Batumi - Boots on the Ground 6th to 28th September..... (1 Viewer)

[rollingthunder]

Friday 20th September

Despite heavy rain in the morning and showers in the afternoon both Stations recorded 5k+. Considering the decent weather we have had over the last week or so this figure is, irritatingly, better than half the days I have been up there. Hopefully there are lots of birds bottled up and if so this coming last week of my trip could be productive both in quantity and quality…..

The rain didn’t stop in downtown Batumi until about 1pm. I caught the *10 bus and passed the casinos en-route to the botanical gardens - from Croupiers to Kreuper’s. Views on the right to Sak were shrouded in vapour whilst Jet Black clouds to the left ensured that the Black Sea lived up to its name. It’s actually the first time I have visited Batumi Botanical Gardens (entrance fee 20Gel / £7). It is an exotic, ornamental gardens established by a Frenchman who wanted ‘a little bit of the Riveria” in Georgia. I am a keen botanist but I don’t tend to visit these sorts of places as it’s all generally introductions. I did happen on an excellent collection of Georgian shrubs and flowers whilst doing some birding on the edge of Tbilisi - that was very interesting but would be better during the flowering season. BBG contains a lot of trees but like a lot of these collections dead specimens and branches are removed before they become useful to a wide range of species including….. I meandered the paths for a coupla hours fruitlessly searching for anything Kreuparian but to no avail - maybe Spring would be better? I have no idea how many pairs there are but it will have to wait. A few Great Tits, a few more Chaffinches, Hooded Crows and a flyover pale-morph Booted Eagle and that was it.

I don’t normally do ‘target bird’ stuff but it was a rainy day exercise. It reminded me of days on Scilly where you would pay a few pence at the Museum on St Mary’s and tag yourself on the end of the Dunkirk-esque queue to pay homage to the stuffed specimen of Eskimo Curlew - I hope it’s still on display and not been acquired for DNA research into bringing the species back from extinction…..

Today it will be something Chorokhi from lunchtime onwards. I haven’t quite decided which side as I do not wish to get caught out in the showers that are forecast. At least the Airport side has vegetation to shelter under. I made a point of packing a very small umbrella.

Attached is a screenshot of what both Stations recorded.

More tomorrow -

Good birding -

Laurie -

 

[rollingthunder]

With one week to go it's time to post some photos. Bear in mind that birds have not been that close to the Obs so I have had to enlarge which inevitably means a loss of detail. Nothing award-winning just record shots and hopefully the innate urge to migrate is in some of the images. I took the decision to bring one of my Lumix Bridge Cameras - the DMZ 300/330. This is my go-to knockabout camera for local stuff and is very convenient to use and is incredibly light. It is however only 2/3 sensor unlike the 1" of my brace of Canon EOS 7D's. I had to balance the scope combo , with bins and camera. I will also buy one of these monopods with a tripod foot rather than a heavy tripod. At Sak you can bungee a monopod to the railings for stability.
On reflection although the BTX has proved easy to use it is a heavy bit of kit and if I don't bring it to somewhere like Batumi why buy it? I will next time bring a DSLR and my Tampon 150-600mm. This copes better with autofocus particularly when there is just a single mid to distant bird against just a Blue or cloudy sky. The Lumix has little to grab hold of and this has been frustrating as birds just haven't come as close probably because of reduced daily passage.

Included is a view from the Argo and one from the Obs.

 

[rollingthunder]

More.....

Included is a map and nicknames of the hills that the counters use to locate streams and kettles. I have suggested a larger version so that visiting birders can get their bearings but it fell on deaf ears. Also images of counters clickers and visiting Sabuko birders.....both gathering dust!

 

[rollingthunder]

More.....

Both adult an juv Bee Eater included.

 

[rollingthunder]

More.....

 

[rollingthunder]

More.....

 

[rollingthunder]

Last but not least.....

Included is a picture of Mike Weedon and Ian Lycett aka 'The Radisson Dudes' and the bloke with he hat is part of a German birding trio who I met 2 years ago at Tarifa. We had a putative White-backed Vulture and as he clocked it was intending to submit it. He didn't because he changed his mind to an immature Rupee. I said to him that he ought to send suitable images to the Spanish guys.

 

[wolfbirder]

Great stuff Laurie!

I must give it a try one year soon!

