Withymoor - Amblecote, Stourbridge..... (1 Viewer)

[rollingthunder]

This trip was my first chance to use the Swarovski BTX and it did not disappoint. It really is like using a pair of 30x binoculars and the pin sharp bright image has to be experienced to be believed. I used it on the 65mm lens due to only taking one small cabin rucksack. I used a lightweight tripod ideal for travelling as I remove the head to fit in with size restrictions. It is more than stable enough and in addition I can remove to use as a monopod if required. I also have the 95mm module and the ATX eyepiece - this gives an incredibly bright crisp image with a 30-70x zoom. The BTX is a fixed 30x zoom but I have the ME 1.4 converter if required. In addition I have the Swarovski 2.0 adapter for my mobile phone + a Bluetooth shutter release to avoid shake. I take a Lumix fz330 bridge camera for weight and handiness and it all works well. My Canon 7D’s and 150-600mm zoom is simply far too bulky to take and heavy to tote around all day.

Good birding -

Laurie -

 

[rollingthunder]

The Hotel, whose name escapes me, in El Rocio is right down the far end of 'town' and has a very olde feel to it. It is allied to the bar and restaurant opposite and share the same friendly staff. The wildlife and birds of the Donana are depicted in the lobby, hallways and rooms. Locally made tiles are notable as are superb illustrations by a local artist/birder. The photograph of the Peregrine hitting the Mallard doesn't do it justice as it is a 3D presentation. On our last visit we heard Dogs barking in the middle of the night and upon emerging next morning we saw the reason - Wild Boar had dug up the lawn that the staff were proud of ))

 

[rollingthunder]

We were given the same room as before and like the others it is themed with a particular species ours being Purple Heron. The tree on the right is directly in front of the window but we don't spend time inside anyway. We were there 3 nights 2 days. The first full day it was light rain until about 11am. After Coffee and Toast I walked to El Rocina and back which took about 4 hours and arrived back just as rain started again. The second morning was incredibly dense fog until about 1030 and then it cleared for a superb day so another jaunt to El Rocina. I have already decided that should we decide on a jaunt at the same time in future it will be South Med probably Morocco where there is excellent out of migration season birding and better weather. We have been in both Nov and Dec and thoroughly enjoyed it.....

 

[rollingthunder]

Stuff.

 

[rollingthunder]

El Rocio from both ends and the biggest Church in the middle of town - where the Crag Martins roosted. The beautiful long-legged Jack Russell we met as a young Dog 5 years ago and it was great to see him again. I love making friends with local, usually feral, Dogs when abroad. I save suitable food and they often accompany me on walks which I like. In Southern Maroc one particular pack took it on themselves to protect me and chased everything off.....I never did get a decent picture of Red-rumped Wheatears!

 

[rollingthunder]

I am still quite active locally birding it’s just that I don’t actually see much worth reporting and I do not post on social media. There are half a dozen of us in a WhatsApp group but even there I do not pass on detailed information on breeding birds and particularly during the breeding season. Information such as that is just shared with one friend whose car we use when needed. My own birding that I class as ‘local’ is within 5 miles of the house and for that I use a range of bicycles depending on season. With regard to passage or wintering birds I am more than happy to give information to people in the group to put on social media. Again I am circumspect if there is likely to be a disturbance factor.

For me the welfare of the bird is paramount no matter what season.
It always amuses me when you see an incident involving bird photographers and disturbance. There is usually the Code for birders/Togs attached. Most of this is waffle. Common sense and respect for the animals and plants is all that is required and not a table of dont’s for the selfish and hard of thinking. The welfare of the bird comes first that’s all people need to know…..

There are far too many parasitic photographers that lack the discipline, fieldcraft and patience required and due to social media feel they have a right to the information that is gained through hard work, old skool birding and faithful patch-working. I do not intend to fuel their requirements.

Since my return from Georgia late-September it has without doubt been the most miserable period and worst Winter birding conditions that I can remember…..bar none! Everywhere I go has remained in a Somme-like condition for months with hardly any Sun and little gentle breeze to remove the saturation. Roll on Spring. I am looking forward to nearly a week in Malaga from next Tuesday. I have a coupla visits to the reserve at Rio Guadalhorce - I picked up a Lesser Crested Tern last February. May sees a 2 week trip flying from Brum to Tirana for 4 days of birding on the Albanian coast before an overnight ferry to Bari and onward to Naples and Pizza. We fly back from Pisa. Ryanair now fly direct from BHX to both Seville and Tirana for those interested.

