Rep of Georgia - Batumi Raptor Count - Crested (Oriental) Honey Buzzard

The day after he Big Day still showed plenty of potential with a mixed bag of Eagles and Buzzards. The Eagle eyed specialists are now in situ identifying and looking for something special within the streams of birds. I spent today at station one Saghalvasho with Bart and Phillippe (France) at the helm.

It was going to be a matter of time before something interesting would be identified passing over the station. The second part of this process involved a short dash to grab a camera and seal the moment.

Crested Honey Buzzards have been recorded this season with photographic evidence. The trouble was I had missed some good opportunities for various reasons to get pictures myself. Today maybe fortune had smiled in my favour as I snapped away at a large Honey Buzzard within a kettle of birds in front of the station.

The bird is broad winged with six fingers although some are the worse for wear. There is a distinct lack of carpal patches that are often present in a hybrid bird. 

The rest is a job for the experts who are talking favourably about this bird!

Rep of Georgia - Batumi Raptor Count - The Big Day Arrives!

Weather patterns have been indicating of late that a Big Day was increasingly likely at the Batumi Bottleneck but which day would it be! It just happens that that day was today I was on station two at Shuamta which did not have the lions share of the birds, but there were significant streams with over 100,000 raptors passing over the area.

Eagle numbers were also lower at Shuamta (which is unusual) but I managed some time to get some pictures of these magnificent birds. I also confirmed a new species for me in a Greater Spotted Eagle which has been recorded at stations I have been at but I have not had good enough views to add it to my life list.

Over the next weeks Eagle numbers should increase and along with further Eagle presentations will give plenty of opportunity to identify the different ages as they pass through the bottleneck.

Rep of Georgia - Chorokhi Delta - We had a Blast!!

Today I took a return trip to the Chorokhi Delta with Jon and although the Delta was quieter than my first visit in August we happened on some interesting species.

The most interesting bird of the day was a Goshawk that flew into a bush close to the path. The bird then flew down to a puddle further along the path giving excellent views before departing over the scrub in the Delta.

Goshawk are resident in the area and have been seen during the counts but I guess I did not expect to see one so close and at this location. The structure of the bird was striking with powerful flight with broad shoulders, strong chest and legs were obvious at such close range.

A Tawny Pipit was observed earlier on in the day giving good frontal views as it perched on a tall bush. This is a new species for me and one which seemed undisturbed as I snapped away from a short distance away along the path.

We also caught up with a group of Purple Swamphen on the flooded marsh near the beach. The birds had a greyer neck and head indicating race poliocephalus.

Other birds of note were Isabelline Wheatear, Citrine Wagtail, Purple Heron, Lesser Grey Shrike and Snipe.

A blast of a morning in an area which was a former minefield!!

Rep of Georgia - Batumi Raptor Count - Where Eagles Dare!

Steppe Buzzard migration is now in full flow which adds an extra dimension to the count as this species does not stick to the count protocol. Birds scatter themselves across the bottleneck crossing the transect line sometimes several times before continuing their migratory journey.

Eagles however are more orderly passing in increasing numbers in recent days. Identifying and aging Eagles is a tricky matter with five calendar years from juvenile to adult. The first Eagle presentation was delivered by Tohar (Netherlands) with the emphasis on aging the bird before identifying the species. Birds are also recorded as juvenile, immature or adult for the purposes of the count.

The Eastern Imperial Eagle which is a separate species to the Spanish Imperial Eagle is seen on passage through the bottleneck. There have been a few birds through so far along with Greater Spotted Eagle the latter I have not seen to date.

Lesser Spotted Eagle is the most regular species of Eagle but they are similar to Greater Spotted and Steppe Eagle. As stated in D.Forsman Flight Identification of Raptors “Great care and good light is required to separate these species.” 

Steppe Eagle can be confused with Lesser Spotted Eagles in immature plumages. The juveniles are distinct with the Steppe having a very broad white edge to the under-wing and white line to the greater coverts. There are also differences in structure between species but experience of both species is required.

I am looking forward to the challenge of getting to grips in identifying these species during the latter stages of the count.

Rep of Georgia - Batumi Raptor Count - Raptor Files - Black Kite

Black Kite numbers have surpassed themselves this year with over 80,000 birds migrating through the Batumi bottleneck to date. 

