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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Georgia - 12th > 26th September 2019... (1 Viewer)

Adult Lesser Spotted Eagle - one of several dozen I saw yesterday. A lot of birds passed within positive ID range but still about 75 individuals were classed as 'large Eagles'...
 

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Steppe Buzzard - juv i think.

Peak Steppe should be this week with large numbers arriving from further East so days of 50k might be just around the corner particularly following what will be nearly 18 hours of rain as i type.....from a bar!
 

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Steppe Buzzard - juv i think.

Peak Steppe should be this week with large numbers arriving from further East so days of 50k might be just around the corner particularly following what will be nearly 18 hours of rain as i type.....from a bar!

Surely that’s a Honey Buzzard Laurie (only seen one in Armenia all week).
 
You might be right Richard.

The proportions did not look right to me but the wing-shape probably veers that way. A lot of juv Honeys were dark and there was a lot of variation in the Steppes.

This is the place to learn.....not BF - Sakhalvasho;):t:

Laurie -
 
……..
The proportions did not look right to me but the wing-shape probably veers that way. .........….Laurie -

Also, the tail is too striped for a Steppe Buzzard.

Looking forward to try our skills ourselves beginning 26th. We'll arrive too late on the 25th to do much. So no chance to meet, unfortunately. I very much appreciate your daily updates. I'll not be able to do the same, I'm afraid.
 
Thanks for the tips:t:

I tend to go on proportions as there is a lot to look at. Back in the bar or the guest house it is a bit more subjective. The next couple of days should be interesting as we have had nearly 24 hours of rain as i type. We get some hard rain in the UK from time to time but the stuff in Georgia is something else believe me!

At this time of migration a blocking day will mean a huge build-up of birds from the East so Sunday promises movement. I am at the Argo tomorrow but will maybe taxi down to either side of the Choroki before breakfast. I get the impression that passerine movement has slacked off but this rain will possibly reveal grounded stuff in Batumi Seaside Park.

It helps to turn up with a ‘feel’ for raptor ID. I am no expert but have done 4 years at Tarifa and 2 Spring weeks at Sariyer on the Bosphorous but still need half a day to acclimatise as you simply do not get the experience back in Blighty.

Georgia is a great place with friendly people, good cuisine, a country that is wedded to wine and a landscape that is rough and wild unlike ours which is slowly but surely being farmed to death and anaesthetised against wildlife. There is so much here to enjoy and the Batumi migration is a joy to behold.

Good birding -

Laurie:t:
 
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A humble Sparrowhawk, my favourite British bird of prey. When seen migrating in loose groups in a 'kettle' backdrop of larger species including Lesser Spotted Eagles they take my respect and punch well above their weight.
 

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The German birders who i met last year had this down as an Eastern Imp - interesting White carpal patches on the upperwing. The bird was big with large primary fingers.....
 

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Now going to bed and it is hammering it down like stair-rods - attached is todays forecast so i should’nt be surprised i suppose:C
 

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Now going to bed and it is hammering it down like stair-rods - attached is todays forecast so i should’nt be surprised i suppose:C

Things look pretty bleak at this point. But for the rest of your stay it should be fine. Do you plan to go to the other official watchpoint (Shuamta) as well? It is a bit farther off.

Hope you'll have a fine day tomorrow despite the weather.
 
No i shall stick with Sakhalvasho this time as Shuamta is more problematical.
A taxi would be too expensive or would not want to undertake it as the chance of a return fare is minimal and then i would need picking up. A Marashtruka probably operates possibly from Batumi or maybe from nearby Chakvi but Sak is the easiest for me. Even in your own car there is a 20 minute drive down a dirt and stone track. There is an old Monastery/Church there and a cafe etc so ppl do visit...

The BRC people do say that they will offer lifts to Sak from Batumi town centre but when i emailed them last week for details they apologised and said they were too busy with the counting. I presume they mean the van was full with counters or birders not lodging in Sak.

The first 4 taxi drivers i asked the other day did not want to go up there with the last one saying he would for 100GEL:eek!: - that’s 30 quid and more than we paid for our 5 hour train journey from Tblisi:C The 5th driver said 80GEL and the final one 70GEL but actually reduced it to 50GEL during the journey which must be a first for Georgia!;) I have engaged him for the remaining 2 lifts to Sak on Monday and Wednesday. The cable car to Argo is good value at about £4 return iirc for the impressive 20 minute journey - we had 2 excellent days up there last year both 15k+ sessions with very close views of some species:t:

Buses only go to Chakvi via the Botanical Gardens and you can get a taxi from Chakvi - i stayed there last year and was charged 20GEL return to go up the hill. Chakvi is a bit ‘one horse’ with little choice of eateries and bars so we prefer Batumi for daytime variety as the bride needs options. Having said that she is Argo-ing both days and is keen to go to Sak on Monday as we can get dropped off at the steps and there is a loo and beer dispenser in the new Observatory.

The Argo cars don’t start until 11:00 iirc but it gives me time to have a boot about before a leisurely breakfast and then a session from about midday to 5ish will be fine. The good thing about Argo is that you are not committed to a pick up time...

Good birding -

Laurie:t:

P.S. it didn’t stop raining until Midnight and ther are pools of water everywhere but hopefully the worst has gone altho there are light residual showers forecast until mid-morning.
 
Yesterday obviously little, if any, birding was done.

We had breakfast at a harbour cafe where Yellow-legged, Black-headed and a couple of Little Gulls were noted - in addition Cormorants and Hooded Crows ducked and dived...

