An Enjoyable but Slightly Disappointing Day

Today myself Matt and Simon headed to Berry Head which is a Limestone Headland on the South West Coastal Path just outside of Brixham. With the possibility of some good migrants and it being a great seawatching spot we were looking forward to a good days birding. Conditions looked good with the heavy overnight rain due to stop around Dawn and for there to be a brisk wind from the south west all looked good. We drove down through torrential rain but as the sky lightened the rain eased and by the time we arrived in Brixham the sky had started to clear. Initially we headed for the Quarry on the lower path and a possible Firecrest heard in the Woods could not be confirmed. Arriving at the Quarry the first of seven Ring Ouzels was seen. The main target bird here was a Pallas’s Warblewr that has been around for a few days. We found its favoured Sycamore tree easily enough but with only a couple of Chiffchaffs to be seen decided to move along to the seawatching point at the end of the path. Just as we arrived I found a Black Redstart on the rocks, the first year-tick of the day which went to Matt. Simon had been the only one sensible enough to carry his chair from the car and was soon comfortably settled down and scanning the not so big waves. Unfortunately for us the forecasted winds had not materialised. There were a lot of birds to be seen with the majority being Kittiwakes along with some large gulls and Gannets. After a while a single Skua was seen, probably Arctic but was too far out to have the identification confirmed. Harbour Porpoises and Common Dolphins were seen close-in and numbers of Guillemots and Razorbills increased. Some additional interest was provided by a local boat setting crab pots and a couple of jet-skis braving the tidal race on the point. Finally a single Shearwater was found by Simon and we all had good views of a Balearic as it flew around in front of us. This was the second year-tick for Matt. That unfortunately was the highlight of the morning and at midday we decided to head back to the Quarry to try for the Warbler of which so far there had been no sign. And that is how it stayed until one when we decided to move on. We did however get more good views of male and female Ring Ouzel and a lovely male Bullfinch. With rain forecast to come in at around two o’clock we walked to the top of the Head to look for Cirl Bunting but with a lot of people and also a lot of dogs there was little chance of finding them. By now the clouds were building and as we walked back to the car the rain started again. Back-up plan for Cirl Buntings was the car park at Broadsands. We arrived during torrential rain and managed to see only a couple of House Sparrows and a Chaffinch. With no sign of the rain easing we decided to call it a day and headed for home. The day had promised a lot and as far as hoped for species went hadn’t delivered. It was however still a great day out but did nothing to make me think that seawatching is in any way a worthwhile way to spend a morning. We ended up with a relatively low total of forty-seven species with seven Ring Ouzel and two Black Redstart being the highlights.

Georgia, A Summary

My first proper birding trip has been done and with twenty-four lifers seen in a fantastic country and shared with a lovely group of people what are my thoughts?

1st) It was very enjoyable and I learnt a lot (especially that I still have a lot to learn).

2nd) More time than you think is needed to research the birds that you are hoping to see.

3rd) That ten days was a couple of days too much birding for me.

4th) Read the instruction book for your new camera (“A” on the dial means aperture not automatic!).

5th) E bird is a great resource.

All in all it was a great trip, Georgia is a fantastic country and a great birdwatching destination.

The Last Couple of Days

It was our last day and the plan was to visit two new sites and to revisit a couple of others. Unfortunately the forecast was for rain all day so we had to move around to try and find the dry areas. We started at the Botanical Gardens with a Krupers Nuthatch, then did a bit of train spotting,

followed by a few minutes seawatching. This turned up a Red-footed falcon and a flock of Slender-billed Gulls. We then tried the Chorokhi track again but the rain was very heavy. From the minibus we saw a single Marsh harrier and an impressive flock of a couple of thousand Swallows. The weather maps suggested that the Poti area would be dry so we headed there. Little Gull, Wood Sandpiper, Kingfisher and Squacco Heron were the pre-lunch highlights on Paliastomi Lake and after a western style lunch of Pizza and Wraps a return visit to the beach had an Isabelline Wheater, Arctic Skua and three Caspian Terns.

Unfortunately the rain then caught up with us so it was back to the minibus and the drive back to Batumi. A brief stop by the docks got us Yellow-legged, Caspian and best of all an Armenian Gull. The evening was spent at a city hotel enjoying an excellent farewell Georgian dinner.

Also of interest was the night-time drive past many of the impressively illuminated buildings.