September will either be Burgas for finding my own stuff using the Western Black Sea flyway or…..back to Batumi. What’s not to like? November has potentially Oman pencilled in if my mate can allocate funds or it’s December in Maroc with The Bride for a coupla weeks probably as far South as Zagora in the Draa Valley and a week around coastal Essouria. Fingers crossed a lot can happen in a year e.g. no planned return trip to Eilat for a month April/May ((

Locally it’s a time for both Winter Gulls and checking out Raven, Goshawk, Peregrine, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Red Kite potential. We have 3 more new nesting sites for Raven between Stourbridge and Kidderminster. The Merry Hill Ravens are back for a 4th consecutive year with the male feeding the female who is on the nest mid-Feb. They have reared a total of 9 young to fledging thus far. A 2nd pair of Gos displaying and calling on suitable days has been located. These are local birds and not the Wyre Forest diaspora of which these year on year now breed in woodland not contiguous with the core breeders. Lesser Pecker has drawn a blank so far with not a single calling bird - I am not interested in the well-known Kinver pair that have been photographed to death. As for Red Kite we now have nearly 4.5k breeding pairs. So many that we are now exporting first clutch eggs back to Spain from whence some of our reintroduced birds originated - how times change / coals to Newcastle. Despite that I know of none breeding locally and if you do keep it to yourself. We have 3 pairs within 5 miles of Bewdley. A pair of locally breeding Peregrine still elude me despite photographing mating birds in Brierley Hill 3 years ago. There are plenty of suitable low-rise tower blocks will ample Pigeons on the menu so it’s just a matter of time I suppose. I don’t count the breeding pair at Halesowen as they are now too high profile. I do check but it is from afar and not like some of the idiots standing below. The pair have even generated heat in a local WhatsApp group - the same group that convicted ‘bird botherer’ Lindgaard unsuccessfully tried to join. He is a reformed character but you past never goes away mate…..

Attached are 2 pictures from Saturday. One of the male MH Raven calling and the other of a rather smart ‘Continental-type’ sinensis Cormorant on Netherton Razzer. In addition is a local Waxwing 1 of a dozen sitting in a Birch by Lidl in Brettell Lane. I haven’t chased any as I would rather happen across my own and so thus far I have only had a couple of overflying, calling, birds at Aldi, Stourbridge - maybe they are associated with supermarkets and not Rowan? Lastly is a photo of one of the Bewdley Red Kites from last year on the nest taken from a public right of way. This bird fledged 3 chicks…..

Good birding -

Laurie -

 

[rollingthunder]

Malaga 6th-9th March…..

72 species recorded all but one during 2x 4-hour visits to the Rio Gualdalhorce/Vieja reserve.

Below is a list of the more notable species that I do not see locally plus early migrants including a couple of singing Garden Warblers which surprised me. In addition were a small party 6+ of Marbled Teal a species that I have not recorded on the ca8 previous visits. I highly recommend the reserve. It is only 25 mins on the bus from Malaga central and the best value birding at 1 euro 40 cents each way. The weather was mixed with one blistering day one overcast and 2 with heavy showers most of both days - the latter were the days I visited the reserve..... We consider ourselves lucky as there was really heavy rain all over Spain from Ronda north as was there in northern Maroc. This presumably was why migration was exceptionally quiet. I last visited a month earlier last year and it was much busier. Hirundines this time were in dozens not hundreds, virtually no waders, warblers thin on the ground and few gulls save for the high-tide roost of Med.

We stopped 5 nights/4 full days in the Soho district of Malaga at around 50 euros per night - prices have increased by about 25% in Spain since last year and still they seem to be cracking on with making life for Brits more difficult to visit. A recent report on Birdguides singles out wintering UK Lesser black-backed Gulls as sources of plastic pollution on the Coto Donana - what are they smoking?

I left a lengthy reply to the article on the BG website.....

If in Malaga I would recommend 2 bars where we languished in-between showers and birding. La Fabrica which is a Cruzcampo establishment and has 8 or so craft beers made by them. Our other choice was La Rincon de Cervizieta (The Corner Of Beer) very much a locals place and had a wide range of excellent craft ales plus many imports.

Yellow-legged Gull
Black Redstart
Spotless Starling
Blackcap
Lesser Kestrel
Serin
Little Ringed Plover
Black-winged Stilt
White Wagtail
Swallow
Cetti’s Warbler
Sardinian Warbler
Crested Lark
Kentish Plover
Woodchat - female
Osprey
Fan-tailed Warbler
Garden Warbler
Raven
Hoopoe
Booted Eagle - 2 birds, a dark-morph adult and a 1s-type pale bird.
Slender-billed Gull
House Martin
Marbled Teal
Avocet
Firecrest
White-headed Duck
Red-rumped Swallow
Crag Martin
Greater Flamingo
Spoonbill
Mediterranean Gull - roost of 500+
Marsh Harrier - male

I will post a few pics.

Good birding -

Laurie -

 

[rollingthunder]

Batumi - Boots on the Ground 6th to 28th September.....

