Mtirala mountains covered with snow
Mtirala Mountain aka Big Momma covered with snow and fog
One of the hunter's hides on the ridge behind the counting station. Luckily in spring there aren't many hunters active
The counting station before the start of the season
The white lion of Sakhalvasho
Arctic Skua in the harbour of Batumi
Arctic Skua in the harbour of Batumi
Arctic Skua in the harbour of Batumi
Arctic Skua in the harbour of Batumi
Black-headed gullsssss
Black Headed Gulls
Black-necked Grebe
The skyline of Batumi with in front a small part of the ''white blanket'' that is formed by all the gulls (mainly Black-headed) that winter on the Black Sea.
Blue Tit
Coal Tit with in the back a Blue Tit
Coal Tit
Church with the Turkish Lesser Caucasus in the background
A blanket of gulls over the Black Sea
Woodpigeon
Blue Tit
Greater Spotted Woodpecker
Gulls around fishersboats on the Black Sea
Migrating Woodlark
Fieldfare making a short stop on station before resuming migration
That's a strange bird ...
Imperial Eagle, adult
More and more Black-headed Gulls
Very rusty Steppebuzzard
Black-headed Gulls leaving their wintering ''waters'' to go back to their breeding grounds
Steppebuzzard
Peregrine, adult
Long-legged Buzzard
Black Kite, 2cy
Black Kite, adult
Steppebuzzard
Batumi covered in fog
Raven
Typical flight silhouet of a Raven
Long-legged Buzzard
White-tailed Eagle, an adult bird migrating quite far inland
One of the main causes of bad air quality in the village, the burning of their lands
Black Stork
More burning ...
La Luna
Steppebuzzard
Steppebuzzard
Steppebuzzard
Untitled
Just a Robin
Common Gull
Black-throated Diver
Yellow-legged Gull
Untitled
Yellow-legged Gull
Long-legged Buzzard
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in the early morning
Hen Harrier, adult male
Marsh Harrier
Common Crane
Long-legged Buzzard
Long-legged Buzzard
Firecrest
Firecrest
Hawfinch
The effect of fog and smog, this is the sun on the middle of the day
Black Kites in front of Batumi
Steppebuzzard
Marsh Harrier, 3cy Male
Marsh Harrier, 3cy Male
Kruper's Nuthatch, the first of many this spring
The counting station with snow!
Looking for ice crystals I guess
More snow
Harriers are famous for being die hard migrants, this female Marsh Harrier for example that migrated while it was snowing.
For this male Marsh Harrier the snow was a bit too much, it landed in a tree waiting for the snow to stop
White Wagtail
Peregrine
Black-winged Kite
Imperal Eagle, Adult
Imperial Eagle, adult
Greater Spotted Eagle, young adult
An adult male Hen Harrier with a Steppebuzzard
Waterspout
Common Cranes
Common Cranes
Siskin
Cranes over the ridge
A, not so super pretty, young Steppe Eagle
Woopie's!
A whole flock of Woopie's!
Marsh Harrier, 2cy
Common Crane
Short-toed Eagle
The first Red-rumped Swallow of the season, many more followed
Osprey aka garbage bird
Marsh Harrier, adult male of the dark morph
Hen Harrier, adult male
Marsh harrier, 3cy Male
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
A classic mix during spring migration, Steppebuzzards, Black Kites and a Black Stork
Marsh Harrier, adult male of the dark morph
Long-legged Buzzard
Greater Spotted Eagle, 2cy
Lesser Spotted Eagle, this individual honours its name...
Booted Eagle light morph
Black Kite, adult
Marsh Harrier, adult male of the dark morph
Hen harrier, 2cy
Black Kites in front of Batumi
Marsh Harrier,
Merlin, male
Black Kite missing some tailfeathers
The low clouds often give very nice scenery's
Black Storks
Short-toed Eagle
Steppe Eagle, 2cy
Greater Spotted Eagle, adult
Lesser Spotted Eagle, immature
Imperial Eagle, 2cy
Lesser Spotted Eagle, adult
Lesser Spotted Eagle, old immature
Pallid Harrier, adult female
Booted Eagle light morph
Common Redstart
Common Kestrel
Short-toed Eagle
Short-toed Eagle
Lesser Spotted Eagle
Lesser Spotted Eagle
Lesser Spotted Eagle
Lesser Spotted Eagle
Black Kites ...