Black Kite is a medium sized raptor which is overall dark in colour with a pale area across the upper-wing coverts. The head is pale grey with some streaking. The mantle and undertail is also dark in Western birds. The primaries have six fingers (Red Kite five) and the tail is small and triangular with a shallow fork when the tail is closed.

Adult birds have a grey head with some streaking through to the breast. They show a more uniform dark brown on the upper-wing.

Juvenile birds have an overall smart brown appearance with white spotted shoulders through the mantle with a white tip to the greater coverts. The head is brown which matches the general colour of the bird. Older birds develop a creamy head and show a dark eye mask.

This species is easily confused with dark morph Marsh Harrier and Booted Eagle in Europe.

Rep of Georgia - Batumi Raptor Count - Raptor Files - Booted Eagle

Booted Eagle are becoming more regular during this part of the season. They tend to stay away from the main streams of Honey Buzzard and Black Kite almost attempting to sneak past the stations without being detected.

This small eagle is an arial hunter which can be observed hovering Kestrel like in the wind before stooping on unsuspecting prey. There are two morphs light and dark with fewer light morphs the further east you travel.

Adult birds are told from juveniles by signs of moult and wear through the flight feathers. Dark morph birds are easily confused with Black Kite and Marsh Harrier. A favourite feature which is obvious in dark morph birds is the "landing lights" light areas at the base of the wings.

Juvenile birds show an overall fresher plumage without signs of moult. The trailing edge is evenly white along the s shaped edge of the wings. The eye is also a darker brown.

Rep of Georgia - Batumi Raptor Count - HB or CHB That is the Question!

The count is now entering the Crested Honey Buzzard season and I have been doing my best to miss potential birds when they pass over the stations. The Crested or Oriental Honey Buzzard is known to hybridize with Honey Buzzard which makes identification of this species tricky to say the least.

BRC record birds every year as they pass through with streams of HB. Photo opportunities are not always possible but expert observation is required usually through a telescope to identify this species.

The first bird which was a good candidate was called by Bart as I was counting a stream of birds. I then threw the camera at the bird and the result was a disaster although some features are visible in the overexposed shots.

The second candidate is still being discussed but spent enough time in front of station one to at least fire off a few shots that could be scrutinized later on in the day. The bird was pale with six fingers but there is a hint of carpal patches in this bird.

The day itself was surprisingly good in the cloudless skies with good numbers of Booted Eagle, Black Kite and Honey Buzzard taking advantage of the thermals. Station two had a good eagle day with a Greater Spotted and a few Steppe passing through the mountains.

Rep of Georgia - Batumi Raptor Count - Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining!

Today was officially branded the longest and worst September 9^th in BRC counting history. There was a silver lining to this as well as some nice raptors…. 

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

Pallid Harrier Female

The count reached 500,000 birds for the season Woo Hoo!

Rep of Georgia - Batumi Raptor Count - Banding Double!

The Batumi Bird Fair has been taking place this week and there has been a lot of focus from the local media. The Oasis hotel has been the venue for evening lectures by respected Ornithologists from across the globe. BRC has also provided daily count data which has been presented during the evenings proceedings. The counters at BRC have an open invitation to attend all events.

This morning Dris and I opened the nets with a view to giving the star studded cast of Ornithologists a demonstration at our guest house. All we needed were a few birds in the nets and myself to remain composed and the small BRC event would be a successful one.

The birds obliged but I was not prepared for the quality of bird to find its way into the nets! Two life birds and a third a banding tick for me. Needless to say the Identification guide to Birds in the Hand by Demongin, Lelievre, and Candelin played a part in proceedings along with some id assistance.

The first was a Thrush Nightingale who was a bit chirpy at first but soon settled down almost enjoying the attentions of the group of special guests. The book was consulted and identity confirmed! Life bird number one!

The second bird a Spotted Flycatcher was completely un-phased by the attention and was duly processed and released. This was a new banding species for me!

Dris bought the third bird bag to the table casually stating it was just a small bird. Obviously remembering that this was another life bird for me! I placed the bird in the ringers grip and noted the thick yellow eye stripe as the bird emerged from the bag. Uh oh this was looking interesting and the wing bar confirmed the identity as a Green Warbler.

