Georgia, Lake Jandari

29th, Friday

Woke up at 5.40, went birding 6.00 - and it was raining, so we didn't want to get off the car and get soaked once again. Did some watching from the car and after awhile returned to the hotel for breakfast, which was ordered as late as at 8.00. At 8.30 we left South, with +3° and 335km's in the odometer, so far. At Pansheti crossing there was a male Güldenstadt's Redstart flying ahead of our car towards the buckthorns.

After rainy night precipitation was snow even at lower altitudes, so we were worried whether the roads were icy or not. Wasn't very confiding to see the police had closed Jvari Pass from truck traffic, but we were lucky and temperature didn't drop under +1°, roads were not frozen, and cars were let to go through the pass. Near Sepe in position 42.4208333,44.5880556 Jari spotted a pair of Egyptian Vultures roosting by the road. Magnificent birds, on my wish list in Finland, too! Nearby we saw also few Long-tailed Tits of alpinus -group, ssp. major, a Greater Whitethroat and a beautiful male Ehrenberg's Redstart samamisicus.

A Gippo, always exciting creature!

An adult Aegyptian Vulture

Male samamisicus -Redstart

Male samamisicus -Redstart. In cloudy conditions there seems to be bluish cast to mantle, which is supposed to be ash-grey

Nostalgic Soviet cars

 

Traffic jams on the road to Tbilisi were not rare :)

Next there was a nice deciduous forests on both sides of the road near Ananuri, in position 42.154054, 44.722319. We had a short birding break here, with a pair of Semi-collared Flycatchers, lifer to Jari, a few singing Red-breasted Flycatchers, a Mountain Chiffchaff and a Lesser Whitethroat. There was also a Woodpecker -sp with rather soft calls, so it was either White-backer or Syrian. There was a rumour of a Dutch group having seen a Sombre Tit here, we saw just Coal Tits.

A female Semi-collared Flycatcher. From this angle, could be a Pied from my garden, as well :)

Record shot of an adult +2cy male Semi-collared Flycatcher, possibly missing some median coverts

Another record shot of a Semi-Cee

We chose bypass road E60 (S9) East of Tbilisi. WARNING! The road was generally in good condition with 100km/h limits, but suddenly, without any signs or warnings, our lane was blocked by ca. 1 x 1 meter concrete cubics! Had it been night, we couldn't possibly have avoided hitting those blocks! On another occasion, the soil under highway had moved and there was about 50cm high shoulder on pavement in the middle of the highway, again without any sign or warning ahead. We were lucky to spot it in advance and made emergency braking, otherwise we might have been hurled off the road wrecking our car and ourselves!

This is not the guy from famous Yoghurt commercials, but his son - the guy himself was drivig a SUV for herding the sheep!

It was afternoon when we arrived Lake Jandari with surrounding fields and steppe. We had a few hours for birding, which was very productive. Before reaching the lake we had two calling Quails, two Booted Eagles, Short-toed Eagles and Montagu's Harriers each, some Hoopoes, hundreds of European Bee-eaters, some Lesser Grey and Woodchat Shrikes, 40 Rosy Starlings and many Calandra Larks displaying over fields. Later we learned us the Belgians had seen a flock of 72 Demoiselle Cranes!

The Lake itself was excellent spot for birding. 14 Purple Herons, 25 Great White and 15 Little Egrets, 10 Night Herons and two Cattle Egrets. A female Red-footed Falcon and two Hobbys. Waders were not abundant, just 4 Stilts and two Redshanks. Also 50+ Armenian Gulls, 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls ssp. fuscus, 30 Little, 50 Whiskered and one Caspian and Common Terns. More Bee-eaters, Hoopoes and a Kingfisher and five Rollers. At least eight Woodchat Shrikes ssp. niloticus and 30 Corn Buntings and 20 Spanish Sparrows of dispersive ssp. transcaspicus. However it was too early for Black-headed Bunting, so we didn't see any.

Many male Woodchat Shrikes ssp. niloticus are cinnamon below in fresh plumage

On our way back to the Tbilisi airport we took a secondary route east of Rustavi, leading us to a very bad road through a huge industrial complex. Some Cattle Eagrets were feeding along the road and a somewhat puzzling male Pied Wheatear was breeding in a wall, with just a glimpse of a female, too.

Some Cattle Egrets were striking in full breeding plumage

 

Full list of observations below.