 

[rollingthunder]

Maybe not this year Nick ;-)

 

[rollingthunder]

Saturday 21st September

Despite a forecast that wasn’t brilliant it turned out to be a fine day and that was reflected in nearly 20k birds between Stations. As I declined to go up there I have posted a screenshot. A good range of species but the bulk 2/3 over Shuamta with distant streams to the East over what I call ‘A Ridge Too Far’. This time last year the counters had broken the magic Million iirc. I have another week when things tend to start dropping off the so-called ‘Eagle Week’ is upon us! I have 6 more days and for that figure to be reached relatively late in the season there has to be a combined count of 50k per day - unless there have been bottlenecks along the way I am not confident 1M will be achieved…..

I went down to the Chorokoi for 3 hours including travel. I stopped this side as the thought of half an hour cycling on the main track and then maybe an hour of pushing the bike to the mouth of the Delta took little time to dismiss. Indeed I spotted a couple of birders sat on the other side looking up the river. They hardly had better view than me because the moment I saw fishermen I knew the tide was up as indeed it was and no exposed or little available mud.

Despite this I sat and enjoyed the peace and tranquility and more sun. A number of new species were added to the trip list: Great White Egret (double figures), Glossy Ibis x2, Sandwich Terns offshore, a Slender-billed Gull that hovered like a Tern, plunged and caught a fish - it then spun around in a Phalarope-stylee for 20 mins looking pleased with itself. In the background were a coupla Raptor kettles comprising of Black Kites with the odd Booted Eagle. Over the airfield quartered no less than 5 Marsh Harriers - try scaring those off with a Nancy-boy Harris Hawk! Yellow Wags overflew with a slightly harsher call, 4 Greenshank fed on the far side and a pair of Wheatears on the airfield fence on the way back. A few more species but the are the ones that spring to mind. I am up at Sak for the next 6 days and have fingers crossed for some quantity and quality. It was after all that the former Soviet dictator and native Georgian said ‘quantity has a quality all of its own’.

Pics to follow.

Good birding -

Laurie -

 

[rollingthunder]

Sunday 22nd September

Cloudy to begin brightening up mid-morning and closing in with heavy low cover and threatening rumbles in the East. The seaward side of the Obs remained sunny and relatively clear which meant for kettling right up until I left at 4. The heavy low cloud did make for excellent close views of continuous moderate streams from 2 onwards and excellent overhead views of the larger Eagles.

As usual the day started slow. I get up there for 9am but counters will have been there at least 2.5 hours beforehand. Not much passage has started to move before 11ish and usually midday is the start point or has been for my viewing this season. The usual day-long trickle of Sprawks are usually accompanied by a few isolated Levanters and still the light passage of Marsh Harriers continue. As there is little thermal generation to speak of until around mid-morning these birds pass close and low. Yesterday afforded stunning views of beautiful juvenile birds looking for all the World like they had been stamped out of Chocolate Gateau! MonPals and juv/fem Pallids showed from time to time and a stunner of a male passed high over us. Odd Black Storks and a few Stock Doves and then streaming started. Black Kites dominated at 10k+ with Steppe Buzzard <3k. Close views of lots of birds yesterday for a change. Both Short-toed and Booted mixed in with the other 2 species as did continued Honey Buzzards. Several mid-distance Ospreys came and went as did a stunning adult Egyptian Vulture - always a crowd pleaser but more juveniles please.

Mid-afternoon 2-4pm and presumably after I left belonged to the larger Eagles - it is after all ‘Eagle Week’.

Every kettle seemed to contain a coupla Lesser Spotted Eagles with many drifting close to have their pictures taken for posterity. I logged about 30. Close views of LSE allowed things like head, beak and gape detail not normally discerned. I note in the BRC tally that 2 Greater Spotted Eagles were seen. I didn’t hear anything about them although I did overhear a crackled report of a bird over at Station 2 Shuamta. Unfortunately the counters do not shout out some of the more interesting stuff for reasons best known to themselves. We were treated to ‘barn door’ views of a Steppe Eagle2that went virtually over our heads in addition 2 more distinct juveniles streamed mid-distance over The Ridge Too Far but not for my BTX 30x which gave excellent views in the last of the good light in the East. I packed up at 4 and was back in Batumi for beer and my first cigar of the trip 1 of 4 Villager Libertad Robustos that I purchased at the Havana Bar (the are from Nicaragua) @ £7 each - 5” in length and ring size 52 for fellow stogieists.

Addendum to Saturday. Whilst viewing the bay from the airport side I clocked a couple of small White blips next to a drying Cormorant. I put them down as Little Gull / Marsh Tern and took distant record shots. I also noticed a couple of birders that had set up. I saw them yesterday a great couple of kids from Poland just 17 and 19. They confirmed the birds were a coupla White-winged Black Terns. The boys had walked down the main track which took me 20 mins to cycle. It took them an hour. They then walked at right angles to the mouth of the Chorokhi which took them 1.5 hours presumably birding en-route. They said the 2nd leg was not cyclable - I made the right decision…..based on a pair of Mk1 eyeballs and 68 years of common sense!

