Benedict Macdonald
Well-known member
Hi all,
Every year I aim to do one big, comprehensive regional trip in the Western Palearctic. This generally involves going for all possible target species, with really serious GPS-based planning, masses of research and usually seeing all the target species in a region at any time of year. Please take a look at trip reports on my website, www.ben-macdonald.co.uk, or CloudBirders, to see how I plan and carry out birding trips. But if this all sounds very serious, I'm pretty easy going as a person, work in wildlife TV and have a lot of stories to tell and jokes to trade, so only the birding, not the banter, is run with military precision.
This year, from c. 13-28 May, I am doing the Caucasus: Azerbaijan, Nachkivan and Armenia. These three countries provide all of the Caucasian species and much more. I will then do Turkey on a future trip to see WP-endemic Brown Fish Owl, Kurdish Wheatear, Iraq Babbler and Chestnut-shouldered Sparrow. This will be an ambitious and partly pioneering trip with a serious attempt to track down the mythical Hyrcan Tit. This is how the trip will work:
Day 1 - Fly UK to Baku, Azerbaijan and drive south to the Hrycan Woodlands
Day 2 - Entire day searching for Hyrcan (Caspian) Tit based on habitat profiling, historical information and altitude information
Day 3 - Caspian Coast - dawn/morning on breeding shikra; then, white-tailed plover, terek and broad-billed sandpiper and passage including Dalmatian Pelicans; happy to incorporate other steppe/ wetland species for other birders
Day 4 - Arrive in the Caucasus from Baku region. Focus on temperate woodland species - Semicollared & RB Flycatcher; Green Warbler
Day 5 - Caucasus 1 - Laza. Dawn Caucasian Grouse lek and then local species with main emphasis on red-fronted serin and mountain chiffchaff.
Day 6 - Caucasus 2 - Xinaliq. Whole day's trekking from dawn for the three big ones: Caucasian Snowcock, Guldenstadt's Redstart, Great Rosefinch and other montane species such as RF Serin, local races Twite and Horned Lark
Day 7 - return Baku, meet guide and travel to Nachkivan
Day 8-10: Nachkivan. Key semi-arid region in the WP for: See-see Partridge, Mongolian Finch, Persian Wheatear, Upcher's Warbler, Grey-necked Bunting, Eastern Rock Nuthatch. Levant Sparrowhawk and Rosy Starling. Expect to see all of these and possibly time here for Caspian Snowcock and Radde's.
Day 11 - return Baku. Ben flies on to Armenia (birders welcome to join for part 2). Birder(s) can join or fly home if this trip is the right length. Ben flies Tbilsi (Georgia) and car service takes him (or team) S to Yerevan, Armenia.
Day 12 - Yerevan region. Dawn local park for nailed-on Levant Sparrowhawks. Radde's Accentor, WT Robin and CW Finch on Aragats then south to Armash.
Day 13 - famous Armash Fishponds. Slow the pace to enjoy spectacle of finest ponds in the WP, specifically targeting white-tailed lapwing, b-w pratincole, paddyfield warbler, menetries warbler - possibility of caspian plover. Host of rare species inc white-headed duck, 'caspian' reed warbler, pelicans, waders.
Day 14 - Caspian Snowcock day. Entire day traversing montane site for this ultimate wilderness bird - second pass at crimson-winged finch if needed.
Day 15 - return to Yerevan and then home.
Exciting doesn't even cover this trip, it could be epic. The last one I did on this scale was Israel 2016 with Henry Cook, whom I met via this Forum. We got 200 species in a week including finding Desert Owl (no guide), Syrian Serin and Black Bush Robin. In 2015 I did Morocco, found a new site for Hemipode as well as refinding a colony of white-rumped swift documented in the 1960s. So I am genuinely hopeful that we can be some of the first birders to set eyes on Hyrcan Tit within the WP. This is a serious trip.
If interested, please drop me a line. I am flexible and always help track down other people's targets (even if I've seen them). Rest assured you'll clock over 200 species and there are whole lot of other targets that I've seen but will enjoy seeing again (i.e. bimaculated lark; lammergeier; wallcreeper...)
