New species arrived

Text & Photos © M. Heiß

The last two weeks several bird species that are new for the spring counts had arrived. Some of them are new for the whole migration study, such as White-headed Duck, Green Warbler, Spotted Crake, Greater Sand Plover, White-tailed Lapwing, Caspian Plover or Lammergeier. A true highlight was a White-headed Yellow Wagtail in a large flock of other Yellow Wagtails including several subspecies, such as beema, lutea, thunberg, flava and feldegg with all intergrades you can imagine.

Currently, raptor migration is increasing along the Caucasian foothills with small flocks of Steppe Eagles and Steppe Buzzards. The last two days hundreds of Black-winged Pratincoles passed by.

A good candidate to become the 'Bird of the month April' - a White-headed Yellow Wagtail

A Citrine Wagtail feeding in the lagoonA flock of Citrine Wagtails

Red-throated Pipit catching some ants. In the brackground are beema and lutea Yellow Wagtails © F. Eidam

A Buff-bellied Pipit resting in the steppe among a flock of Greater Short-toed Larks

A pair of White-tailed Lapwings spend an afternoon in the lagoon © F. Eidam

Greater Sand Plovers at the beach © F. Eidam

A male White-headed Duck spend three days in the lagoon

A beautiful Caspian Plover in the steppe near my observation point

Despite only a few numbers of birds have been caught the last days, it however produced a Green Warbler © F. Eidam

Black-winged Pratincole on migrationFriedrich watching out for soaring raptors,..

...while I was studying head pattern variation of Yellow Wagtails ;-)

Rare birds, mist netting and students from Baku

Text & Photos © M. Heiß
 

Daily we observe new species, which arrived from the wintering grounds and pass through the Besh Barmag bottleneck. The last days arrived Black Redstart, Blackcap, Glossy Ibis, Whimbrel, Steppe Eagle, Wryneck, Montagues Harrier and many more. The number of migrating larks is now decreasing, whereas swallows are increasing. The first larger flock of 25 Steppe Buzzards flew along the foothills. Harriers are still numerous.

Long-legged Buzzard

Migrating female Hen Harrier at close range

Migrating male Hen Harrier at very close range

Imperial Eagles are regular visitors of the waste dump nearby

Purple Heron on migration

Good numbers of Greater Short-toed Larks passed through the bottleneck

We also observed rare species such as a single Demoiselle Crane, a pair of Pine Buntings and 3 flocks of Sociable Lapwings. One flock was resting in grassland close to my observation point. Unfortunately, none was ringed or with a satellite transmitter for tracking their flyways (http://www.amazing-journey.org/).

A small flock of rare Sociable Lapwings

A gorgeous male Pine Bunting in breeding plumage

Mist netting is also getting better day by day with daily totals of 37, 113 and 44 birds the last 3 days. Most common species was Chiffchaff, but also Hoopoes, Cetti’s Warbler, Moustached Warbler, Menetries’s Warbler, Bluethroat and Scops Owl were caught.

On 1st April a group of students from Baku visited the study site and Friedrich and I were glad to show and explain them our field work. Unfortunately, bird migration was not very intense this morning, but at least we caught a Chiffchaff later the day that we showed the students.

Students at the nets

Cetti's Warbler © F. Eidam

Menetries's Warbler © F. Eidam

Scops Owl © F. EidamShort-eared Owl © F. Eidam

Spring migration

Text & Photos © M. Heiß

The wintertime is obviously over and bird migration increase day by day. Currently, we observe good numbers of migrating passerines with daily hundreds of Reed Buntings, Chaffinches and White Wagtails, the first Yellow and Citrine Wagtails also arrived. Daily, thousands of larks pass through the Besh Barmag bottleneck, mainly Calandra and Skylarks, often mixed in with other lark species such as Lesser and Greater Short-toed, Wood and rarely White-winged Larks. However, migration of Dalmatian Pelican, Marsh Harrier and Cormorants still continuous. Some further interesting observations were 1 Alpine Swift migrating North, a few Buff-bellied Pipits, 1 Red-fronted Serin, about 25 White Pelicans, 1 migrating Ring Ouzel and a Dotterel.

A beautiful male Pallid Harrier heading North

Migrating Hoopoe

Mixed flock of Dalamtian and White Pelicans, the latter rarely occurs in Azerbaijan

Huge flocks of Dalmatian Pelicans fly along the foothills of the Greater Caucasus

Long-eared Owl

Campfire with friends from Baku and potatoes and sausages

Start of spring migration counts

Text & Photos © M. Heiß


I am now back for the spring migration counts in Azerbaijan and I am now accompanied by Friedrich, a student from Germany who is doing research on resting passerines in bushes at the study site. These bushes are a welcome stopover for migrants and sometimes impressively crowed.

After some springlike warm and sunny days in the beginning of March, we are currently suffering a recurrence of winter with almost daily snowfalls and temperatures below zero degrees. Bird migration is often inhibited due bad weather conditions. However, some days produced good migration of Marsh Harriers, Dalmatian Pelicans and Cormorants. Passerine migration is on a low level with Skylarks and Starlings being the most numerous species.

Friedrich is birding in the lagoon. The foothills of the Greater Caucasus are covered with snow.

An interesting view of the Caspian Sea. The whole coastline was covered with a belt of floating ice sheets.

A White-tailed Eagle flies along the frozen coast.

One morning a wolf passed by very close to my observation point. It is always a pleasure for me to see this species in the wild.

We also did a small field excursion to a waste dump near the observation site. At the dump gulls, crows and vultures could regularly be seen in last autumn. In spring it obviously attracts large number of Dalmatian Pelicans. We counted about 400 individuals and decided to visit the waste dump which delivered great photographic opportunities.

Birdwatching in Azerbaijan is often quite thrilling. In that case the pelicans were under surveillance of a few sheepdogs.


We also observed more than 60 White-tailed Eagle around the waste dump.

nice catches

Text & Photos © K. Gauger

Here are some pics of trapped bird. I have been mist-netting at many places, but mainly in Shirvan NP and at Besh Barmag.

beautiful Blue-cheeked Bea-eaters caught cross a channel in Shirvan NP

Kingfisher, another colourful bird

a samamisicus- Common Redstart, note that this bird has even red in the white wing patch!

Semi-collared Flycatcher, a 2cy male

Woodchat Shrike, also a 2cy male

ad male Turkestan Shrike, first of this subspecies in Azerbaijan

a stinky Hoopoe

 

two different Nightjars

Scops Owl, one of my favourite birds in hand, they are so cute!

Stonechat with very little white in the tail, so more like a maura...

another one but with a clear variegata-tail 

 

 

caspia Reed Buntings, for me more an own species than a subspecies. Look at theese bills and the size compared with the common ones that occur here on migration!

Quail, a very unusal catch in the shrubs...

a superb catch was this young Levant Sparrowhawk

so was this Terek Sandpiper

and this ad female Citrine Wagtail

much more common in the nets are Green Warblers

and in the right habitat also Menetries Warbler

very common on migration are Red-breasted Flycatchers

And now some little brown birds :-))) Can you identify them? Write your comments!