More tomorrow, the weather bodes well for movement.

Good birding -

Laurie -

 

[rollingthunder]

Mon 23rd September

Where to begin?

The weather conditions were very pleasant being both warm and sunny, mixed cloud at times and as usual heavier to the East late in the afternoon. The Blue skies and stunning light around and from the Observatory made for crippling views of close in birds particularly the many large Eagles that passed adjacent and overhead…..

The action started very early today with small kettles forming around 0930 and more or less continued streaming until 1430 when there was an hour lull with a bit more after I started packing up at 1530 and departed to the sound of closing thunder - I have a morbid fear of lightning since a child when my Primary School deskmate was struck whilst out with his Dad playing golf. Although he recovered he never came back to the school.

Today was, on balance, probably the best day I have ever spent up on the hill. The combination of light, continuous birds to grill and the stunning detail in the views all contributed to a wonderful days’ experience. From the off you knew it was going to be good and in volume with BK overflying in rafts. I even saw a BK clip the wing of a Booted Eagle in one of the nearby kettles. Several species, including Levant Sprawks, could be seen feeding on the wing much in the way Hobby does. A coupla Oriental Turtle Doves were noted but I wasn’t aware of them. A flyover Red-throated Pipit called twice with its distinct sound like air escaping from a tyre - I hope that is the only time I hear that with 4 days to go.

Below is an annotated list of what I saw.

Sparrowhawk - many birds probably several hundred including seeing an individual that had been trapped and lured by a Red-backed Shrike. I am told these birds are trained and then released in the Spring.

Levant Sparrowhawk - many birds seen in the kettles and hawking for insects including a lot of males.

Lesser Kestrel - a very close in female.

Hobby - several juveniles noted.

Peregrine - a single bird seen.

Osprey - half a dozen birds including one with a fish that was then chased by a Black Kite.

Marsh Harrier - I don’t count but at least 100 seen by me including some nice males.

Pallid Harrier - only in single figures but outstanding was a party of 5 adult males between the Obs and the sea.

Steppe Buzzard - an excellent day for this species. Station 2 Shuamta has generally had the Lion’s share of this bird but yesterday many hundreds were seen. Ranging from very dark to very light birds I am told they are all ‘vulpines’.

Honey Buzzard - falling in number but still nearly 300 noted at Sak. In past visits I have only seen a few dozen at this time of year.

Oriental Honey Buzzard - a single bird in a mixed kettle over the ridge but the lighting giving good views of its distinct profile.

Black Kite - Sakhalvasho had by far the numbers yesterday I.e. 10x Shuamta with 23k+. It was always going to be a good day for them but I would have thought more. Last year they peaked at 38.5k and even some of the counters bought a beer to celebrate. Here’s to more of them.

Booted Eagle - enormous numbers 800+ with many beautifully marked juveniles. Stunningly close views of both morphs. Just cannot get enough of this species and I have seen far more this year than in the past.

Short-toed Eagle - nearly 200 counted and I must have seen a large %. From distinct adults with a marked chest band through to birds that were nearly alabaster-White with subtle flecking. When one overflies and looks down at you with those piercing Yellow eyes…..you know you have been clocked!

Lesser Spotted Eagle - nearly 100 birds seen. I kept a rough count at around 60 birds. Some of the views were simply breathtaking in detail we shall see if my pictures do them justice. Birds were in the every kettle. I haven’t seen them in numbers since a Spring visit to the Bosphorus about 14 years ago when I spent a couple of days down at the far end, Sariyer, and witnessed a day count of 2k+.

Greater Spotted Eagle - I saw 2 out of the 3 birds. A fleeting and a more sustained view. I never see enough of this species to be truly confident so I grill them when I can. I noted the different proportions of longer wings and shorter tail and overall darker-looking plumage.

Steppe Eagle - No less than 16 recorded. I saw about half of them and half of those close in. Depending on wing posture can be a ‘barn door’ of a bird thankfully juveniles are very distinct and there were some nice-looking fresh young birds yesterday as well as moulting adults.

Eastern Imperial Eagle - I had mid-distance views of one of the birds seen yesterday. The species distinct pale head and some White flecking were noted.

Golden Eagle - Station 1 Shuamta picked up this bird and Sak’s walkie-talkie crackled into life and straightway assembled scopes and bins were trained on this beast in the clouds. Its distinct raised wing profile and slightly upturned primaries could be distinctly seen as it kettled on its own before drifting South. Goldie is a mega-rarity for the Batumi count. This is only the 3rd record and the first for 5 years. The species is nearby but doesn’t wander that far and they are usually juvenile or immature as expected.

