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| Caspian Sea sunrise |
“Where?”, “They
have a Grand Prix there don’t they?”, “Isn’t that where Borat is from?”,
“Didn’t they win the Eurovision Song Contest?” were just some of the responses
I got when I said I was off on holiday to Azerbaijan. So knowledge on this
country is limited shall we say, to my friends at least
A busman’s holiday,
doing bird surveys on the eastern fringe of the Western Palearctic. In recent
years my birding has largely focused on the WPs western edge, on the west of
Scotland, but I am more than familiar with the Caucasus too having spent much
of 1995 in Armenia and last spring touring Georgia.
What I didn’t
expect though was the frenetic pace of the birding. I'd done my research but
that simply doesn’t mentally or physically prepare you. Besh Barmag is
basically a seawatch spot at this time of the year, a big sit, vis-migration at
its finest. I have learned that 12,000 birds or so in a day is deemed ‘quiet’,
while 27,000 Garganey can rattle past you in no time, and you have to keep
tabs.
You sit atop the
Caspian Sea viewing east from a plastic garden chair on the edge of the old
raised beach. Dust blows, salt spray fills the air and mixes with lashings of
suncream to form an annoyingly sticky concoction while you still fry under the
searing sun. It’s not typical Scotsman habitat, but I perversely love it. None
of this is negative. It is just what it is and it all adds to the fun.
Some shade is
provided by a portable pavilion tent or you can cat nap under a bush or in the
shade of the project van if you find a quiet moment (good luck with the
latter). Healthy packed lunches keep you energised and the chat on site is intensely
bird focussed. Discussion is on going throughout, talking through every birds
jizz, movement, age and how it should be entered on the project tablet linked
to the Trektellen app.
ID pitfalls come
and go. Ringtail harriers are easier than I remember while separating fly-by
Slender-billed from Black-headed Gull is not. Scrutiny of a Dalmatian Pelican
flock eked out a lone White, while you soon become honed into separating
Blue-cheeked from European Bee-eater on call. Then there was the terns. By the
thousand. A constant procession of marsh terns to test you skills all at differing
ranges and for the first few hours viewed into the rising sun. Challenges don’t
come much more satisfying.
A special mention
must go to the whole Azerbaijani team, from the dedicated chef Miryusif (up at 4am to
cook pancakes) to Leyla and her transcribing and Rovshan and his logistics. Pia
from Germany is co-ordinating things and does a truly remarkable job keeping it
all together, and doing full shifts on the migration site, and all on 4 hours
sleep a night. She is inspirational, dedicated and personifies passion.
Would I recommend
it? Yes, but not if you are flaky, picky or like your sleep. If you are willing
to graft and get stuck in you will be greatly rewarded. Not just from Pallid
Harriers drifting by and Menetries Warbler in the scrub but by the entire sense
of participation, contribution and discovery. Everyone here is pioneering.
There is much to learn in Azerbaijan.
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| Observation spot |
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| Dalmatian and White Pelican |
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| Garganey migration |
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| Golden Oriole |
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