First nine days of raptor migration

(c) Albert de Jong After just nine days since the count started on 17 August, we already bear witness to an astonishing migration from our count stations just outside the In total 130,446 individuals of 18 migratory raptor species has been systematically recorded from our count stations in Sakhalvasho and Shuamta. Most prominent are the Honey Buzzard; from our experience previous years we expect the peak movement of adult Honey Buzzard any day now. Past season totals have exceeded 370,000, an astonishing figure in the western Palearctic by any measure! Black Kite and Booted Eagle are also found mixing with our flocks of Honey Buzzard in increasing numbers, standing at 1348 and 200 individuals respectively. Other notable movements include harrier species, with 237 Western Marsh Harrier, 319 Montagu's Harrier, and the first trickle of juvenile Pallid harriers.

(c) Morgan Boch Our station in Shuamta observed an Egyptian Vulture on 22 and 24 of August, and a juvenile Steppe Eagle on both 24 and 26 of August. 3 Lesser Spotted Eagles have also passed, a sure sign of the migration to come in a few weeks time. Our station in Sakhalvasho observed a White-tailed Eagle on 23 August, and made a stunning observation of a Peregrine Falcon attacking a flock of Glossy Ibis on 22 August, successfully plucking a single individual from the flock in flight.

On their days off from station, many counters opted to visit the beautiful Chorokhi Delta and reported very good sightings.

(c) Johanna Yourstone

(c) Albert de Jong





But migration has only just started. How well will we do this year?  And what will we see?  Stay tuned! Watch our almost daily updated numbers on trektellen database.

(c) Albert de Jong - Jenny with a spotting scope from the new ATS/STS HD range. We'd like to thank Swarovski Optik (Austria) for again supporting the project by generously providing us several of their latest model binoculars and spotting scopes for use during the count. They are unquestionably an important asset to our efforts. We are putting these optics through their paces in the field, and will post our first review shortly.
(c) Morgan Boch








 

(c) Mael Sinoir (c) Morgan Boch (c) Guillame Peplinski