A seemingly well-planned sojourn to the Caspian coast appeared to give us a decent chance at bagging Omid, the last western Siberian White Crane. Unfortunately, we blundered into the tail end of winter doing its cold and windy best to delay spring. Omid, quite understandably, remained resolutely on his Iranian wintering grounds, not taking off until 8th March, his latest departure since forever and, even then, didn’t play ball for those that had stayed on, taking an age to make his way to Shirvan NP where he was found on the morning of 14th before heading off north again by lunchtime. Only a single car load of visiting birders managed to connect.
Of course, it wasn't all about Omid, we did get Caspian Tit and Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit, and had a pretty good scout around which should aid any future attempts at the crane or indeed Shikra, etc., but,… well,… the crane guys, the bloody crane.
25th Feb
UK -> Baku via Istanbul (night on plane[s])
First flight for three and a half years due to climate guilt and COVID. Pretty straightforward, grabbed some sleep,... some.
26th Feb
Baku -> Gobustan -> Shirvan (night in Masalli)
Walkie-talkies confiscated by the very polite Azerbaijani customs officials, failed to get local SIMs, but, apart from that, everything went to plan. Met up with the rest of the team in Baku then headed south to our base in Masalli via Gobustan and Shirvan NP. On arrival at the Gobustan site found a few Trumpeter Finch, turned out to be the rarest find of the whole trip and a tick for one of our Azerbaijani guides/enablers. The semi-desert was ringing with Finsch’s Wheatear song whilst Lanners wheeled overhead, spring appeared to be unfolding but, as it transpired, it was just a deceitful manifestation of the fickle foibles and petty schemes of the ornithological gods. Then it was on to Shirvan NP, famed stop-off for Omid. The Goitered Gazelles, an Isabelline Shrike and large numbers of Little Bustard were probably the highlights but the restricted viewing of the crane habitat might have been the most talked about feature of the site. Were Omid to have appeared it may well have been absolute carnage.
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Semi-desert habitat in Gobustan.
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Gobustan
Long-legged Buzzard – 3
Lanner Falcon – 2, apparent pair of adult male and immature female.
Little Owl – 1
Red-billed Chough – 4, flew over site.
Crested Lark
Western Rock Nuthatch
Common Starling
Isabelline Wheatear – 1, constantly chased by territorial male Finsch’s Wheatears.
Finsch’s Wheatear – 10
Spanish Sparrow
Rock Sparrow
Trumpeter Finch – 7, minimum count, seemingly first record for region.
Common Linnet
Corn Bunting
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Young male Goitered Gazelle, Shirvan NP.
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Low scrubby steppe habitat, Shirvan NP.
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Shirvan NP
Greylag Goose
Mute Swan – 2
Ruddy Shelduck – 4
Common Shelduck
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Eurasian Teal
Common Pochard
Black Francolin – 5+
Feral Pigeon
Common Woodpigeon – 1
Little Bustard – 150
Northern Lapwing
Eurasian Curlew
Black-tailed Godwit
Ruff – 3
White-winged Black Tern – 2, breeding plumaged adults.
Pygmy Cormorant
Great Cormorant
Dalmatian Pelican – 1
Grey Heron
Great White Egret
Western Marsh Harrier – 10+
Hen Harrier – 1
Eurasian Sparrowhawk – 1
Common Kestrel – 2
Merlin – 1
Isabelline Shrike – 1
Great Grey Shrike – 1
Common Magpie
Rook - 2750
Hooded Crow
Eurasian Skylark
Crested Lark
Bearded Tit – 4
Common Starling
White Wagtail
Meadow Pipit
Common Chaffinch
Corn Bunting – 50
Common Reed Bunting
Golden Jackel – 2
Red Fox – 1
Goitered Gazelle – 50+
European Hare – 1
27th Feb
Lerik/Talish Mountains (night in Masalli)
Caspian Tit ‘twitch’ and a day in the Talish Mountains whilst we awaited news on the crane from Iran. The tit proved very straightforward with prolonged sightings of at least four birds. The eye-catching local Long-tailed Tits also proved popular.
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Wooded hills above Lerik, Caspian Tit habitat.
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Caspian Tit.
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House Sparrow, presumed hyrcanus but, given how often the phrase 'grades into x' occurs in the geographical variation section in BWP, I think we can take it all with a pinch of salt.
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Large Tortoiseshell, a harbinger of a spring that never arrived.
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The Talish Mountains, see Diedert at bottom right corner for scale.
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Horseshoe bat sp., there seem to be four or five options.
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Masalli -> Talish MountainsCattle Egret
Steppe Buzzard – 1, very dark bird.
Syrian Woodpecker – 2
Eurasian Jay – presumed
krynicki/hyrcanus.
Eurasian Blue Tit
Great Tit
Eurasian Nuthatch
Eurasian Wren
Eurasian Blackbird
European Robin
European Greenfinch
European Goldfinch
Lerik/Talish MountainsEastern Imperial Eagle – 1, distantly, perched on outcrop.
Hen Harrier – 1, high overhead whilst we had lunch.
Great Spotted Woodpecker – presumed
poelzami.
Eurasian Green Woodpecker
Eurasian Jay – presumed
krynicki/hyrcanus.
Common Raven
Coal Tit – presumed
gaddi.
Caspian Tit – 4
Eurasian Blue Tit
Great Tit
Long-tailed Tit – 2, presumed
alpinus, lacking in any pinkish tones, broad black lateral crown stripes, isolated black throat patch, black streaked neck sides, grey nape/mantle/scapulars, short tail(?).
Eurasian Nuthatch
Eurasian Wren
Song Thrush
Eurasian Blackbird
European Robin
House Sparrow – presumed
hyrcanus/‘
caucasicus’, grey cheeks/ear-coverts but quite pale underparts.
Common Chaffinch
Eurasian Bullfinch – 2
European Goldfinch
Horseshoe bat sp.
Large Tortoiseshell
28th Feb Gizil Aghaj NP (night in Masalli)
A day in the Gizil Aghaj area with a view to picking up a few wetland species, Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit and getting a feel for the area before the hoped for passage of Omid. A reasonable day but by lunch time was feeling decidedly ropey,… uh-oh.
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Golden Jackels, Gizil Aghaj Bay.
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Gizil Aghaj Bay
Greylag Goose
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Eurasian Teal
Black Francolin – 1
Little Grebe – 100+, in flocks of up to 20-25 birds.
Great Crested Grebe
Feral Pigeon
Water Rail – 1
Pied Avocet
Northern Lapwing
Black-tailed Godwit
Ruff – 1
Temminck's Stint – 3, flew over calling.
Common Snipe
Common Sandpiper – 1
Green Sandpiper – 5
Spotted Redshank – 2
Common Greenshank
Marsh Sandpiper
Common Redshank
Black-headed Gull
Little Gull – 3
Pallas's Gull – 1
Caspian Gull
Pygmy Cormorant
Great Cormorant
Dalmatian Pelican – 3
Grey Heron
Great White Egret
Little Egret
Cattle Egret
Western Marsh Harrier – 10
White-tailed Eagle – 2
Rook
Hooded Crow
Eurasian Skylark
Barn Swallow – 2
Moustached Warbler – 3+, singing males.
Common Chiffchaff – 10, singing birds sounded similar to collybita but calling birds sounded tristis-like, some birds lacking green/yellow tones others similar to collybita, presumably multiple populations present.
Cetti's Warbler
Eurasian Wren
Common Starling
Song Thrush
European Robin
House Sparrow
White Wagtail
Meadow Pipit
Water Pipit – 15
Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit – 1
Common Chaffinch
European Greenfinch
Common Linnet
Corn Bunting
Common Reed Bunting
Golden Jackel – 2
Coypu
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Caspian Tern, Caspian Gulls, Caspian Sea, Gizil Aghaj coast.
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Gizil Aghaj coast
Mallard
Eurasian Teal
Great Crested Grebe
Kentish Plover
Common Ringed Plover
Eurasian Curlew
Black-tailed Godwit
Dunlin
Little Stint
Common Greenshank
Jack Snipe - 1
Slender-billed Gull – 4
Pallas's Gull – 10
Black-headed Gull
Common Gull – 1
Caspian Gull
Caspian Tern – 1
Great Cormorant
Dalmatian Pelican – 4
Grey Heron
Great White Egret
Little Egret
Western Marsh Harrier
Common Kestrel
Common Starling
Meadow Pipit
European Stonechat – 2
Gizil Aghaj NP
Common Pochard
Green Sandpiper
Caspian Gull
Black Redstart – 1
Siberian Stonechat – 1, hemprichii/variegatus
Gizil Aghaj -> Masalli
White Stork – 40
1st Mar
Masalli (night in Masalli)
Urgh,… just urgh.
Masalli
Goldcrest
2nd Mar
Gizil Aghaj NP and porcupine site (night in Masalli)
Back in the game. Slight up-tick in migrant activity in the Gizil Aghaj area, most notably of Marsh Sandpiper, Whiskered Tern and Swallow. Tried a site for Indian Crested Porcupine in the afternoon, no joy but Weasel skittered onto the trip list.
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Moustached Warbler through a bramble bush. Heard 'revving up' and chuntering away despite the cool and breezy conditions, Gizil Aghaj Bay.
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Penduline Tits, Gizil Aghaj Bay.
