08/11.
Heredia, B. (1996) Action plan for the Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) in Europe. Available at
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/conservation/wildbirds/action_plans/docs/aegypius_monachus.
pdf. Last accessed 13/08/11.
Ed.s Heredia, R. & Heredia, B. (1997). European Union Species Action Plan for the Lammergeier (Gypaetus
barbatus). Available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/conservation/wildbirds/action_plans/docs/gypaetus_barbatus.p
df. Last accessed 12/08/11
Institute of Zoology (1996). Kazakh Red List. http://www.redbookkz.info/list.php?taxon=302&lang=en.
Last accessed 12/08/11.
Katzner, T. & Sklyarenko, S. (2002) Conservation Status of Griffon and other Vultures in Central Asia. Pp 1417 In: Katzner, T. & Parry-Jones, J. (Eds.) THE NATIONAL BIRDS OF PREY CENTRE REPORTS FROM THE
WORKSHOP: CONSERVATION OF GYPS VULTURES IN ASIA 24-28 September 2002. Available at:
http://www.aviary.org/cons/pdf/Vulture%20Workshop%20Reports%20NAOC_2002.pdf. Last accessed
12/08/11.
Katzner, T., Hsun Lai, C., Gardiner, J.D., Foggin, M.J., Pearson, D. & Smith, A.T. (2004). Adjacent nesting by
Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus and Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis on the Tibetan Plateau, China.
Forktail 20.
Margalida, A., Bertran, J. & Heredia, R. (2009). Diet and food preferences of the endangered
Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus: a basis for their conservation. Ibis: 151, Pp 235-243.
Pain, D. J, .A. A. Cunningham, P. F. Donald, J. W. Duckworth, D. C. Houston, T. Katzner, J. Parry-Jones, C.
Poole, V. Prakash, P. Round, R. Timmins. (2003) Causes and Effects of Temporospatial Declines of
Gyps Vultures in Asia. Conservation Biology Volume 17:3
Slotta-Bachmayr, L., Bogel, R. and Camina Cardinal, A. (2004). The Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus fulvus) in
Europe and the Mediterranean: Status report and action plan. East European / Mediterranean Griffon
Vulture Working Group.
Swan, E. G., Cuthbert, R., Quevedo, M., Green, R. E., Pain, D. J., Bartels, P., Cunningham, A., Duncan, N.,
Meharg, A. A., Oaks, L., Parry-Jones, J., Shultz, S., Taggart, M. A., Verdoorn, G. and Wolter, K. (2006)
Toxicity of diclofenac to Gyps vultures. Biology Letters 2: 279–282
Blackwell Publishin
Taggart, M. A., Leon Venter, L., Cuthbert, R., Naidoo, V., Wolter, K., Cromarty, D., Diekmann, M., Duncan,
N., Meharg, A. A. (2009). Toxicity of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to Gyps vultures: a new threat
from ketoprofen. Biology Letters. Available at:
http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2009/12/04/rsbl.2009.0818.full.html. Last accessed
12/08/11.
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Terborgh, J. (1971). Distribution on environmental gradients: theory and a preliminary interpretation of
distributional patterns in the avifauna of the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Peru. Ecology 52:23-40.
Terborgh, J. & Weske, J. S. (1975). The role of competition in the distribution of Andean birds. Ecology
56:562-576
Viriani M., Giri, J., Watson R., Baral H. (2008) Surveys of Himalayan Vultures (Gyps Himalayensis) in the
Annapurna Conservation Area, Mustang, Nepal. Journal of Raptor Research 42(3): 197-203.