I will update on todays Argo experience i anticipate a reasonable day numberwise due to the non-movement of raptors yesterday - we shall see:t:

Laurie -
 
Still chucking it down do here's a coupla more photos...

The newly installed 263 steps to Heaven and Bimbo the Observatory Dog...
 

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Yesterday turned out to be interesting. Not because of either the volume and variety but..........because of the lack of it compared to Sakhalvasko and Shuamta:C

The rain, although light compared to the previous day, did not stop until middday. We too the cable-car up to the Argo Cafe at 11:15 - a short 10 minute ride for 15GEL just under 4 quid return.

From 12 until 2 small streams of primarily Black Kites came low over Batumi City via the Sea and others flew up and over us - i estimate about 750+ with 2/3 over the City. From 2-3:30 birds were mixed but less than 500 in total. This comprised more Black Kites, half a dozen each of Marsh Harriers Steppe Buzzards and Booted Eagles (2 pale adults). A single Monty/Pallid and a dozen or so Honey Buzzards were noted. 3 Hobbies, a Peregrine and a Kestrel represented the smaller Falcons and about 25 Sparrowhawks moved thru. 9 Black Storks and a few Hirundines were the little and large of the day. The last 2 hours from 3:30 until our departure was dead apart from the odd already mentioned Sprawk.

No large Eagles or equivalent e.g. Osprey were clocked at all. I thought it quiet considering the previous days rain... The layout of the Cafe means that directly facing the migration route there is the cable-car infrastructure and the Cafe building itself blocks views to the mountains to the adjacent East. Views to the West over the Black Sea and Batumi are unobstructed as are to the South over Chorokhi. This means, for me, if nothing is heading towards me i have to run over to see if anything is passing. With the Bride left in-situ c/w B :) it was achievable and i do not believe we missed close streams.

When i saw the day count of 8k+ at Sak and nearly 20k at Shuamta i was very surprised also the variety including many identified and unidentfied large Eagles:C Quite where these birds went i do not know but they could have gone much higher as there was clear Blue skies - ideal for these birds to reach 15 thousand feet.

Consequently my viewing plans have been changed.
I will go to Sakhalvasho today as planned and the remaining 2 days. Another jaunt to the Argo Cafe and possibly half a day at Chorokhi have been binned. Batumi at this time of year is about Raptors and if you make the journey you need to be at the best locale which for me is Sak. I have arranged for the taxi-driver to pick me up at 10:30 today and pick me back up at a time yet to be decided but probably around 6pm. We have agreed 50GEL return about 15 quid.

It is worth explaining the discrepancy between the 2 Stations which are no more that 20kms away and indeed Shuamta is actually viewable from Sakhalvasho. Most of the birds start ‘kettling’ around Shuamta rising higher before breaking into ‘streams’ to start moving. Depending on the direction of the stream each Station records the appropriate one in order not to duplicate numbers. These watchpoints have been selected for their position and 360 degree views.

Laurie -

Attached are yesterdays counts.
 

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Yesterday turned out to be interesting. Not because of either the volume and variety but..........because of the lack of it compared to Sakhalvasko and Shuamta:C

..……………...

When i saw the day count of 8k+ at Sak and nearly 20k at Shuamta i was very surprised also the variety including many identified and unidentfied large Eagles:C Quite where these birds went i do not know but they could have gone much higher as there was clear Blue skies - ideal for these birds to reach 15 thousand feet.

Consequently my viewing plans have been changed.
I will go to Sakhalvasho today as planned and the remaining 2 days. Another jaunt to the Argo Cafe and possibly half a day at Chorokhi have been binned. Batumi at this time of year is about Raptors and if you make the journey you need to be at the best locale which for me is Sak. I have arranged for the taxi-driver to pick me up at 10:30 today and pick me back up at a time yet to be decided but probably around 6pm. We have agreed 50GEL return about 15 quid.

It is worth explaining the discrepancy between the 2 Stations which are no more that 20kms away and indeed Shuamta is actually viewable from Sakhalvasho. Most of the birds start ‘kettling’ around Shuamta rising higher before breaking into ‘streams’ to start moving. Depending on the direction of the stream each Station records the appropriate one in order not to duplicate numbers. These watchpoints have been selected for their position and 360 degree views.

Laurie -

Attached are yesterdays counts.

Laurie, many thanks for your most informative update! Looks like it is definitely not worth it to try the easy version. We'll have a car, so that should facilitate things in a way. But not sure whether we find the Shuamta place. Google Maps is kind of blurry in that area. We'll definitely start out with Watchpoint #1 and then ask there for details for the other place. I agree that one should concentrate on the presumed hotspots given the very limited time available. So the river delta will be used as a rainy-day alternative only, I guess.

All the best for some final great days. And please keep your helpful info coming. Thanks.
 
Despite the impressive numbers and views of raptors the line “enveloped by bee-eaters and hirundines” is what captured my imagination of the sheer spectacle of the migration.

Great stuff!
 
I have flown several times with Wizzair, (Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary) and like flying Wizzair. I have thought about the Kutasi flight and considered doing this one, so your information is of much interest to me. The price is great for that length of flying time. When I flew Wizzair from Debrecen last year, I took out the "flight delay" insurance which cost £9, and because the flight got delayed for just over an hour, I ended up being credited 100 Euro to my Wizzair Account!
 
I have flown several times with Wizzair, (Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary) and like flying Wizzair. I have thought about the Kutasi flight……….

We have a Turkish Airlines flight directly to Batumi, but need to change planes at the Istanbul mega airport. Booking two separate flights instead of one with a stop-over reduces the price considerably despite the planes being the same ones.
 
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