White-tailed lapwing in Chorokhi

On the 1st of May 2012, White-tailed lapwing (Vanellus leucurus) was observed near the Chorokhi delta (just south of Batumi) by Roland Schlegel, a German birder enjoying our homestays.  He found a bird at one the small ponds in the center of the area, later on near the mouth of the river he saw a bird coming in from the north that flew across. It could be a couple, but it might as well have been the same bird that was seen twice.

This represents probably the first record of the species for Ajara. White-tailed lapwings are very rare in Georgia, with only three records since the 1970s (five individuals near Paravani Lake, Javakheti Upland, Southern Georgiain 1984, two were observed in Alazani River valley near border with Azerbaijan on 28 October 1991 and one photographed by Giorgi Rajebashvili on the 18th of august 2011).

Photo by Roland Schlegel.

Photo by Roland Schlegel.