Kani Barazan, Soldouz and Boukan Wetlands’ trip report- May 23^rd to 26^th, 2019

The first day:

We were supposed to leave Tehran on Thursday May 23^rd at 9 PM to go to Mahabad. We all gathered at the Tehran’s West Bus Terminal around 9 o’clock and we left Tehran hoping to see beautiful birds. Two of the group members joined us in Karaj and we spent the night on the bus.

The second day:

We arrived at the Mahabad bus terminal at 7 AM on Friday May 24^th and after a short break we departed to Kani Barazan Wetland on a pre-booked minibus. To avoid waste of time, we had the breakfast on the minibus. The birding started right after. Seeing a White Stork was a great start. Besides, everyone was delighted to see a Little Owl sitting on a rock, soon after we entered the wetland road. We arrived at Kani Barazan Wetland around 9 AM and we left our backpack on the minibus and started to look for the Bearded Reedling with our telescope and binoculars at the wetland’s birdwatching site.

We observed many species such as Great Reed Warbler, Eurasian Coot and White-headed Duck and finally, after some exploring we could see the Bearded Reedling.

We returned to the birdwatching building after one or two hours of walk and continued to watch the birds from the porch.

We could observe different kinds of ducks such as Red-crested Pochard, White-headed Duck and the interesting species of Marbled Duck.

After having lunch and resting, we passed through the Kani Barazan and Garous wetlands, the Mahabad River and Khowr Khowre village by the minibus.

En route, we stopped whenever we saw the birds and we watched them and took pictures rather from inside the minibus or from outside. Everyone was amazed of seeing the Eurasian Eagle-Owl, the biggest owl in Iran.

We explored along this path until about 7 PM and then we went to the historic village of Hasanlu in the city of Naghdah to spend the night at Qarapapaq Ecolodge.

We arrived at the ecolodge around the sunset and after eating the famous Hasanlu ice cream, we went to the accommodation and had a very delicious traditional dinner. Then, we reviewed our birds’ checklists and went over the identification tips.

Bird checklist of Kani Barazan Wetland:

	English Name	Scientific Name
1	Ferruginous Duck	Aythya nyroca
2	Red-crested Pochard	Netta rufina
3	Common Pochard	Aythya ferina
4	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos
5	White-headed Duck	Oxyura leucocephala
6	Marbled Duck	Marmaronetta angustirostris
7	Glossy Ibis	Plegadis falcinellus
8	Little Egret	Egretta garzetta
9	Common Swift	Apus apus
10	Pygmy Cormorant	Microcarbo (Phalacrocorax) pygmeus
11	Little Bittern	Ixobrychus minutus
12	White-winged Tern	Chlidonias leucopterus
13	Whiskered Tern	Chlidonias hybrida
14	Caspian Tern	Hydroprogne caspia
15	Common Tern	Sterna hirundo
16	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica
17	Common Shelduck	Tadorna tadorna
18	Little Owl	Athene noctua
19	Bearded Reedling	Panurus biarmicus
20	Crested Lark	Galerida cristata
21	Isabelline Wheatear	Oenanthe isabellina
22	Sand Martin	Riparia riparia
23	Eurasian Coot	Fulica atra
24	Common Moorhen	Gallinula chloropus
25	Purple Heron	Ardea purpurea
26	Squacco Heron	Ardeola ralloides
27	Common Kestrel	Falco tinnunculus
28	White Wagtail	Motacilla alba
29	Eurasian Magpie	Pica pica
30	European Bee-eater	Merops apiaster
31	European Roller	Coracias garrulus
32	Moustached Warbler	Acrocephalus melanopogon
33	Marsh Warbler	Acrocephalus palustris
34	Savi's Warbler	Locustella luscinioides
35	Great Reed Warbler	Acrocephalus arundinaceus
36	Eurasian Reed Warbler	Acrocephalus scirpaceus
37	Western Marsh Harrier	Circus aeruginosus
38	Armenian Gull	Larus armenicus
39	Black-headed Gull	Chroicocephalus (Larus) ridibundus
40	Egyptian Vulture	Neophron percnopterus
41	Great Crested Grebe	Podiceps cristatus
42	Little Grebe	Tachybaptus ruficollis
43	Black-necked Grebe	Podiceps nigricollis
44	Hooded Crow	Corvus cornix
45	Rook	Corvus frugilegus
46	Common Cuckoo	Cuculus canorus
47	Western Cattle Egret	Bubulcus ibis
48	Spanish Sparrow	Passer hispaniolensis
49	White Stork	Ciconia ciconia
50	Eurasian Hoopoe	Upupa epops

Bird checklist of the path from the Kani Barazan Wetland to Garous Wetland:

	English Name	Scientific Name
1	Glossy Ibis	Plegadis falcinellus
2	Grey Heron	Ardea cinerea
3	Western Cattle Egret	Bubulcus ibis
4	Squacco Heron	Ardeola ralloides
5	Black-crowned Night Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax
6	Eurasian Bittern	Botaurus stellaris
7	Pygmy Cormorant	Microcarbo (Phalacrocorax) pygmeus
8	Common Shelduck	Tadorna tadorna
9	Marbled Duck	Marmaronetta angustirostris
10	Egyptian Vulture	Neophron percnopterus
11	Western Marsh Harrier	Circus aeruginosus
12	Common Moorhen	Gallinula chloropus
13	Black-winged Stilt	Himantopus himantopus
14	Collared pratincole	Glareola pratincola
15	Northern Lapwing	Vanellus vanellus
16	Spur-winged Lapwing	Vanellus spinosus
17	Common Redshank	Tringa totanus
18	Common Greenshank	Tringa nebularia
19	Wood sandpiper	Tringa glareola
20	Armenian Gull	Larus armenicus
21	Common Tern	Sterna hirundo
22	White-winged Tern	Chlidonias leucopterus
23	Rock Dove	Columba livia
24	Common Cuckoo	Cuculus canorus
25	Eurasian Eagle-Owl	Bubo bubo
26	Common Swift	Apus apus
27	Pied Kingfisher	Ceryle rudis
28	Persian (Blue-cheeked) Bee-eater	Merops persicus
29	European Bee-eater	Merops apiaster
30	European Roller	Coracias garrulus
31	Eurasian Hoopoe	Upupa epops
32	Crested Lark	Galerida cristata
33	Western Yellow Wagtail	Motacilla flava
34	Marbled Duck	Marmaronetta angustirostris
35	Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin	Cercotrichas (Erythropygia) galactotes
36	Whinchat	Saxicola rubetra
37	Cetti's Warbler	Cettia cetti
38	Great Reed Warbler	Acrocephalus arundinaceus
39	Eastern Olivaceous Warbler	Iduna (Hippolais) pallida
40	Menetries's Warbler	Sylvia mystacea
41	Eastern Rock Nuthatch	Sitta tephronota
42	Black-headed Bunting	Emberiza melanocephala
43	Eurasian Magpie	Pica pica
44	Western Jackdaw	Coloeus (Corvus) monedula
45	Rook	Corvus frugilegus
46	Hooded Crow	Corvus cornix

The third day:

On Saturday May 25^th, we left the ecolodge in the morning to visit the Hasanlu dam and the Shurgol (Hasalnu) wetland, which used to be called Yumuro hill in the past. We were accompanied by a group of representatives of some environmental organizations, including Dr. Dilmaghani, Ms. Mahsa Maroufi, Ms. Somayeh Ebrahimi from Hamyarane Tabiate Naghade, Mr. Entekhabi from Dustdarane Tabiate Soldouz, Mr. Azra and Mr. Jafari, the organizations’ speaker who has worked hard to revive the wetlands in the region. We arrived at the Shurgol wetland around 8 AM and Mr. Jafari gave a short speech.

According to him, around 18 wetlands exist in this region, 11 of which are seasonal and the rest are permanent. The three wetlands, Hasanlu, Seyran Goli and Yadegarlu, are designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites). Unfortunately though, the Yadegarlu Wetland is dry now. In 2001, it was announced that the wetlands of the Naghadeh region were dry and there was no way to revive them. However, with the efforts of the environmental groups of the region and their uncompromising efforts on water management, we are witnessing now that the wetlands are in a good shape. Their work was criticized at a conference, arguing that given the condition of the Lake Urmia, why don’t they let the water pour into the lake instead of the wetlands. Generally speaking, in order to revive the lakes, we have to restore the wetlands first. The order in the nature is as follows: first springs, streams, rivers, wetlands and then lakes, seas and oceans. Mr. Jafari also explained that the name of the Solduz wetland consists of two words: Solu which means watery and duz which means plain, so Solduz stands for watery plain.

This group received the Grand National Award for the Environment in 2014.

Mr. Sirous Entekhabi, who has 60 years of experience in ecotourism and has worked hard on restoring wetlands, mentioned that there were 7 organizations in the region which were cooperating with each other to protect the environment of the region. He added that in the region there were 80 historical hills which add to its importance.

After listening to the members of the organizations, we started the birding at the Shurgol (Hasanlu) wetland.

