Batumi Birding

Last trip to Svaneti for the season 🥀

Visiting Svaneti during Autumn is unforgettable with its sights and adventures 🧡

🏞 On the way of searching for a Caucasian snowcock, we accidentally came across some poachers and because of that, there was no sign of caucasian snowcocks.

After this unpleasant event, the next day we decided to go for a little hike hoping to find any species. Surprisingly we spotted 6 individuals pecking some seeds scattered around on alpine slopes and we were able to observe them for quite some time, that we even got bored 🤭

We also found great rosefinch and also some plants - Crocus scharojanii and Gentiana septemfida 🌿

Sharing some memorable moments with you from our recent trip to Svaneti 💙 გიზიარებთ რამდენიმე დასამახსოვრებელ მომენტს ჩვენი სვანეთის მოგზაურობიდან

Mega news for Georgia! ⚠️📣

Quite a surprising story to share straight from the field!

Just spotted a Three-banded plover near Chorokhi Delta 😱

Three-banded plover is a small wader, resident of eastern and southern Africa and Madagascar, which makes it very surprising to see them here, in Georgia. They do not migrate, and how they ended up here is pretty interesting.

This is the first time this species has been recorded in Georgia!

Thanks to Patrick Veale who found it and shared this exciting news with everyone. 💙

📸 Dachi Shosh*tashvili

Visiting Svaneti for new adventures 💫

Let us give you a little peek at our checklist of the birds we got to see 😉

👀 We had a chance to see Caucasian snowcock, Caucasian grouse, Great rosefinch, Mountain chiffchaff, Alpine chough, Horned lark, Red-fronted serin, Bearded vulture and many more

We'll be sharing some pics soon, so stay tuned 🤩💙

Crested honey buzzard week 🦅

Batumi bottleneck got us looking up in the sky the whole day with unstoppable migration 😄

☁️ Even in rainy weather, we were able to see the migration of the passerine family

Spending the whole week in Batumi was unbelievable with amazing and active migration and many many adventures 💙

We are on our way to Svaneti and are happy to share other stories with you 🏞

📸 Filiep T'jollyn
📸 Dachi Shosh*tashvili

📣 Batumi bottleneck just witnessed a migration that counted up to half a million!

Happy to share this unforgettable moment with you all 💙

Just a reminder that you can be a part of it by joining our birdwatching trips 😉

📸 Filiep T'jollyn

Another great trip, this time in Adjaria 🌿☁️

Even though the rainy days wouldn't leave us alone, we still had an amazing trip to Mtirala National Park, Chorokhi Delta, Sakhalvasho, Shuamta and captured many amazing moments 💗

🌧 The first few days in Adjaria was quite sunny, but then raining started and migration got more active and we were able to spot many species.

👉 Interested in daily updates on migrant species in the Batumi bottleneck? Visit their webpage:

🔗 https://www.batumiraptorcount.org/

📸 Dachi Shosh*tashvili
📸 Filiep T'jollyn

And our trip to Svaneti comes to an end... 💚

🌟 Spend such an amazing time looking for the star species of Caucasus and meeting with the Caucasian snowcock family once again was really memorable!

Long day paid off as we saw Caucasian grouse, Great rosefinch, Mountain chiffchaff, Green warbler, Red-fronted serin, Bearded vulture, Golden eagle, and many many more ✨

Hoping to come back soon ✅

📸 Dachi Shosh*tashvili
📸 Olaf Symalla

First day of our trip to Svaneti and we already spotted 4 species out of the BIG 5! 🌟

Amazing start and hoping to keep going like this!

Caucasian snowcock with a chick from the Svaneti mountains. 🏔

Pictures are taken by our guide Dachi Shosh*tashvili, during mountain birds field research.

📢❗️We are excited to announce 🇦🇿 "UNDISCOVERED AZERBAIJAN" tour is back again after successful launch before COVID in 2019.

🐦Scheduled for May 2024, this new tour gives you exclusive access to this spectacular country, visiting all major hotspots on a 12-day tour.

👉For more details and tour schedule please visit our web https://batumibirding.com/azerbaijan-2024

🐾👀When you spot a Lynx from the hotel yeard. What a beginning of our late Winter Adventure trip❤️

Dachi Shosh*tashvili

📢Just a few places left in our most successful tour "Caucasus Royal" through Georgia and Armenia between May 7-17, 2023.

🐦Trip offers all the good breeding birds of the Caucasus and unforgettable sceneries.

🦅For details: [email protected]

📷 Photo Credit: Dachi Shosh*tashvili, Guy Huylebroeck.

📢Book now.. 7 days unforgettable trip through Georgia, "Winter Adventure" 4 to 11 March 2023.
🦅For details [email protected]

https://batumibirding.com/tours/winter-adventure

wow 160k raptors in one day! 👇

🦅"Eagle Week" offers 7 days of unforgettable birding in Batumi area during the mass raptor migration.
🌳Excursions in most interesting sites around the watchpoints!

📍Trip has guaranteed departure.

More info 👉 https://batumibirding.com/tours/batumi-eagle-week

© Nika Melikishvili

Couple of pics from our ongoing "Winter Adventure" trip.

Supposed to visit Kazbegi first but due to the heavy snowfall road was closed and decided to visit the Eastern steppes in Chachuna managed reserve and Vashlovani NP first.
Arrived in Kazbegi and had to leave a day earlier again due to the snowfall. Luckily picked most of the key species despite the short stay.

A very short video of unexpected Grey wolf is coming in the next post.

Credit Dachi Shosh*tashvili

We had a tough week indeed, with only one sunny day. Of course, nothing can stop fearless birders!

1 million raptors again

🗻Fascinating to visit Svaneti and its mountains again.
Most of the top 🐦species are in pocket!
🔭Great views of dozen Snowcocks yesterday, as well Red-fronted serins, Caucasian black grouse, Krüper's nuthatch, Güldenstädt's redstart, and many more.
Hopefully will add the traditionally elusive Great rosefinch tomorrow morning.
Looking forward to Batumi where mass 🦅Raptor migration is warming up.

Contact us to join our next trips. Booking with us you directly support Sabuko • Birdlife Georgia
https://batumibirding.com/tours

📢 We are happy to again offer our Autumn packages this year during the famous 🦅mass raptor migration in the Batumi bottleneck.

️🍀 follow the link and check out the Crested HB Week and Eagle Week, followed in between with the Svaneti extension that offers rare "Caucasian big 5" species in one trip.

https://batumibirding.com/tours/overview

🐦Booking with us you directly support conservation projects run by Sabuko • Birdlife Georgia

© Danny Vokins

Missing these fantastic moments, exploring the wilderness of the with a peak in wildlife activity in May and June...

This picture from May in 2019 on Mount reminds of dozens of horned larks and alpine accentors hunting for migrating butterflies over the thick snow layers on ’s highest point.

We can’t wait to explore these areas with all of you again!



📸 taken during a tour in 2019

🦉Beauties from Kazbegi.
Now should be there enjoying it ourselves, instead of digging old catalogs. Hopefully, soon we can travel again.

Have a peaceful week.

Photos by: Kristian Goner