Xin Lu, Dianhua Ke, Xianhai Zeng, Guohong Gong, and Ren Ci. (2009). Status, Ecology, and Conservation of
the Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis (Aves, Accipitridae) in the Tibetan Plateau. AMBIO: A Journal of
the Human Environment 38(3):166-173
Xirouchakis, S. M.& Andreou, G. (2009) Foraging Behaviour and Flight Characteristics of Eurasian Griffons
Gyps fulvus in the Island of Crete, Greece. Wildlife Biology 15(1):37-52
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20
Scientific Report Appendices
Appendix 1
List of species recorded with IUCN and Kazakh conservation status
Common name
Scientific name
IUCN redlist
status
Chukar Partridge
Common Pheasant
Black Stork
Lammergeier
Himalayan Griffon Vulture
Eurasian Black Vulture
Golden Eagle
Short-toed Eagle
Booted Eagle
Black Kite
Hen Harrier
Long-legged buzzard
Steppe Buzzard
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Common Kestrel
Eurasian Hobby
Barbary Falcon
Merlin
Alectoris chukar
Phasianus colchicus
Ciconia nigra
Gypaetus barbatus
Gyps himalayensis
Aegyptius monarchus
Aquila chrysaytos
Circaetus gallicus
Aquila pennata
Milvus migrans
Circus cyaneus
Buteo rufinus
Buteo buteo vulpinus
Accipiter nisus
Falco tinnumculus
Falco Subbuteo
Falco pelegrinoides
Falco columbarius
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Near threatened
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Demiselle Crane
Little Ringed Plover
Common Sandpiper
Common Tern
Feral Pigeon
Wood Pigeon
Oriental Turtle Dove
Common Cuckoo *
Short-eared Owl
Scops Owl
Common Swift
Eurasian Hoopoe
European Bee-eater
European Roller
Great Spotted
Woodpecker
Eurasian Skylark
Eurasian Craig Martin
Barn Swallow
Common House Martin
Tawny Pipit
Water Pipit
Tree Pipit
Masked Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
Grus virgo
Charadrius dubius
Actitis hypoleucos
Sterna hirundo
Columba livia (domesticus)
Colunba palumbus
Streptopelia orientalis
Cuculus canorus*
Asio flammeus
Otus scops
Apus apus
Upupa epops
Merops apiaster
Coracias garrulus
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Near threatened
Dendrocopos major
Alauda arbensis
Ptyonoprogne rupestris
Hirundo rustica
Delichon urbicum
Anthus camestris
Anthus spinoletta
Anthus trivialis
Motacilla personata
Motacilla cinerea
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
21
Red list of Kazakhstan status
Not red listed
Not red listed
rare (Category III)
rare (Category III)
vulnerable (Category IV)
Not red listed
rare (Category III)
endangered (Category II)
rare (Category III)
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
endangered (Category I)
Not red listed
out of danger (Category V) previously threatened
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
White-throated Dipper
Cinclus cinclus
Common Redstart
Phoenicurus phoenicurus
Blue Capped Redstart
Phoenicurus caeruleocephalus
Northern Wheatear
Oenanthe oenanthe
Isabelline Wheatear
Oenanthe isabellina
Pied Wheatear
Oenanthe pleschanka
Eastern Stonechat
Saxicola torquatus maurus
Mistle Thrush
Turdus viscivorus
Blackbird
Turdus merula
Lesser Whitethroat
Sylvia curruca
Eastern Orphean Warbler
Sylvia crassirostris
Blyth's Reed Warbler
Actrocephalus dumetroum
Booted Warbler
Hippolais caligata
Common Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybita
Greenish Warbler
Phylloscopus trochiloides
Hume's Leaf Warbler
Phylloscopus humei
Northern Wren
Trogglodytes trogglodytes
Spotted Flycatcher
Nuscicapa striata
Turkistan Tit
Parus bokharensis
Coal Tit
Peripars ater
Azure tit
Cyanistes cyanus
Great Grey Shrike
Lanius Major
Black-Billed Magpie
Pica pica
Carrion Crow
Corvus corone
Common Raven
Corvus corax
Common Myna
Acridotheres tristis
Golden Oriole
Oriolus oriolus
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanus
Common Linnet
Carduelis cannabina
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelis
Common Rosefinch
Carpodacus erythrimus
Red-headed bunting
Emberiza bruniceps
Corn Bunting
Embriza calandra
Rock Bunting
Embriza cia
Meadow Bunting
Emberiza cioides
Total species encountered 78
* may not be separable from Oriental Cuckoo from brief
observations