It doesn’t seem like a year, where does the time go?, this time last year was the last continuous sunny and warm weather that I can remember so here’s to more of the same.

First a few travel details -

Price was a priority but so was actually flying into Batumi rather than Kutaisi which is 2.5-3 hours by minibus (Mashtruka) and landing there would be in the very early hours of the morning. Most flights are of a similar duration of 9-12 hours including a layover generally at SAW Istanbul’s new airport. The flight time is around 3.5 hours give or take. The final destination of Batumi airport is another 1.5 hours with views of the Black Sea and the odd bit of coastline e.g. Trabzon. Where to fly from is the other issue and who with? Most convenient and direct for me is BHX Birmingham. Turkish Airlines, the national carrier, was far too expensive at twice the price of either Luton or London and 3 times that of Stansted. Flights from Luton were only to Kutaisi so Stansted it had to be. This was a scheduled departure at 0710 which meant a coach from Digbeth at 2115 the previous evening. I left the house at 1730 and had a coupla beers in Brum for what was going to be around 22 hours of travel.

Added to the travel time was 2 hours sitting on the runway due to fog. This didn’t affect us but incoming flights were stacking due to poor visibility so they obviously had priority.

I flew with Pegasus Airlines the Turkish Airlines budget branch. Booking both flights with them meant that they are responsible for the transfer of my hold luggage i.e. my folding Brompton bike , Tripod and a small bag of tools, pump, puncture stuff etc - just under the 20kg allowance. My luggage bag was a lightweight see through type from IKEA rather than my hardshell that I took to Eilat 18 months ago. The check-in lady clocked it was a bike and said they charge accordingly. I protested and said that she only recognised it because she could see through the bag! £53 later there is only one winner when you have to get on that plane. I paid £225 for the return flight plus about £150 in luggage costs not including the latter charge. Coach to Digbeth was £40 return and local travel is on my pensioners Travel Card.

Flying into Batumi is far more convenient as my whole trip will be based here and the terminal is only 4 miles from the city centre which was duly cycled on Friday evening. I had had no food for 18 hours and no sleep whatsoever. The hostel is well stocked with cold Georgian craft beer so 3x 0.5cl was the right amount to ensure a good sleep. I went to bed at midnight and woke at 9pm so I obviously needed it. It had rained heavily on Friday morning and there were still lots of large puddles here and there. This means high humidity as it evaporates, the temperature was still 23c at 2330. I am stopping at the Hostel Voyage in a 6-berth bunk room for the superb deal of £6.70 per night which includes a 20% discount as I am staying 3 weeks. The bunks are comfortable and spacious as is the allocated locker. Being a hostel there is a common room with catering facilities 3 toilets and a shower. I much prefer hostels but they are not generally an option when The Bride is in tow. Fortunately she has dropped out so I extended the trip to 3 weeks instead of the usual 2.

Batumi International is the only airport afaik where planes have to stack for unto an hour when rain forces Raptors to move low over the runway - I have observed this myself with 3 planes circling and hundreds of Kites and Harriers etc were drifting low over the airfield.

Yesterday (Saturday) was spent getting my bearings and recovering from the travelling. Beer was drunk and new friends made in addition to obtaining the all-important Batumi bus card and putting some credit on it which will be done sometime today (Sunday). Next week, Mon-Fri I plan to hit the Bird Observatory at Station ! Sakhalvasho. I will take a bus to the nearby Botanical Gardens (Kruper’s Nuthatch) then cycle through the tunnel and up the hill. This saves on taxis and means I can stop as and when. Today I am going to cycle up to the nearby Argo restaurant. The views are stunning and you can get cold beer. There is a cable car but not only have I used that a lot in the past but it is now 30Gel about £8.50. Five years ago it was 10Gel and I think it is now a rip-off. I have bought the bike for a reason and intend to use it as much as possible particularly as it is now worth £53 more…..

Birdwise things got off, they always do, to a slow start for the counters from mid-August. A month in and they have recorded 400k Honey Buzzards. This will tail off at half a million. Black Kites are now building and then it will be Steppe Buzzards. Potentially there might be 1.5M by the time the season count finishes in mid-October. The 3 species mentioned dominate numerically but there can be 25 more Raptor species to be seem. There are also impressive Stork numbers and lots of Passerines both in the air and the surrounding woodland habitat. The last 10 days have seen day counts of Honey Buzzard at 30k, 40k, 63k and 50k. Crested HB are already in double figures which in itself is early. Notable has been 3 White-tailed Eagles, 2 Saker and a single Lanner. Passerines include a flyover calling Blue-cheeked Bee Eater and singing Green Warblers and Red-breasted Flycatcher. Rollers have also been notable with 300+ being recorded the other day. In addition what can only be described as an astonishing sight must have been an estimated nearly 350 Black-winged Pratincoles hawking and wheeling between the both Stations!

