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Georgia

Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca ŠAndy Holt http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andy.holt/digiscope/

Georgia (one of the South Caucasus countries) is located at the edge of Asia and Europe. Georgia is a country of exceptional beauty: diverse in nature, with rich and ancient history. The country is mostly complex and mountainous. The highest peak is 5201m (peak Shkhara) above sea level. Due to Georgia`s specific geographic location, on a relatively small territory (69,700 square km.) there are extremely diverse ecosystems from Alpine meadows to semi-deserts, wetlands, costal landscape, numerous lakes and rivers, caves, magnificent mountain-chains and peaks covered with eternal snow.

The variety of ecosystems conditions the richness of the flora and fauna of Georgia. The forests cover 40% (2,75 million hectares) of the whole territory. 5% of it can be considered as virgin forests, and 40% of it retains the original structure. Up to 5,000 species of angiospermous and gymnospermous, about 8,300 species of sporoparous plants are found in Georgia. 380 species of the plants are endemic to Georgia, and around 1,000 are endemic to the Caucasus. There are around 110 species of mammals, more than 330 species of birds, 48 species of reptiles, 11 species of amphibians and 160 of fish.

In Georgia there are several spectacular birdwatching locations, with very different characteristics. Each of them is interesting in terms of species composition. On a relatively small territory there is a multitude of diverse ecosystems. This is very favorable for bird watching, as in a short period of time and in area very close to each other it is possible to see birds from totally different habitats.

contributor

Lasha Babuadze
Director of BSR Ltd (Business for Species Recovery)
(Georgia)
bsr@access.sanet.ge

numbers

Number of bird species:356
National Bird - Pheasant Phasianus colchicus

useful reading

A Birdwatching Guide to Georgia

? with information on other wildlife by Lexo Gavashelishvili, Ramaz Gokhelashvili, Zura Javakhishvili & David Tarkhnishvili. Published by the Georgian Center for the Conservation of Wildlife 2000
See Fatbirder Review
ISBN: 9994077139
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Birds of Caucasus: Complete Field Guide to the Birds of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Northern Turkey and Southern Russia

Georgian Centre for the Conservation of Wildlife Distributed by NHBS - In preparation
ISBN: 151794
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Raptors and Owls of Georgia

by RA Galvez, L Gavashelishvili and Z Javakhishvili from the Georgian Centre for the Conservation of Wildlife 2005 Pb 128 pages - available form the NHBS http://www.nhbs.com
See Fatbirder Review
ISBN: 999407718X
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Vultures - of Georgia & the Caucasus

by Lexo Gavashelishcili published by the Georgian Center for the Conservation of Wildlife 2005
See Fatbirder Review
ISBN: 9994077198
Buy this book from NHBS.com

useful information

BirdLife

Georgian Centre for the Conservation of Wildlife (GCCW) is the BirdLife Affiliate.

Proact

Coordinator: none (why not apply?) see http://www.proact-campaigns.net/coordinators
Members: None yet!
Join us at http://www.proact-campaigns.net/team

clubs

Bird Conservation Union of Georgia

http://www.bcug.narod.ru
Bird Conservation Union of Georgia is a non-governmental, non-political, non-commercial charity organization, established to unite the efforts of persons whose general aim is conservation of Georgian birds and their habitats. Membership in BCUG is open to individuals and different organizations. Anyone can become a member of BCUG, if he or she recognizes the main aims of our Union, supports the BCUG development and in accordance with own possibilities participates in its activity. Members of BCUG can be citizens of Georgia and all other countries...

Georgian Center for the Conservation of Wildlife

http://www.gccw.org/
Postal: PO Box 56, Tbilisi 0160, Georgia - Office: Nutsubidze Plateau 3, 1-7-10, Tbilisi, Georgia Tel.: (995 32) 326496, 537478 Fax: (995 32) 537478 E-mail: office@gccw.org www.gccw.org

Nacres

http://www.nacres.org/
NACRES, a non-governmental and non-profit scientific organization, was founded in 1989 to research and safeguard biodiversity, especially endangered species in Georgia and the South Caucasus and to promote public awareness in the field of environmental protection...

reserves

Protected Areas - Nature Reserves

http://www.grida.no/enrin/htmls/georgia/soegeor/english/biodiv/reserves/prot.htm
Clickable list of protected areas with maps etc...

Wetlands

http://www.ramsar.org
Georgia presently has 2 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance, with a surface area of 34,223 hectares...

Wetlands of Kolkheti Lowland

http://enrin.grida.no/htmls/georgia/soegeor/english/wetlands/wetlands.htm
Kolkheti high-humid region is located in the Western part of Kolkheti lowland and is bordered by the Black Sea from Kobuleti to Ochamchire. In the East the cone shaped part of plane reaches Samtredia...

trip reports

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you cant find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page give them a try!

