Harriers, harriers, harriers
The last week of August and 1st week of September of the Batumi Raptor Count are great for Harriers, as the migration of Montagu's peaks and some Pallids are already in the mix. In hindsight I wish I had taken more photos of them, but in the heat of the moment, identifying and finding loose flocks of harriers is hectic enough as is. And it's definitely more enjoyable without a camera in front of your face…
Juvenile male Montagu's (Circus pygargus)
Juvenile male Pallid (Circus macrourus)
Adult male Montagu's (Circus pygargus). Truly gorgeous birds, despite the generally bad condition of the plumage by this time of year (or the typical Batumi overcast skies).
Loose flocks of ringtails that often either pop up out of the valley, like these birds, or are high in or above the streams of Honey Buzzards.
Adult male Montagu's (Circus pygargus) passing in between flocks of mainly Honey Buzzards.
And the cracker: A dark morph adult male Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus). Luckily I got to see 3 of these during my stay, but I'm still waiting for the moment one passes by close at eye level.