The weather is forecast good all week with temperatures between 28c and 30c. This could mean kettles going higher but there will still be birds moving lower affording good views. Good weather is better for the birds and that is the important bit. I come here for nice weather so it’s a compromise. I will also bird locally in the parks and visit the Chorokoi delta area although the thought of bumping into and having to ignore hunters will be an issue - pointing out that it is illegal is just not worth bothering with. The custom has to die with them and concerted education at school level is big in Adjara.

I will post next on my visit to the Argo.

Good birding -

Laurie -

 

[rollingthunder]

Sunday 8th September

Yesterday was bright and warm but clouding over mid-afternoon and by the early evening, around 7pm, the promised heavy rain came in with rolling thunder and impressive lightning…..

I caught the first cable car at 10am to the Argo Restaurant high above the town. The seemingly numerous cemeteries that you pass over en-route is a little disconcerting as you sway gently in the breeze in your Iron cradle - I did however have a marauding fem/juv Sparrowhawk for company for part of the 15 minute journey. I was indeed the first person on the viewing terrace and set up optics, sandwich and refreshment accordingly once I had found a chair and staked my claim as, literally, ‘King of the Hill’.

Viewing from the Argo is a lottery. If the streams pass over Sakhalvasho they can be broad front, the the East where the continue kettling but several miles away or the can pass between the Argo and Batumi City and take a more coastal track. I have had some stunning days up at the Argo but yesterday wasn’t one of them.

There were numerous streams and continual kettling to the East involving groups of 500+ individuals easily.

Through my 12x Swaro’s they were still a bit specky but once the BTX with their 30x fixed magnification were trained more specific ID could be ascertained…..at my level. I am reasonably experienced having made 3 previous trips here but I still need a few hours to get my eye in as they say. The flocks did seem to be dominated by Buzzard (Honey) types with Black Kites in attendance and the odd Booted was clocked.

The main issue, for me, is that these species are similar in size and the views from the Argo unless the birds tower higher are side-on not silhouette from underneath. A couple of moderate kettles over the Argo around 2pm comprised of mainly BK with both Honey and Steppe-type Buzzards in a flock size of ca150 individuals.

Several single figure parties of BK drifted lazily over downtown Batumi.

I cut my losses at 2:30pm and headed back for a coupla beers at a local Georgian craft beer bar called Popeye Bar and spent a coupla hours talking to a couple of South Africans who were working for the Summer at a nearby organic farm. Their deal consists of about 5 hours work daily in 5 out of 7 days in return for board and lodging.

As stated very little came over the Argo save for hundred of Hirundines mainly Swallows but the odd House Martin. I did however manage excellent views of several species which due to their proximity I watched instead of photographing. A smart male Marsh Harrier cruised past, a fresh-looking juvenile Goshawk appeared out of nowhere followed minutes later by a young Peregrine clutching a freshly caught Hirundine possibly one of the many juvenile Swallows present.

Today I get a local bus towards the botanical gardens and cycle through the tunnel and off to the right up to to Station 1 Sakhalvasho. The weather for the rest of the week is forecast warm and sunny 28-30c so I am looking forward to the daily hike up there and maybe local at the weekend. I will post today’s sightings and some pics next.

Good birding -

Laurie -

 

[rollingthunder]

Monday 9th September

An addendum to the last post - 47k+ Honey Buzzards were recorded at Sakhalvasho whilst I was up at the Argo.

A later start than I anticipated but it will be the first of double figure trips to Station 1 so it was a partial exercise in testing the logistics. The bus of choice is the 10s to Sakhalvasho the 10 goes directly to the Botanical Gardens which itself can be very productive during migration particularly during showers notably overnight ones - get there first thing. For any old sweats think the Abbey Gardens on Tresco and then some.

I decanted adjacent to the tunnel (will post map) and proceeded to cycle through and off to the right which is clearly marked ‘Raptor Watchpoint’. I know the route and after half-way, consuming my complete 1L of Orange juice in the process, thought better of it in future. I am not on holiday to arrive sweaty, knackered and dehydrated to spend the rest of the day recovering and birding. A young man from a guest house started chatting to me and provided water. Always looking to make some money we struck a deal to pick me up in Batumi at 9am Mondays to Fridays and drop me at the Watchpoint steps - for the princely sum of 20Gel, about 6 quid a price that gets me a couple of miles in native Stourbridge! He also took me the remaining ascent in his pickup.

I arrived about midday. Fortunately there had been very little movement and mostly high as the weather was sunny and warm. About 15 counters were sprawled clickers dangling from belts. They operate from behind a rope cordon which nobody pays attention to. In addition about 20 birders were present with an array of impressive optics but as yet no Swarovski BTX. 2 of the village Dogs were in attendance wanting a mixture of fuss and food - I remember both from last year.