On Thursday morning it was breakfast and then off to the airport for the flights home.

After saying thank you and goodbye to our guide and driver we checked in and then spent a bit of time birding from the departure lounge. From here we added White Stork to the trip-list which ended up on a collective one hundred and fifty species which included nineteen species of raptor. My individual totals were one hundred and thirty seven overall with eighteen of raptor (I missed out on Pallid Harrier).

Raptor Watching

IT was now Tuesday and the day was to be spent at the Shuamta raptor counting station. The minibus took us part of the way were we met a local who was to relay us to the top in his very battered LPG powered Opel. At that moment to us it was the best car in the world as this saved us an extremely had forty minute slog up to the watchpoint. The layout here is a small cafe with tables, a grassy plateau and then the counting area at the top. From the plateau we had great views of the birds migrating along the coast but not so good a view of the mountains behind where most of the action seemed to be. With the counting area pretty full we decamped to the cafe area from where we could see both the mountains and the coast. This was a completely new experience for me and one that I found quite daunting. However after a while I started to get my eye in and even got confident enough to call out a few birds myself. We stopped watching for lunch but it was hard not to be distracted by the constant flow of raptors. Many were just drifting past but others were forming spiraling kettles consisting of dozens of birds. Today the majority of the birds were Steppe Buzzards but there were a good number of others including many eagles of which six species were seen. Later on in the afternoon the weather closed in and with rain approaching we set off on the steep walk back to the minibus. The rain then arrived and by the time we got to the bus we were all pretty wet. In all we saw about seven and a half thousand raptors which was around half of the total from the counters. We thought it had been a pretty impressive day so it is hard to imagine a fifty thousand raptor day which is not that unusual. Looking on the website today (https://www.batumiraptorcount.org/) I can see that the autumn season count for this year has ended with a total of 1,158,374 birds.

1st pic is the official day count and the 2nd our totals.

Coastal Birding

The next day was Sunday and we headed south to Chorokhi where were going to explore a large area of scrub that led down to the sea. At this point we were fairly close to the Turkish border and there were a large amount of lorries parked waiting to cross the border. We turned of of the road onto a rough track before stopping to get out of the minibus in a very uninspiring looking area. The birds didn’t seem to mind although most were passing overhead on migration. Hundred of raptors were around with Black Kite, Marsh Harrier, Booted Eagles, Honey Buzzards, Hobbies, Sparrowhawks, Montague Harriers and Goshawk all passing over. It took us two hours to walk around a quarter of a mile to the beach, Red-backed Shrike, Stock Dove, and Common Whitethroat and Starling we all added to the list. On and from the beach were Red-throated Pipit (which actually gave us views on the ground), Calandra Lark and Slender-billed Gulls. Pods of Bottle-nosed Dolphins and Harbour Porpoise were seen at close range.

For the afternoon a visit to the Sakhalvasho Raptor viewpoint was planned. I felt that I needed a break from birding so was dropped off at the hotel. It seemed crazy to me to come all this way and to not see some of the local area. I spent an enjoyable but very hot afternoon exploring the city which is an amazing mix of ancient and modern. Later we had dinner at the hotel and then bought in wine, beer, and snacks including Baklava for a nice social evening.

We woke the next morning to rain which was okay as we were planning to walk along Batumi Boulevard which is around two kilometres long and consists of a lot of trees and ornamental gardens interspersed with cafes and hotels. We enjoyed hot drinks and cakes at one of the cafes while watching Redstarts and Red-breasted Flycatchers flitting around. Bee-eaters could be heard overhead and a European Nightjar was found roosting on a pine branch. From here we moved onto the Chorokhi river mouth which was to the city side of the area we birded yesterday. It was a small area of wetlands alongside the river and the beach. The rain had stopped and eventually the sun came out. The birding here was excellent with Several Squacco Herons and a Little Bittern seen. A Little Crake gave us all the runaround but eventually all in the group saw it. A Spotted Crake wasn’t so obliging and was seen by just a couple of people. Grey-headed Swamphen was the must see bird here and after a lot of searching one was found and again gave good views. There was some confusion as it wasn’t grey headed so there was debate as to whether or not it was a Purple Swamphen. Some research in the evening confirmed our initial identification. I then missed a lifer, Thrush Nightingale that had disappeared by the time I got to the right area. Compensation came with great views of Moustached and Savi’s Warblers.

