Part 1- The 2016 WildArt Mongolia Expedition

August 4, 2016August 4, 2016 | foxstudio

1.WAME group shot — 2016 WildArt Mongolia participants and staff, from left to right: Erdenebat (driver), Oliver Hartman (Explorers Club Fellow, filmmaker), Susan Fox (Expedition leader, Explorers Club Fellow), Soyoloo (cook), Kim Campbell Thornton (journalist and author), Puugii (driver). Photo by Batana, our guide. Behind us is our Russian fergon van support vehicle

We left Ulaanbaatar on Sunday, May 15. heading far south to the Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area, a five day drive. Our main goal was to try to see Gobi bear, a subspecies of brown bear/Ursus arctus gobiensis, which is critically endangered (IUCN Red List). Population estimates range from a low of 28 (the number researchers have counted) to as high as 60 (an estimate based on extrapolation of captured and counted bears. It was highly unlikely that we would succeed, but it was still more than worth the trip to see their habitat and learn about what is being done to conserve them. Wild bactrian camels (Critically endangered, IUCN Red List) also live in that part of Mongolia, along with a variety of other wildlife.

2. demoiselle cranes — Demoiselle cranes

3. lunchtime horses — We stopped at an area with sand dunes for lunch, enjoying watching some of the local horses wander by

Our route took us west and then south. Along the way we saw a large flock of demoiselle cranes, which are quite common in Mongolia and always a delight. Once we were on the road our guide Batana asked if we could stop at his aunt and uncle’s ger to deliver a new ger cover to them. This was great because I knew it would, right away, give Kim and Oliver a chance to visit a herder’s ger and experience Mongolian hospitality.

4. Batana's aunt and uncle's ger — The home of Batana’s aunt and uncle, which was quite near the main road

5. goats and sheep — They have a lot of sheep and cashmere goats

6. Mongolian hospitality — We were treated to classic Mongolian dairy foods (tsagaan idee/white food)

Continuing on we came to the race horse memorial south of Arvaykheer. I’d been to it before, but was more than happy to stop there again. It was late afternoon and was pretty windy.

7. race horse memorial — A must-see if you’re heading south towards Bayanhongor. A quintessential bit of Mongolian culture. Last time I was there, a wedding party showed up to have their photos taken and apparently just relax and visit with friends and family.

8. race horse statues — Bronze portrait statues of famous race horses.

The original plan had been to camp near by, but the location was an open plain and the wind was really starting to pick up. We drove on looking for a more sheltered spot, which took awhile. The idea was to get out of the worst of the wind, but not be so close to a slope that if it rained we’d have to worry about run-off. The problem was finally solved, camp was set up, we had dinner and it was off to bed. On what was one of the coldest nights I’ve experienced in eleven years of travel in Mongolia. Ah, spring in Mongolia….

10. Kim and scenery — Kim bundled up the next morning, as were we all.

9. road and rain — Heading right into this storm front, driving southwest. Rain on the windshield.

First it was rain, then kilometer by kilometer it turned to snow. And then blowing snow.

11. horses and snow — Horses walking through a dusting of snow.

12. snow and van — As we went up in elevation, visibility went down.

13. ger in snow — As we drove on I grabbed this shot of a ger. Believe it nor not, the owners were toasty warm inside. Felt is a good insulator and once the stove is really going it absorbs the heat and releases it back into the space.

14. snowy road — Finally we came through the other side of the front and it stopped snowing.

15. Bayanhongor — By the time we could see Bayanhongor, there was no snow on the ground, but the Hangai Mountains behind the city were covered.

We went into the city for gas and groceries. Plan A had been to go north up the river valley to Erdenesogt and spend a night there, visiting Gachen Lama Khiid (monastery) in the morning, but there was no way we would be able to get there in current conditions. We’d go there on our return instead and so turned south towards the Gobi.

16. the road south — For me, my trips in Mongolia have always begun once we leave the paved roads and are on the earth roads. Here we are, heading south towards Boon Tsagaan Nuur.

17. fording a puddle — We got the feeling that it had been raining heavily in this area…

We drove on through the day, bearing southwest. Snow-covered Dund Argalant Nuruu appeared in the distance and then we got our first glimpse of the lake Boon Tsagaan Nuur.

19. road to BTN — Boon Tsagaan Nuur in the distance with small guest cabins near the shore.

20. BTN campsite — The ground was too wet to set up near the lakeshore, but we found a pleasant grassy area farther back. The weather, though overcast, wasn’t cold and there wasn’t much wind, a change from the previous day much appreciated.

