Batumi, Georgia, big birds of prey migration

This video from Georgia says about itself:

Honey Buzzard migration, Batumi 2013-09-03

A short film of migrating Honey Buzzards in Batumi. The bottleneck of Batumi is probably one of the best places to be if you wanna see a lot of migrating raptors. In early September, the peak time of honey buzzards occurs and thousands of Honey Buzzards migrate.

As this blog noted, bird migration counters in the Netherlands considered yesterday, 27 August 2014, a good day, including 451 honey buzzards.

However, there are always other days, better than good days.

Today, 28 August, in Saghalvasho near Batumi, in Georgia, 81,666 honey buzzards were counted!

Other species there today: black stork 5. White stork 20. Black kite 246. Marsh harrier 64. Pallid harrier 1. Montagu’s harrier 288. Booted eagle 3. European roller 108.

Champions of the Flyway 2014 race helps mobilise falconers to save migratory raptors in Georgia: here.

Much has been written about the Batumi Bottleneck in Georgia and its importance for migrating birds. So it’s great to hear that its protection is valued and will continue, thanks to the Whitley Fund for Nature and the Society for Nature Conservation in Georgia (SABUKO).