Call for Counters: We’re looking for volunteers for Autumn 2026
Photo by Eva Drukker.
After successfully completing another crowdfunding campaign, we’re happy to announce the call for counters. The application form is now open, and we are looking for participants to join us between August 12th and October 21st, 2026.
As always, we welcome volunteers of all skill levels with an interest in raptor migration, the ability to work in a team, and the ability to commit for at least two weeks. Joining our count as a counter is a great opportunity to learn more about raptors and their identification, while contributing to long-term population monitoring. Volunteers will stay at one of the local guesthouses and experience the passage of over 1 million birds of prey together with other like-minded volunteers from all over the world.
The daily fee depends on the length of your stay and ranges between €10 and €24. In addition, we offer free participation for citizens of the main Caucasus countries: Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. We also provide discounted fees for others who, for whatever reason, are unable to cover the full daily or student fee. Upon request, fees can be reduced to a minimum of €10/day. We hope this enables more volunteers from lower- and middle-income countries to participate.
For both Caucasus participants and those requesting a discounted fee, availability is limited. We aim to make the count as accessible as possible and will do our best to accommodate as many people as we can. If you are financially constrained, we encourage you to apply, and to do so early. There is no better moment to do so than today.
If you are unable to join us this autumn in Batumi, please consider sharing this call to birders who may be able to.