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
Least concern
22
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Not red listed
Appendix 2
Species list including altitude range and habitat
Species
Black grouse
chucka partridge
Black stork
Lamergeier
Alt (m) highest
1650
1568
1290
2525
Alt (m) lowest
1538
1110
1800
Open woodland
Grassland
Next to river
Grassland
Himalayan griffon vulture
2087
1286
Pine woodland slope (open)
Black vulture
Golden eagle
Short toed eagle
booted eagle
2525
1404
2087
1318
1800
1404
1500
1318
Open grass
Black kite
2087
1234
Hen Harrier
1800
1234
long legged buzzard
2087
2087
Steppe Buzzard
Sparrow Hawk
2103
2087
1238
1803
Deep Grass
Meadow
Open grass
Grassland
Pine woodland slope (open)
Kestrel
2087
1187
Grassland
River shrubs
Hobby
Merlin
Peregrine falcon
Little ringed plover
Common sandpiper
Common tern
Feral pigeon
Wood pigeon
Turtle doves
2087
1234
1900
1335
1381
1500
1525
1748
2499
1234
1234
1553
Next to river
Oriental turtle dove
1870
1110
Common cuckoo
Scops owl
Common swift
2231
1650
2129
1110
1500
1116
1116
Habitat
Pine woodland slope (open)
Shrubland (juniper)
Mixed pine and birch woodland
Open grass
On ridge
Ridge
Grassy hilltop
Grass hill slope
Grass slope
Grassland, Open birch woodland, River woodland, Next to river, Grass slope, Grass Plateau, Riverine
Meadow
Deep grass
Open grass
Open grass
23
Grassland
Pine Woodland
Trees
River
Shrubland (juniper)
next to river
Grass slope
Trees
Pine forest
Craggy top
Open woodland
Next to river
Next to river
Grass
Pine woodland slope (open)
open wood
Grass slope
2129
23
Deep grass
Grassland
Next to river
Grassland/river habitat
Grassland
Riverine woodland
Riverine woodland
Grass
Steep grassland
Riverine
Riverine
Hoopoe
Eurasian roller
Greater spotted woodpecker
Skylark
Crag martins
Barn swallow
Housemartin
Red throated pippit
Tawny Pippit
Tree pipit
Masked wagtail
Motacilla personnata (wagtail)
Grey wagtail
Dipper
Redstart
Northern wheater
Isabelline Wheatear
Pied wheater
Eastern stonechat
Stonechat
1642
1346
2029
1334
2129
1337
2314
1292
1846
2129
1425
1404
1821
1210
2388
2574
1530
2129
1953
2574
1318
1185
Open grass
mixed pine and birch forest
Mistle thrush
1318
1185
Common white thrush
Rock thrush
Black throated thrush
Black bird
Lesser white throat
1425
1753
2423
1587
1320
1569
1320
Grassland
Grass slope
Blythes reed warbler
1630
1569
Deep grass
Grassland
Eastern Orphean Warbler
1334
1334
Greenish Warbler
Booted warbler
Greenish warbler
Humes leaf warbler
Common white throat
Wren
Winter wren
2011
1320
1320
2252
1320
1778
2011
1238
Grassland
Grassland
1425
Habitat shrubby slope
Habitat shrubby slope
Pine woodland slope (open)
Grassland
Riverine woodland
Riverine
Grassland
Grass slope
1337
1550
1319
1425
1345
1318
1110
1111
1320
2565
1317
2087
1319
1178
Grassland
Grassland
Grass slope
River habitat
Grassland
open woodland
shrubby woodland
Riverine
next to river
next to river
Habitat shrubby slope
24
Grassland
Grass slope
Grassland
Grassland
Grassland (riverine)
Next to river
Meadow
Grassland
River habitat
Grassland
Open grass
Mixed pine and birch forest
24
Flycatcher
Turkistan tit
Coal tit
Azure tit
Greater grey shrike
Magpie
Carrion crow
Common mya
Golden oriole
Eurasian tree sparrow
tree sparrow
1849
1548
1970
1649
1348
1368
2423
1338
1210
1329
1341
Linnet
2574
1265
Grassland
Goldfinch
Common rose finch
Red headed bunting
Corn bunting
Rock bunting
Meadow bunting
2423
2556
2314
1219
1320
1219
1210
1425
1219
1219
1110
1219
Meadow
Open grass
Grassland
Grassland
Open Grass
Grassland
1303
1748
1425
1232
1110
1110
1337
1146
Meadow
Pine woodland slope (open)
Grassland
Next to river
Meadow
Grassland
Grassland
Next to river
Grassland
Next to river
Grass slope
Riverine woodland
River habitat
Shrubby slope
25
Grassland/river habitat
Closed woodland
25
Appendix 3
Questionnaire of locals data recording sheet
Date:
Place (including GPS coordinates):
Occupation of interviewee:
Have you seen vultures:
Show picture of each vulture species from bird identification books
Have you seen any of these species (varieties)?
How certain are you it was that species (variety)?
Year(s):
Months present:
How long have you lived here?