Mountain Birding

Although the main aim and timing of our trip was raptor migration the visit to the mountains was more than just a sideshow with the Georgian big five our target. After our long day yesterday it was a struggle to be up and ready for 05:00 but we all made it. After eating breakfast and collecting our packed lunches we left the hotel to find our two four wheel drive vehicles waiting to take us to Mount Tetnuldi. These were needed as we were being taken to a height of over three thousand metres and the track was challenging to say the least. It was about an hours drive with the vehicles having to stop twice to engage four wheel drive and then low ratio gears. Our vehicles were both Mitsubishi Delicas and interestingly were right-hand drive as were many others being direct imports from Japan. After a long climb we eventually got above the tree line and made our first stop which was to look for Caucasian Black Grouse. Dawn was just breaking and it was pretty cold as we all left the warmth of the vehicles to start scanning the slopes for birds. It wasn’t long before the first Grouse was find and eventually we all got onto it. As it got lighter more were found, initially six and then later on another seven. We then got back in the vehicles to continue the ascent. On the way up we saw Water Pipit, Black Redstart, Northern Wheatear and Horned Lark. Unfortunately fresh snow on the track prevented the vehicles from reaching the highest point so we had to get out and walk the final part of the track. As we were now above the three thousand metre mark we needed to be aware that there was less oxygen in the air and pace ourselves accordingly. At the top of the track which was also the top of the ski-lift (out of season so not working) we spread out and started to look for the second target bird, Caucasian Snowcock. They were initially heard and after almost two hours happily seen by all of the group. The first views were distant but later on much better ones were obtained which included some lekking. The supporting cast was provided by Alpine Chough and Accentors along with Kestrel, Raven and a surprise Marsh Harrier. At this point we were only about ten kilometres from the Russian border, fortunately with the mountains climbing to over the five thousand metre mark there was no way through. We then descended to another area where we hoped to find Great Rosefinch and Guldenstadts Redstart but missed out on both. A Lammergier was a superb consolation bird as it glided across the top of the ridge. Red-fronted Serin were heard but not seen from here. We then continued the descent and made a couple more stops. The first was for Mountain Chiffchaff and the second for Krupers Nuthatch. Happily both species were seen along with several other species.

The next morning was another 05:00 start but this time we were headed straight for the top and fortunately the vehicles made it all the way so no walking was required. Again it was just starting to get light and with a clear sky the scenery was stunning. Again it was cold and over the first almost birdless hour spirits started to drop. However as the sun rose over the peaks we started to warm up and as the birds started to appear the mood changed completely.. Finally Great Rosefinches put in an appearance with a group of four seen briefly. Better, more prolonged views were had of two more later on. Three Red-billed Chough were amongst a large flock of Alpines and there were many small birds around. Two Levant Sparrowhawks with their obvious dark wingtips were a great sighting. Our guide Dachi found a Wallcreeper and Ian briefly picked it up a little later bit the rest of us missed it. Eventually it was time to head down and despite a lot of scanning we missed out on the Guldenstadts Redstart.

On the descent Black Woodpecker was heard but not seen. We stopped in a small village for a wander and an elusive Warbler was finally pinned down as a Marsh. The hope here was to find Red-fronted Serin as the weedy areas in the fields are there favoured habitat. Despite there being a lot of suitable areas none were found but we did find a small flock of Whinchat and Siberian Stonechat. As in other areas we were accompanied on the walk by some of the local dogs, they all appear to be in good condition and tagged but seem to be able to wander where they please. It was nice to have a bit of time to enjoy the local area, the fortified Svan towers beings particularly interesting. The few locals we encountered didn’t seem to be at all surprised to see a group of nine people strolling around loaded with binoculars and cameras. We ended the day with a birding walk around Mestia and then more beers and another good dinner.

The next morning was a slightly later start as we were heading back to Batumi but some of us went for a pre-breakfast walk around the town. A brief glimpse of a Red-breasted Flycatcher was missed by me and it would have been a lifer. Another elusive warbler was finally identified as a Blyth’s Reed, an unexpected addition to the list. Water Pipits, Black Redstarts and Mountain Chiffchaffs were seen and then the best birds of the walk were found, three Rock Buntings which gave us all good views. Finally a dark-bellied Dipper was seen along the river. After breakfast we set of on the long drive back towards Batumi. We made two stops in villages along the way but again missed out on the Serins. Good views were had of a perched Steppe Buzzard and Queen of Spain Fritillary butterflies were seen.

