Georgia - May 2026 - Day 4 - Snowcocks in the Mountains

The slopes of Mount Kuro was our first port of call, seemingly everything had led to this - Caucasian Snowcock was the bird, the reason for the trip, the team logo (can't share....). This iconic bird is basically why birders come here. It is found only here, only in these mountains, and we were here to see it. 

We met Rob's mate Alex in at the bottom, where the track above the village runs out and there is a small church and a couple of places to park a vehicle. He had some clients on the go but remarkably they were asleep rather than like us raring to go. Their loss! It was not a long walk up to a small plateau, and from there we started scanning. First to fall was Caucasian Grouse, some way up the slope. I missed it due to Bob taking inordinately long in the scope which caused some short-term but ultimately unnecessary panic as they showed fairly constantly whilst we were up here. A couple of Cuckoos sat on a fence near the cars, Wheatear and Water Pipit were around, and a friendly Ring Ouzel was collecting worms for the family.

Water Pipit

Ring Ouzel

Cuckoo - hepatic

Cuckoo

Rock Thrush

Wheatear

The weather was perfect, overcast but calm and still, we could not have hoped for a much better outcome. We had really lucked out, the previous few days it had apparently unbirdable up here. The main target was soon located on sound, a mournful upslurred Curlew impression. Invisible until they took flight, after which with a bit of scanning you could locate them on the scree or the cliff face where they had landed. Always distant, my photos are literally pixels, but it didn't matter as scope views were pretty decent. Mission accomplished.

Easy huh? I've processed the spot the bird is in to make it really pop!

After a suitably stunning breakfast we made our way across the valley to Geregti Triniti Church, another famed spot. Our target here was Great Rosefinch, but despite a trudge up to the Monastery, and then up an extremely steep slope and along a ridge path at the start of what is known as the trail to the Chkheri River source we couldn't locate one despite being on the snowline. The birds were clearly higher up now. We did manage two Lammergeier, both Chough and Alpine Swift, so we were in the zone so to speak. More Mountain Chiffchaff were in the last vegetation, a Tree Pipit sang from a small bush, and Bee-eaters migrated overhead. The views were incredible, birding takes you to some amazing places that you would otherwise not ever think to go. Some of these are rubbish tips and sewage works of course, but by and large I have been privelged to visit some extraodinary places because I've been trying to see a bird there. 

Further down the valley, past another huge Chinese dormitory, we explored the buckthorn scrub near a rectangular pool known as Pansheti Swimming Pool. The birding here was really good, with lots of Barred Warblers, tons of Shrikes, singing Corncrake and Black Redstart being the highlights. What Corncrakes were doing here I cannot say, it just felt incredibly bizarre, yet there were two crexxing away. You forget quite how loud they when they are close but despite a bit of a vigil we couldn't find them.

Long-tailed Tit (caudatus)

Mountain Chiffchaff

Red-backed Shrike

Stepantsminda Valley. Typical Georgian building.

A Dipper was seen near the sluice at the Kazbegi Hydropower plant, with more along the river at Sno Gorge which also had a number of Common Sandpiper but overall birding during the day was quite quiet. We had another crack at the mountain specialities towards the end of the day. seeing likely the same birds as earlier in the day, and had better views of Rock Thrush. As we descended a Nightjar churred and we got great views of Red-fronted Serin feeding in the weeds by the side of the road.

Red-fronted Serin

We had another ridiculously good dinner complete with a new shape of dumpling that were as good as the first but far too filling. The spread was immense, what a place! Then an early night before an early night ahead of our final day. We planned to do a bit of birding in the valley first thing before heading back over the pass and down to Tbilisi and a final afternoon of birding.

Georgia - May 2026 - Day 3 - Eagle Gorge and up to the Caucasus

I woke earlier than the rest of the team and had a stroll around the garden of the guesthouse. Completely still at this hour the flutey song of a Golden Oriole filter across the village, and the numerous local Blackbirds fed on the grass. A Common Redstart perched briefly on the fence and Greenfinches were singing from the trees. Once the team was assembled we headed out, looking to get a bit of birding in before breakfast. Although we had been close to Kobechi Lake the previous day we had carried on past it in order to maximise the amount of time on the Steppe. This morning we had the ideal amount of time to take in this small body of water just outside Dedoplistskaro. Rob had already been here a few days earlier as it had held a Red-crested Pochard, but I think he had missed the Black-necked Grebe and was therefore keen to give it another go. Or the other way around, I can't now recall.