	Georgia 2016
	Species total: 122	1/1 = one male / one female etc.	25.4.	26.4.	27.4.	28.4.	29.4.
	ANSERIFORMES: Anatidae
1	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos			3/1		1/
2	Northern Shoveler	Anas clypeata					2/1
	GALLIFORMES: Phasianidae
3	Common Quail	Coturnix coturnix					2
4	Caucasian Snowcock	Tetraogallus caucasicus		5	2	5	1
5	Caucasian Grouse	Tetrao mlokosiewiczi		4/2	2/	3/1
	PODICIPEDIFORMES: Podicipedidae
6	Little Grebe	Tachybaptus ruficollis			1
7	Great Crested Grebe	Podiceps cristatus					14
	PELECANIFORMES: Ardeidae
8	Gray Heron	Ardea cinerea			2/		5
9	Purple Heron	Ardea purpurea					14
10	Great Egret	Ardea alba					25
11	Little Egret	Egretta garzetta					15
12	Cattle Egret	Bubulcus ibis					18
13	Black-crowned Night-Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax					10
	ACCIPITRIFORMES: Accipitridae
14	Lammergeier	Gypaetus barbatus	2 ad	2 ad			1 ad
15	Egyptian Vulture	Neophron percnopterus					2 ad
16	Eurasian Griffon	Gyps fulvus		4	13	1
17	Short-toed Snake-Eagle	Circaetus gallicus					2
18	Booted Eagle	Hieraaetus pennatus					2
19	Golden Eagle	Aquila chrysaetos	2 ad			2
20	Eurasian Marsh-Harrier	Circus aeruginosus					10
21	Montagu's Harrier	Circus pygargus					/2
22	Eurasian Sparrowhawk	Accipiter nisus		/1			2
23	Northern Goshawk	Accipiter gentilis	1
24	Black Kite	Milvus migrans	1			1	1
25	Common Buzzard	Buteo buteo	5	1	2	1	5
26	Long-legged Buzzard	Buteo rufinus				1
	GRUIFORMES: Rallidae
27	Eurasian Coot	Fulica atra					5
	CHARADRIIFORMES: Recurvirostridae
28	Black-winged Stilt	Himantopus himantopus					4
	CHARADRIIFORMES: Charadriidae
29	Northern Lapwing	Vanellus vanellus					1
	CHARADRIIFORMES: Scolopacidae
30	Common Sandpiper	Actitis hypoleucos		2		1	5
31	Common Redshank	Tringa totanus					2
	CHARADRIIFORMES: Laridae
32	Black-headed Gull	Chroicocephalus ridibundus					1
33	Caspian Gull	Larus cachinnans	20
34	Armenian Gull	Larus armenicus					50
35	Lesser Black-backed Gull	Larus fuscus					5
36	Little Tern	Sternula albifrons					30
37	Caspian Tern	Hydroprogne caspia					1
38	Whiskered Tern	Chlidonias hybrida					50
39	Common Tern	Sterna hirundo					1
	COLUMBIFORMES: Columbidae
40	Rock Pigeon	Columba livia	50	30	30	30	50
41	Common Wood-Pigeon	Columba palumbus					1
42	Eurasian Collared-Dove	Streptopelia decaocto	3				8
	CUCULIFORMES: Cuculidae
43	Common Cuckoo	Cuculus canorus	1	1	1	1	3
	APODIFORMES: Apodidae
44	Alpine Swift	Apus melba	35
45	Common Swift	Apus apus	500				50
	BUCEROTIFORMES: Upupidae
46	Eurasian Hoopoe	Upupa epops					7
	CORACIIFORMES: Alcedinidae
47	Common Kingfisher	Alcedo atthis					1
	CORACIIFORMES: Meropidae
48	European Bee-eater	Merops apiaster	30			calls	400
	CORACIIFORMES: Coraciidae
49	European Roller	Coracias garrulus					5
	PICIFORMES: Picidae
50	Great Spotted Woodpecker	Dendrocopos major		1/
51	Syrian Woodpecker	Dendrocopos syriacus					1
	FALCONIFORMES: Falconidae
52	Eurasian Kestrel	Falco tinnunculus	5	1	2	2	5
53	Red-footed Falcon	Falco vespertinus					/1
54	Eurasian Hobby	Falco subbuteo					2
55	Peregrine Falcon	Falco peregrinus			1 ad	2 ad
	PASSERIFORMES: Laniidae
56	Red-backed Shrike	Lanius collurio			/1	1/	9
57	Lesser Gray Shrike	Lanius minor					3
58	Woodchat Shrike	Lanius senator niloticus					8
	PASSERIFORMES: Corvidae
59	Eurasian Jay	Garrulus glandarius krynicki	1	1	3		3
60	Eurasian Magpie	Pica pica	3				20
61	Red-billed Chough	Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax	5			5	2
62	Yellow-billed Chough	Pyrrhocorax graculus	50	5	20	30	5
63	Eurasian Jackdaw	Corvus monedula	30				10
64	Rook	Corvus frugilegus					200
