Batumi Sęp !3th - 23rd 2023..... (3 Viewers)

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Things are starting to wind down and the counts since we left haven't made anything like the same figures although there have been several <10k Steppe Buzzard days at Shuamta but also complete full and half rained off days. They have just pushed through the 1M barrier but it won't be a record-breaking 1.5M+ this year - maybe birds have gone around the top end of the Caucasus via Burgas?

Despite all that it appears to have been a record year for Crested/Oriental Honey Buzzard with a minimum of 35 identified this year.

Good birding -

Laurie -

 

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Today's batch - there won't be many more and then I will do a travel summary with distances, prices etc.

I am deliberately not posting ID in order to give people a chance to scratch their heads as indeed I had to.....from time to time ;-)

 

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More including the monster GWP with 'fighter' escort + one of the lovely Sak dogs that I bought scraps up for each day.....

 

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The Monty was very dark so could be in the dark morph category.....

 

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More from the 21st Sept.

 

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The Eagle with the missing/moulting tail feather jinked 180 degrees when it heard a gunshot late afternoon a few kilometres away. A good number of birds showed unusual moult patterns and would appear to be aware of the dangers associated with low flying. They still have to navigate the macho nightmare of the Lebanon yet. Honey Buzzards, believe it or not, are traditionally eaten by the locals. Sparrowhawks are still trapped for falconry but iirc released after a season or two. Oddly birds are not shot in the Spring as there is no appetite for shooting breeding birds.....

 

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Georgian sky dancer.....

 

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Last for today......

 

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A most curious bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.....

The same or another >N a coupla days later.

 

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Same bird - 'landing lights' much further apart on this one.

 

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More.

 

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One bird has had half its tail shot off.....

 

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And still they come.

 

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More.

 

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Pics.

 

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Pics.

 

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This is the final batch.

I hope that the selection has given a feel for active raptor migration and a bit of head scratching. This time I didn't take as many photos as I thought I would 22k vs 50k+. 90% will be discarded and maybe 10% of the remainder deemed suitable for archive but they don't cost anything so I just blast away. I spent time actually looking at the more interesting, scarcer and closer birds just enjoying them for what they are - free spirits. For anybody half-thinking about making the effort just do it you won't regret a single penny or minute - I hope to be back there again next year because there is nothing quite like it. Tarifa is closer and more convenient, the Bosphorous is more spread out and as for Israel.....

The sheer numbers and variety plus the setting takes some beating. The hospitality and friendliness of the Georgians is almost palpable, the food is great as is the craft beer and of course the wine. Accommodation and cost of living is relatively cheap what's not to like. Shop around for flights. You can fly to Batumi generally changing at Istanbul or go to Kutaisi or even Tbilisi and get a train.

The family depicted are trying to catch migrant Sparrowhawks. They have a 'blind' and they stand with a Red-backed Shrike on a stick which they let flutter in front of those 2 poles on which a mist-net is stretched. They hope that a passing Sprawk will attempt to catch it and become entangled. I don't know the success rate but I saw several Sprawks just pass over and look down - no fooling them.

The Jackdaws by Kars railway station showed neck markings of the Eastern subspecies. The previous evening there had been 8 Levantine Sprawks hawking but had gone by next morning. I will post some travel and costings next week and that will be it.

My pencilled-in plans for 2 weeks in Oman in December have been scrubbed as my mate doesn't have his November retirement dosh to hand and I am not banking on a return trip to Eilat next April/May so it's finger drumming time with possibly a week in Maroc December-ish with a night at each end in Marrakesh and 5 days at the usually productive coastal town of Essaouira - we shall see what flights are on offer.....

Good birding -

Laurie -

 

[Antik]

Thank you for the report Laurie. We we there partly at the same time and I too will be heading back to Europe by train soon having spent some weeks touristing and remote working in other parts of Georgia.

For anyone considering the train, it is possible to book the Dogu Express sleeper online and via TCDD app. Please check How to travel by train to Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan for more info. Unfortunately the couchettes were already sold out when I started to look for the tickets so it will be a seater for me too.