14-10-2019 Eagle catwalk
Somehow, on the 14th of October 2019, we found ourselves with half the team taking a day off expecting another ‘slow day’. They could not have been more wrong…
A juvenile Steppe Eagle. Wonderful, striking plumage, so generally very easy to identify. Photo by Bart Hoekstra.
After a very slow morning with a Krüper’s Nuthatch posing on top of a bush on station as clear highlight, suddenly eagles started popping out of nowhere. As Filiep T’jollyn, BRC veteran of veterans, so aptly put it: an eagle-catwalk unfolded right above our heads. Usually separating non-juvenile Greater Spotted Eagles and (sub)adult Steppe Eagles is among the most difficult identification challenges in Batumi, when all you can see against overcast skies are dark silhouettes with an occasional sliver of barring in the innermost primaries. Well, not this day. This day identification was all a breeze: the light was absolutely perfect, eagles were showing off all their angles and plumage features finally looked just like in Forsman’s guide with photos from the Middle East.
And most immatures, in this case a 2nd calendar year bird, are pretty straightforward to identify as well. A 2cy Steppe Eagle. Photo by Bart Hoekstra.
Adults are usually a different story, but not when the light is like this. Strong light shining through the innermost primaries makes the wing barring pop out and identification a breeze. Photo by Bart Hoekstra.
An approaching adult Steppe Eagle. Photo by Bart Hoekstra.
And the same bird from above. So many details! Photo by Bart Hoekstra.
And there were so so many Steppe Eagles. Normally we’re happy with a few dozens identified among the other large eagles, but this time they just kept coming. We ended up identifying a record breaking 70 Steppe Eagles, most of which crossed the transect line very close to station 2. In between were multiple juvenile Imperials, a few adults, some White-tailed Eagles, a Griffon Vulture that was suddenly over our heads, and plenty of Greater Spotteds, Lesser Spotteds and Short-toed Eagles. This day could not have been better. While not a mega day in terms of sheer numbers (only 4660 birds that day), it was Batumi at its best and a day to remember!
The Krüper's Nuthatch that, in hindsight, was the first sign of a fantastic day to come! Photo by Bart Hoekstra.
An adult Imperial Eagle cruisin' overhead. Photo by Bart Hoekstra.
And a juvenile Imperial. It really doesn’t get any better plumage-wise… Photo by Bart Hoekstra.
And then BOOM, while we were busy with the Steppe Eagles, suddenly a juvenile Griffon Vulture has appeared right above us. Photo by Bart Hoekstra.
We finished the day celebrating fantastic migration in the Green Cafe. Well, at least half the team did. The other half took to the cafe and its local alcoholic beverages for different reasons.