We stopped again at the Poti beach where a group of larks were found, after spending some time following them along the beach reasonable views were obtained of two Bimaculated, three Calandra and a Greater Short-toed Lark. Two more lifers for me. At one point a small bird flew up from under my foot which turned out to be a Jack Snipe. The lifers kept on coming with an Isabelline Wheatear found amongst the Northerns. On the river Squacco Heron and Wood Sandpiper were the best amongst the more common waders and herons. Final birds seen were a group of five Siberian and one European Stonechat.

While we were on the beach a very wolf-like dog came over to check us out.

Then it was back to our hotel for a meal followed by a stroll out for a couple of beers.

Morning Flight to Georgia

I recently went on my first organised overseas birding trip. It had been arranged by some friends who were very experienced worldwide birders. I was the only first-timer and also the only non Kent person on the trip. The main purpose was to experience raptor migration, the trip was to Georgia and was to be split between Batumi on the Black Sea coast and Mestia which is high up in the Caucasian mountains. With an early-morning flight to get we met up at a hotel near to Heathrow on the Monday evening. After a pleasant meal which gave me the opportunity to meet my traveling companions. Four o’clock the next morning found us loading our bags onto a minibus for the short trip to Terminal 2 from where we were flying to Batumi via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines. We arrived on-time in Istanbul and with four hours to wait we set ourselves up at a viewpoint and started to build up our trip-list. Myself and Ian had the added bonus of being keen on aircraft so had two things to keep us occupied. Along with some interesting new airlines seen including a few Iranian and Russian I managed two lifers for the bird list,these being Black Stork and Lesser-spotted Eagle. Other species seen included Black Kites, Short-toed Eagles and Honey Buzzards.

It was a long walk through a very impressive terminal to reach our flight to Batumi. By the time we arrived here it dark and after a short drive to our hotel it was a quick check-in and then out for a traditional Georgian meal and a couple of beers.

The next morning found us having breakfast at half-seven before loading our stuff into the minibus for our three night stay to the mountains. Although only a hundred and sixty miles the nature of the roads meant that this would involve around six hours driving. It was nice to the see the city in daylight and we passed a good number of impressive buildings, it was an interesting mix of the old and new. Birdwise we started with Yellow-legged gulls and Hooded Crows but we were only a few miles out of the city when we saw a large number of raptors in the trees alongside the road. An unplanned stop was made and in all there were in excess of three hundred Black Kites along with a Steppe buzzard and several Sparrowhawks. Bee-eaters passed overhead along with several hirundines. We also got to meet Georgian cows, they seemed to be everywhere, just wandering along on the verges by and sometimes on the road itself. seemingly well aware of the fast moving traffic passing just inches from them in some cases. These were to be a feature on all of the roads throughout the trip. I can just imagine the chaos there would be back home if this was to happen. A single cow on an “A” road would probably close it for hours.

We then moved onto to our first planned stop at Poti, also on the Black Sea coast. Here we got our first real taste of migration with at least two thousand Black Kites and many Buzzards, Eagles and hawks. Also there were a lot more Bee-eaters. A mix of beach, scrub and river habitats enabled us to get a fairly impressive list here. In all we had forty-six species in around three hours. This included another couple of lifers for me, these being Tawny Pipit and Siberian Stonechat. Hoopoe and Greater Short-toed Lark were also good birds here. A mystery Bunting caused some amount of discussion until we finally agreed that it was a Corn Bunting, despite having these regularly at home seeing one as a migrant on a Georgian beach was certainly made us think. On the downside the amount of rubbish (mainly plastic) along the beach was quite depressing. This was noticeable throughout the trip in most areas other than the mountains and the centre of Batumi.

Our next stop was lunch at a Georgian restaurant in the town of Zugdidi which is almost on the border of the Russian enclave of Abkhazia and the town itself was occupied by the Russians during the 2008 Russo-Georgian war. After an excellent lunch we got back into the minibus and headed for the now not so distant mountains. A couple of brief stops were made en-route with Wallcreeper and Rock Bunting hoped for but unfortunately not seen. The final hour of the drive along what was, for the driver a challenging road was made in the dark and we were all pretty tired when we finally arrived at the hotel in Mestia. Again it was luggage to the rooms and straight down for dinner before getting off to bed. We had a five a.m. start the next morning.