21. Dudn Argalant Nuruu — As the clouds rolled through we were treated to this beautiful shifting light on the mountain.

Next week we’ll explore a bit of the lakeshore, get in some birdwatching and be entertained by local livestock before heading west to get a required permit for our destination.

“The Cranes”- a Poem by Mend-Ooyo Gombojav

January 15, 2015 | foxstudio

I haven’t posted any Mongolian poetry in quite a while, too long, actually. I remedy that today with a favorite of mine by Mongolia’s preeminent living poet, Mend-Ooyo. I came across “The Cranes” for the first time in his poetic and magical account of growing up on the steppes of Daringanga in southeastern Mongolia “Altan Ovoo” or “Golden Hill”. I have the good fortune to be one of his friends on Facebook. When he posted the poem a few days ago I asked if I could share it with my friends and he was kind enough to give me permission.

The black-faced cranes referred to in the poem are demoiselle cranes, as shown above in a photo I took last year, which can be seen in many parts of Mongolia.

THE CRANES
(The ballad of cranes)
by G.Mend Mend-Ooyo Gombojav

The black-faced cranes excitingly
Flapped their wings and flew in Mongolia every spring.
They landed by fluttering their blue beards
Where they wished to do.
They joined in pairs
In this spacious in steppe
They exhausted in long flight
To come to their habitual place.
Birds habituated to the local people
Year by year.
They laid two spotted eggs near the animal farmers.
And hid their eggs in this place
As they deified the human beings.
Who knows it.
They venerated the virgin steppe
Which was habitable and safe for them.
They did not suspect
When they laid their eggs
There is a maxim.
If you cast your shadow
Over newly laid eggs.
It spoiled eggs.
But someone overlooked
The custom of his own place.
And pocketed these eggs.
And came to his home without a hitch
Two poor cranes trod on the pool of rain-water
And plumed their feathers as if without wings
And summered there alone.
When autumnal wind rumpled their plumes
Two cranes approached a farmer
Who took their eggs.
There was a toddler with bells in his shoes
Who was toying in a long distance from his home.
No adults heeded it.
The toddler crowed to catch these cranes.
The cranes gradually kept their distance
From the farmer’s home.
The toddler chased them,
And did not fathom it.
As his mother’s breast felt a rush of milk
She called her toddler thrice.
There was no sight of the toddler.

Nobody knew it.
All the members of the farmer family and his neighbours
Raked through the vast steppe.
They did not find their toddler
Even a fellow of his small boots.
They did nor fathom that
There was a deal of toddler
With the eggs.
Nobody knew it.
There was a flight of cranes
Were honking over the farmer’s gher*
Was it a shadow or tear?
There was a stain on the boiling milk
In the pot over a fire.

Translation by
Nymjavyn Dorjgotov

*gher –the Mongolian nomad’s tent; or house – yurt

The WildArt Mongolia Expedition 2014, Part 5: Toson Hulstay Nature Reserve (Gazelles!), Har Yamaat Nature Reserve And Back To Ulaanbaatar

September 4, 2014September 5, 2014 | foxstudio

The legendary grassland steppe, Toson Hulstay Nature Reserve, Dornod Aimag

At last I was going to see a part of Mongolia that I’d been wanting to for years….the eastern steppe grasslands. Even though Toson Hulstay Nature Reserve covers almost 1.2 million acres, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island, it’s a remnant of an ecosystem that once spread from the Pacific Ocean to the plains of Hungary.

Within minutes of our first drive around the reserve we spotted the Mongolian gazelles, the wildlife for which the reserve is best known and the main species it was created to protect. — Within minutes of our first drive around the reserve we spotted Mongolian gazelles, the wildlife for which the reserve is best known and the main species it was created to protect.

Then we saw this single gazelle — Then we saw this single male gazelle.

Not long after, we spotted this good-sized herd.

This is Batmunkh, one of the six rangers who patrol the reserve.

The next day we saw an ever larger herd. — The next day, on our way to the new visitor’s center, we saw an even larger herd! As you can see, we had cloudy weather and the gazelles were usually quite a distance away, so not the best conditions for getting good photos, but still wanted to share one of this big group. They are known to gather in mege-herds of tens of thousands. There are 40,000-60,000 gazelles in the reserve.

This group was nice enough to stop on the ridge.

The new visitor's center near the soum center of Holonbuyr — The new visitor’s center near the soum center of Holonbuyr. It is also used for community events and children’s activities, along with education about the reserve, its wildlife and plant life.

