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Batumi Raptor Count (Sakhalvasho)

Adjara & Black Sea · Nature

Getting there
About 30 minutes by car from Batumi into the hills north-east of the city, then a steep 10–15 minute walk to the station
Best time
Mid-August–mid-October
Recommended stay
Full day

About Batumi Raptor Count (Sakhalvasho)

The hills behind Batumi form one of the world's great bottlenecks for migrating birds of prey: squeezed between the Black Sea and the Lesser Caucasus, more than a million raptors pass each autumn, and 1,422,172 were counted in 2025. The Batumi Raptor Count has watched them since 2008 from Station 1 on the hilltop above Sakhalvasho, about 30 minutes from Batumi, which has a shelter and a toilet. Visitors spend the day on the hill with a bird guide, counting honey buzzards, black kites, harriers, steppe buzzards and eagles.

Tours Including Batumi Raptor Count (Sakhalvasho)

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Must-See Attractions

  • Station 1 watchpoint

    The hilltop above Sakhalvasho, the highest point in the local landscape, with a shelter and toilet and the counters at work.

  • Honey buzzard days

    In late August and early September most seasons have one or two days with more than 100,000 honey buzzards.

  • Steppe buzzards and eagles

    From late September huge flocks of steppe buzzards pass, with lesser spotted, greater spotted, steppe and imperial eagles.

  • Batumi Raptor Trail

    A 3 km path starting behind the watchpoint, built in 2014, with more close-range views.

Nearby

  • Batumi Botanical Garden

    The 111-hectare garden on Green Cape, about 30 minutes' drive down the hill.

  • Chorokhi Delta

    The river mouth south of Batumi airport, good for waders, terns and herons, about 45 minutes away.

  • Mtirala National Park

    Colchic rainforest trails, about 40 minutes by car.

Location41.6907° N, 41.7285° EView on map

Good to know

Getting there

About 30 minutes by car from Batumi into the hills north-east of the city, then a steep 10–15 minute walk to the station.

Best time

Mid-August–mid-October

Best time

Late August to early September is the time for honey buzzards and harriers, and late September to early October for steppe buzzards and eagles.

Recommended stay

Full day

Season

The count runs from mid-August to about 21 October; the migration depends on the weather, and a good day can follow a quiet one.

Getting there

About 30 minutes by car from Batumi, then a steep 10–15 minute walk up to the station.

What to bring

Binoculars (a telescope helps), a hat, sunscreen, a rain jacket, water and a packed lunch.

Heads-up

The sun can be fierce, and thunderstorms are frequent and dangerous on the exposed hilltop.

Time needed

A full day; harriers often pass soon after sunrise, and the big buzzard and eagle flocks usually build up later in the morning.

History & culture

Culture

The count works with the villages of Sakhalvasho and Shuamta: local families host visiting birders and counters in guesthouses, and the project runs education work on raptor protection with local hunters and schools.

History

The Batumi Raptor Count was set up in 2008 by volunteers and conservationists to measure the autumn migration through the Batumi bottleneck and to reduce illegal shooting of raptors in the local villages. Every season since, international volunteer counters have staffed Station 1 at Sakhalvasho and Station 2 at Shuamta from mid-August to late October (12 August–21 October in 2025). In 2025 the team, with more than 50 volunteers from 19 countries, counted a record season: the millionth raptor passed on 17 September, ten days earlier than in any previous year.

Accommodation

A few family guesthouses in Sakhalvasho and nearby villages host birders during the count season; most visitors stay in Batumi and drive up each morning.