dof travel

Text & Photos © K. Gauger

My second trip this spring started on 23.05. with a dof travel group. A detailed trip report will be available soon, so I wont write much here.
Again we started south and had still lots of migrating passerines in the first days, including two singing Blyth's Reed Warblers! One of them I recorded with my camera. Hear it singing on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M06_edCpvLo
Kizil Agach was a bit disappointing. There were only few waders along the coast but at least we found a single Terek Sandpiper. Also no high numbers of gulls and terns anymore but we saw Caspian Terns in the northern lagoon.

Blue-cheeked Bea-eaters in the colony in Liman

The Zuvand region was great and very surprising with at least 30 Crimson-winged Finches in Mistan. We never had so many and they were the most common species there! But only one of us saw a single Irania. Very strange how the birdlife differs every year in this region... Near Gosmalian we had several singing Bimaculated Larks. They seem to be most constant of the specialities.

Crimson-winged Finches above Mistan

 On our trip though the lowland we stopped at Ag Gel national park but were not allowed to go in. Anyway, the impressive colony of more than thousand Blue-cheeked Bea-eaters is outside the park and we enjoyed it much! Also several flocks of Glossy Ibis were nice.

part of the colony of Blue-cheeked Bea-eaters at the entrance of Ag Gel NP

Glossy Ibis along the road to Ag Gel

At a pond short before Mingechevir we found some White-tailed Lapwings together with Black-winged Stilts, Collared Pratincoles and Ruddy Shelducks. On the Kura there was a flock of Armenian Gulls just besides the terace of our hotel. The first time for me to get some good pics!

 

Armenian Gulls in Mingechevir

The next day we spend mainly around Turianchay. Twice we saw chicks of Imperial Eagles on the nest and the second time there was even the female bird feeding a snake or a Sheltopusik to its youngs, great observation! We also saw Griffon, Black and Egyptian Vulture and Black Stork.

Rufous Bush Robin in Turianchay valley

After a night in Ismayilli we went further back to Baku and had several stopps along the road. Best was of course the big colony of Rosy Starlings in Ceyrankechmez. There were about 1200 birds around the houses. It was quite a good year for them and we saw many more huge flocks mainly around Besh Barmag.

Rosy Starlings in Ceyrankechmez

Lesser Kestrel in Ceyrankechmez

In Altiagach we had again the Nightjars and Scops Owls in the night and the other morning we foung a singing Barred Warbler. In the Atachay valley we had Eastern Black-eared Wheatear, many Ortolans and a nice Tawny Pipit.
The next two days we spend around Khinalik. We saw several Caucasian Snowcocks, but only one male Güldenstads Redstart. There were also four flying Great Rosefinches and a single female which only few of us saw. Around the hotel I got again some shots of Green Warbler.

Snowfinch above Khinalik

Rock Sparrow in Bozdankesh

Green Warbler at Nazli Bulag

Down in the valley we stopped in the forest looking mainly for Semi-collared Flycatcher. It took some time but finally we found a pair feeding at the nest and the male was also still singing, perfect! A crazy Treecreeper was breeding in the washbowl-tree of a tea house!

Treecreeper in Quba forest

We changed to Qusar and stayed again down in the valley. The Barred Warbler was still there, Wryneck and Lesser Grey Shrike were around the hotel and a Short-toed Eagle was flying by. We started early the next morning to get to the Caucasian Black Grouse lek and we could see at least five males. In the birch shrubs we saw several Mountain Chiffchaffs and a Corn Crake was calling from a wet meadow. I even got some pictures! There were many Rock Pipits, Common Rosefinches and Red-fronted Serins around Laza but the hihglight was a pair of Great Rosefinches right next to the Suvar resort. The best observation I ever had and for me the best birds of the trip!

Rock Pipit in Laza

Corn Crake in Laza

Common Rosefinch in Laza

Great Rosefinches in Laza

In the afternoon we birded around the hotel and could get some more nice pics. As we had seen all mountain species we decided to leave the next morning and go back to Baku one day earlier to do another excursion to Gobustan and Shirvan.

Red-backed Shrike in Qusar

samamisicus Redstart in Qusar

We went along the Russian border down to Samur and Yalama. In a dry, open oak forest we found Middle and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and at the coast we had Slender-billed Gulls and an ad White-tailed Eagle. There were dozends of Rollers, many Lesser Grey Shrikes and several Montagues Harriers on the way.

Middle Spotted Woodpecker in Samur

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in Samur

The day trip to Shirvan was very nice and prodced some more new species. We had Marbled Teal, Marsh Sandpiper and two beautiful Stone Curlews sitting on the ground road. I heard a Greater Sandplover calling but unfortunately we could not find the bird.

Menetries's Warbler in Shirvan

This was the best two-weeks-trip trip I ever had. We saw basically everything, alltogether 217 species, and I got a lot of nice pictures. I'm really looking forward to the next tours!

birdingtours May 2011

Text & Photos © K. Gauger

It took a year until I was down in Aze again but I had a great month with two groups from Germany and Denmark. Although we didn't see any vagrants, the trips were quite interesting with great observations and nearly all possible species!

Here are some note and pics from the trip with birdingtours:

11.05.
Starting in one day down to the south, we spend the morning in Gobustan. There we had many migrating passerines, including a Barred Warbler and some Tree Pipits. We also saw Woodchat Shrikes, Rock Nuthatches feeding at the nest and some nice Chukars.The usual Pied- and Eastern Black-eared Wheatears and their hybrids would be a great topic for some genetic studies!

probable hybrid of melanoleuca and pleschanka, Kai Gauger

In Shirvan NP we saw 4 Griffon and 2 Black Vultures, several Menetries and Olivaceous Warblers, Penduline Tits at the nest and couple of Black Frankolins at the entrance.  On the way to the lake there were about 100 Cuckoos, 12 Rollers, many Hoopoes, both bea-eaters and 19 Wimbrels. A Purple Swamphen, few Ferruginous Ducks, Red-crested Pochards and Pygmy Cormorants were at the lake house.

