Swedish Birders visited Azerbaijan in autumn 2013

Text © Tomas Axén Haraldsson, Sweden

In April 2012 me and three friends travelled in Azerbaijan for a week of birding adventure. The main source of inspiration, knowledge and help in planning was Kai Gauger and to him we owe the success of our trip. One purpose of that trip was to scout and plan for future organized group trips.

The first such trip was made 3-11 October 2013 by the Swedish bird tour operator AviFauna with me as tour leader.

We were 16 Swedish birders accompanied by Elchin Sultanov of the AOS and with the ground support/logistics by Caspian Tour. Our programe covered the east of Azerbaijan, travelling within some 250km of the capital Baku, from Greater Caucasus in the north to the coastal lagoons of Kizil Agach in the south.

One of the highlights was Besh Barmag, the spectacular bottle-neck migration site some 90km north of Baku. Here we spent 2 hours on October 4th and 6 hours on October 6th in windy and cloudy conditions but with lots of birds: a few hundred migrating raptors of 20 species including Lesser Spotted, Steppe, Short-toed and Imperial Eagles, 12 Pallid Harriers, Rough-legged and Long-legged Buzzard, Red-footed Falcon, Peregrine and the resident Griffon and Black Vultures.

In the tamarisk scrubs on the beach we found Rufous Bush-chat, Green Warbler, Desert Wheatear (3rd modern time record?), Jack Snipe, Nightjar, Red-breasted Flycatchers, Short-eared Owl and a Richards Pipit.

Desert Wheatear at Besh Barmag 6 October © Stefan Andersson

Nightjar at Besh Barmag © J-M Breider

 After wet and misty conditions in the Caucasus with no snowcocks or other exclusive birds we were happy to see the rich bird life in the shallow lowland lake of Haji Gaboul in eastern central Azerbaijan. An estimated 3.000 dabbling ducks and similar numbers of waders kept us busy for an afternoon. Shoveler, Teal, Ruff and Little Stint were the bulk but we also found some some Garganeys and a lone Ferrugineous Duck, 30 Marsh Sandpipers, 7 White-tailed Lapwings and 1 Sociable Lapwing.

River valley scenery at Xinaliq, Greater Caucasus 5 October © Tomas Axén Haraldsson

 Shirvan Nationalpark was rather windy and, at times, poor in birds. The steppes are vast but with time the list of species picked up - all four harriers, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Black Francolin, hemprichii-Stonechats, a 1cy Red-footed Falcon, a flock of 300 Calandra Larks and more. The ”flamingo lake” on the other hand was thick with birds in the open space of water visible from the hide in the reeds: Dalmatian Pelicans, Glossy Ibises, Pygmy Cormorants, egrets and herons, Purple Swamphens, Red-crested Pochards, Kingfishers and more wetland stuff.

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Shirvan NP 8 October © Peter Berglin

Spoonbills © J-M Breider

Red-footed Falcon Shirvan NP 8 October © Peter Berglin

Another highlight, perhaps the most pleasant day of the trip both in terms of weather and birds, was the lagoon of Kizil Agach. We visited the southern, accesible lagoon area and the flat sandy island connected by the road built from Liman. Our first views of the lagoon made us stop and we stayed there for hours. Lots of wetland birds and from the reeds emerged Little Bittern, Little Crake, Great Reed and Moustached Warblers, Bearded and Penduline Tits. Here we also found Citrine Wagtails, some 20 migrating Steppe Eagles, Pallid Harrier as well as splendid views of the snow-capped Talysh mountains on the Iranian border.

The rest of the day at the northern tip of the island, around Baliqcilar, provided nice records like Isabelline Shrike, a magnificent Saker, many Menetriés Warblers and Red-breasted Flycatchers, Short-toed and White-tailed Eagles and lots of more migrants.

Caspian Stonechat (Saxicola maurus hemprichii) Kizil Agach © J-M Breider

Menetriés Warbler at Kizil Agach © J-M Breider

Red-breasted Flycatcher at Kizil Agach 9 October © Peter Berglin

A full trip report with photos will be published soon. Azerbaijan is indeed an extraordinary birdwatching destination in the south-east corner of the Western Palearctic.