Ikh Nart Day 10: The Last Day :(

Odmaa still had 20 sites to reocrd for her plant survey, so Bernie, Susan and I were up and away with her at 6am, and out onto the hills above the plain south  of camp in the Toyota. We were very effiicent! We identified, measured and photographed all the species in the final 20 locations by 13:00!

Back at camp, it was time to pack - all the luggage went back to UB in the Russian jeep with all the students. Only Tom, Hannah, Roger and Nandia are staying on for the next week or so. Then we heard that the injured vulture is going too, on its way to Denver Zoo. There's not room for all of us and a vulture in the Toyota, though, so the bird goes to friends at Shivee Gobi first, then we go and catch the train and the driver picks up the vulture and takes it to UB.

OK, that's a bit longer at Ikh Nart for us, so I went on a final wander round behind Camel Rock and into the next valley. Very sad to be leaving - it doesn't feel long enough and I want the adventure to go on... On the way back, a cuckoo is "singing" near the water hole, and I manage to get a picture.

After dinner, the vulture sets off for Shivee Gobi, and Bernie and I go for a final batting trip down to the far water hole with Roger, Nandia and Hannah. We get the bat nets set up, and then get snarled up in poles trying to put the tent up. Eventually it's all tidy as the light goes and then a bird gets caught in the net. It turns out to be a shrike (I've never seen one before) and it's not at all happy to have its flight interrupted in the name of science. Eventually Bernie and I left about 21:45, and they had caught and measured 8 bats already - I wonder how many they had by morning....

We saw the lights of the car as we arrived back in camp, so it was straight off to the station. We bumped along as usual, dodging jerboas again, until just outside Shivee Gobi, on the wide part of the road, the driver spotted a hedgehog. He stopped and went back and it was sitting in the middle of the road. Gana picked it up - she had gloves handy - and we took it to the friends who were vulture-sitting. Tom will pick it up in the morning.

We sat around in the station for an hour or so; Ciera was the centre of attention again - there aren't many blondes in Mongolia, and a drunk was getting a bit too friendly! On the train, we had a bit of sorting out of compartments, and eventually Susan and I were in with a young couple and their very well-behaved baby, with the other 4 in one compartment.