Volunteer as Raptor Migration Counter
You promise your time.
What to expect?
As one of the major bottlenecks for raptor migration worldwide, you can expect to see lots of birds of prey. The season starts building up to the peak of Honey Buzzards and Montagu's Harriers around the first days of September; during mid September there is a nice diversity with more species mingling in and towards the last days of September the numbers build up towards the peak of Steppe Buzzard and Lesser Spotted Eagle. Throughout the season, expect to count anywhere between several hundreds to many tens of thousands of raptors every day, in an international team of raptor enthusiasts of all skill levels.
If you are interested in more numbers, daily totals and phenology, have a look at our migration count data, read through some of the autumn reports, or dig through our long-form paper in British Birds.
All skill levels welcome!
If you are not that experienced yet with identifying all those different species of raptors: don't worry. We try to mix experienced and less experienced counters, and give new arrivals the opportunity to get to know the procedures on the first day(s) without actively participating in the count. As we literally have to count over a million birds, all volunteers — regardless of skill level — eventually play an important role in our monitoring work. Everyone will get a presentation about the protocol and will have the opportunity to attend several presentations about the identification of ‘difficult’ raptors (like Harriers and Eagles). The BRC is one of the best schools to get to know these raptors better, as you get plenty of opportunities to see multiple raptor species migrate, in all their plumages, at close range and further away.
Want to hear from past volunteers?
Browse through our testimonials. Real stories, from real volunteers.
A flock of Honey Buzzards, some of the half a million ‘Honeys’ passing the bottleneck in autumn.
What you should bring to BRC
You should:
have a strong interest in bird migration and/or raptors,
be between 18 and 55 years old,
be able to come for at least 14 days,
speak at least good basic English,
be able to focus on counting migrants in a standardized manner and follow protocol,
be able to endure a variety of weather conditions,
be able to manage a daily walk (30 min) over rather rough and steep terrain,
enjoy being in an international group of people, and discovering new environments, places and people, where one's race, gender, religion, culture, sexuality, etc. are not considered relevant,
bring optics, ideally a pair of binoculars and a scope.
Counting a million raptors requires, above all, teamwork. Every year, we’re looking for volunteers of all skill levels, to help us achieve this great achievement once again.
Older than 55?
Counting in the Batumi bottleneck can be tough. The steep climb up to the stations is between 10 and 25 minutes over rather rough terrain, often in hot and very humid conditions, with time pressure to reach the station at sunrise. You make long days in possibly hot, humid and windy conditions and need to bring (heavy) gear and water to endure this. Your eyes will be put to the test while scanning for and counting raptors for hours on end. As a consequence, we prioritise physically fit volunteers between 18 and 55 years old with good visual acuity (20/20 vision, with or without corrective lenses). If you still think you are up to the challenge, don’t hesitate to apply — we can invite you to an online video call to discuss possibilities for your participation.
Visit our count sites on your own
There is no need to participate in our counts to visit the count sites and witness the spectacle of the Batumi raptor migration. You can always visit us at the watch sites! Consider staying in the local guesthouses to be as close to the action as possible.
Practical information
BRC will provide the following arrangements for counters:
Accommodation is organised at the guesthouses in the village of Sakhalvasho. The guesthouses have several rooms shared principally by 2 people of the same gender. Hot shower, toilets and a washing machine are available to be shared responsibly. Bed linen is provided by the accommodation, however, please bring your own towels. All volunteer accommodation is close to each other, and within walking distance of count station 1, the office and the Green Bar. Wireless internet, although irregular and often slow, is available in the houses and around the office.
Count sites: The stations are situated on hilltops close to the villages of Sakhalvasho and Shuamta. The observation platform in Sakhalvasho, and a tarp at the Shuamta site, provide shelter from the sun and rain when needed. Both sites have basic toilet facilities. The Shuamta station hosts a small cafe that is open regularly and serves foods and drinks. Drinking water is available intermittently, so must be carried up to the stations.
Delicious food is provided by our host families: breakfast and dinner are served at the guesthouses and lunch is packed to be eaten at the count station.
Transportation: station 1 can be reached on foot from the guesthouses. To reach station 2, we first take a drive with a regular BRC driver in a minibus and then walk approximately 15 minutes uphill. We can arrange a shuttle ride from places around Batumi by the regular BRC drivers to get you to and from the guesthouses on arrival/departure.
Days off: during your stay you have one day off per week to rest and explore the surroundings.
Introduction and training: volunteers will receive a protocol before the start of the count, an introduction presentation on arrival and some time on the spot to get used to the working environment. Some evenings, coordinators will give training presentations to identify groups of raptors.
Pleasant atmosphere: we will make sure the atmosphere is at its best, so everyone can enjoy their time with the BRC. Good comfort for everyone is important, as well as a quiet and relaxed environment to work and rest in. During the season, volunteers and visitors can have a drink in the village Green Bar.
A contribution of €24 (about 70 GEL) per person per day covers the expenses for counters, but we offer a discounted fee of €19 (about 55 GEL) per day for students. For half season and full season counters we have a reduced fee of €15 and €10 respectively. As we are happy to have counters from Georgia in our count, these counters will be able to stay with us for free (limited places available). In addition, if the fees are still too high for you, reach out to us as we are likely able to provide an additional discount thanks to generous counters who have decided to pay extra.
You can indicate the preferred duration and timing of your volunteering in the application form.
We look forward to sharing sunrise, long days, and sunsets together, while keeping our fingers clicking to the pulse of raptor migration through the Batumi bottleneck.
Interested in joining us Autumn 2024?
We welcome applications from April 13th, 2024 onwards for the 16th edition of the Batumi Raptor Count, taking place in Autumn 2024. If you are interested, but unable to participate this year, subscribe to the newsletter below to be kept up-to-date for future counts.
To make sure you can book flight tickets quickly, we’ll be accepting suitable candidates for the remaining open positions on a rolling basis. First come first serve.