The first bird we set eyes on caused some confusion as we initially assumed we were indeed looking at a Black-necked Grebe, but it soon dawned upon us that we were in fact looking through the reeds at a Red-necked Grebe. Excellent. The Black-necked Grebes, a pair, would emerge a little later, and the Red-crested Pochard was still present and correct in one corner. There were a few Coot on the lake, another trip tick, and on our walk along the top edge we also found Little Grebe. Montagu's Harrier passed overhead, presumably the same bird as yesterday, and later on a Marsh Harrier cruised along the bottom edge. Swallow numbers by the edge seemed to build and build, and two separate Quail sang from nearby fields. Best of all we then picked up churring Nightjar. By the standards we were used, ie Wanstead Flats, this whole place was simply wonderful. A small walk around the scrub between the lake and the top fields produced Green Warbler, Corn Bunting, three Lesser Grey Shrike and a Whitethroat amongst others. 

Eagle Gorge

After another sumptuous Georgian breakfast we packed up and headed out. Today would be a long day in the car to transfer up to the mountains at Stepantsminda - the main focus of the trip. But before we settled down for our bone-crunching ride we made a stop off at Eagle Gorge, a well known birding site in this area. The main target here was Wren! Just kidding....well, a bit. Anyway, we did indeed bag the Wren and European Sparrowhawk, but also found some common dross like Black Stork, Steppe Eagle, Woodchat Shrike, Blue Rock Thrush, Hoopoe and Rock Bunting. And Red-backed and Lesser Grey Shrike for good measure. We were beginning to find that birding in Georgia was relentlessly terrible.

Blue Rock Thrush. I find that most bird portraits can be enhanced by the choice of a nice perch.

Woodchat Shrike

Lesser Grey Shrike

Barring one stop for KFC (I declined and went and bought a bottle of wine instead) we did not get out of the car for the next three and a half hours. This was at the large man-made lake called Zhinvali Reservoir about half-way between Tbilisi and the mountains. We could not really access the lake itself, but a quick 20 minutes in the surrounding woodland netted that most-wanted of all Georgian birds, the ultra-rare Robin. Beating this by a whisker into bird of the day was a stunning male Semi-collared Flycatcher. Blue Tit and Coal Tit were also new for the trip, the latter being the only ones we saw all week. A further much briefer stop added Grey Wagtail and Crag Martin.

Then it was back into the car for the final schlep up to Stepantsminda. As the road began to climb it began to deteriorate. To begin with we could dodge the potholes, but as the road got narrower and busier this became much harder. This road is one the main land routes into Russia, and constant convoys of Russian and other HGVs have really chewed up the road. At one stage, close to the top, we got stuck in a covered section of the road for about half an hour. Within this tunnel of sorts the road surface has been completely washed away, and the holes are now so deep that the trucks can only pass through the middle lest they tip into the sides. The numbers of trucks were insane, this is how global isolation and sanctions are circumvented. In an interesting geopolitical aside China is drilling a huge road though the mountains which will render this particular mountain pass obsolete. There a bridges and a lengthy tunnel, and the whole project is being undertaken with Chinese machinery and Chinese manpower. Every now and again, in particular at each end of the tunnel, but also in the valley of Stepantsminda itself, we would come across large pre-fabricated building which served as the dormitory for the workers. The trucks were Chinese, the excavators Chinese, all the signage Chinese, the workers we saw Chinese. This is the soft power of Mr Xi at work, and I expect Mr Putin isn't hugely upset about this particular project, a nice highway leading down into central Asia and the EU borders. Fascinating stuff. 

We stopped at the Gudauri Panorama to stretch our legs, turn small patches of snow yellow, and to see what was going on. Initially we were captivated by numerous Water Pipit on the tundra-like grass, but above our heads was where the real action was. In the skies, heading north through this gap in the peaks were hundreds of Honey Buzzards. We were at 2,200m and they were much higher and going higher still. Initially they kettled to gain more height, and then gradually peeled off to make the crossing. In the distance we could see another huge kettle of birds, completely extraordinary. A single Red-billed Chough was seen, and we disturbed a migrant Common Snipe in the long grass. As we went over the very highest point a short distance further on we noted quite a few Northern Wheatear in the snow - more migration in action.