One of the banners that adorned the walls. The Nature Conservancy has been involved in supporting the reserve for many years.

Batmunkh showed us part of a large collection of botanical specimens.

On the way back this young tolai hare ran down the road in front of our car for quite a distance. — On the way back a young tolai hare ran down the road in front of our car for quite a distance.

This group of gazelles paralleled us for awhile and were fairly close. Taken through the driver's side window while we were rolling. I actually got pretty good at it. — This group of gazelles paralleled us for awhile and were fairly close. Taken through the driver’s side window while we were rolling. I actually got pretty good at it.

Our campsite, not far from a spring. Chosen to provide some shelter from the wind. It was stormy the whole time we were there.

My tour company person set up a meeting for me with Ganbold, one of the rangers. Through my driver, Erdenebat, who speaks good English, I got a great briefing on the reserve and the gazelles. I'll be writing it up as a future blog post. I loved both rangers love and enthusiasm for the reserve and their jobs protecting it. — My tour company person set up a meeting for me with Ganbold, one of the rangers. Through my driver, Erdenebat, who speaks good English, I got a great briefing on the reserve and the gazelles. I’ll be writing it up as a future blog post. I was very impressed by both rangers’ love and enthusiasm for the reserve and their jobs dedicated to protecting it.

One of the dozen or so lakes in the reserve.

Off across the steppe... — Off across the steppe on an earth road…

We saw some truly spectacular clouds. Summer is the rainy season in Mongolia and this year most of the country got thoroughly drenched, which was great for the herders and their livestock.

Saker falcon, an endangered species, perched right near the road.

Another big herd, the largest yet. What a send-off for our departure!

Another close-up. — A close-up. They all cut across the road in front of us, flowing like a stream.

And an individual female in nice light. — An individual female. And with, her the gazelle “show” was over.

Crossing the Kherlen Gol on our way to our next stop.

Our final destination for this year's Expedition off in the distance....Har Yamaat Nature Reserve. — Our final destination for this year’s Expedition off in the distance….Har Yamaat Nature Reserve. The weather was looking pretty good, compared to where we had been.

We drove up to this high point where we could see the Kherlen Gol in the distance. But what captured our attention was the riot of wildflowers.

We went back down the slope to a sheltered spot and set up camp. It was a pleasant evening, perfect for our outdoor dining. About 10pm it started to rain…and rain….and rain. It was raining hard in the morning. We had to eat breakfast sitting in the cars. Everyone pitched in to get the tents packed up. I think we set a record for the trip breaking camp. I was wondering what it would be like getting back down the mountain to the road, even though we were in Land Cruisers with a go-anywhere Russian van as our support vehicle. As it turned out the “earth” road was grassy enough that that part was no problem. However, once we arrived at the main road west…

The drivers had to deal with quite a few kilometers of this. Each made his own choices on how and where to pick his way through it.

But we just kept moving on. — But we just kept moving on and no one got stuck. By this time Ogii’s white Land Cruiser was thoroughly beige.

We finally out ran the muddy roads and made good time to Ondorhaan, recently renamed Chinggis Khan Hot (City. — We finally out-ran the muddy roads and made good time to Ondorhaan, recently renamed Chinggis Khan Hot (City). I got a kick out of seeing the zebra tire cover in the middle of Mongolia.

The city entrance if you're coming from the east. — The city entrance if you’re coming from the east.

We stopped for a break and were treated to one more crane sighting! A pair of demoiselles with two chicks.

For the last night out, we stayed at a tourist ger camp near Avarga, the first center of Imperial Mongolia. Very comfortable gers to stay in and a huge elaborately decorated dining ger.

I had a little visitor who was plucking loose pile from the carpet for its nest. Species unknown.

One last look at the quintessential Mongolian landscape that I've grown to love so much. — One last look at the quintessential Mongolian landscape I’ve grown to love so much.

We stopped for lunch by this ovoo and a herd of horses wandered by.

Full-circle back past the Chinggis Khan statue and on to Ulaanbaatar.

And that concludes the story of the 2013 WildArt Mongolia Expedition.

I’m leaving on Saturday for a road trip to Wyoming. I plan to spend four days in Yellowstone National Park, a day in Jackson for the annual Fall Art Festival and then on east to Dubois for the Susan K. Black Foundation Workshop. Five days, 175 artists, nationally-known instructors…it’s going to be very special week. I hope to post on the blog a couple of times, but will largely cover the goings-on via Twitter and posts to my Facebook fan page.

