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....
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| 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!
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| Crester Lark |
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| Isabelline Wheatear |
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| 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.
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| Penduline Tit |
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| 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.
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| 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, 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!
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