Perhaps the above pushed aside the regular passerines today knowing that our guests were of the highest caliber!

Another amazing day with BRC!

Rep of Georgia - Batumi Raptor Count - They're Here!!

Honey Buzzard’s have been taking a back seat of late with Black Kite numbers exceeding expectations for this time in the season. There have been mumblings around the BRC dinner tables that perhaps there will not be a Big Day this year for HB.

When it comes to birding I am an eternal optimist. This has developed over many hours sat at Beddington Farm waiting for the next rarity. I firmly believe if a fall of birds does not happen today then we are a day closer to it happening!

Today became that very day with streams of Honey Buzzards over both stations. The birds were so low over station two that you could almost touch them. This was an amazing spectacle watching birds gliding and thermalling in the valleys. 

A Lesser Spotted Eagle made a low fly past during the afternoon but I was too slow out of my counting chair to get a good shot!

I am still buzzing over 60,000+ Honey Buzzards counted in a day!

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

Many would say it was overdue but hey it happened today! Woo Hoo!

Rep of Georgia - Batumi Raptor Count - Raptor Files - Honey Buzzard

The BRC count has now passed the 400,000 raptor mark which at this stage is down on previous year counts but there has not been a big day in terms of Honey Buzzard movements. Full details can be viewed in the link below:-

https://www.batumiraptorcount.org/migration-count-data

Yesterday afternoon provided the BRC crew with some encouragement with a surge of birds in the afternoon although many were distant from station one passing through the mountains. A kettle of birds however emerged along the coast late afternoon with birds passing overhead giving great views.

Additional data is collected on birds that pass overhead and zone one either side of the counting station. Birds are aged and also sexed where possible. There is much variation in the plumage in HB and varies from light to dark morphs throughout all ages.

Adult male – Grey head with yellow iris, the flight feathers show a black trailing edge with the primary finger tips black. The tail has a broad black band.

Adult female – Upperparts browner, head pale, primary fingers darker as they reach the tip, darker secondaries and lighter bands through the tail feathers.

Juvenile birds are beginning to appear in the bottleneck their flight has been described as clumsy appearing oblivious to the potential dangers in their surroundings. 

Birds are generally dark ,bill is noticeably yellow, the wingtip is dark with darker secondaries, feathers are fresh without signs of moulting.

Rep of Georgia - Batumi Raptor Count - Out of the Undergrowth!

During my adventures I have expanded my interest in nature beyond the “Birds” and have spent a proportion of my time looking at butterflies, reptiles, moths and more recently plants. My knowledge of these subjects is very limited but as long as I can take pictures of my newly found quarry I would be able to capture the moment with a view to learning more about the vast diversity of nature.

Batumi has presented several photographic opportunities including a species of butterfly Swallowtail I have not seen in the UK.

Other creatures have also randomly appeared at the top of the hills briefly distracting my attention from the days bird count. They negotiate the gradient far better than I do in the mornings!

A small pool of water at the top of station one has become the home to a toad that seems completely content with its surroundings.

Mantis are also present one deciding to test out my optics in my room the other evening.

This individual above was seen at the top of station one.

Rep of Georgia - Batumi Raptor Count - Migration Update!

The passage of Honey Buzzard has been steady but has not reached Batumi standards to date. However the numbers of Black Kite have doubled compared to counts at this stage of the season.

One possible explanation is the consistent clear sunny weather which has covered the region. The majority of streams of birds has been through the mountains testing optics and observer skills to the limit at times.

There is no time for complacency at the stations as a quiet day in Batumi terms can suddenly erupt with Honey Buzzards appearing from all areas of the transect line, some passing over the station giving excellent views. 

Yesterday (5^th) was a prime example of this the morning was a slow affair with a good movement of Black Kite but Honey Buzzard numbers were lacking. The afternoon session proved that a “Big Day” may not be that far off!

Please visit the BRC link below where the full days count is shown.

A familiar and surprisingly tame species at the back of station one is a Greater Short-toed Lark who seems completely un-phased by the attentions of the papperazi. The bird appears healthy and even advanced towards me to check me out the other afternoon!

Bee Eaters are still a daily feature at both stations with several hundred birds frequenting the valleys. 

Black stork are more frequent in the streams of raptors. This particular individual took a rest in the valley before passing overhead.