65	Hooded Crow	Corvus cornix	30			2	50
66	Common Raven	Corvus corax	10	10	5	20	10
	PASSERIFORMES: Alaudidae
67	Calandra Lark	Melanocorypha calandra					20
68	Crested Lark	Galerida cristata					40
	PASSERIFORMES: Hirundinidae
69	Bank Swallow	Riparia riparia					10
70	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	200	50	1		300
71	Common House-Martin	Delichon urbicum	10	5	30	20	50
	PASSERIFORMES: Paridae
72	Coal Tit	Periparus ater	2	10	5	5	1
73	Eurasian Blue Tit	Cyanistes caeruleus	5	5	2	2	10
74	Great Tit	Parus major	5	10	10	10	10
	PASSERIFORMES: Aegithalidae
75	Long-tailed Tit	Aegithalos caudatus major					3
	PASSERIFORMES: Sittidae
76	Eurasian Nuthatch	Sitta europaea caucasica	5				5
	PASSERIFORMES: Tichodromidae
77	Wallcreeper	Tichodroma muraria muraria		/1		1/
	PASSERIFORMES: Certhiidae
78	Eurasian Treecreeper	Certhia familiaris caucasica		5		2	1
	PASSERIFORMES: Troglodytidae
79	Eurasian Wren	Troglodytes troglodytes	5	5	5	5	20
	PASSERIFORMES: Cinclidae
80	White-throated Dipper	Cinclus cinclus caucasicus				1	2
	PASSERIFORMES: Phylloscopidae
81	Willow Warbler	Phylloscopus trochilus		7		1
82	Common Chiffchaff	Phylloscopus collybita				1
83	Mountain Chiffchaff	Phylloscopus sindianus lorenzii	1	6	2	2	2
	PASSERIFORMES: Sylviidae
84	Eurasian Blackcap	Sylvia atricapilla	1	/1		1/	10
85	Lesser Whitethroat	Sylvia curruca					1
86	Greater Whitethroat	Sylvia communis					1
	PASSERIFORMES: Muscicapidae
87	European Robin	Erithacus rubecula	1				5
88	Common Nightingale	Luscinia megarhynchos	1				1
89	Red-breasted Flycatcher	Ficedula parva				2/	7
90	Semicollared Flycatcher	Ficedula semitorquata					1/1
91	Common Redstart	Phoenicurus phoenicurus samamisicus	20	1/	1/		10
92	White-winged Redstart	Phoenicurus erythrogastrus erythrogastrus			1/	2/1	1/
93	Black Redstart	Phoenicurus ochruros ochruros	10	10	5	15	20
94	Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush	Monticola saxatilis			1/	1/
95	Whinchat	Saxicola rubetra		2		7	1
96	Northern Wheatear	Oenanthe oenanthe		20	20	20	20
97	Pied Wheatear	Oenanthe pleschanka					1/1
	PASSERIFORMES: Turdidae
98	Ring Ouzel	Turdus torquatus amicorum	3	25	20	5	1
99	Eurasian Blackbird	Turdus merula	50	35	30	20	30
100	Mistle Thrush	Turdus viscivorus	2		4		1
	PASSERIFORMES: Sturnidae
101	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	60	50			100
102	Rosy Starling	Pastor roseus					40
	PASSERIFORMES: Prunellidae
103	Alpine Accentor	Prunella collaris			2		1
104	Dunnock	Prunella modularis		15	15	15	10
	PASSERIFORMES: Motacillidae
105	Gray Wagtail	Motacilla cinerea	2		1	1/	3
106	White Wagtail	Motacilla alba dukhunensis	30	20	20	30	40
107	Tree Pipit	Anthus trivialis	1	1	2	1
108	Water Pipit	Anthus spinoletta coutellii	40	100	200	200	50
	PASSERIFORMES: Emberizidae
109	Rock Bunting	Emberiza cia	1/
110	Ortolan Bunting	Emberiza hortulana		4		ä	1/
111	Corn Bunting	Emberiza calandra					30
	PASSERIFORMES: Fringillidae
112	Common Chaffinch	Fringilla coelebs	20	20	20	30	50
113	Eurasian Bullfinch	Pyrrhula pyrrhula rossikowi	3		2
114	Great Rosefinch	Carpodacus rubicilla rubicilla		2/6	1/1	2/5
115	European Greenfinch	Chloris chloris bilkevitchii	20		2		1
116	European Goldfinch	Carduelis carduelis	5		30	35	30
117	Twite	Carduelis flavirostris brevirostris				2	5
118	Eurasian Linnet	Carduelis cannabina					5
119	Fire-fronted Serin	Serinus pusillus		10	30	30	5
	PASSERIFORMES: Passeridae
120	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	10	5	10	10	50
121	Spanish Sparrow	Passer hispaniolensis transcaspicus					20
122	Eurasian Tree Sparrow	Passer montanus					1