Let's conquer the Caucasus.
Ben
Every year I aim to do one big, comprehensive regional trip in the Western Palearctic. This generally involves going for all possible target species, with really serious GPS-based planning, masses of research and usually seeing all the target species in a region at any time of year. Please take a look at trip reports on my website, www.ben-macdonald.co.uk, or CloudBirders, to see how I plan and carry out birding trips. But if this all sounds very serious, I'm pretty easy going as a person, work in wildlife TV and have a lot of stories to tell and jokes to trade, so only the birding, not the banter, is run with military precision.
This year, from c. 13-28 May, I am doing the Caucasus: Azerbaijan, Nachkivan and Armenia. These three countries provide all of the Caucasian species and much more. I will then do Turkey on a future trip to see WP-endemic Brown Fish Owl, Kurdish Wheatear, Iraq Babbler and Chestnut-shouldered Sparrow. This will be an ambitious and partly pioneering trip with a serious attempt to track down the mythical Hyrcan Tit. This is how the trip will work:
Day 1 - Fly UK to Baku, Azerbaijan and drive south to the Hrycan Woodlands
Day 2 - Entire day searching for Hyrcan (Caspian) Tit based on habitat profiling, historical information and altitude information
Day 3 - Caspian Coast - dawn/morning on breeding shikra; then, white-tailed plover, terek and broad-billed sandpiper and passage including Dalmatian Pelicans; happy to incorporate other steppe/ wetland species for other birders
Day 4 - Arrive in the Caucasus from Baku region. Focus on temperate woodland species - Semicollared & RB Flycatcher; Green Warbler
Day 5 - Caucasus 1 - Laza. Dawn Caucasian Grouse lek and then local species with main emphasis on red-fronted serin and mountain chiffchaff.
Day 6 - Caucasus 2 - Xinaliq. Whole day's trekking from dawn for the three big ones: Caucasian Snowcock, Guldenstadt's Redstart, Great Rosefinch and other montane species such as RF Serin, local races Twite and Horned Lark
Day 7 - return Baku, meet guide and travel to Nachkivan
Day 8-10: Nachkivan. Key semi-arid region in the WP for: See-see Partridge, Mongolian Finch, Persian Wheatear, Upcher's Warbler, Grey-necked Bunting, Eastern Rock Nuthatch. Levant Sparrowhawk and Rosy Starling. Expect to see all of these and possibly time here for Caspian Snowcock and Radde's.
Day 11 - return Baku. Ben flies on to Armenia (birders welcome to join for part 2). Birder(s) can join or fly home if this trip is the right length. Ben flies Tbilsi (Georgia) and car service takes him (or team) S to Yerevan, Armenia.
Day 12 - Yerevan region. Dawn local park for nailed-on Levant Sparrowhawks. Radde's Accentor, WT Robin and CW Finch on Aragats then south to Armash.
Day 13 - famous Armash Fishponds. Slow the pace to enjoy spectacle of finest ponds in the WP, specifically targeting white-tailed lapwing, b-w pratincole, paddyfield warbler, menetries warbler - possibility of caspian plover. Host of rare species inc white-headed duck, 'caspian' reed warbler, pelicans, waders.
Day 14 - Caspian Snowcock day. Entire day traversing montane site for this ultimate wilderness bird - second pass at crimson-winged finch if needed.
Day 15 - return to Yerevan and then home.
Exciting doesn't even cover this trip, it could be epic. The last one I did on this scale was Israel 2016 with Henry Cook, whom I met via this Forum. We got 200 species in a week including finding Desert Owl (no guide), Syrian Serin and Black Bush Robin. In 2015 I did Morocco, found a new site for Hemipode as well as refinding a colony of white-rumped swift documented in the 1960s. So I am genuinely hopeful that we can be some of the first birders to set eyes on Hyrcan Tit within the WP. This is a serious trip.
If interested, please drop me a line. I am flexible and always help track down other people's targets (even if I've seen them). Rest assured you'll clock over 200 species and there are whole lot of other targets that I've seen but will enjoy seeing again (i.e. bimaculated lark; lammergeier; wallcreeper...)
Let's conquer the Caucasus.
Ben