From about 1230 kettles were forming in the distance and birds were streaming.

Honey Buzzards again leading the way with groups of several hundred. A good mix of plumage variations.

TBH I need a couple of days to get my eye in to start searching for goodies. Yesterday it was done for me with no less than 11 Oriental Honey Buzzards not only being identified but sexed and aged plus a further 6 at Station 2 Shuamta. When I first came in 2018 OHB were counted on one hand now it’s in increasingly higher double figures - how long before triple figures? Is breeding success good? migration pattern changed? I suspect it is increased observer skills….. The odd Booted Eagle and Steppe Buzzard I noted and a Short-toed distinctly pale individual was seen later on. The first of several high-flying Lesser Spotted thought they could sneak through under the cover of Buzzards and Kites - not a chance, if it moves it is recorded. HB’s dropped off about 3 as heavy cloud descended but not to be outdone Black Kites put in an appearance in numbers.

Parties of Bee Eaters continuously called overhead but I actually failed to clock any as they were moving too high but they were the first I have recorded this trip.

The day, for me, finished at 5 and I cycled back intending to pick up a bus en route but the traffic in the tunnel and back to Batumi some 7 miles distant was and always is heavy around teatime. I cycled all the way back passing a number of buses stuck in traffic. It is downhill-ish to undulating not strenuous gives me a chance to look at some river and coastal bits and work up a beer thirst.

Honey Buzzards yesterday were about 24k at Sak. I normally only see a few hundred when I arrive so coming an extra week early is the first time in 4 trips that I have been able to see them in number.

More tomorrow.

Good birding -

Laurie -

 

[rollingthunder]

Tuesday 10th September

A much slower day today which allowed views of species that view close to the observatory. The weather was very warm, humid and a rapidly building heat haze meant detail was difficult on birds against the land.

Honey Buzzards just scraped over 1k with Black Kites dominating from the start. Notable were many Booted Eagles including complete double figure groups of Pale morph. Harriers were sprinkled throughout the session with several smart Montague’s males. A handful of Pallids were identified including a ghostly White male which always looks the business as they say. Levant Sparrowhawks also put in an appearance. A small flock of 9 birds were noted as was several pale males with distinct dark wing-tips. My first juvenile Hobby of the trip zipped past almost unnoticed. Both Lesser-Spotted and Short-toed were recorded the latter less than a handful. The counters got very animated when an adult Egyptian Vulture showed up mid-afternoon - I think as it was a lifer for most of them….. I missed both Ospreys and a Steppe Eagle but as I didn’t hear them shouted out I assumed they appeared before I arrived. I did manage the odd Steppe Buzzard.

Non raptors added to the mix. Notable were the Rollers. Small and large parties in the late morning almost buzzing the Observatory. I had several ones and twos then 19, 35 and 58 in relatively short time. An early session adult Purple Heron creaked past not bothering to wait for the thermals and a flyover, calling, Tawny Pipit was heard.

Bird of the day went to, albeit briefly, a fresh out of the paint shop juvenile Greater Spotted Eagle. No sooner had it been picked up…..it was shot! I clocked it and thought I will watch and take photos as it rises as it was directly below the Obs. I didn’t know that there is a small cleared area where several ‘hunters’ gather. Let’s face it even they are not going to miss with a scatter gun it’s hardly long-distance sniping. The counters knew the bird was in imminent danger and were shouting ‘higher, higher’ reminiscent of that quiz show game from decades ago. Bang it went down and the cries changed to ‘Bastards, Bastards’.

It put a dent in everybody’s day - I slunk off to the adjacent refreshments hooch and had a bottle of cold Lager to drown my sorrows.....

Good birding -

Laurie -

 

[rollingthunder]

Wednesday 11th September

Addendum to yesterday’s notes were another good day count of Crested Honey Buzzard at Station 2 Shuamta of another 8 birds and a single Long leg. Sak recorded 3 CHB, the 2 I saw were well marked birds with distinct tail patterns.

My new arrangement of being picked up by the lovely Zuka at 0830 means arriving at Sak for 9 o’clock which is great. Generally speaking not much moves before then despite counters being on site from 6ish onwards.

It was generally a quiet day again very hot with a heat haze which meant me just looking at mid-distance kettles and anything that passed over the Station. Hats off to the counters for straining their eyes at hazy specks but that’s why they are there. The absence of any low cloud meant more or less continuous light streams with not only birds to check but allowed long views of individuals passing over and near.