Black Stork, adult
Marsh Harrier, 2cy
Common Kestrel
Booted Eagle
Steppebuzzard
Greater Spotted Eagle, 2cy
Imperial Eagle, 2cy
Golden Eagle, adult
Golden Eagle, adult
Golden Eagle, adult
Montagu's Harrier, adult female
Untitled
Black Kite
Long-legged Buzzard
Long-legged Buzzard
Long-legged Buzzard
Semicollored Flycatcher (male)
The Chorokhi Delta and Lesser Caucasus
We're not only seeing raptors migrating, in this case you're looking at a large flock of Mistle Thrushes.
Semicollored Flycatcher (female)
Pallid Harrier, adult female
Montagu's Harrier, adult male
2cy Steppe Eagle that seems to lose his head ...
Pallid Harrier (adult male) with missing primaries, probably because of an injury caused by a bullet/hail.
Imperial Eagles 2cy's
Steppe Eagle
Booted Eagle, light morph
Steppebuzzard
Hen Harrier
Burning the surrounding of the graveyard
Isabelline Wheatear
Greater Short-toed Lark
Montagu's Harrier, adult male
Garganey's
Woodchat Shrike
Moustached Warbler
Moustached Warbler
Caspian Stonechat
Common Crane
Citrine Wagtail
Black-winged Stilt
Bearded Tit
Bearded Tit
Bearded Tit
Black-crowned Night Heron with the ever expanding city of Batumi behind them
Gull-billed Tern
Northern Shovelers
Purple Heron
Greater Spotted Eagle, 2cy
Black Kites, Black Kites and even more Black Kites
Caspian Stonechat
Bluethroat
Hoopoe
Bluethroat
Golden Eagle 2cy
Krupers Nuthatch
Pallid Harrier, 2cy
Marsh Harrier adult male dark morph
Pallid Harrier, adult female
Pallid Harrier, Adult female
Pallid Harrier, adult female
Pallid Harrier adult female
Short-toed Eagle
Stonechat sp.
Red-backed Shrike
Another kettle of Black Kites
The moment when strong southern winds, bringing a lot of dust and sand, reach Batumi while raptors are still hanging around.
On this day a sudden (very) strong southern wind came up bringing a lot dust and sand, with a surreal Batumi skyline as a result
Red-backed Shrike
3.
2.
Red-rumped Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
Lesser Spotted Eagles
Lesser Spotted Eagle
Hobby, resting before continueing his way north
One of the many interesting cloud formations we see in the Batumi region.
White Storks
White Storks
Ortolan Bunting
Ortolan Bunting
Ortolan Bunting
Collared Flycatcher
Grey Wagtail
Yellow Wagtails
Yellow Wagtail
Red-throated Pipit
Red-rumped Swallow
Red Crossbill (female)
Krupers Nuthatch
Krupers Nuthatch
Yellow Wagtail (Feldegg) and Red-throated Pipit with Batumi in the background
Tree Pipit
Cranes disappearing in the mist
Check-point down the village due to the COVID-19 restrictions
Montagu's Harrier, 2cy
Marsh Harrier, 2cy
Cinereous Vulture
Cinereous Vulture
Cinereous Vulture
Montagu's Harrier, 2cy
Osprey
Black Kite. First thing you learn when coming to Batumi, Black Kites often loose all of their tail feathers which can makes you think about some different species. This bird being a prime example of what feather loss can cause.
