There is a new site – Birds of Eurasia Best Pictures – with a lot of good pictures of birds from all of the Eurasian continent. It does not seem that pictures are professional, sooner shots are made by amature birdwatchers, but some pictures are really nice.
Pictures are updated around weekly. Here is an example:
Shoot in Mongolia by Oleg Belyalov
Another great picture:
Collared Pratincole by Philippe Campeau, Kyrgyzstan
Ural Owl – Strix uralensis (Pallas, 1771)
The Great Grey Owl is a large, grey owl with numerous dark and light streaks, mostly longitudinal. It lacks “ears.” It differs from the Tawny Owl by its larger size, long tail (extending well beyond the tips of folded wings), and absence of a transverse wavy pattern on the underside. Compared to the similarly sized Ural Owl, it has black eyes, lacks concentric circles on the facial disk, and has no black “beard.” Females are noticeably larger than males but have similar coloring. Juveniles replace their second downy plumage with their first adult plumage by late August to November, resembling adults but with lighter head coloring, especially the “face,” and darker, broader streaks on the body. The first adult plumage has pointed tips on the tail and flight feathers (rounded in adults), and all flight feathers are equally worn (adults have staggered feather wear). Males weigh 440-1000g, females 650-1300g, with a length of 50-62 cm, wingspan of 114-134 cm, and wing length of 33.7-37.6 cm for females and 33.7-37.0 cm for males.
Breeds on Southwest Altai and in Kalbinskiy Altai. In winter occurs also on valleys of Irtysh and Ural rivers. One dead Ural Owl was found on road at Sarychiganak (Trans-Balkhash area) in January 26, 1989.
Very rare resident. Inhabits the fir forests with birch and asp trees at altitudes up to 1600 m. Breeds in separate pairs, to nesting uses the old nests of other birds or tree holes. Clutch contains 2-3 eggs. Brood recorded in July 31, 1971. The autumn – winter dispersals begin in the end of September.
Pictures: