Wednesday 27 July 2016

Batumi, September-October 2015

Some very strange weather this season with an extremely hot September and an often very wet October. Migration started and peaked early for some species and didn't even start for some. I witnessed many raptors being shot including Lesser Spotted Eagles, Black Kites, Marsh Harriers and Honey Buzzards but also had some unforgettable days of eagle migration. The Lesser Spotted, Great Spotted and Steppe Eagle conundrum was again the most exciting part of the count for me but I wonder just how many hybrid LSExGSE we are missing. I have done my best to identify, sex and age all the raptors below but no doubt some will be incorrect. The 2016 season is almost upon us.