The WildArt Mongolia Expedition 2014, Part 2: Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve to Binder Soum

August 14, 2014August 20, 2014 | foxstudio

We left Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve after breakfast and drove northeast into the Han Hentii Mountains. It was good to get off the tarmac and onto earth roads again.

We stopped for lunch at Khokh Nuur, a VERY important historical site since it’s where Temujin called the khural (council or meeting) that declared him Chinggis Khan, leader of all the Mongols.

Sometimes the roads were more water than earth... — Sometimes the roads were more water than earth. Summer is the rainy season in Mongolia and it had been raining a lot just about everywhere in the country, so a great year for the herders and their animals since it meant lots of good grass.

It was a glorious drive deep into the Mongolian countryside on a perfect summer day.

It had been raining a lot so there were streams to ford. — Since it had been raining a lot there were streams to ford.

We camped by this lake. — We camped by this lovely lake the driver of my Land Cruiser, Erdenebat, knew about.

At one of them, which was more mud than water, a man and woman on a motorbike came along — The next day at one small crossing, which was more mud than water, a man and woman on a motorbike came along right after us. They were kind of stuck because she could have gotten very dirty or injured if the motorbike fell over in the mud and it was too wide to safely step across.

One of our drivers, Puugii, solved the problem.

A helping hand and she made it across just fine.

More scenery. I'd never been to the Han Hentii Mountains before and now I understood why they are such a popular destination for the Mongols. So beautiful. — More scenery. I’d never been to the Han Hentii Mountains before and now I understood why they are such a popular destination for the Mongols. So beautiful.

One of the drivers got a little to close to this yak and had to run for it. The other drivers loved it.

We stopped for lunch and almost immediately spotted this pair of demoiselle cranes!

Local dogs often show up out of apparently nowhere when one stops to eat. They wait patiently until you leave most of the time. — Local dogs often show up out of apparently nowhere when one stops to eat. They wait patiently until you leave, most of the time. They often seem friendly, but have not been vaccinated against rabies and are not used to being petted or touched, so it’s best to keep one’s distance.

As we drove on, we saw this large flock of demoiselle cranes.

We were heading towards the site of a major new crane study. My driver had directions, but couldn't follow them — We were heading towards the site of a major new crane study. My driver, Erdenebat, had directions, but couldn’t follow them because the valley floor was too wet from the rains. So he picked his way along the mountain slopes, using a compass to keep our heading correct. It was quite a feat of navigation that I didn’t appreciate until he explained to me what he had been doing and why.

Along the way we saw the pair of endangered white-napped cranes. — Along the way we saw this pair of endangered white-napped cranes.

The crane research station is new, so there is only one ger so far. From this vantage point they can scan the surrounding countryside for miles for up to six species of cranes.

The research project is a collaboration between Mongol, Russian and Chinese scientists. The Mongol scientist in charge is Nyambayar Batbayar who took the time to give us a great briefing and answer all our questions. He is also the Director of his own NGO, the Wildlife Science and Conservation Center of Mongolia.

We left the research station and headed towards our next destination, Binder, crossing this old-fashioned timber bridge.

It is a bit of an adrenaline rush to drive out onto something like this... — It’s a bit of an adrenaline rush to drive out onto these bridges if you’re not used to them.

Binder Nuur (Binder Lake). We were able to camp on the lakeshore. — Binder Nuur (Binder Lake), which was a short distance from the soum center town of Binder. We camped on the lakeshore.

We immediately saw many white shapes, which proved to be over 60 whooper swans.

We came to Binder for the first-ever International Crane Festival. And that will be the subject of my next post.

The WildArt Mongolia Expedition 2014, Part 1: Ulaanbaatar to Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve

August 6, 2014August 20, 2014 | foxstudio

I’ve been back home in California for a week now after eight great weeks in Mongolia . I’ve downloaded and started to categorize over 9000 images. All my journal and sketchbook drawings, along with the watercolors I did, have been scanned or photographed. Now it’s time to share both the WildArt Mongolia Expedition 2014 and then some of the other special places and experiences I had. You can find general information on the Expedition here.

The Expeditiion’s first stop this year was the Steppe Nomads Eco Camp, located in the Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve, which is about two hours east of Ulaanbaatar. This is my third time there and, as expected, it was a great starting point.

Close-up of the flowers. — Close-up of the flowers, which are a species of wild primrose (Primula farinosa)

Baits Uul. There are around 60 argali in the reserve, mostly up on this mountain.

