Batumi Raptor Count (Sakhalvasho)
Adjara & Black Sea · Nature
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About Batumi Raptor Count (Sakhalvasho)
One of the world's great raptor migration bottlenecks: about a million birds of prey pass the hills behind Batumi each autumn (almost 900,000 were counted in 2025). The Batumi Raptor Count watches them from Station 1 above Sakhalvasho, with a shelter and toilet.
Travel Tips
The count runs from about 12 August to 21 October. Go with a SABUKO / Batumi Birding guide; bring optics, a hat and a packed lunch.
Tours Including Batumi Raptor Count (Sakhalvasho)
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Batumi Raptor Migration — 4-Day Private Birding Tour
Every autumn roughly a million birds of prey funnel along the Black Sea coast past Batumi; almost 900,000 were counted in 2025. This four-day private tour is led in the field by a specialist bird guide from the Batumi birding community (SABUKO / Batumi Birding); your driver-guide handles the logistics. Days are spent at the Sakhalvasho and Shuamta count stations above Batumi, with time at the Chorokhi delta for waders and terns and in Mtirala National Park. The peak windows are 28 August to 5 September for honey buzzards and harriers, and late September to early October for steppe buzzards and eagles. Three nights in Batumi, packed lunches and the bird guide are included. Minimum two travellers; bring your own binoculars.