We have a video of Tuya and her chicks (Khustai, Wednesday, July 20, 2005)
Khustai National Park greeted us with a very hot weather on Sunday evening. Later on in the evening a strong wind came which tore our tents and brought in the rain. Clouded with rain was all Monday either. In the morning, we watched a batch of Przevalski horses with the leading stone horse. Even though the weather was tough, a shelter was created in the rocks well on Monday afternoon, from which Lubos and Kamil took very nice shots during Tuesday feeding. Tuya and her partner posed in front of cameras without any problems. We are sending the pictures but the video is harder and we will need broadband connection in Ulaanbaatar to send it.
Problems arose after having installed the trapping device. During today, only a male fed the chicks and behaved very cautiously. Tuya probably remembered last year's experience when she was trapped on the same place. "Perhaps she does not know that we only want to put the backpack off this year," says Odkhu, who let Tuya out last year and this year he has been our main guide for a week.
We will try to trap her tomorrow. We moved the shelter to bigger distance from the nest to the rock gap and reduced all activities not to disturb the birds. Our camp is in the wintering ground of local herdsmen approximately three kilometres from the nest. The wintering grounds owner came to check us in shortly after our arrival. He is closer to the river with his herds and yurts and we camp down in his winter residence.