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| Laughing Doves, near Gizil Aghaj Bay. |
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| Coypu, numerous at Gizil Aghaj Bay. |
Gizil Aghaj BayNorthern Shoveler
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Eurasian Teal
Common Pochard
Little Grebe
Great Crested Grebe
Water Rail – 1
Pied Avocet
Northern Lapwing
Black-tailed Godwit
Common Snipe
Green Sandpiper
Ruff – 16
Spotted Redshank
Common Greenshank
Marsh Sandpiper – 70
Common Redshank
Black-headed Gull
Caspian Gull
Whiskered Tern – 700 marsh terns present, all close enough to identify were Whiskered.
Pygmy Cormorant
Great Cormorant
Grey Heron
Great White Egret
White-tailed Eagle – 6+
Western Marsh Harrier
Laughing Dove – 2
Eurasian Skylark
White Wagtail – notable increase, presumably passage birds.
Eurasian Penduline Tit – 2
Barn Swallow – 12
Moustached Warbler
Common Chiffchaff
Cetti's Warbler
Common Starling
Meadow Pipit
Water Pipit
Common Reed Bunting
Coypu
Near Hyrcan NPEurasian Jay
Dunnock – presumed
obscura.
Brambling
Eurasian Siskin
Weasel – 1
3rd Mar Hyrcan NP and Gizil Aghaj NP (night in Masalli)
Down to Hyrcan NP for sub-species skullduggery, the Great Spotted Woodpecker, Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit and Dunnock were probably the most notable. Then back to the coast in the hope that some migrants were pushing their way north. A barely detectable trickle included Little Ringed Plover, an increase in Common Snipe and a few marsh terns including 15 White-winged Black Terns. I imagine the Eurasian Coot and Greater Spotted Eagle, both additions to the trip list, were probably wintering birds.
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Wet woodland, Hyrcan NP, still plenty of Lesser Spotted Woodpecker here.
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Dunnock, soon to be Caucasian Dunnock(?), OOOOOSH!
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Presumed poelzami Great Spotted Woodpecker, Hyrcan NP.
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Woodland, Hyrcan NP, amazing to think there are still Leopard, Bear and Wolves in these woods and mountains.
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Hyrcan NP
Mallard
Eurasian Teal – 230
Eurasian Sparrowhawk – 1
Common Buzzard
Steppe Buzzard – 1, red type.
Common Kingfisher – 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker – presumed poelzami.
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker – 4
Eurasian Green Woodpecker
Hooded Crow
Coal Tit – presumed gaddi again.
Eurasian Blue Tit
Great Tit
Common Chiffchaff
Long-tailed Tit – the rather eye-catching presumed alpinus again.
Eurasian Blackcap – 1, singing male.
Goldcrest
Eurasian Nuthatch
Eurasian Wren
White-throated Dipper – 1
Song Thrush
Redwing
Eurasian Blackbird
European Robin
Dunnock – obscura again.
Grey Wagtail – 2
White Wagtail
Common Chaffinch
Hawfinch – 6
European Goldfinch
Eurasian Siskin
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| Whiskered and White-winged Black Terns, Gizil Aghaj Bay. |
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| Whiskered Tern, Gizil Aghaj Bay. |
Gizil Aghaj Bay
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Eurasian Teal
Little Grebe
Great Crested Grebe
Eurasian Coot – 1
Pied Avocet
Northern Lapwing
Little Ringed Plover – 1
Black-tailed Godwit
Common Snipe – c.200, notable increase in numbers.
Green Sandpiper
Ruff
Spotted Redshank
Common Greenshank
Marsh Sandpiper
Common Redshank
Black-headed Gull
Caspian Gull
Whiskered Tern
White-winged Black Tern – 15
Pygmy Cormorant
Great Cormorant
Grey Heron
Great White Egret
Greater Spotted Eagle – 1
White-tailed Eagle
Western Marsh Harrier
White Wagtail
Moustached Warbler
Common Chiffchaff
Cetti's Warbler
Common Starling
Meadow Pipit
Water Pipit
Common Reed Bunting
Coypu
Gizil Aghaj coast
Slender-billed Gull
Black-headed Gull
Pallas's Gull – 5
Common Gull – 6
Caspian Gull
‘Steppe Gull’ – 1, apparent barabensis.
Caspian Tern – 1
Sandwich Tern – 4
4th Mar
White-tailed Plover site, Salyan, and Shirvan NP (night in Baku)
Headed north with the ultimate aim of dropping Vincent and RenĂ© at the airport. Stopped for White-tailed Plover in Salyan at an active aggregate extraction site which, apart from the star birds, didn’t appear to have much else to offer although a healthy number of bee-eater nest holes would presumably provide entertainment later in the spring. We then headed back to Shirvan NP and added Greater White-fronted Goose, Marbled Duck, Common Moorhen, Grey-headed Swamphen and Turkestan Short-toed Lark to the trip list. However, the highlight was probably a stunning male pallidus Merlin, absolute cracker.