Mongolian toad. There are not many species of amphibians in Mongolia, but this toad is found in a variety of places in the country.

Kherlen Gol. The river that runs through the reserve.

This was a special sighting along the river....an endangered whooper swan and a family of bar-headed geese. — This was a special sighting along the river….an endangered whooper swan and a family of bar-headed geese.

We also saw a pair of demoiselle cranes, one of the species on our list.

My first reacion — My first reaction when I saw dandelions for the first time in the country here at Gun-Galuut in 2009 was sadness that this “weed” had also invaded Mongolia. Then I remembered….here they’re a native!

Nyambayar Batbayar, a leading crane researcher who has been a Facebook friend of mine for years, was one of the leaders of a group from the International Crane Foundation who were also staying at the ger camp. Nyambaa, who you will meet again a couple of posts from now, was trying to photograph barn swallows in flight. I just happened to be able to catch him with the rainbow in the background.

We passed a couple of small lakes on our way north after leaving the reserve. There were horses on both sides of the road, so a great photo op!

Mongol horse foal. There were a lot of foals to see and photograph.

Then this local herder rode by... — Then this local herder rode by…

This small lake, which one passes — This small lake, which was on the opposite side of the road from the one with the horses, is known for the number and variety of birds that can sometimes be seen on and around it. This year there were whooper swans nesting out in the middle. In the background is the Baganuur coal mine. When I first came to this area in 2009, the waste piles were off in the far distance. I was shocked at how close they have come to the lake and the road. This photo sums up one of the major conservation challenges Mongolia faces: balancing the needs of people for fuel and the economic development that resource extraction like mining provides and the needs of wildlife and those same people for a safe and clean environment. Learning about these issues and how art can be of service is really the main goal of my WildArt Mongolia Expeditions.

Next time, we’ll be heading up into the Han Hentii Mountains, on our way to Binder Aimag and the International Crane Festival.

The WildArt Mongolia Expedition 2014 Has Returned!

June 29, 2014June 29, 2014 | foxstudio

We returned to Ulaanbaatar on June 21 and I immediately had to throw myself into preparations for the 2013 Expedition group art exhibition, which will be the subject of my next post and is open now at the Union of Mongolian Artists Gallery until July 7.

The 2014 Expedition was a great success! Here’s some of the highlights. There will be a series of posts once I’m home.

We saw cranes in the Han Hentii Mountains and attended the first-ever International Crane Festival in Binder Soum. We received an excellent briefing on the major crane study which has now gotten under way and in a future post I’ll cover what the researchers are doing, how they’re doing it and what they hope to learn. Below is one of the study subjects, demoiselle cranes with two chicks.

The crane festival was wonderful. There was a show of crane art created by local school children, an opening ceremony with dancers and singers, a horse race, Mongol wrestling and an anklebone shooting competition.

The opening ceremony included a traditional dance by young Buryat Mongol girls.

Mongol-style wrestling (Bukh)

The finish of the horse race.

Anklebone shooting.

shaga All to celebrate crane conservation! I also got to meet Dr. George Archibald, founder of the International Crane Foundation, who was there with a group of researchers and supporters.

Our next major destination was Tolson Hulstay Nature Reserve, home to between 40,000 and 60,000 Mongolian gazelles. We saw them, a couple of times in large numbers, every time we drove out into the reserve, which also has a dozen small to medium-sized lakes. I fell in love with the grassland steppe and will certainly be going back there. I was able to interview one of the six rangers and get a lot of good first-hand information that I’ll be sharing in a future post.

Mongolian gazelle. Below and at the top of the post.

The legendary grassland steppe. Toson Hulstay is the largest preserved and conserved area of it left. steppe The rainy season had started early. Great for the herders and their animals, who look to have a very good year with excellent grazing. But for traveling by car, it got a little interesting sometimes…

But of course it was worth it!

Susan Fox, American Artist

Art, Adventures in Mongolia, Art, Life in Redwood Country, Art…

demoiselle cranes

Part 1- The 2016 WildArt Mongolia Expedition

“The Cranes”- a Poem by Mend-Ooyo Gombojav

The WildArt Mongolia Expedition 2014, Part 5: Toson Hulstay Nature Reserve (Gazelles!), Har Yamaat Nature Reserve And Back To Ulaanbaatar

The WildArt Mongolia Expedition 2014, Part 2: Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve to Binder Soum

The WildArt Mongolia Expedition 2014, Part 1: Ulaanbaatar to Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve

The WildArt Mongolia Expedition 2014 Has Returned!

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