12.05.
In the morning we spend some time around the hotel, where it took us about half an hour to find the Shikras. A female bird was sitting free in a tree and we had plenty of time to observe it. After breakfast we went further to the colony of Blue-cheeked Bea-eaters in Liman. Along the dam to Nerimanabad there were about 2000 White-winged Terns, still migrating birds, among about 5000 Wiskered Terns. There were also some waders, especially along the coast, where we found a single Red-necked Phalarope.

Shikra in Masalli

Squacco Heron in Kizil Agach

In the afternoon we went up the Talish mountains to our resort in the forest. Some birding around the huts produced several Red-breasted Flycatchers, Icterine Warblers and many other forest species.

13.05.
Our first day in the Zuvand was great in the beginning with a Lesser Spotted Eagle in the meadows between Lerik and the canyon, a beautiful singing Blue Rock Thrush and nice observations of many other rock species. In the floodplain in Gosmalian there were couple of resting warblers, mainly Willows and Common Whitethroats, Grey Flycatchers, lots of Orioles and Cuckoos. In the afternoon we were unlucky with the weather and it got very windy. Unfortunately we could not find the Bimaculated Larks near Kalachan.

Blue Rock Trush in the Lerik canyon

14.05
The second day in Lerik we went strait up to Mistan. On the way from the village to the mountain ridge we had several Horned and Woodlarks, Stonechats, Rock Buntings and Ortolans. After reaching the rocks we saw four Crimson-winged Finches but could not find the Irania. Also the following groups didn't see them and there was only a single bird recorded this year.

Rock Martin in Zuvand

15.05.
A long day of driving back to the north, passing Baku and reaching Altiagach in the evening. On the way we had dinner in a roadside restaurant north of Salyan, where there is a mixed colony of Night Herons, Cattle and Little Egrets and Rooks in the park around.

All three species of herons in the colony

In the afternoon we stopped in the Candy Canes an had great migration of raptors. Within one hour we saw more than 100 Steppe and 26 Honey Buzzards, 2 Steppe Eagles, 4 Sparrowhawks, 2 Hobbys, 1 Booted Eagle, 20 Griffon and 3 Black Vultures. In the wadi there were a lot of migrating warblers, some Whinchats and flocks of together more then 200 Rosy Starlings. A Finschs Wheatear and several Short-toed Larks were singing in the hills.

Willow Warbler in the Cany Cane wadi

The night in Alti Agach was again great and we saw several Scops Owls and Nightjars around the hotel and I managed to get some nice pics. The Nightjars were sitting on the balustrade of one of the houses, catching insects in the light. The owls were easy to allure with piping and taping.

Nightjar in Altiagach

Scops Owl in Altiagach

16.05.
We spend the morning around the hotel and on the way town to the coast. The bird concert after dawn was beautiful with all these Orioles, Common Redstarts, Green Warblers, two Wrynecks and many others. In the river valley we got again nice views on Eastern Black-eared and Pied Wheatears, Ortolan, Tawny Pipit and Woodlark.
I could also catch a Sheltopussik and found a Greek Tortoise.

Wryneck in Alti Agach

In the afternoon we arrived in Quba and spend the rest of the day aroud the resort in Nazli Bulag. And I found the time to try for Green Warbler. I think the result is quite good.

Green Warbler in Nazli Bulag

17.05.
The big hike! After breakfast we started with an Uaz-bus to Khinalik and could get 2600 m asl by car and went up to more then 3100. It was a great day with nice weather and besides the numerous Horned Larks, Snowfinches, Rock Pipits, Wheatears and other mountain species, we saw of course also Güldenstads Redstarts and Caucasian Snowcocks, both with great observations. We also had all four vultures, a Golden Eagle hunting snowcocks and an immature Imperial Eagle.

ad Bearded Vulture above Khinaliq

Red-billed Chough near Galachudat

18.05.
The second day in the region we spend along the road to Khinaliq. We found a pair of Wallcreepers in the canyon and saw lots of Red-fronted Serins, Alpine Swifts, Rock Martins, Choughs, Ravens and two Ring Ouzles. Plenty of Common Rosefinches and Whinchats were in the hay meadows around Cek.

Walcreeper in the Gudialchay canyon

male Whinchat near Cek

In the afternoon we went to Gusar and had a short stop in the forest where we saw several Red-breasted and also a singing male Semicollared Flycatcher. Around the hotel there were Lesser Grey and many Red-backed Shrikes, Wryneck and Barred Warbler in the garden. Especially the latter one was quite angry on my tape and gave very close views.

Barred Warbler in Qusar

19.05.
We started very early in the morning by jeeps to get to the Caucasian Black Grouse lek. Just after reaching Laza we found several males displaying on the other side of the valley. After getting closer we had at least seven different males and two females. We also saw a group of eight Caucasian Turs on the flanks of Shahdag. Later in the day we walked around the Suvar resort which was still closed and found Alpine Accentor, Caucasian Chiffchaff and again many Red-fronted Serins and Common Rosefinches. Unfortunately we did not see the Great Rosefinches.

Red-fronted Serin in Laza

20.05.
The last full day. After a morning walk around the hotel we went back to Baku. On the way we had hundreds of Rosy Starling and some migrating raptors and also few Red-winged Pratincoles around Besh Barmag.
Some sightseeing, souvenir shopping and a nice dinner completed this trip.