Georgia: mountain birding in the High Caucasus

Sunday 26 April to Monday 4 May 2009
with Dan Brown and Giorgi Darchiashvili as leaders.

Cost: £1530 plus about £640 for flights
Single room supplement: £50

These prices may be subject to a surcharge due to exchange rate fluctations. Please click here for details and an explanation of the price breakdown

Please note that the accomodation at David Gareja is basic with shared facilities.

Maximum group size: 12 with 2 leaders.
2 leaders join this tour regardless of group size.

Bird List

Booking Form

This exciting tour will take you to one of the most mysterious, unique and scenic countries in the Western Palearctic, where you will see some of its most sought after and rarely seen birds.  Georgia straddles the borders of Europe and Asia, and yet has its own very special character, culture and ancient history.  A land of contrasts, it varies from the cold high mountains of the Greater Caucasus, to dry hot rocky steppes, where the flora and fauna are more similar to those of Anatolia and the Middle East. 

There will be much to occupy us on this short tour, but our main purpose will be to see the special birds of the High Caucasus, including Caucasian Snowcock, Caucasian Black Grouse, Güldenstadt’s Redstart and Great Rosefinch.  By visiting in early spring all these species should be found at much lower altitudes than later in the year, thus avoiding some extremely long treks to see them.  And whilst searching for these birds we shall also enjoy some of the best mountain birding in the Western Palearctic, as we shall regularly encounter other high altitude European mountain birds from Lammergeier to Wallcreeper.  The mountain passes are natural gateways for migrants and with luck we shall witness a spectacular passage of raptors as they fly north over the Caucuses and into Russia.  Similarly, as there is a good passage of passerines through the valleys, there are always interesting migrants to see, and the very real chance of finding something rare and unexpected. 

Day 1:  The tour starts with a direct overnight flight from London to Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, arriving early on Day 2.

Day 2:  We arrive in Tbilisi in the early morning and begin our journey north to the magnificent mountains of the Greater Caucasus.  Our destination is the town of Kazbegi, nestled in the Tergi valley, but along the way we shall stop at some lakes to look for a variety of wetland birds including White-winged Black and Gull-billed Terns.  As we reach the foothills we’ll stop again to explore some of the oak and beech woods that cloak the lower slopes, where we should find Green Warbler and perhaps Red-breasted Flycatcher.

From here, along the spectacular and winding road that leads to the higher passes, we shall encounter our first mountain birds, with tame flocks of Twite, Shore Lark of the penicillata race and White-winged Snowfinch feeding alongside the road, all giving excellent photographic opportunities.  We should also start to see our first raptors such as Griffon Vulture, Peregrine and the mighty Lammergeier.

Reaching the small town of Kazbegi in the late afternoon, we’ll check into our new and comfortable hotel perched alongside the river and overlooked by the majestic Himalayan-like peak of Mount Kazbegi for a five night stay.  This is a wonderful setting rich in birds with a variety of migrants possible in the adjoining park and circling raptors viewable from our balconies.  Night in Kazbegi.

As we start our climb we are sure to hear the male Caucasian Snowcock’s curlew-like call echoing around the mountains, a truly evocative sound.  With this eerie call to guide us, we should find these birds relatively easily on the slopes.  Careful scanning of the high alpine meadows should reveal the dark shapes of Caucasian Black Grouse, some perhaps performing their strange leaping lekking display.  Of course there will be other species to search for as well.  The enchanting Wallcreeper lives on the sheer rock faces but can easily be found much lower down and Georgia is a good place to get excellent views of this species, while Red-billed and Alpine Choughs wheel overhead and Ring Ouzel, Alpine Accentor, Water Pipit, Black Redstart, Northern Wheatear and flocks of Red-fronted Serin feed on the grassy slopes or among the boulders.  There will also be some mammals to search for, including East Caucasian Taur (an endemic wild goat) and Chamois, while a sighting of Brown Bear is possible. 

Two other highly sought after species breed on the high mountain slopes, but at the time of our visit they will be found much lower down, waiting for the snow to retreat.  These are Güldenstadt’s Redstart and Great Rosefinch, two superb passerines.  This is their only Western Palearctic location and we should find these wonderful birds in the riverine scrub lining the valley bottoms, sharing the habitat with Mountain Chiffchaff, Green Warbler and a variety of migrants, including European Bee-eater, Redbacked and Lesser Grey Shrikes, Red-throated Pipit, Yellow Wagtail and Ortolan Bunting. 

We are also likely to have one more treat in store.  Sandwiched between the Black and Caspian Seas, Georgia is overflown by vast numbers of raptors heading north each spring.  There are certain to be some raptors moving at any time, but with the right weather the numbers could increase to hundreds of birds each day. Honey Buzzards are likely to be the commonest, closely followed by Montagu’s, Pallid and Marsh Harriers, Steppe Buzzards and Black Kites, with the occasional Steppe Eagle, Red-footed Falcon, and Goshawk.  On the afternoon of Day 6 we’ll return to Tblisi for a one-night stay.

Day 7:  Today we head into completely different habitats and witness a dramatic change in birds, landscapes and temperatures as we drive to the arid grass and rocky steppe country of David Gareja.  We shall stop occasionally on our way at some wet meadows, where we should see Great Reed Warbler, Lesser Grey Shrike, Penduline Tit, and, if it is a good year for them, flocks of nesting Rose-coloured Starlings.  At Jandari Lake we may find more wetland species, including Pygmy Cormorant, Squacco Heron, White Stork, and Whiskered, White-winged Black and Gull-billed Terns.  Night at David Gareja.

Day 9:  We depart Tbilisi in the morning for London, where the tour ends later the same day.

E-mail or phone +44 (0)1767 262522 for availability.

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Last updated June 2008

In the shadow of the    impressive Mount Kazbegi we'll search for some of the Western palearctic's rarest birds...

such as this handsome Güldenstadt's Redstart...

or Great Rosefinch.

By visiting early in the spring, the lower snow line should make finding Caucasian Snowcock much easier.

There should be some excellent raptor passge during our visit.