Have you noticed a change in vulture numbers in the last 5 years?
Do you know if the drug Diclofenac has been used to treat cattle?
Which medicines are used for cattle here?
Do people hunt/catch/poison vultures?
General attitude towards vultures:
26
Administration and Logistics
To make the expedition possible we met with our two translators; Elmira Kerimbayeva (19) and
Aizhan Abdrakhman (19), both students at the Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics
and Strategic Research (KIMEP). They helped translate both the Kazakh and Russian language
during our 6 week stay and proved invaluable on the expedition.
Our expedition brought us to the Almaty Province in Kazakhstan. It is a large province covering
224,000 square kilometres and home to 1.6 million people, of which most live in the city of
Almaty. Almaty is a large cosmopolitan city and an economic hub of the country. In the summer,
the city is very warm and thick with smog, however when it clears the snow-capped Tian Shan
mountains provide a stunning backdrop. Almaty is a useful base to launch expeditions from.
The Almaty Province has a wide variety of terrain, varying from alpine style mountains, low lying
deltas, large lakes and grassy steppe. A 5 hour drive from Almaty to Taldykorgan will show you
almost all of the types of terrain that exist in this part of Kazakhstan.
With the exception of Almaty, Taldykorgan is the regions largest settlement and is one of the
better kept settlements in Kazakhstan. We spent a day visiting this town of 141,000 people and
built upon an economy manufacturing industries. This town is useful for an expedition due to its
good medical facilities and proximity to the expedition area.
Tekeli, like Fort William or Aviemore,
provides a gateway to the mountains.
Although unlike Fort William or
Aviemore, this is not a town set up
for tourists. It is set in a pleasant
location
at the foot of the mountains however
its past industrial woes are all too
apparent giving Tekeli a rather run
down feel. However, basic services
are plentiful and quick to find in the
centre of town.
Right: Market day in Tekeli. Photo:
Niall Currie
Permission and Permits
Visas: A 30 day tourist visa can be obtained from Kazakh embassies within the UK or at Almaty
airport upon arrival. Visas for longer than 30 days proved difficult for us to find. As our trip was for
41 days we ended up getting double entry tourist visas, which allowed us to stay for two 30 day
periods. We obtained the visas from the consulate in Aberdeen. Double entry visas meant we had
to leave the country after 30 days, we obtained Chinese visas from the consulate in Edinburgh and
passed into China via the land border at Khorgos, north of Almaty. This was an inconvenience that
we could not avoid.
Once in the country you must register your location with the local immigration police within five
days of arrival. This is done automatically upon entry into Almaty airport. When entering
Kazakhstan from China via the land border, we were given five days to register with the
27
Taldykorgan immigration police and the owner of hotel Isbek in Tekeli aided us with this process.
Permits: To travel within the
Dzungarian mountain range you
are required to have a border
permit due to the proximity to the
Chinese border. We sought border
permits before entering the country.
Jibek Joly, a tourist company we had
contact with prior to arrival, had
organised permits and the initial
plan was to pay them only for the
border permits and then to stay in
our chosen accommodation. When
in country it became apparent that
if we were to receive the permits from
Jibek Joly, we would have to stay in
Kazakhstan visa
accommodation provided by one of their contacts.
This accommodation was too expensive for our
budget and we had already organised accommodation with a hotel in Tekeli named Isbek. After
talking with the owner of hotel Isbek via telephone we were assured she could provide us with
border permits via a local permit enforcer who was an acquaintance of hers.
This is a shortened version of the process that took place and we can be contacted for further
details if you are interested.
28
Accounts
Group expenditure
Group Equipment
Medical kit (update from ExpAnd kit, initial
cost around £600)
£38.38
Satellite phone hire
Bird identification book
£400.00
£20.00
Travel
Insurance (personal)
Flights (personal)
Visas (In country)
Field Expenses
Almaty hotel (9 nights)
China hotel
Food (outwith field centre)
Tekeli hotel food and board (29 nights)
Guide
Transport
Translators wage
Jibek Joly invitation fee
ATM fees
Thank you gifts from Scotland
Postcards and postage
Post Expedition
Report Printing
Report Postage
TOTAL
TOTAL (minus personal)
£405.00
£2,985.00
£425.00
£280.00
£120.00
£220.00
£2,260.00
£250.00
£960.00
£670.00
£225.00
£108.95
£20.00
£20.00
£25.00
£25.00
£9,452.33
£6,062.33
The local currency is Kazakh Tenge and is a closed currency. There were many cash machines
located in Almaty most with a limit of 30,000T per transaction. However, these transactions could
be repeated immediately up until the limit of your account was reached.
