Rep of Georgia - Batumi Raptor Count - 30,000 HB in a day!

I have been with Batumi Raptor Count for two weeks now and time has literally flown by. The number of raptors that pass through the bottleneck is staggering and the season has not got into full flow yet.

The counting process requires complete teamwork with stream counters, species identifiers and aging and sexing birds that pass overhead or in zone 1 either side of the station. The data is then entered by another counter into a palmtop computer.

 In addition to organizing the troops at the stations the count co-ordinators provide expert advice on identifying and aging species with raptor identification presentations some evenings. As a result my knowledge of raptors has gone into orbit with every feather pattern being scrutinized as a bird passes overhead.

For exact numbers please visit the BRC link below where the full days count is shown.

I have added eleven new species to my life list with a Middle Spotted Woodpecker causing some discussion the other morning. The call was perfect for this species but the white on the back and crown colour was the focus of the debate.

There is a lighter side to the count which keeps everyone focused enhancing the enjoyment of the spectacle that appears each day. The Rollers tend to fly along the coast at station one early in the morning. A minutes silence is announced over the radio for birds that I do not see. Fortunately a flock passed overhead the other day.

I am as a result collecting a mass of photographs which will need sorting out at some stage. I hope to have good pictures of every age of each raptor by the end of the two months.