Honey Buzzards have noticeably dropped off with <1500 birds counted at each Station. Black Kites now rule with nearly 14k recorded at Sak - it will be interesting to see if the day count record of 38k from last year is beaten. Harriers have also tailed off from several hundred per day to easily <100. Still 40+ Marsh, several Monties and a couple of close Pallid impresses me as a UK birder that does not see any Harrier annually! Nearly 200 Booted Eagles was very impressive, whatever their age they look freshly airbrushed particularly the dark juveniles and their subtle ‘fresh’ unmoulted look. Short-toed just made double digit. I managed a close in Lesser Spot and my first Osprey of the season a smart looking female. This bird thermalled with BK and BE not the normal migrating Ospreys I see which are normally making a Bee-line South somewhere.

A handful of nice Steppe Buzzards in the afternoon and a distant unidentified large Falco sp.

Small groups of Bee Eaters hawked close by and I recorded my first Storks of the trip with a single of each. The only Rollers noted were a small party of 15 birds that passed in front late morning.

I spent a couple of hours on the upper terrace yesterday rather than where the counters work. Viewing from the latter means you can pick up directions when something notable is being grilled but I opted to go upstairs to look myself as passage was light. I spent time in the company of half a dozen birders from China that I have been chatting to on and off for a few days. They have travelled across China to catch a plane to Tbilisi and then a train to Batumi a distance of over 7Kkm. They are stopping at a guest house literally at the bottom of the Station steps. They are constantly chattering as stuff passes and give whoops and high fives for close in birds whether it be a Booted or a Short-toed. The White Stork in with Kites etc had them in raptures - yes it is a strange hobby but all the better for having strange voices from distant lands enjoying the experience…..

More tomorrow.

Good birding -

Laurie -

The notes I post are only what I see each day here is a link to what BRC put up.

Migration Count Data — Batumi Raptor Count

 

[rollingthunder]

Thursday 12th September

Probably the quietest day I have spent on the hill in 4 trips thus far. I would never say unproductive as every day is gravy birdwise here in Batumi. The incredible heat haze is a factor, yesterday it was even over the sea.

It means mid-distance birds can be reduced to contrasty, hazy, silhouettes. I decided to spend time observing what went over and past. A couple of hours spent ‘upstairs’ in the Chinese Quarter proved productive as it coincided with a boost in activity from 2pm onwards. Up until Midday there were only several hundred birds recorded at Station 1 between Midday and 2pm things picked up with movement between the Station and the Sea. When I departed at 4:30 increasing numbers were being noted at Station 2 Shuamta and from Sak in the East - the Popeye Bar in Old Town Batumi called and it was an hour to get there with a combination of Bicycle to the first bus stop a coupla miles away and then a bus into town. 9-5 isn’t a bad stint.

Honey Buzzards can now be picked out in flocks of Black Kites as opposed to a week ago. Ca3k Honey Buzzards and 16k Black Kite were recorded between Stations with Sak getting the Lion’s share of BK at nearly 12k. Booted continue to show with 170 at Sak many giving excellent views to check for juveniles. Over 200 Harriers including MonPals were counted with Marsh accounting for 2/3. Short-toed seem to be increasingly sighted with 30+ total and Lesser Spotted in similar numbers. During the afternoon period I saw 8 birds 3 of them going over adjacent to the Obs giving stunning views. Large Eagles continue to tantalise with a handful going down as ‘Large Eagle sp’. Egyptian Vulture is always a good bird and a mid-distance juvenile wowed folk. I did hear someone say ‘it would have been better had it been an adult’ - I responded that a juvenile bird means that it has been fledged somewhere, that’s got to be good surely? No less than 9 Ospreys were shared unfortunately I didn’t see one. It’s amazing what you can miss depending on what side and what level of the Obs you are on. I move about constantly to pick up info. The counters use English but most of the present visitors don’t. Several times I heard ecstatic yelps from the Orientals to which one of the counters asked ‘what have they got’. Having talked to them I was able to enlighten him. The main interest of the group are Harriers. They all come from the far side of China where there is only Hen which is widespread plus Marsh in the wetlands. Both Montie’s and Pallid are highly sought after so they click away at passing Harriers and then they all start checking their digital camera furiously to discuss ID features. Indeed they all have stools and their height plus the length of their large lenses means they simply rest the telephoto on the floor and gas into the viewfinder - I will get a picture it’s quite comical.

I am taking pics and will work through and post some over the weekend. I decided to bring just my Lumix Fz330 bridge camera which has served me well. For some reason it is not working on burst setting which is a pain. I also have my Swarovski mobile phone adapter with rings. I intend to have a practice with this fitted on the 30-70x zoom module. I have a gimbal head on my tripod and a remote Bluetooth for taking images without touching the screen - I will be keen to see how this performs.