The town of Tekeli also had a cash machine and we used this to withdraw money to pay the hotel.
The hotel did not have any way of accepting a credit/debit card. US Dollars and Euros could be
exchanged in Almaty and Tekeli provided the notes were new and of good quality. It is advised to
have some small change handy for taxi drivers and buses.
29
Fundraising
The following details the various trusts and societies who kindly donated money to help make the
expedition possible. Personal fundraising was done through bake sales, film nights, running the
cloakroom at St Andrews university union and a raffle.
The Matthew Trust
The Lindeth Charitable Society
The Lethendy Trust
The Arrol Trust
St Andrews University Geography Department (Maciver Award)
Royal Geographic Society
St Andrews University Travel Scholarship
The Churchill Trust
The Gilchrist Trust
The John Ray Trust
Personal fundraising
Total
£1,600.00
£400.00
£700.00
£600.00
£250.00
£750.00
£1,200.00
£250.00
£500.00
£150.00
£300.00
£6,700
Equipment
We were kindly loaned the use of a telescope by Dr Will Cresswell of St Andrews University and
three high quality Terra Nova ‘Hyperspace’ tents from Braythay Expedition Society. The five British
members of the expedition provided their own sleeping bags and mats, while hotel Isbek provided
them for our two translators. Hotel Isbek also provided a stove, gas cylinders, cooking utensils and
food. The British members provided binoculars and a tripod. Individual members provided all
clothing and footwear. Individuals paid for beverages and occasional meals out. Travel
inoculations, flights and insurance were paid for personally. Any money left over from our
fundraising was split equally between expedition members to partly reimburse these costs.
30
Transport
Long distance taxis were used to take us from Almaty to Tekeli. Price negotiations were carried out
and many taxi drivers were keen to help. Around Almaty and Tekeli you could stop any car to see if
they were going the same way as you and how much a lift would cost. However unless you have a good
guide official taxis are recommended.
There were also buses
running in Tekeli and Almaty, which
were cheaper then taxi travel. Bus
drivers asked for your money after
you had completed you journey.
There were also trolley buses which
ran within Almaty cite centre. Our
transport into the mountains was
the use of Soviet-era vans and
trucks that were large and powerful
enough to carry us and all our
equipment through the
mountainous terrain to where we
were camped. For travel logistics
see appendix 5.
Soviet era vehicle. Photo: Niall Currie.
Accommodation
Within Almaty we stayed in the ГOCTNHNЧHЬIЙ KOMПΛEKC hotel which was recommended by
our translators. This hotel was situated in the suburban area of Almaty as hotels in central Almaty
are much more expensive. Within Tekeli, Hotel Isbek was the base for our camping trips into the
Dzungarian Alatau mountain range. We used a guide and a cook supplied by the hotel whilst
camping in the mountains and carrying out our field research. Within both accommodations there
were flushing toilets and running water however hot water within the Tekeli accommodation was
temperamental.
Medical Arrangements and Risks
During the early stages of the expedition planning, Niall Currie was appointed health and
safety/medical officer for the team. His role was to make provisions for the prevention and
treatment of injury and illness to the team.
Prior to the start of the trip 3 team members attended a Wilderness Medical Training course and
all UK members held basic first aid qualifications. Team members, including the in country translators,
were issued with a medical questionnaire to give details of existing medical problems,
blood type and next of kin contact details. A list of necessary vaccinations were provided several
months before departure (see table 3).
Vaccination
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Rabies pre-exposure
Tick Borne Encephalitis
Typhoid
Essential/recommended
Essential
Recommended
Recommended
Recommended
Essential
Table 3 Essential and recommended vaccinations for the expedition area.
31
A comprehensive medical kit was procured (see Appendix 2). This was kept at each base camp and
included sterile surgery kit in case of hospitalisation. A smaller medical kit was taken into the field
and included items such as splints, neck brace and dressings for trauma injuries, designed to
stabilise a casualty prior to evacuation. A satellite phone was hired in order to call for emergency
assistance or medical advice via a remote medical support card (which can be bought from several
companies) which allows the holder to speak to English speaking medical experts. A risk
assessment was created and was read thoroughly by all members of the team to
help make them aware of the possible risks.
