Saturday 23 June 2018

Southeast - Here There and Everywhere!


It has been fairly quiet of late which in a way has been a good thing. I am a keen soccer fan and the World Cup in Russia has had me glued to the TV screen for the latter half of the day. The schedule of the games has also slotted in nicely with the surveys that I have been completing.
Beddington has been alive with family groups of wildfowl and passerines and pairs that have stuck around and have not been successful in breeding on the site.
Lapwings are resident on site and at this time of year are scattered around the sludge beds with the occasional bird visible on the lakes.
Kestrel is resident taking advantage of the plentiful food source that scurrying about in the grass. The pylons are good vantage points and resting places for individuals that are constantly on the lookout for a meal.
I have also been on my travels visiting sites that have raptor watch points hoping to chance upon a Honey Buzzard or even a passing Black Kite which still eludes my UK list. No luck so far but I am hoping my persistence will pay off with pictures of my quarry! One visit cost me the Savi's Warbler at Barnes but hopefully with the climate as it is that will be the first of many! 
The wind will be taking me to Eastern Europe in the autumn where I will be joining the Batumi Raptor Count for the season’s raptor migration. Preparation for this trip is underway with the aid of Forsman’s raptor id books. There is a link below if you would like more information on joining the count.

The winter winds will take me to Australia with a stop off in Singapore. This means more time spent with my head in bird books but for me the planning stage is a big feature of my birding adventures!

Looking forward to both and England winning the World Cup! The latter may be a wish too far!!  

Friday 1 June 2018

Georgia Europe - Batumi - Migrating East for Autumn!

As the birding calendar moves towards another phase in the doldrums I have been thinking about birding adventures. It has been a while since my last trip and after a tough spring at the Farm it was about time I spread my wings and ventured beyond the gates! I found an advert on facebook which immediately grabbed my attention.
The Batumi Raptor Count (BRC) was advertising for counters for their 11th season raptor count from August 17th through to October 16th 2018. During this period over a million birds of prey pass over the stations which are situated in Batumi, Georgia, Europe.
If you would like to learn more about BRC and its research programmes follow the link or click on the banner at the end of the page:- http://www.batumiraptorcount.org
Batumi is a key port along the Black sea coast and is the second largest city in the Ajara region of Georgia. A bottleneck is created in this mountainous area making it the most important flyway for raptors in the Western Palearctic.

The prospect of spending time with fellow enthusiasts and experts to learn about raptors and counting methods had me wasting no time in completing the application form and sending it off. A video interview took place with Triin and Bart (Co-ordinators) and my place for the full season was confirmed.  
John Wright took part in the autumn 2017 count I have included a link to his blog which has many fantastic pictures of species that passed through Batumi last year:-