Our first million

The year was 2012, a year which is considered to be one of the best seasons of all time, and not only because of the outrageous parties.

From the middle of September, the numbers of Honey Buzzard decrease, and the migration builds up towards the peak of Steppe Buzzards and Eagles. Peak day for the Steppe buzzards happened in 2012 on the 24th of September (56,527), together with a good flow of Aquilas (496). At the end of September, the total count tailed 956,267 raptors, and to reach the one-mil-milestone seemed only one good day away. Thus, from then on we carried two bottles of Champagne to the stations – every day in full expectation to count the 1 Million bird.

However... visible migration became low. High pressure systems were opening the mountainous passage for the raptors and many of them passed the Caucasus apart from our count stations. At the same time our powerline survey team was counting raptors along another transect line up to 50 km inland. They sent us messages with nice migration of Steppe Buzzards and Eagles. But in Batumi, the sunny sky was empty of birds and clouds. Only a couple of thousands passed our stations and the counters were waiting and waiting for 9 more days.

A strong rain front had struck the region and lasted for 3 days. We all knew that, as soon as this front would calm down, a migration wave would push through. And so it happened.

The next morning the sky was clear with still some clouds hanging over the higher mountains. On station two the number of migrants became higher and higher as the day went by. Folkert de Boer was counting a large stream of Steppe Buzzard in the far East while we continuously checked the totals of the day and then it was clear. We reached the 1 Million counted raptors at Batumi for the first time of the monitoring program on the 10th of October 2012!