Stepanstminda Rubbish Creek

At about half past five in the afternnoon we rolled into the outskirts of Stepantsminda. We had some gen that one of our top trip targets had been seen at a popular fly-tipping area. Birding takes you to all the best places. It's so well known for being good for birds whilst being highly grim that it has it's own eBird pin called Stepantsminda Rubbish Creek. We could not wait! It was indeed as disgusting as the name suggested, with building waste and all sorts of other crap piled in heaps down a rough track and around a parking area. A miserable-looking horse was tethered next to a truck from Kazakhstan, and behind some kind of café/change-your-Rubles-here shack lay a small stagnant pool with heaps of bricks, iron latticework and smashed tiles sliding into it. And a bit of electrical waste. Truly lovely. But what followed was an hour of simply excellent birding, as can often be the case in what to humans looks awful. We found the bird we were looking for quite quickly, White-winged Redstart (once known as Güldenstädt's Redstart). It is a little confusing as the local Common Redstart here, Ehrenberg's Redstart, also has white wing patchs, but the ones on Güldenstädt's are a lot larger. The bird itself is a size larger, a really chunky Redstart well suited to living at altitude. At this time of year they would be expected to be higher up, but apparently some bad weather earlier that day had forced them down into the village. The weather was still dark and gloomy with very light rain still falling, but we soon got a distant but still satisfying scope view in the extensive Blackthorn scrub towards the river before it flipped down and was lost to view. As we wandered around this post-apocalyptic war zone of a site we then found a much closer bird behind the shack. Remarkably there were four birds in this small area, all calling their heads off above a small flooded area. Sensationally good-looking birds! Also here, low to the water, were some Warblers. At the time we felt very strongly, or at least I did, that one of these was a Moustached Warbler, with a massively-flared white super and with a deeper clipped call, but the only photos any of us got were all of the same buffy Sedge Warbler, which was probably the only bird that ever paused long enough or came close enough. This is an instance where images were actively unhelpful. We also encountered our first Mountain Chiffchaffs here, another lifer if not a particularly exciting one, and Purple Heron and Black Kite both flew by as the day drew to a close.

Sedge Warbler

Red-backed Shrike

White-winged Redstart

White-winged Redstart

That evening we had the best dinner yet in a guesthouse that does not advertise and only operates by word of mouth. Shelduck Birding Tours - it's who you know. Georgian dumplings, khinkali, are a thing of wonder, possibly one of the best things I have ever eaten. Rob's mate Alex dropped in at some point to discuss the birding plans for the next day. The weather was set to be good after a number of difficult days, and he would meet us on the slopes of Mt Kuro the following morning if he could manage it. Snowcocks were keenly awaited by the Snowcocks...

White-winged Redstart

Georgia - May 2026 - Day 2 - The Steppe

After an excellent sleep to make up for the loss of the previous night we drove the short distance back towards David Gareji Monastery, an impressive structure built into the escarpement and looking over Azerbaijan. I wonder if the monks use eBird?. A small shallow lake just before we got there held a pair of Great Reed Warbler, regular Reed Warbler and two Sedge Warbler, and on the other side of the road were both Tawny Pipit and Calandra Lark. What a place! The Monastery itself was closed at this early hour - good news for birders. The Pied Wheatear was still on the roof of one of the buildings, and we scoped a Blue Rock Thrush higher up. The real prize here for birders who have not been this far east before, me included, was Green Warbler, and we were able to pick out a couple of vocal birds on the hillside below the walls. There was also an extremely friendly Western Rock Nuthatch on the Monastery itself. Bee-eaters swooped below us, the first Griffon Vultures appeared in the sky, and as we walked back along the road towards the gorge we picked out Rosefinch and several Black-headed Bunting.

Green Warbler

Western Rock Nuthatch

The wind was much reduced thankfully, and as we picked our way down it was apparent that we could hear a lot more than yesterday. As we descended a call we did not recognise turned out to be Egyptian Vulture. Continuing down we found Eastern Orphean Warbler close to the track, and once down at the stream also the Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin that Rob needed for his country list but had missed yesterday. As we searched along the stream and the vegetation up the slope on the eastern side we could hear various Warblers chattering. Barred Warbler was a surprise, perhaps it should not have been, but the real target was soon found - Menetries's Warbler. These stayed quite high up but we eventually got clinching views of this species - a two tick morning for most of us, and three for some. 

David Gareji Gorge

Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin

Menetries's Warbler

We returned to the accomodation to find a magnificent Georgian breakfast laid out with a view of rolling green hills and pasture. I failed to take a photograph of it but trust me when I say that the spread was sensational. The tomatoes were just wonderful, but apparently a shadow of their late summer potential. I made sure to eat a lot as Shelduck Nature Tours does not stop for lunch! As we stuffed our faces we could hear Calandra Lark drifting over the hillside. 

We now had a long drive towards the true Steppe, but there were points of interest along the way. At Udabno Salt Lakes we found a male Garganey, Common Shelduck and a Lapwing, alond with Wood Sandpiper and Black-winged Stilt, and on the hillside above a squabbling mob of Griffon and Black Vulture ripped the last of some unfortunate carcass apart. As we decended into Sataple we struggled with the ID of Levant Sparrowhawk and Lesser Spotted Eagle, and then at a spot that Rob near close to the Iori River we found our one and only Turtle Dove of the trip - even out here in this unspoiled habitat they are few and far between - the perils of migration over countless guns.

Montagu's Harrier

Siberian Stonechat

At the start of the long entrance road to the Chachuna Managed Reserve we stopped for a short break. Siberian Stonechat was found here and a Red-rumped Swallow zipped past with commoner Barn Swallow. A Pair of Montagu's Harrier cruised the edge of a field up towards the lake, and as we bounced our way along the track we picked up Isabelline Wheatear, loads of Black-headed Bunting, Roller, Golden Oriole and much more. The habitat became more and more open, more and more impressive as we picked our way south towards Azerbaijan along a track that became ever more haphazard. Short-toed Eagle was seen, and both Woodchat and Lesser Grey Shrike.

Ugh

Rufius-tailed Scrub Robin

We were aiming for a spot some distance away and beyond a large reservoir that was good for Turkestan Short-toed Lark, a tick for most of the Snowcocks. I'd seen them in central Turkey a few years back but was keen to see another. Here the landscape was truly amazing, photographs can't really do these kinds of wide open spaces justice. The Lark proved very hard to pin down amongst many more Greater Short-toed Lark, and for a period was totally forgotten as a stonking male Finsch's Wheatear very briefly appeared from nowhere before flying over the gorge and disappearing over the lip. I made a special winter trip to Cyprus for this bird before seeing more in the mountains of Eastern Turkey whilst looking for Caspian Snowock, but this was still a massive highlight. I cannot begin to describe the monochromatic purity of this bird, it is simply outstandingly beautiful, in a class all of its own. There were also many Isabelline Wheatear here, and three Pied Wheatear that were very nice in their own right but looked a little plain next to the Finsch's. Black Francolin was seen in the hazy distance, and more were calling from somewhere in a distant gully - apparently this is their real habitat, and birds I've seen previously in Cyprus and Hawaii don't count. Or rather they do but they have now been usurped in the eBird standings by these Georgian ones. Lesser Kestrel flew over we found a Chukar checking us out from a small cave in the side of a gorge. I have not enjoyed a birding session like this for a good while, just in awe of where we were. Birding is a great hobby just because of where it takes you. I'd have been fine seeing nothing from this particular place.

Chukar

Spur-thighed Tortoise

What a place!

We returned the way we had come, seeing much the same in beautiful light. A family party of Lesser Kestrel were hanging out on the dam tower of the Dali reservoir, and I picked out a distant Kingfisher. Rob had booked the Savanna Guest House in the village of Khornabuji, pretty much where you regain the tarmac. As we supped a reflective beer on the terrace a Scops Owl started to call, closing what had been a brilliant day.

Georgia - May 2026 - Day 1 - Arrival, birding around Tbilisi, and Jandari Lake

The Snowcocks arrived in Tbilisi at around 5am. I suprised myself by getting more sleep than I thought I would, but it was a brutal flight on a short-haul aircraft with seats that are wafer thin and barely recline. Convenient flight times, you don't waste any time, but an unpleasant experience to say the least. The other Snowcocks hadn't fared as well as I had. Scattered around the plane, James had been smothered by an extremely large passenger that took more than their fair share of seating arrangements, Bob had kept himself and whoever was next to him awake by talking to them all night as his is way, and Tony had virtually no sleep either that I can recall.