White-tailed Eagle - this species has been noted several times this season. Yesterday’s bird was a monster sighting. Side on views highlighting its enormous bill and slight jinking to show off its huge wingspan.

8 species of Eagle, 20 species of Raptor - it doesn't get any better than that..........or does it?

Black Stork has to be mentioned as there were 80 counted during the day apart from a party of about a dozen they were mainly singles but could easily be picked up in the mixed thermals.

White Stork - a real scarcity this Autumn but 2 birds flapped through and appeared to be bemused by the kettling raptors to either side of them.

Today saw the departure of ’The Radisson Dudes’ and I shall miss the avenue of pleasure that was a coupla days of Blighty banter now sadly closed off - I hope our paths will cross again and thanks to Mike and Ian for the ‘craic’.

More tomorrow -

Good Birding -

Laurie -

 

[jogresh]

Enjoying your reports.
In case you go to the Botty Gardens again, here's where I had Krupers - basically the far (NE) end.

41°42'17.3"N 41°43'14.1"E

maps.app.goo.gl

 

[rollingthunder]

Cheers -

Zilch today. Rain came in at 1130 and during a break at 1pm I made my escape. Awful forecast tomorrow so I have cancelled the lift and instead will duck and dive for grounded stuff along Batumi Boulevard.....

Thursday and Friday look good so fingers crossed for some good movement.

Laurie -

 

[rollingthunder]

Chorokhi stuff.....

The zipwire cost 70Gel for 2 mins - a few years ago I bought an outbound flight to Malaga for less than that!
Dog kennels down on the Delta. The locals deliver food and water daily - I hope I end up in one of those.
Sifting through pictures and picked up what looks like a Gull-billed Tern? I am not over-familiar with the species.

 

[rollingthunder]

The Swarovski BTX has made tracking birds a pleasure. Granted it is a bit of an indulgence an does not lend itself to being toted about for general birding. I do not live on the coast or do large reservoirs so it's not destined to get a lot of use I'm afraid but if I don't make use of it somewhere like Batumi ..... In addition the cheap Gimbal head makes it simple to track stuff. 30x fixed mag is about right. I do have the ME 1.7 converter with me but haven't use it likewise the new phone adapter - I don't find digiscoping moving birds very easy despite a Bluetooth shutter thingy.

 

[rollingthunder]

Where Eagles dare.....

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[rollingthunder]

More.....

 

[rollingthunder]

Monday saw no less that 2k+ Eagles of all species across both Stations. Whilst yesterday saw <200.

I opted not to go today due to the weather forecast. BBC says 25c and sunny but over and around Batumi is one Blue blob. Down in Batumi town it can be quite benign but up at Sak it's another ball game. Bear in mind Mtirla National Park is just down the road and iirc it receives the highest annual rainfall in the Western Palearctic at 4,000mm! In addition there is nothing to do when it rains. Sure people check through their photos or are busy on their mobiles or chat. I don't check stuff until back at the digs and I do not have a Georgian SIM card. I am on GiffGaff which has a reciprocal data agreement in Europe and some other countries but not here.

More pics later.

Laurie -

 

[JPV]

Agreed and one is one too many. This sort of thing is generational and has to be bred out. I have seen parties of Georgian schoolchildren up at Sak and I think I can safely say that none of those will be shooting birds and importantly their kids. Having just read that it doesn't look good but you know what I mean ;-)

Bear in mind that the original birders blazing the trail for the Batumi bottleneck stood shoulder to shoulder up on the hill with the people shooting at the same birds - that doesn't take place any more.....

Who knows how many are actually shot and killed from the 1.5M annually recorded? The bird I saw was the first one that I have noted in 4 visits. Obviously these birds have been travelling and some show signs of pellet damage. After Georgia and The Bosphorous etc they have the nightmare that is Lebanon, a country that shoots their own people during daylight hours. Throughout the range of White Stork they are universally seen as the harbingers of Spring fertility making their way from their African wintering grounds actually with babies in their beaks - that's what my late Mum used to say to me and that in England where they don't even breed!

White Storks are routinely shot at in Lebanon try changing that sort of mentality.

Anyway, more notes tomorrow.

Good birding -

Laurie -

I was there 40 years ago during the Soviet time. At that time, birds of prey were shot everywhere and small birds were caught with glue sticks. A local had shot a honey buzzard and praised that it tasted good. Most of the birds of prey were probably shot just for "fun".