Bird checklist of Shurgol (Hasanlu) Wetland:

	English Name	Scientific Name
1	Common Quail	Coturnix coturnix
2	Gadwall	Anas strepera
3	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos
4	Ferruginous Duck	Aythya nyroca
5	Red-crested Pochard	Netta rufina
6	Common Pochard	Aythya ferina
7	White-headed Duck	Oxyura leucocephala
8	Black-necked Grebe	Podiceps nigricollis
9	Little Grebe	Tachybaptus ruficollis
10	Pygmy Cormorant	Microcarbo (Phalacrocorax) pygmeus
11	Grey Heron	Ardea cinerea
12	Purple Heron	Ardea purpurea
13	Western Marsh Harrier	Circus aeruginosus
14	Common Moorhen	Gallinula chloropus
15	Eurasian Coot	Fulica atra
16	Little Ringed Plover	Charadrius dubius
17	Black-headed Gull	Chroicocephalus (Larus) ridibundus
18	Caspian Tern	Hydroprogne caspia
19	Common Cuckoo	Cuculus canorus
20	Common Swift	Apus apus
21	Eurasian Hoopoe	Upupa epops
22	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica
23	Isabelline Wheatear	Oenanthe isabellina
24	Black-headed Bunting	Emberiza melanocephala
25	Corn Bunting	Emberiza (Miliaria) calandra

One hour later, we went to the Hasanlu dam and continued the birdwatching. Then we went towards the Solduz wetland and on our way, we watched the birds, even in the dried Yadegarlu wetland. We could see the Eurasian Eagle Owl again.

Bird checklist of the path from the Yadegarlu Wetland to Solduz Wetland:

	English Name	Scientific Name
1	Common Buzzard	Buteo buteo
2	Marsh Harrier	Circus aeruginosus
3	See-see Partridge	Ammoperdix griseogularis
4	Grey Partridge	Perdix perdix
5	Rock Dove (Rock Pigeon)	Columba livia
6	Eagle Owl	Bubo bubo
7	Common Swift	Apus apus
8	European Bee-eater	Merops apiaster
9	European Roller	Coracias garrulus
10	Hoopoe	Upupa epops
11	Short-toed Lark	Calandrella brachydactyla
12	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica
13	Rufous Bush Robin	Cercotrichas galactotes
14	Finsches Wheatear	Oenanthe finschii
15	Isabelline Wheatear	Oenanthe isabellina
16	Great Reed Warbler	Acrocephalus arundinaceus
17	Reed Bunting	Emberiza schoeniclus
18	Magpie	Pica pica
19	Jackdaw	Corvus monedula
20	Hooded Crow	Corvus cornix

There is a smaller wetland next to the Solduz wetland, which is called Dorna, where we could see the Bearded Reedling and took good pictures of this beautiful species.

Bird checklist of Dorna wetland:

	English Name	Scientific Name
1	Great Crested Grebe	Podiceps cristatus
2	Little Egret	Egretta garzetta
3	Red-creasted Pochard	Netta rufina
4	Pochard	Aythya ferina
5	Marsh Harrier	Circus aeruginosus
6	Whiskered Tern	Chlidonias hybrida
7	Common Cuckoo	Cuculus canorus
8	Whinchat	Saxicola rubetra
9	Cettis Warbler	Cettia cetti
10	Moustached Warbler	Acrocephalus melanopogon
11	European Reed Warbler	Acrocephalus scirpaceus
12	Great Reed Warbler	Acrocephalus arundinaceus
13	Bearded Tit	Panurus biarmicus
14	Reed Bunting	Emberiza schoeniclus
15	Magpie	Pica pica
16	Hooded Crow	Corvus cornix

After the Dorna wetland, we went to the other side of the Solduz wetland and watched the birds near the gazebo and on our way back.

Bird checklist of Solduz wetland:

	English Name	Scientific Name
1	Great Crested Grebe	Podiceps cristatus
2	Glossy Ibis	Plegadis falcinellus
3	Little Egret	Egretta garzetta
4	Black-crowned Night Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax
5	Eurasian Bittern	Botaurus stellaris
6	Common Pochard	Aythya ferina
7	White-headed Duck	Oxyura leucocephala
8	Red-crested Pochard	Netta rufina
9	Western Marsh Harrier	Circus aeruginosus
10	Black-winged Stilt	Himantopus himantopus
11	Northern Lapwing	Vanellus vanellus
12	Spur-winged Lapwing	Vanellus spinosus
13	Whiskered Tern	Chlidonias hybrida
14	Eurasian Hoopoe	Upupa epops
15	Crested Lark	Galerida cristata
16	Western Yellow Wagtail	Motacilla flava
17	Whinchat	Saxicola rubetra
18	Bearded Reedling	Panurus biarmicus
19	Eurasian Reed Warbler	Acrocephalus scirpaceus
20	Common Reed Bunting	Emberiza schoeniclus
21	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus
22	Common Starling	Sturnus vulgaris
23	Eurasian Magpie	Pica pica

We arrived at the ecolodge around 1 PM and had our lunch there. Around 6 PM we walked to the historical hill of Hasanlu, accompanied by Mr. Taghizade, owner of the ecolodge where we were staying. We visited the hill and its museum while Mr. Taghizade was giving us some information about them. A strong wind started to blow and after an hour and a half we went back to the ecolodge.

