Photos © Michael Heiß The initial days of the counting season at the Besh Barmag bottleneck have been quite eventful. On 9 September 2023, a significant influx of bird species, including bee-eaters, terns, ducks, and swallows, graced the counting station with their presence. Notably, a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater even made a delightful appearance, offering close and… Continue reading The first days are counted at Besh Barmag
The bird migration counting season at the Besh Barmag bottleneck has begun! From 1 September to 30 November 2023 all migrating birds along the Caspian Sea coast, the foothills of the Greater Caucasus, and the intervening coastal plain will be counted daily from sunrise to sunset. In a few days, the exclusively Azerbaijani team with… Continue reading Start of the Besh Barmag Bird Migration count 2023
Just a few days before the upcoming Besh Barmag Bird Migration Count, we're thrilled to announce the opening of our Fan Shop! Now, all you passionate bird counters can buy of shirts, stylish baseball caps, and charming mugs adorned with our logo. Each purchase not only lets you flaunt your support but also contributes financially… Continue reading Birding Azerbaijan Shop
Just recently the Birding Azerbaijan team received a considerable donation for the Besh Barmag Bird Migration Count from FairWind – a company that plans and implements wind farm projects. Those projects too often contradict the interests of nature and bird conservation. The goal of FairWind is the validity of participation and consideration for humans and… Continue reading Donation received for the Besh Barmag count this autumn – thanks!
Since its discovery in 2007 and subsequent scientific description, the Besh Barmag bird migration bottleneck has become a focal point for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts. Situated between the Greater Caucasus and the Caspian shore, this location attracts large numbers of migratory birds. The first bird tourists arrived in 2014, and subsequent years saw several Bird… Continue reading The Besh team is still seeking counters
Photos © Elvin Məmmədsoy On 13 May 2023 a male Red-headed Bunting showed up in the Absheron National Park. This is the second record for Azerbaijan. The first record was on 19 May 2006 in Gobustan observed and photographed by P. Wernicke and H. Müller.
We are happy to announce another bird migration counting season at Besh Barmag bottleneck for autumn 2023. After the very successful full season in 2022 we are in good spirit and eager to run another long-awaited round of the epic bird migration count. With some highly motivated additions to our local team and keen old… Continue reading Call for Counters: Besh Barmag Bird Migration Count 2023
This story is about the last Siberian crane of the western population named Omid/Hope/Umid who lives alone for 18 years. It is one of the rarest birds you can see in Azerbaijan. Watch video to get more about Umid through storytelling of ornithologist Michael Heiß. Film: Elmaddin Suleymanov Camera/Edit: Aytaj Khalig Suleymanova Footages: Zoltán Orbán… Continue reading The sad story of Omid
Text © Gabi Caucal December 2022 at Besh Barmag: beautiful and interesting count extension! As in 2018, the monitoring continued during the first ten days of December. After a second part of November, overall very calm with a very slow movements of waterbirds (example: only 3 sequences with Greylag Goose data, 4 with Red-crested Pochard… Continue reading December 2022 at Besh Barmag: beautiful and interesting count extension!
In the beginning of November the famous travel writer and book author Mark Elliott visited the Besh Barmag Bird Migration Count. His impressions are summarised in an article by the The Caspian Post: https://caspianpost.com/en/post/news/caspian-region/birding-hotspot-besh-barmaq/ Enjoy reading!
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