Rob however was fresh as a daisy having had a good night's kip in the close by Ibis Hotel. As we waited half-dead on the pavement outside arrivals he bounded up looking very chipper indeed and led us back to the hotel where we dumped our stuff in his car and went for breakfast. Here Rob handed out our glossy printed checklists, issued us with branded caps and T shirts, and discussed dietary requirements and allergies. Not really. Although it was a running joke throughout the trip and he is genuinely excellent at organising stuff, Rob wasn't actually an official guide. He is just our mate and we were going on a birding trip together. That he had planned for us....

Anyway, we had some coffee and discussed the day ahead whilst excitedly adding House Sparrow to our first eBird checklist. We were going to start at Ponichala Forest reserve outside the city, and then make our way to the Svanetti Tower and Kumisi Reservoir. In the afternoon we would head east towards Jandari Lake which borders Azerbaijan. I was particularly excited about this as I was hoping to be able to get a new eBird country from across the divide. Despite the fact that Georgia itself was new....

Soviet era concrete wreckage was everywhere. Independence was in 1991.

Breakfast over and it was time to go. Members of the team who had eaten a slice of khachapuri were helped to their feet and carried to the car. Before we even made it that far we noted Red-backed Shrike and Hoopoe in the car park! First stop Ponichala Reserve, a forested area just outside of Tbilisi that also has some reedbeds and small lakes as an introduction to Georgian birding. Woodpeckers everywhere, Rollers and Bee-eaters, Golden Orioles and Honey Buzzards moving west overhead. Through the woods and to the reedbed our first Pygmy Cormorants, Black-crowned Night Heron, Cuckoo, Marsh Warbler and Great Reed Warbler, and double figures of Nightingale singing from cover. As introductions go this was pretty good but it was to get better and better.

Svanetti Tower

Slightly further west down an unpaved track and we stopped at Svanetti Tower on te way to Kumisi Reservoir Here there were breeding Rock Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow and Isabelline Wheatear, and on every wire there seemed to be a Roller or a Lesser Grey Shrike. White Stork in the field and Corn Buntings singing all along the way. At Kumisi we mainly birded from just beyond the railway bridge as this is a good vantage point. We had a pale morph Booted Eagle here, Osprey over the lake, and a kettle of Vultures had both Black and Griffon. Armenian Gull, Gull-billed Tern and White-winged Black Tern were over the lake, and our first Levant Sparrowhawk went over. Even more Shrikes, even more Crested Larks and Bee-eaters, Raven, Hoopoe and a pair of Black Stork. Wowsers, this was going to be some trip!

Crester Lark

Isabelline Wheatear

Lesser Grey Shrike

As we left the area at around midday we stopped at a small flash to add some waders to the trip list - Black-winged Stilt, Little Ringed Plover, over 20 Wood Sandpiper, Ruff and Temminck's Stint, with close to 50 Cattle Egret and various hirundines over the water. 

Now we were headed east towards Jandari Lake. Rob stopped at an unassuming bend on the road - he'd been here a couple of days previously and found Penduline Tit and Eastern Olivaceous Warbler here. Sure enough both were still present, our list was going great guns. Further on, at the lake itself, quit busy with fishermen and families on a Sunday afternoon, we had a huge group of distant Terns, likely WWBT, a group of 20 Glossy Ibis, 40+ Wood Sandpiper, Little Tern, loads of Pygmy Cormorant and a couple of Caspian Gull as well as Armenian. There were Rooks everywhere, including on the opposite side of the lake....in Azerbaijan. On they went! Mission accomplished! Around here we also had the first of many Black-headed Bunting, quite stunning birds.

Penduline Tit

Being a Shepherd is still a career in Georgia

By now it was mid afternoon. We headed away from the lake to take the track to the north that led to David Gareji Monastery. This is another top birding area on all itinerarys to this area. The road takes you into the hills above, and at some stages you are right on the Azerbaijain border, as evidenced by the regular patrols and watchtowers. Here we added Calandra Lark, Tawny Pipit, Short-toed Lark and Long-legged Buzzard in beautiful scenery, rolling hills and colourful geological deposits.

Gareji Dunes

We just had time to bird the gorge below the monastery before dusk, adding Eastern Orphean Warbler on the track down, more Lesser Grey Shrike, Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin, several Black-headed Bunting and a pair of Pied Wheater. It was quite windy however, and we couldn't find many of the Warblers we had been looking for. Retracing our steps we climbed out of the gorge and headed to the neaby village of Udabno where were staying for the night at the Oasis Club, we would return early in the morning for another go. We had a couple of celebratory beers and some delicious kebabs as we looked out across the Steppe. What a start!