More tomorrow

Good birding -

Laurie -

 

[rollingthunder]

Friday 13th September

I forgot to mention several Levantine Sparrowhawks and a couple of juvenile Hobbies from yesterday and ca15 close-in Ravens from Tuesday. I am noting not only the highlight raptors but also the non raptors as it is easy to forget the latter as they are not included in the day tally put out be BRC and for some reason the smaller raptor species are not included. Considering the volume of Sparrowhawks for example but their protocol are medium to large raptors and Storks and presumably anything bigger such as the Great White Pelican from last year!

Today was another quiet day with <10k being recorded between both Stations. Up at Sak despite the lack of volume from about 11 o’clock birds appeared in small loose kettles and as individuals for much of the day and actually picked up a little bit in the East as I departed at around 16:15. I thought it prudent to make tracks as storm clouds were gathering and I cycled/bussed back to a favourite bar in Batumi just in time to duck inside from the showers.

Black Kite still accounted for more than half of the birds recorded with 5k+ at Sak. Station 2 Shuamta had nearly 1200 Steppe Buzzards whereas we barely had a tenth of that. I did manage double figures of some of these very distinctly marked birds. A handful+ of Pallid Harriers were seen early on making their way low around the Station I managed the wing-tip of a male as it went its way. I did better with a fem and a luv later on and hopefully some images. Similar for Monty’s. Ospreys, adult Egyptian Vulture and a lumbering Steppe Eagle all put in viewable appearances as did Crested Honey Buzzard and 20+ Lesser Spotted Eagles. A number of ‘Large’ Eagles tested the ID skills of the more experienced counters and won the day remaining ‘Large’. The odd Black Stork was noted as was a couple of small parties of White. Notable was a mid-afternoon group of 6 small Falcons that on jizz and season were deemed fem/juv Lesser Kestrels. A single Peregrine and a few Levanter Sprawks were also seen. Passerines were limited to lots of Swallows and the familiar trill of Bee Eater was never far away - a party of ca150 hawked around the Obs for a minute or two before heading South.

Quite what the weekend holds I don’t know as I won’t be up there. The Mon-Fri stint will be repeated both next week and the week after but weekends will be relative down time in order to check pictures, check bike and more mundane chores such as washing and particular the drying of the few clothes I have with me. It will give me a chance to have some breakfast out and to mooch around Batumi centre to check out bars and eateries.

I will still be birding with the local ornamental lake and Batumi Boulevard a stones throw away. In addition there is the allure of the Chorokoi Delta to investigate. This side of the airport is fields, ditches and ever-increasing piles of builders rubble from the ever expanding Las Vegas of the Caucasus that is Batumi. The other side is the delta proper and hunters aside I look forward to visiting as I have never actually been to the other side. There is also the Batumi Botanical Gardens where I fully intend to, finally, tick Kruper’s Nuthatch.

Good birding -

Laurie -

 

[rollingthunder]

couldn’t resist putting up this image. It was taken by one of the counters a Dutch birder Maarten Mortier.

The Pallid Harrier is the symbol of Batumi Raptor Count and this stunning capture of a male at Sakhalvasho captures this emblematic species to perfection imho. I did in fact see this bird and had superb views but I have to say a male Pallid Harrier, close-in, is just one of those jaw-dropping species that you just view in as much detail for as long as possible - well I do anyway. I have pictures from previous trips i.e. record shots but none like this beauty…..

Laurie -

 

[rollingthunder]

PH.....

Attachments​

• 

 

[rollingthunder]

Juvenile Monty, Honeys and BK from the Argo Restaurant and the 116 steps to the Sakhalvasho Observatory aka The Stairway to Heaven.....

 

[rollingthunder]

Saturday 14th September

Taking the weekend off to attend to chores e.g. washing and bike fettling and recharging my batteries hasn’t meant missing much up on the hill as yesterday was another quiet day but as always whatever passes close by or mid-distance can be grilled for experience. Something else I would like to grill is the scumbag who stole my shorts overbite. I put them, with a couple of t-shirts hung over my chained bike outside as unless it rains the stuff will dry quicker. I emerge this morning to find the shorts gone but the shirts still there - lucky me! I will be on TwatWatch for the remainder of the trip. I only bought one pair of shorts and these were a particular favourite as the ‘stretch’ which is ideal for cycling and I bought them in Eilat last year. I have lots of pairs of shorts at home so I am buggered if I am buying another pair - some Black Boxers I have will suffice…..

Less than 1k birds were recorded at Sak yesterday with Shuamta touching nearly 3k.

Honey Buzzard, Booted Eagle and Black Kite made up the bulk at Sak with the same but Steppe Buzzard replacing BE at Shuamta. A total of 7 Ospreys were seen between Stations and Shuamta scored with another Egyptian Vulture. Sak recorded a Greater Spotted Eagle whilst Shuamta hit back with a Steppe Eagle and a Black Vulture - I don’t know the migration status of Cinereous Vulture here but I would have thought it rare, I have never seen one. Ca30 LsE were recorded and smaller bits and bobs of StE and Eagle sp.