Masalli -> Salyan
Stock Dove – 2
Salyan
White-tailed Plover – 17
Green Sandpiper – 3
Common Greenshank – 1
Marsh Sandpiper – 1
Pygmy Cormorant
Grey Heron
Great White Egret
Little Egret
Western Marsh Harrier
Common Magpie
Hooded Crow
Eurasian Penduline Tit – 1
Common Starling
White Wagtail
Water Pipit
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Steppe habitat with raised viewing platform (top right) from which the wetlands (Omid's favoured stopover) can be scanned.
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Scrubby steppe and Isabelline Wheatear.
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Shirvan NP
Greylag Goose
Greater White-fronted Goose – 90
Mute Swan – 7
Ruddy Shelduck – 41
Common Shelduck
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon – 3
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Eurasian Teal
Marbled Duck – 20
Red-crested Pochard – 3
Common Pochard
Black Francolin – 3
Little Bustard – 300
Water Rail – 1
Common Moorhen – 1
Grey-headed Swamphen – 2
European Golden Plover – 30
Northern Lapwing
Eurasian Curlew
Black-tailed Godwit – 60
Ruff – 12
Common Snipe
Green Sandpiper – 1
Common Redshank
Caspian Gull
White-winged Black Tern – 6
Pygmy Cormorant
Grey Heron
Great White Egret – 35
Western Marsh Harrier – 12
Hen Harrier – 1
Eurasian Sparrowhawk – 1
White-tailed Eagle – 1
Common Kestrel – 2
Merlin – 3, including a male pallidus.
Isabelline Shrike – 1, same bird as present on 26th Feb.
Great Grey Shrike – 1, homeyeri.
Common Magpie
Rook
Hooded Crow
Common Raven – 1
Eurasian Penduline Tit – 1
Turkestan Short-toed Lark – 1
Eurasian Skylark
Crested Lark
Bearded Tit – 4
Moustached Warbler – 3
Cetti's Warbler
Eurasian Wren
Common Starling
Isabelline Wheatear – 1
Spanish Sparrow
Meadow Pipit
Water Pipit
Common Chaffinch
Corn Bunting – c.100
Common Reed Bunting
Goitered Gazelle
5th Mar
Absheron NP and Baku (night in Baku)
Checked out Absheron NP’s potential for migrants. A decent-sized spit jutting into the Caspian with almost exclusively low vegetation and wetland habitats plus limited scrub and the odd tree. Looked great as a local patch for anyone working in Baku and/or for birders to bookend their trips, maybe not good enough to base yourself there if hunting WP megas from the east (not helped by the usual office hours accessibility of the NPs). In the afternoon attempted to check out some wetlands in northern Baku. Oh dear, those that were still present amongst the forest of nodding donkeys and sprawl of uncontrolled urban creep, were polluted, litter-strewn and pretty much birdless.
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Low steppe habitat and scrub on the peninsula at Absheron NP, looks like a migrant magnet.
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Common Gull.
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One of the shinier bits of Baku.
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Absheron NPNorthern Shoveler
Eurasian Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Eurasian Teal
Red-crested Pochard – 3
Common Pochard
Tufted Duck
Greater Scaup – 13
Red-breasted Merganser – 9
Great Crested Grebe – 3
Feral Pigeon
Water Rail – 1
Grey Plover – 8
Common Ringed Plover
Eurasian Curlew
Sanderling – 3
Dunlin
Common Snipe
Common Greenshank
Slender-billed Gull
Black-headed Gull
Pallas's Gull – 15
Common Gull – 2
Caspian Gull
Great Cormorant
Western Marsh Harrier – 2
Hen Harrier – 2
Common Kestrel – 2
Hooded Crow
Eurasian Skylark – 50
Common Chiffchaff – 1
Common Starling
Song Thrush – 1
Black Redstart – 1
Meadow Pipit – 25
Common Chaffinch
Common Linnet
Common Reed Bunting
6th Mar Baku -> Istanbul (missed London flight) (night in Istanbul)
Everything went pretty swimmingly, including collecting the confiscated walkie-talkies, until Turkish Airlines managed to take off late and narrowly miss our connection in Istanbul. Then it was all manner of logistical bollocks followed by a shit hotel, shit dinner and bed.
7th Mar
Istanbul -> UK
Up before the arse crack of dawn, minibus, airport, repeated security scans/searches of our hand luggage then Istanbul to Gatwick complete with grim, egg-heavy breakfast. Farewell to Mr. Alfrey, wait for dad, quick sandwich from mum and a drive back avoiding a closed J11-12 on the M4. Arrived in time to get a big cwtch on the playground from little P,... result.
Another trip complete. I imagine I may well be back in Baku some point soon.
