Eight weeks counted at Besh Barmag

Text © Zülfü Fərəcli

The Besh Barmag Bird Migration Count has progressed over a span of two months into the current season, with a notable count of eight weeks for autumn 2023. With the gradual drop in temperature, a noticeable influx of late migrants has been observed.

Some days were better than others, e.g. on the 18th October, the counters were treated to a diverse array of migrating species, including 1149 White Egrets, facilitated by the southerly winds. Similarly on 25th and 30th of October the lines of more than 6000 Cormorants migrated south pushing the total of the month to over 35 thousand individuals. Similarly, on the final day of the month, the count of Pygmy Cormorants surpassed a thousand with the arrival of over 570 individuals. Much more individuals from both species are expected to pass in November.

As the weather grew colder, late autumn birds initiated their migration, resulting in a significant surge in the population of Starlings, amounting to nearly 50 thousand, along with 6523 Rooks and 232 Jackdaws on 26th October .

Other remarkable sightings of the day were a total of 2244 Little Bustards (the total number of Little Bustards almost reached 5866 individuals so far) and over 5200 Slender-billed/Black-headed Gulls (https://trektellen.org/count/view/1533/20231026).

Additionally, 108 Blue Tits and over 25000 larks migrated on 21th October (https://trektellen.org/count/view/1533/20231021).

The migration of Jays continued throughout October, with their numbers surpassing 1700 individuals.

Moreover, the count of Marsh Harriers showed a consistent increase, often seen migrating in small groups reaching almost 1000 individuals so far. Additionally, the Hen Harriers started to replace the Montagu’s and Pallid Harriers. Notably, a kettle of 32 Steppe Eagles was spotted on the 24th October. Next to these Steppe Eagles the counters enjoyed views of a Greater Spotted Eagle. On that day the seaside was also active, boosting 264 Pintails, 69 Shovelers, and over 1500 duck species (https://trektellen.nl/count/view/1533/20231024).

Among the frequently passing Caspian Gulls the counters observed a Steppe Gull ‘barabensis’ and Armenian Gulls on 25th and 27th October.

On 28th October, a significant milestone was reached as the total number of counted birds surpassed 1 million. Among these, the Starlings dominated, reaching 330’309 south-flying and 72’851 north-flying individuals.The aggregate of white wagtails reached a figure of 37991 individuals, surpassing that of Yellow Wagtails.

Stay connected with us by following our daily count results on Trektellen (https://trektellen.nl/count/view/1533/20231031).

If you’re interested in supporting this groundbreaking project in Azerbaijan, here are several ways to get involved:

Join Us: We still have available slots for November.
Make a Donation: Even small contributions can have a significant impact on our financial stability and our ability to continue this vital work in the following year. Consider making a donation at https://birdingazerbaijan.org/donate/.
Explore Azerbaijan: Birding Azerbaijan offers tailor-made tours and collaborates with tour operators. The proceeds from these tours directly support the Besh Barmag Bird Migration Count. Why not join a spring trip in Azerbaijan in 2024? Learn more at https://birdingazerbaijan.org/travel/.

Thank you for your support, and we look forward to sharing more remarkable bird migration experiences with you on this blog, Facebook and Instagram.

The Besh team also thanks OSME and FairWind for financial support!