The weather today is forecast the same so I anticipate another ‘quiet’ day up there but who knows? The weather next week is predicted thundery showers which could spice things up with birds being grounded and moving through the area in fits and starts. I have seen these forecasts before and they often change to sunnier conditions on the day. Settled weather is better for the birds and that’s what it’s all about imo.

Yesterday I caught a 10s bus down to the airport and cycled down to this side of the delta taking in the sewage works and surrounding area. Viewing was only from the road as the track I have used in the past is now blocked by builders rubble and a Go-kart track - mark my words within 20 years this will all be gone as Batumi expands like the Black Hole of high-rise that it is. A few Black Kites in the air and Wagtails Both White and Yellow on the ground was all I saw. Large Gulls on the seaward side so I took a few pics of a beach roost to check later. There is a nice bit of dune-slack pool area but the conglomerate of pebbles etc made not only walking difficult but pushing a bike a nightmare…..so I didn’t bother. A pity as in the past I have had Red-necked Grebe, White-winged Black Tern and Purple Swamphen there. Today I am taking the same bus alighting at the airport and cycling around to the Chorokoi Delta proper.

A word about buses. All bus travel in the Batumi municipality must be undertaken, as far as a tourist is concerned, by using a Batu:mi Bus Card. They are free and freely available at shops and branches of the Georgian Bank. There are machines for topping up if required. Do not put more than a few Lari on as you will not use the credit and I don’t know how long the cards are valid for. I still have one from last year so I should try and use it to see if it’s still valid. I got a new one and put 10Lari on as I anticipated using near to that amount of credit - being picked up once a day for 15 days will now nearly halve that.

Buses are incredibly cheap:
Each journey on any bus anywhere around Batumi is 30 Tetri.
100 Tetri = 1 Gel / Lari.
Ca 3.6 Gel = £1 Sterling.
My 10 Lari credit is 30+ journeys.

If you wish to go outside to the next municipality of Khaki then you can go to the Botanical Gardens and get a taxi onwards and use their bus card. I don’t thing Batumi buses run to Chakvi. Sakhalvasho is on the border and no buses run up there. Not only would they struggle with the switchback road it is very steep in places. You have to swallow to equalise the pressure like taking off in a plane.

A shared Marshtruka is only a couple of Gel but that is still way more than the bus.

I know most birders hire a car or get a taxi but I personally like using the local transport and they are bike friendly it helps that mine folds.

More tomorrow -

Good birding -

Laurie -

 

[rollingthunder]

Sunday 15th September

Looks like i picked a good couple of days to take off - more by luck than judgement. With the weather forecast sunny and a warm 28-30c my gut feeling told me that it would be more of the same…..and so it was.

Sakhalvasho barely scraped 1k whilst Shuamta was busier with a comparatively healthy 4k+. Sak started well with early kettles of BK and a strong showing of Marsh Harriers at ca90 birds but hardly anything after 10am. Morale plummeted like it had been shot. A late male Pallid raised spirits and girded loins for Monday which will of course be a much better day……….because I am back! Shuamta was nothing to shout about but they did manage more Marsh Harriers and 3 each of Osprey and Crested Honey Buzzard and that as they say…..

My own local endeavours proved fruitless. Having got a late morning bus *16 to Sarpi I crossed the Chorokoi bridge and bicycled towards where I thought the river would be. Unfortunately it was grassland and scrub with the sea in the distance. A couple of off piste tracks left me piste off and longing for the comfort of the Batumi cobbles. Birdless or what! A calling flyover ‘flava’ Wag and a smart female Red-backed Shrike popped up just as I said to myself this looks good Shrike country. After a coupla hours of fruitless searching and negotiation the main track as if it was a minefield I cut my losses. I decided to cycle back to the airport as there would be a choice of more buses back to Old Town Batumi. I stopped on the bridge and sussed out the access etc is from the Batumi side to bird the Delta not the far side. This will be done on both days of the next weekend and possibly the final Friday depending on Saktivity.

A brace and a half of beer was consumed back in town and I went to an eatery called Uncle Feng’s which offers Asian fusion cuisine and I usually use it weekly when here. I hadn’t eaten out for 3 nights so it was high time I did. A huge plate of Sweet n Sour Pork strips coated in a spicy batter and drizzled with sauce and 1L, yes a Litre, of chilled dry White wine came to 33Gel or £9 Sterling. I took 1/3 away for tonights meal.

Back on the hill from Mon-Fri 9-4/5 depending on how bizzy it is - later if things are moving over or around the Obs.

Good birding -

Laurie -

 

[rollingthunder]

RbS.

Attachments​

• 
  IMG_20240916_064508886_MP_copy_1020x768.jpg
  184.1 KB · Views: 0