Пока База Делта

22. - 26.08.2014

The last not so nice stay in Basa Delta.
After our stay in Kuygan, we go further to my last bird observation in Basa Delta. On the way there, Margulan and me have to do some vegetation recording for Niels. It takes us four hours and Viktor and the two boys have to wait for us. So in total our mood is not the greatest when we reach Basa Delta ...

Margulan and me walk for four kilometers in the steppe to do Niels vegetation recording. Of corse we have to walk back too. And our time management is so awesome, that we do the recording in the hottest noon sun.

Reed
Phragmites australis
Schilf

We called the owner of the Basa Delta station, that we are coming to make a reservation for the jurte. But as we reach the island of Basa Delta, the jurte is taken. So after some discussions, we find other places to sleep. Margulan sleeps in the room of the kitchen ladies together with the two boys. Viktor finds a bed in the room of the Basa Delta workers and I sleep in Viktor's tent. Unfortunatly I didn't bring my tent neither I brought my sleeping bag nor my matresse, because I tought we get nice beds in the jurte. So it's a cold and uncomfortable night.

Margulan paddles for me while my bird observations
and for more vegetation recording for Niles.



Unfortunately the water plants grew so much
since the last time in Basa Delta,
that we can't go through.

Tonight we move in the jurte and are much happier. But later one of the workers tells us to move out of the jurte again, because some tourists are coming. Viktor gets really mad. He wants to go home and would come back in some days to pick us up, when I finished my observations. The two boys also want to go home, because Basa Delta is a boring place for them. Margulan and I try to find other slepping places, but Viktors talks again to the owner. So, we can stay in the jurte and Viktor and the boys stay for this night. The next morning they are leaving Margulan and me. But when I come back from my bird observation everybody is still asleep.

Viktor



Saiyd



Ruslan



The next days I finish my bird observations.






Great White Pelican
Pelecanus onocrotalus
Roapelikan



Margulan and me do some more data collection for Niels.



Magulan is cutting the reed



and I measure the reed.









We celebrate Margulan's birthday together with the Basa Delta worker.






Carrion Crows
Corvus corone
Rabenkrähen



In front of our jurte we find a snake.

The last day in Basa Delta I get sick and Margulan and me are very happy to leave Basa Delta and don't have to come back.
Viktor picks us up from Basa Delta and we go to Aral Tobe to Viktor grandmother's place. My four very last observations I have to do at the Kunawski Bridge. We all agree, that we stay at the house of Viktor's grandma during the whole time of my observations. Early in the morning Viktor will bring me to my observation sites and picks me up afterwards again. But due to the unplanned driving to bring back the boys, our tank is almost empty. Around Aral Tobe nobody has any Diesel. So we can't follow our plan to stay in Aral Tobe for the next nights and have to camp at the Kunawski Bridge. But I didn't bring any of my camping stuff. I'm really unhappy about this situation and physically I also don't feel well. After discussing with Niels, I skip the last four observations and directly go back to Almaty.

We still have to find Diesel somewhere ...



Viktor has the idea to ask the workers at a road construction,
because big machines usually run with Diesel.



We get really expensive fuel.






So we get back to Almaty and this time I stay in a hostel close to Kok Tobe.

In Almaty I enjoy my free time. I go hiking in the mountains close to the ski resort Медеу (Medeu) with some new friends from the hostel. Also I do some more categorization of my bird data. Professor Nurtazin organizes an ornithologist trip together with Jewgeni, so I can meet my teacher again and clarify my last questions.

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