Lesser Spotted Eagle in beautiful evening light, a 2cy bird
Stimperial 2
Black Kites
Steppe Eagle, 2cy
Montagu's Harrier, 2cy
Steppe Eagle, 2cy
Ortolan Bunting
The die-hard BRC veterans
European Honey Buzzard
White Storks
Montagu's Harrier, adult female
Common Chiffchaff
Black Kites resting close to our station
Ortolan Bunting
A tree full of Ortolan Buntings
Ortolan Bunting
Ortolan Bunting
Ortolan Buntings
Ortolan Bunting
Ortolan Buntings
Roller
Gull-billed Tern
Gull-billed Tern
Red-rumped Swallow, 4 in one picture
Purple Heron
Little Crake
Little Ringed Plover
Great Reed Warbler
Great Reed Warbler
White-winged Tern
White-winged Tern
White-winged Tern
Citrine Wagtails
Caspian Penduline Tit, the Caspius subspecies occurs from NW Kazachstan to the Caspian Sea
White-winged Tern and fishers
Little Ringed Plover
Gulls.......
Montagu's Harrier, 2cy
Red-backed Shrike
Tawny Pipit
Green Warbler
Green Warbler
Green Warbler
Red-breasted Flycatcher
Red-breasted Flycatcher
Red-breasted Flycatcher
Levant Sparrowhawk
Egyptian Vulture, adult
1.
An injured adult female Montagu's Harrier
Common Redstart
European Honey Buzzard
European Honey Buzzard
Levant Sparrowhawk, adult male
Levant Sparrowhawk
Alpine Swift
European Honey Buzzard
Sardinian Warbler, the way you see these birds most of the time. All covered up in the bush, everything but good for photography
Sardinian Warbler
Sardinian Warbler
Red-breasted Flycatcher, female
Black-headed Bunting
Black-Headed Bunting
Spotted Flycatcher
Black-crowned Night Heron
Spotted Flycatcher
Common Redstart, female
Barn Swallow collecting nest materials
Icterine Warbler
Hobby, adult
European Honey Buzzard
White-backed Woodpecker
A bird that was once a Black Kite, how's this thing still flying?
Cattle Egret
Cattle Egrets
Lesser Grey Shrike
0Q2A0039
Short-tailed Red-backed Shrike. This male somehow lost his tail, giving the bird an odd looking silhoutte
Dunlin accompanied by two Kentish Plovers
Cattle Egret with a very tasty frog
Cattle Egret with ... a frog
White-winged Tern
Cattle Egret
Whiskered Tern
Whiskered Tern
Collared Pratincoles and Kentish Plovers sleeping on the beach
Greater Sand Plover
Greater Sand Plover
Greater Sand Plover
Greater Sand Plover
Greater Sand Plover
Pratincoles leaving the White-winged Terns
White-winged Terns resting together with some Collared Pratincoles
Grey Plover
Collared Pratincole, interesting bird as it shows this completely black throat
Black-headed Gull is disgusted by all the Collared Pratincoles
Greater Sand Plover
Black-headed Bunting
Squacco Heron
Black-headed Bunting
Black-headed Bunting (female)
Spoonbill, Little Egret and Cattle Egret
Greater Sand Plover
0Q2A0778
Greater Sand Plover, accompanied by many Kentish Plovers
Greater Sand Plover, accompanied by many Kentish Plovers
Greater Sand Plover
Collared Pratincole
Collared Pratincole
Collared Pratincole, and a very fanatic photographer
Marsh Sandpiper
Little Bittern
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Barred Warbler
European Honey Buzzard
Lesser Spotted Eagle, 2cy
European Honey Buzzard
Untitled
Lesser Spotted Eagle, 2cy
Barn Swallow
Untitled
Lesser Grey Shrike
European Bee-eater
European Bee-eater
Great White Pelicans
Great White Pelicans
Great White Pelicans
Great White Pelicans
Great White Pelican
Great White Pelican
Great White Pelican, and a White Stork
Crested Honey Buzzard
Golden Oriole
European Honey Buzzard
European Honey Buzzard
European Honey Buzzard, adult
The view from the guesthouse in Sakhalvasho
A very small part of the 100K's Black-headed Gulls that winter on the Black Sea around Batumi
Gulls, gulls and even more gulls
Collared Flycatcher
0Q2A9166
0Q2A9153
0Q2A9155
0Q2A9148