A crisis management plan was drawn up, which included evacuation protocol and
time to medical facilities from research
locations. Tekeli, the town in which the
hotel facilitating our transport and
accommodation was based has basic
primary healthcare services. For
secondary care, evacuation to
Taldyqorgan would have taken
approximately 1 hour by road and
casualties would need to be taken to
Almaty for a high level of tertiary care.
Hospital care in Kazakhstan is similar to
the level available in many European
countries.
General good health was maintained by
good food and fluid intake, regular rest
days and application of sun screen to
avoid sunburn.
Practising with the medical equipment in the field. Photo: Niall Currie.
Medical risks encountered
Several gastrointestinal infections were encountered by the team, however in all cases recovery
was rapid after sufficient rest and rehydration. Drinking water from mountain rivers was a
potential health risk due to the high numbers of grazing livestock upstream, which could facilitate
the transfer of Giardia or Cryptosporidium cysts. Therefore water from larger rivers was either
boiled or chemically treated before drinking.
Insect bites were an occasional nuisance but were not a greatly problematic, probably because of the
high abundance of dragonflies predating such species. Ticks posed a more significant risk and
were encountered on several occasions despite some sources suggesting that they would not
occur at this altitude. Tick borne encephalitis is prevalent in this region, so inoculation against this
disease is advised (see table 3).
The team also commonly suffered from scratches and stings from plants, since much of the
fieldwork was conducted away from substantial paths. Photosensitising plant sap caused
persistent hypersensitisation to areas of skin exposed to sunlight. Antihistamine creams helped
treatment to some extent.
Acute mountain sickness is a potential medical problem above 2500m, however the team did not
32
ascend beyond this height during the trip and consequently did not suffer from AMS symptoms. It
may be necessary to consider AMS for other expeditions travelling in this mountain range, since
some of the interior peaks rise above 4500m.
Other risks
Probably the greatest risk posed to the team was from vehicles. Road vehicles in Kazakhstan are
not highly serviced, so bare tyres and broken windscreens are common. Many roads are also
poorly maintained, causing drivers to swerve to avoid potholes. Similar issues were encountered
when taking transport to camping locations since the off-road vehicles available were from the
Soviet era. A further risk was posed by Russian-Kazakhs’ affinity for alcohol.
In some areas of steep mountainside loose soil and rocks were encountered on scrambles. In
these areas it was necessary to proceed slowly and where possible such areas were avoided.
The Dzungarian Mountains are home to several large predators such as brown and Tien Shan bear,
lynx and snow leopard. These animals generally seek to avoid contact with humans and none
were encountered during the expedition, although there were reports of bear sightings from local
herders near campsite 4. We were advised that it was not necessary to keep food separate from
sleeping areas on camp for fear of bear foraging since bears in this area are timid. Several
venomous snakes also occur in the region and the team encountered two snakes during fieldwork,
although both were very small but their species was not identified. According to official statistics,
no one has died in Kazakhstan from snake envenoming in the last 10-15 years.
As with any country there is always the risk of theft and mugging, but both the urban and rural
areas the team visited were considered low risk in this regard. The British Foreign and
Commonwealth Office were not aware of any specific threats to British Nationals in Kazakhstan at
the time of travel.
Insurance
The team were insured with Towergate Chase Parkinsons Premier Blue cover travel insurance,
which included £10,000,0000 medical expenses and repatriation and £5,000 for search and rescue.
No claims needed to be made on the policy.
Environmental and Social Impacts
Environmental: While camping we operated to minimise environmental impact. All nonbiodegrable rubbish was bagged and taken back to the hotel for proper disposal. When washing in
rivers, only biodegradable soap was used.
Human waste was managed by digging toilet pits at least 100m from the campsite and away from
rivers. Only biodegradable toilet paper was used. The pits were filled in after leaving each
campsite.
On a few occasions we made an open campfire at night. Only fallen, deadwood found on the forest
floor was used for this to ensure we did not add to deforestation. This allowed us a chance to burn
any combustible rubbish such as paper and cardboard. All fires were thoroughly dosed and
disguised after use.
We did find that locals were not as environmentally aware and it seemed to be the norm for
rubbish to be left in the mountains, next to roads or even thrown out of car windows!
33
Typical remains of previous visitors to the area. Photo: Andrew Griffiths.
