Raptors Migration

The Georgian Black Sea coast is an important migratory corridor and refueling area for large numbers of migratory raptors, as well as water birds and passerines. This pathway, which is known as the "Eastern Black Sea Migration Route", funnels birds from breeding populations in Fenno-Scandinavia and Russia to wintering areas in the Middle East and Africa.

Migrating raptors seen in sizeable numbers at the site include: Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo), European Honey-Buzzard (Pernis apivorus), Eurasian Sparrow Hawk (Accipiter nisus), Levant Sparrow Hawk (Accipiter brevipes), Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentiles), Black Kite (Milvus migrans), Booted Eagle (Hieraatus pennantus), Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus), Lesser Spotted Eagle (Aquila pomarina), Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga), Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis), Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca), White-Tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicila), Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni), Eurasian hobby (Falco subbuteo), Merlin (Falco colubarius), Red-Footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus), Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) and many other species.

As migratory raptors descent low over the area, they face great peril from the many trappers and hunters that patiently await them in ambush. The trappers are eager to catch Eurasian Sparrow Hawks (Accipiter nisus), which they snare while concealed in strategically placed huts. The decoy is a blindfolded Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio) tied to a string on a stick, required to lure the hawk into a dho-gaza. This practice has also been studied and described for NE Turkey. The Sparrow Hawks are caught for two main purposes. The foremost purpose is to train juvenile female Sparrow Hawks for the sport of "falconing" migrating Quail (Coturnix coturnix), and to compete in the local and regional falconry competitions held at the end of the trapping season. This is an ancient and deeply entrenched tradition in Georgia. Many hawks die in the process of catching, from improper care in captivity, or after they are released at the end of the migratory season. Moreover, a number of other raptor species (Levant Sparrow Hawk, harriers and falcons) are also trapped in great numbers, and used as a cheap and readily available source of meat for the decoys. The trappers are often found in the company of hunters wielding double-barreled shotguns, or are themselves hunters. In autumn, but also in spring, the hunters shoot indiscriminately at migratory birds throughout the area, creating killing fields comparable to those, for example, on the Maltese Islands. Thousands of migratory birds are ultimately killed, including vulnerable, threatened and endangered species. The hunters are indifferent to the fact that they are killing special or endangered birds, simply because they do not comprehend what is at stake for international conservation. On-looking children are in turn indoctrinated into this abominable practice.

GCCW has initiated the Migratory Raptors Monitoring project in 2000 with objectives to:

• Increase public awareness concerning migratory raptors in order to implement conservation actions counteracting the relentless and indiscriminate trapping and hunting of migratory raptors in Georgia, with particular focus on the East Black Sea Migration Route.
• Build capacity for long-term monitoring of raptors on the East Black Sea Migration Route.
• Identify major migration routs and watch sites for raptor migration in Georgia.
• Record raptor migration in identified major watch site.

The project objectives are achieved through the following activities:

• Eco-education, -participation and -awareness (EPA). Using tailored EPA-materials aimed to create a sympathetic attitude of stakeholders and the general public toward migratory birds, and motivate their importance for conservation. The booklet on raptors will be prepared, published and distributed. It would include high-quality illustrations and short descriptions of 35 raptor species, which can be used by educators, falconers, conservation specialists, counters and other people as a field guide. Experienced artists will be hired to make illustrations. The descriptions will include brief information on species appearance, ecology, conservation statuses, and distribution maps.
• Organization of a day workshop involving local stakeholders and experts in order to establish local monitoring groups, identify the most important sites and work out a detailed work plan for long-term monitoring of raptors on the East Black Sea Migration Route. Since we’ve done some surveys in the region, we have initial ideas and thoughts about the monitoring, including important sites, possible stakeholders and experts. The workshop will give us an opportunity to increase public participation in conservation planning and create synergy between local environmental authorities, NGO’s (local to international) and scientists.
• Co-coordinating research groups with ornithologists and volunteer counters who will identify major migration watch sites and will apply migration counts.

Under this project, the guide-book Raptors of Georgia was published and widely distributed, the stakeholder workshop was organized with participation of falconers, hunters, local government, environmentalists and other interested groups, watch sites were identified, local counters were trained and the counts were organized in the fall of 2002. A number of international volunteers have participated in these counts. The collected data is now under processing and will soon be available at this site.

GCCW, jointly with BirdLife International and the Swiss Association for the Protection of Birds (SVS) plans to monitor this migration route on a regular bases. We are inviting international volunteers to participate in this activity that will take place each year between August 15 – November 15.