Plain Birding

Yesterday myself and Matt spent the afternoon birding on Salisbury Plain. After picking Matt up we drove via Marlborough and Pewsey. At Marlborough a quick stop got us a view of the now seemingly resident Dipper and a stop was made at Pewsey for sausage rolls and cakes from Marshalls Bakery. We planned to start our birding from the perimeter road of the central area of the Plain but everyday this week the sound of the big guns firing had been heard in Swindon so we weren’t sure if it would be open. Fortunately it was and even better there were a good number of birds around. With yesterdays large arrival of winter thrushes it was no surprise when we saw a couple of large flocks moving around. There were also plenty of Linnets, Corn Buntings and Mipits along with a few Stonechats. The plan was to stop somewhere that had a good view and to bird whilst eating our lunch. At the lunch stop Matt saw the only Red Kite of the day and followed this with a Merlin which luckily for me as it was a year-tick landed in full view of us. It then flew off and we saw it unsuccessfully have a go at a small flock of larks. I then started to scan a nearby crop field and found a couple of Red-legged Partridges followed soon after by one and then four Grey ones. This time it was a year-tick for Matt. So two target birds on the list already. Moving on to another vantage point we found three birders already there. When we asked them if they had seen much they told us that they were taking pictures of the cows!. From here we soon found a flock of twenty Great Bustards of which just two were males. Apart from these it was more of the same. We had already heard the guns firing but at this point we were very close and you could actually hear the whistle of the shells after they were fired. Moving on we topped a rise to find a couple of tanks blocking the perimeter track so took the hint, turned left and dropped down to the main road. Crossing over when then stopped by one of the bridges over the River Avon and added Mallard, Moorhen and Grey Heron to the day-list. Then it was onto the east side of the Plain which was a lot quieter both on the bird and noise fronts. We eventually got to Weather Hill Firs which is an area of mixed woodland. This can be a good area for finches but today there were just a few Chaffinch. Coal Tit, Goldcrest and a male Blackcap were amongst the birds seen here. With a lot of soldiers and army vehicles around one or two of my regular stopping places were not an option but at another a Ring Ouzel was seen with a flock of Redwing and Fieldfare, the first of the season for us. Moving on again to another regular stop a Ringtail Hen Harrier was seen giving great views at it tried to evade the attention of around half-a-dozen crows. We then moved onto our final stop where we stayed until a few minutes after sunset. The hoped for Short-eared Owl didn’t put in an appearance but there were a lot of birds to watch while we were waiting. We finally called it a day at just gone six and headed back to the road. Just after getting on it Matt saw Barn Owl hunting, our forty-seventh species seen during the afternoon which is a pretty impressive total.

Downland Birding

This morning I spent a couple of hours around Liddington Hill. I was hoping for Ring Ouzel but unfortunately had no joy. With not a cloud in the sky, a bit of mist and the moon showing it was a good place to be. There were a lot of birds around with several small flocks of Corn Bunting, Yellowhammer and Mipits. The largest flock was of over two hundred Linnets. At least five Stonechats were seen, they seem to have had a good year. Add in the gulls. corvids and other small birds and I got to thirty-two species which is towards the top end of expectation for here.

At some stage I needed to go to Wroughton so decided to have my lunch sort of on the way so went along the Ridgeway below Barbury Castle. I parked overlooking the small pond that has been dug out and spent a pleasant forty-five minutes or so enjoying the view and a few birds. I did get my second Osprey of the week although this time it was the USAF version.

On my way home I looked in at Wroughton Reservoir where I had a count of at least twelve Little Grebe, there were probably more but as they were constantly diving and resurfacing in a different place it was hard to be sure. This has always been a good site for them but this was by far the most I have seen here.

Osprey again

An Osprey has been at the Water Park for a few days and today I took time-out from the garden to head out there for a look. I arrived at Kent End to find three birders looking upwards. Quickly out of the car I managed a brief glimpse of the Osprey as it flew behind some trees. Fortunately I got a decent view of it as it carried on away but could see that it was carrying a good sized fish. Arriving a couple of minutes earlier would have been nice but at least I saw it. I then spent an hour or so checking out Kent End with the best bird seen being a couple of Great White Egrets. Good to see that duck numbers are starting to build up with plenty of Teal and Wigeon amongst the Mallards.