1998 [August] - Phil Benstead

http://www.osme.org/osmetrip/geotrip1.html
Now that things have calmed down politically in the Caucasus region there`s never been a better time to visit the mountains of the Republic of Georgia for those sought-after peripheral Western Palearctic specialities. The Caucasus Mountains are situated between the Black and Caspian Seas and include the tallest peak in Europe...

2000 [March] - Caucasus

http://www.osme.org/osmetrip/geotrip2.html
The Caucasus is a mountainous isthmus between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, in a triangle of three massive peaks: the Elbrus (in Kabardino-Balkaria); the Kazbek (in Georgia, in Georgian Kazbegi); and the Ararat (in historical Armenia, present-day Turkey, but close to the Armenian border, in Turkish Agri Dag). From the glaciers and alpine meadows of the high mountains to the hot deserts and steppes of Azerbaijan and the Mediterranean climate of the Black Sea coast, the Caucasus contains an incredible variety of habitats. Besides, if the region`s sad geopolitical location has brought about anything good in the modern times, it is that many areas of the Caucasus have been preserved in a quite virginal condition, although the Russian colonial power and the Soviet rule has devastated these lands in a maximal scale.

2004 [July] - Chris Batty

http://www.surfbirds.com/mb/trips/armenia-report-0904.html
Georgia lies adjacent to, and to the north of, Armenia and after reading a gripping account of a visit by Phil Benstead (and noticing that Sunbird were leading tours to Georgia) I decided I must visit the area myself in search of the three Western Palearctic endemics found there: Caucasian Snowcock, Güldenstädt`s Redstart and Great Rosefinch...

2006 [July] - Janne & Hanna Aalto

http://koti.mbnet.fi/caligata/gear.html
We had been planning a trip to Caucasus for a long time, but we had had problems because of we couldn't find enough information about birding in the area (there aren't enough tripstories available in internet) but also local travel agencies had been far too expensive. First we thought to go Azerbaijan, but travel agencies there were totally unable to organize anything cheap. When we were in British Bird Fair in autumn 2005 we met Georgian Ramaz Gokhelashvili, who was easy to believe that he really could help us to organize a trip to Georgia...

tour operators

Birdfinders [Georgia with Armenia]

http://www.birdfinders.co.uk/tours/georgia-armenia.htm
This exciting new tour to the furthest outreaches of the Western Palearctic offers a unique chance to see a number of species at the very edge of their ranges, such as Güldenstädts Redstart and Great Rosefinch. In addition, there are a number of regional endemics such as Raddes Accentor and Caucasian Black Grouse. Both countries were formerly part of the Soviet Union and their cultures are as diverse as the scenery within them. From the spectacular Caucasian Mountains, rising to 5642m, and the plains in Georgia, to the 4095m Mount Aragats and vast fishponds in Armenia, we will cover a wide variety of habitats.

Birding Pal

http://birdingpal.org/Georgia.htm
Local birders willing to show visiting birders around their area...

Explore Georgia

http://www.exploregeorgia.com/
Explore Georgia - providing adventure, nature and cultural tours for individual and group travellers. Our company provides you with accommodation, guiding and transportation within Georgia

Sunbird Tours

http://www.sunbirdtours.co.uk/Georgia.htm
This exciting tour will take you to one of the most mysterious, unique and scenic countries in the Western Palearctic, where you will see some of its most sought after and rarely seen birds. Georgia straddles the borders of Europe and Asia, and yet has its own very special character, culture and ancient history. A land of contrasts, it varies from the cold high mountains of the Greater Caucasus, to dry hot rocky steppes, where the flora and fauna are more similar to those of Anatolia and the Middle East.

places to stay

Beaumonde Guest House

http://ggdavid.tripod.com/georgia/reference/hotels.htm
In the old, cosy part of old Tbilisi - the neighbourhood called Mtatsminda, you are kindly invited to a small comfortable family hotel...

mailing lists

Birds in Russia

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BirdsinRussia/
To post to list:BirdsinRussia@yahoogroups.com
List contact:BirdsinRussia-owner@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to list:BirdsinRussia-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Information and discussion list on all aspects of biology, ecology, behaviour, number, distribution, migrations and conservation etc. of all bird species of Eastern Europe and Northern Asia (within the borders of the ex-USSR). Founder Jevgeni Shergalin.

State of the Environment

http://enrin.grida.no/htmls/georgia/soegeor/hp_soege.htm
A very comprehensive site that lists reserves and all sorts of environmental initiatives not specifically for birders but useful background for an under visited country with a good list.