Research

Great Bustards in this area of northern Kazakhstan once numbered in the hundreds. Now we are lucky to find a single set of tracks. Photo: M. Kessler.

We are greeted by a rainbow as we search for Great Bustards in Eastern Mongolia. Photo: J. Burnham.

G. Natsag briefly stops at a bustard nest to record its characteristics. Photo: G. Natsag.

A tractor plows a fallow field where Great Bustards often nest. Our research investigates the relationship between agricultural practices and Great Bustard reproduction. Photo: M. Kessler.

A Great Bustard flies into the night. Photo: B. Dashnyam.

G. Natsag and B. Dashnyam prepare a report on our findings for the local game warden. Photo: M. Kessler.

A sunset over a ger in northern Mongolia. Gers, also known as yurts, are traditional Mongolian nomadic dwellings. We often stay in gers as we travel for our research activities. Photo: M. Kessler.

We often meet with members of the community who have a good eye for bustards. Herders, hunters, farmers and rangers share their observations of bustard behavior and gathering spots with us. Here we meet with Byambtsogt in Northern Mongolia. Photo: M. Amar.

Travel through northern Mongolia is slow going. We average 10 mph (20km/h) in this muddy, hilly terrain. Photo: M. Kessler.

Driver Dorjhurel assists our masters student with a study of insect abundance. Photo: B. Dashnyam.

A bowl and chemical vial found at the site of death of a bustard; locals report that wild birds are poisoned here for sale to restaurants. Photo: J. McGovern.

Mimi Kessler presents the team’s experience and challenges at a symposium on long-term conservation research, at the Society for Conservation Biology Asia section meeting. Photo: L. Liew.

We investigate the effect of agricultural intensification, for example, irrigation, on bustard populations. Photo: M. Kessler.

J. Handsuren, surveying for bustards in Northern Mongolia. Photo: M. Kessler.

B. Dashnyam holding Great Bustard chick Don, captured alongside its mother Dolgoon. Photo: D. Erdenetsetseg.

Tent life at wheat fields inhabitated by bustards, northern Mongolia. Photo: M. Kessler.

Traveling in the van with net poles, on the lookout for bustards. The team is using optics donated by Celestron. J. Handsuren, B. Dashnyam, M. Toomey. Photo: M. Kessler.

An unusually close image of this difficult-to-photograph species. Photo: M. Gilbert.

Captured male Great Bustard with team member D. Dorjhurel. This male weighs in at 18.3 lbs (8.3 kg), but weights of up to 44 lbs (20 kg) have been recorded. Photo: M. Kessler.

In South Kazakhstan, where one finds bustards, one almost always finds traces of hunters and sometimes hears gunshots. Here, a casing found at a breeding site. Photo: M. Kessler.

Team members monitor bustard movements across the wide valley below, using Celestron optics. Photo: Eurasian Bustard Alliance.

As a ground-nesting bird, the Great Bustard loses eggs and chicks to terrestrial and aerial predators, and also to farm machinery. Photo: B. Nyambayar.