After the dinner, we reviewed our birds’ checklists and went over the identification tips.

Bird checklist of the historical hill of Hasanlu:

	English Name	Scientific Name
1	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica
2	White Stork	Ciconia ciconia
3	European bee-eater	Merops apiaster
4	European Roller	Coracias garrulus
5	Common Swift	Apus apus
6	Rook	Corvus frugilegus
7	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus
8	Laughing Dove	Spilopelia (Streptopelia) senegalensis
9	Eurasian Collared Dove	Streptopelia decaocto
10	Eurasian Magpie	Pica pica
11	Eurasian Hoopoe	Upupa epops

The fourth day:

On Sunday May 26^th, after having the breakfast, we left the accommodation around 7 AM to go to Sootav plain in order to see the Great Bustard, critically endangered bird in Iran. We arrived at 8:45 and along with a park warden’s car we entered Sootav plain. Just some minutes later, the park warden, Mr. Parvizifar stopped the car and showed us a Great Bustard. First we saw a male Great Bustard and after some minutes two females and three other males joined him. We really enjoyed watching them for about an hour.

Bird checklist of Sootav plain and Sahoolan Cave:

	English Name	Scientific Name
1	Northern Raven	Corvus corax
2	Great Bustard	Otis tarda
3	Calandra Lark	Melanocorypha calandra
4	Crested Lark	Galerida cristata
5	Black-headed Bunting	Emberiza melanocephala
6	White Wagtail	Motacilla alba
7	Western Yellow Wagtail	Motacilla flava
8	Finsch's Wheatear	Oenanthe finschii
9	Rock Dove	Columba livia
10	Western Rock Nuthatch	Sitta neumayer
11	Corn Bunting	Emberiza (Miliaria) calandra
12	Common Starling	Sturnus vulgaris
13	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus
14	Long-legged Buzzard	Buteo rufinus
15	Black Kite	Milvus migrans
16	Eurasian Magpie	Pica pica
17	Rook	Corvus frugilegus
18	Hooded Crow	Corvus cornix
19	Common House Martin	Delichon urbicum
20	Eurasian Collared Dove	Streptopelia decaocto
21	European bee-eater	Merops apiaster
22	European Roller	Coracias garrulus

Since our return ticket was for 9 PM, after seeing the Great Bustard we decided to go to the Sahoolan Natural National Monument Aquatic, near Bukan. There were a lot of Rock Doves in the cave where they breed too.

We left the cave around 1:40 PM and after having lunch, we reviewed our birds’ checklists. Then we went to the Ghare Gol wetland near Miandoab. We arrived there at 6 PM and observed the birds for an hour which was interesting because some species such as the Black-necked Grebe, Black-headed Gull and Whiskered Tern breed there.

Bird checklist of Ghare Gol Wetland:

	English Name	Scientific Name
1	Little Grebe	Tachybaptus ruficollis
2	Black-necked Grebe	Podiceps nigricollis
3	White Stork	Ciconia ciconia
4	Common Pochard	Aythya ferina
5	Common Kestrel	Falco tinnunculus
6	Eurasian Coot	Fulica atra
7	Spur-winged Lapwing	Vanellus spinosus
8	Black-headed Gull	Chroicocephalus (Larus) ridibundus
9	Common Tern	Sterna hirundo
10	Whiskered Tern	Chlidonias hybrida
11	White-winged Tern	Chlidonias leucopterus
12	Rock Dove	Columba livia
13	Common Swift	Apus apus
14	European Roller	Coracias garrulus
15	Eurasian Hoopoe	Upupa epops
16	Crested Lark	Galerida cristata
17	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus
18	Common Starling	Sturnus vulgaris
19	Eurasian Magpie	Pica pica
20	Rook	Corvus frugilegus
21	Hooded Crow	Corvus cornix

We arrived at Bukan’s Bus Terminal around 8:30 PM and left there with a lot of beautiful and memorable photos and memories.

Guide: Seyed Hamed Mousavi

Participants: Elnaz Esmailzadeh, Sahar Bouzari, Ardalan Bahrami, Nahal Hakimjavadi, Iman Karimi, Nadere Samimi, Sara Arab, Simin Mansouri, Babak Valizadeh, Parastoo Hedayatzadeh

Author: Sara Arab

Translator: Nahal Hakimjavadi

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