Benedict Macdonald
Well-known member
Anyone who has read recent reports (see Azerbaijan) on Birdforum will know I'm scaling up my birding efforts in the WP and am now planning the second part of a Big Caucasus trip for this September. Three birding areas will be targetted: The Yerevan vicinity of Armenia (Armash, Mt. Aragats & Gnadasar); the Stepasminda region of the Georgian Caucasus - and Batumi. This should provide an extraordinarily diverse trip.
I have 10 personal targets for the trip but as always will extend and modify so the people coming along can get their extra birds too. Mine are:
ARMENIA - Asian Crimson-winged Finch, White-tailed Lapwing, Paddyfield Warbler, Black-winged Pratincole and proper sightings of Caspian Snowcock.
CAUCASUS - huge effort to see Great Rosefinch (good fitness level essential) and better views of Caucasian Grouse - the other 4 specialities should fall.
BATUMI - raptors (crested honey-buzzard and levant sparrowhawk during peak week); Lilford Woodpecker in adjacent forest, Grey-headed Swamphen and possibly Baillon's Crake in marshes and Yelkouan Shearwater offshore.
TIME PLAN. The trip may cost up to £800 but with 4 persons, the ideal crew for this trip, it would come to a lot less, with everything except flights split.
7 Sep - Luton / Warsaw / Yerevan
8 Sep - Aragats Region (CW Finch, Radde's Accentor). Drive S to Armash.
9 Sep - Armash Ponds (WT Lapwing, Paddyfield, BW Pratincole + many other rare species possible at this site including both pelicans). Should be time in heat of day to visit Vedi (GN Bunting, Menetries Warbler, Upchers Warbler, E.R.Nuthatch).
10 Sep - Mt. Gnadasar (snowcock - guided) - then tranfer flight Tbilsi. Drive Stepasminda.
11 Sep - Stepasminda - taxi to Gergeti then walk out to glacier line. Camp (Rosefinch, Redstart, Snowcock, Caucasian Grouse)
12 Sep - walk back. Afternoon below Gergeti (Green warbler, mt. chiff)
13 Sep - transfer day. Caucasus to Batumi.
14 Sep - Batumi (depends on conditions).
15-16 Sep - Batumi (peak 2 days average for C. Honey buzzard)
17 Sep. Dawn - Matra NP for Lilford Woodpecker. Then Batumi. Evening - Yelkouan Shearwater.
18 Sep - Batumi (depends on previous days birding).
19 Sep - drive to Kutaisi airport. Fly home Kutaisi/Milan/Gatwick.
Please note I've spent 2 weeks working out all the logistics for this trip and would prefer we all fly out together from London, but obviously if this is a killer then do let me know. To do this trip I'm looking for:
- 3 dead keen birders
- good fitness level
- all able to drive and handle difficult roads
- reasonable stress tolerance - the Caucasus is not always a walk in the park
- fairly laid back and ideally interested in other things as well as birds
Do drop me a line if you're interested. Keen to get everything locked down by very latest 31 July. Once I have people definitely in, we can all tweak the itinerary and work out how to make sure it's a great trip. Do read the Azerbaijan trip report if you have time. After that adventure, Georgia and Armenia should be considerably easier, with a lot of quality birding time.
Ben
www.ben-macdonald.co.uk
I have 10 personal targets for the trip but as always will extend and modify so the people coming along can get their extra birds too. Mine are:
ARMENIA - Asian Crimson-winged Finch, White-tailed Lapwing, Paddyfield Warbler, Black-winged Pratincole and proper sightings of Caspian Snowcock.
CAUCASUS - huge effort to see Great Rosefinch (good fitness level essential) and better views of Caucasian Grouse - the other 4 specialities should fall.
BATUMI - raptors (crested honey-buzzard and levant sparrowhawk during peak week); Lilford Woodpecker in adjacent forest, Grey-headed Swamphen and possibly Baillon's Crake in marshes and Yelkouan Shearwater offshore.
TIME PLAN. The trip may cost up to £800 but with 4 persons, the ideal crew for this trip, it would come to a lot less, with everything except flights split.
7 Sep - Luton / Warsaw / Yerevan
8 Sep - Aragats Region (CW Finch, Radde's Accentor). Drive S to Armash.
9 Sep - Armash Ponds (WT Lapwing, Paddyfield, BW Pratincole + many other rare species possible at this site including both pelicans). Should be time in heat of day to visit Vedi (GN Bunting, Menetries Warbler, Upchers Warbler, E.R.Nuthatch).
10 Sep - Mt. Gnadasar (snowcock - guided) - then tranfer flight Tbilsi. Drive Stepasminda.
11 Sep - Stepasminda - taxi to Gergeti then walk out to glacier line. Camp (Rosefinch, Redstart, Snowcock, Caucasian Grouse)
12 Sep - walk back. Afternoon below Gergeti (Green warbler, mt. chiff)
13 Sep - transfer day. Caucasus to Batumi.
14 Sep - Batumi (depends on conditions).
15-16 Sep - Batumi (peak 2 days average for C. Honey buzzard)
17 Sep. Dawn - Matra NP for Lilford Woodpecker. Then Batumi. Evening - Yelkouan Shearwater.
18 Sep - Batumi (depends on previous days birding).
19 Sep - drive to Kutaisi airport. Fly home Kutaisi/Milan/Gatwick.
Please note I've spent 2 weeks working out all the logistics for this trip and would prefer we all fly out together from London, but obviously if this is a killer then do let me know. To do this trip I'm looking for:
- 3 dead keen birders
- good fitness level
- all able to drive and handle difficult roads
- reasonable stress tolerance - the Caucasus is not always a walk in the park
- fairly laid back and ideally interested in other things as well as birds
Do drop me a line if you're interested. Keen to get everything locked down by very latest 31 July. Once I have people definitely in, we can all tweak the itinerary and work out how to make sure it's a great trip. Do read the Azerbaijan trip report if you have time. After that adventure, Georgia and Armenia should be considerably easier, with a lot of quality birding time.
Ben
www.ben-macdonald.co.uk