Social: When meeting local people we found that they were mostly very interested in our
expedition and eager to talk with us about their country. Many were very hospitable, inviting us
for meals and offering any help they could.
We found talking with herders in the mountains very insightful. They were often able to provide us
with information about logistical issues such as whether a bridge crossing would be viable, as well
as willing to help us with questionnaires about vultures in the area.
Kazakh people are very proud of their country and children and taxi drivers readily sing the
national anthem!
The larger cities of Kazakhstan such as Almaty and Taldykorgan are developing rapidly and the
residents are becoming quickly westernised. The smaller rural towns such as Tekeli are less
developed and we were often assumed to be very rich just because we were westerners.
We tried to keep our cultural impact to a minimum by paying the local prices for food and eating
the local produce.
34
Acknowledgements
Without the assistance of many individuals and organisations this expedition would simply not have been
possible. We owe our gratitude to those named in the following list as well as countless others who
helped us on our way.
Elmira Kerimbayeva and Aizhan Abdrakhman, KIMEP students - our amazing translators.
Dr. Sergey Sklyarenko: Conservation and Science Director, for the Association for the
Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan – suggested project ideas.
Dr Will Cresswell : University of St Andrews, School of Biology – gave guidance on methods and lent
equipment.
Simon McAdams: University of St Andrews expedition society president – gave us the inspiration and
guidance needed to conceive this expedition.
Morgan Riley: Medical Officer of the 2004 Newcastle university Kazakhstan expedition – aided expedition
logistics.
Albina Kozhakhmetova: KIMEP University Almaty, International Student Recruiter – put us in touch with
our translators.
Gulmira Kaldina – Helped with translation during the planning phase and made initial contact with incountry hosts
Anel Dospulova – Helped with translation during the planning phase.
Sponsors
We would like to thank the following organisations whose financial aid made the expedition possible
The Arrol Trust
The Churchill Trust
Gilchrist educational trust
The John Ray Trust
The Lethendy Trust
The Lindeth Charitable Trust
The Matthew Trust
Royal Geographical Society
St Andrews University Travel Scholarship
University of St Andrews Geography Department (Maciver Award)
35
Bibliography
Arend Wassink and Gerald
www.birdsofkazakstan.com
J
Oreel.
(2007).
The
birds
of
Kazakhstan.
Ordered
Bibby C., Jones M., Marsden S. (1998). Expedition Field Techniques - Bird Surveys. Expedition
Advisory Centre, Royal Geographical Society, London.
Birdlife International. (2005). Cambodia Vulture Action Plan 2005. Available at:
http://www.birdlife.org/action/science/species/asia_vulture_crisis/cambodia_vulture_action_pla
n_04_05.pdf.
Katzner, T., Sklyarenko, S. (2002). Reports from workshop: Conservation of Gyps vultures in Asia.
Available at:
http://www.aviary.org/cons/pdf/Vulture%20Workshop%20Reports%20NAOC_2002.pdf
Rhys E. Green et al. (2006). Collapse of Asian vulture populations: risk of mortality from residues of
the veterinary drug diclofenac in carcasses of treated cattle. Journal of Applied Ecology, 43, 949956.
Riddell, M (2004). University of Newcastle Snow Leopard Expedition Kazakhstan 2004 Report.
http://snowleopardnetwork.org/bibliography/Riddell_2004.pdf.
Pual Brummell. (2008). Kazakhstan The Bradt Travel Guide. The Globe Pequot Press Inc:
Connecticut.
Sutherland, Newton & Green. (2004). Bird census and survey techniques. Bird Ecology and
Conservation: A handbook of techniques. Oxford University Press: Oxford.
36
at:
Appendices
Appendix 1 - Itinerary
July 5th Depart from Edinburgh (Niall, Hugh, Eve, Andy) and Heathrow (Ed) to Amsterdam and then onto
Almaty.
July
6th Arrive early morning in Almaty. Meet translators and settle in hotel.
7th Pay for letters in invitation. Arrange transport.
8th Heard about severe flooding experienced in Tekeli and damage to local bridge which would make access
difficult. Organised to leave the next day.
9th Travelled to Isbek hotel in Tekeli and met Kazakhstan’s olympic gold medal winning weight lifter.
10th Got acclimatized to surroundings and did a short walk into the mountains to do some observations.
11th Set off for our first camping trip.
12th Field work at our first location - saw first vulture on a high level 2000m walk.
13th Field work at our first location.
14th Field work at our first location
15th Field work at our first location/Travelled back to hotel.
16th Rest day at the hotel while next camping trip was organised.
17th Travelled to the next campsite – a small hut owned by a local landowner. Evening fieldwork
18th Field work at our second location.
19th Field work at our second location
20th Field work at our second location/21st Travelled back to hotel.
22nd Left for China very early in the morning and spent the night in Zharkent.
23rd Visited China and travelled back to Tekeli in the afternoon.
24th Rested in Hotel.
25th Planned for next camping trip.
26th Travelled to campsite/evening fieldwork
27th Field work at our third location.
28th Field work at our third location
37
29th Field work at our third location
30th Field work at our third location/Travelled back to the hotel.
31st Rest day at hotel.
August
1st Additional rest day due to transport issues, visted Taldykorgan.
2nd Travelled to campsite/afternoon fieldwork.
3rd Fieldwork at our 4th location.
4th Fieldwork at our 4th location
5th Fieldwork at our 4th location
6th Fieldwork at our 4th location/Travelled back to hotel.
7th Rest day at hotel
8th Travelled to campsite, but fieldwork abandoned due to logistical difficulties.
9th Travelled back to hotel and left for Almaty that evening.
10th Sightseeing in Almaty.
11th Sightseeing in Almaty
12th Sightseeing in Almaty
13th Sightseeing in Almaty
14th Sightseeing in Almaty
15th Left early for flights back to London and Edinburgh.
38
Appendix 2
Medical Kit List
Item
Anusol Cream
Bactroban Ointment 15g
Savlon Dry Powder Spray
Povidone Iodine Antiseptic 100ml
Benadryl Cream 42g
Gentisone HC Drops 10ml
Clotrimazole Cream 1% 20g
E45 Cream 50g
Hydrocortisone 1% Cream 15g
Antiseptic Wipes
Adhesive Plasters - W/Proof
Cotton Wool
Crepe Bandage 7.5cm
Wound Dressing No. 15
Eye Dressing No. 16
Fluorescein Eye Test Strips
Gauze Swabs 7.5cm Sq. Sterile
Alcohol Swabs
Melolin Type Dressing 10cm sq.
Melolin Type Dressing 5cm sq.
Micropore Tape 2.5cm
Steri-strips - Assorted
Triangular Bandage
Vaseline Gauze 10cm sq.
Zinc Oxide Tape 2.5cm x 10m
Sam Splint
Alternative Splint
Safety Pins
Sterile Supplies Kit
Dental First Aid Kit
Disposable Scalpels
Digital Thermometer
Resusciade Resus Aid
Foil Blanket
Economy Stethoscope
Otoscope & Pentorch Combined
Stiffneck Collar
Gloves (Sterile) Medium
Gloves (Latex non-sterile) Med
Fucithalmic Eye Drops 2.5g
Ciprofloxacin 250mg tabs
Clarithromycin 250mg tabs
Quinine Sulphate 200mg tabs
Fansidar tabs
Co-Amoxiclav 375mg tabs
Metronidazole 200mg tabs
Doxycycline 100mg tabs
Amethocaine (Tetracaine) 1% drops
Aspirin 300mg Soluble tabs
Co-Codamol 500mg/30mg tabs
Ibuprofen 400mg tabs
Paracetamol 500mg tabs
BiSoDol tabs
Chlorphenamine 4mg tabs
Rehydration Sachets
Loperamide 2mg caps
Movicol Sachets
Prochlorperazine 5mg tabs
Salbutamol Inhaler 100mcg
Acetazolamide (Diamox) 250mg tabs
Dexamethazone 2mg tabs
Nifedipine MR 10mg tabs
39
Quantity Required
1 tube
2 tubes
2
1
1 tube
1 bottle
1 tube
1 tube
2 tubes
25 wipes
2 x 20
4 x 15g
4
2
1
10
5 packs
100
5
5
2 rolls
4 envelopes
4
Box of 10
2 rolls
2
2
Pack of 12
1
1
2
1
1
4
1
1
1
10 pairs
Box of 100
3 tubes
2 x 20
2 x 14
1 x 28
3x3
3 x 21
4 x 21
2x8
20 minims
Pack of 32
Pack of 100
Pack of 84
Pack of 100
Pack of 100
Pack of 28
4 x 10
Pack of 30
10
Pack of 84
1
Pack of 112
Pack of 20
Pack of 28