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Batumi Raptor Count, or BRC, is a nature conservation NGO that works to monitor and conserve the 1,000,000+ birds of prey that migrate every autumn through the Batumi Bottleneck. A young and forward thinking organisation, BRC has been operating from the Black Sea City of Batumi, in the Republic of Georgia, ever since 2008 when it has started the raptor-migration count covering the full autumn season. Although originally created as a monitoring organisation, after realising the scale of the hunting pressures that migratory birds face in the region, BRC's mission has now expanded to that of a conservation and monitoring NGO.

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Natuurwerkgroep De Kerkuil is in 1997 ontstaan als een werkgroep van de MINA-raad van de stad Veurne. In de loop van de jaren zijn de activiteiten uitgebreid over verschillende gemeenten in de regio IJzer en Polder. De vereniging heeft een projectmatige werking ontwikkeld ten behoeve van de agrarische natuur in de streek. Hierbij staat samenwerking met diverse partners in het buitengebied centraal. Lopende projecten: kerkuil, steenuil, bruine kiekendief, grauwe kiekendief, huiszwaluw, boerenzwaluw, gierzwaluw, oeverzwaluw, akkervogels, weidevogels, vleermuizen en ijsvogel.

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STARLING is een jong en dynamisch erkend reisbureau gespecialiseerd in natuur en fotografie. Onze belangrijkste drijfveer is passie, en onze voornaamste zorg is kwaliteit. Het werd opgericht door David 'Billy' Herman met vestiging in Gent, België, en is intussen uitgegroeid tot een bloeiend bureau met meer dan 70 groepsreizen naar alle uithoeken van de wereld.

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Als medisch beeldvormer is Tom Bovens dagelijks bezig met fotografie, uiteraard kan het werken met een rx-toestel niet vergeleken worden met een digitale camera, toch zijn er gelijkenissen in de post-processing. In deze tijden volstaat het niet meer enkel een foto te nemen. De nabewerking blijkt minstens even belangrijk: window-levellen, croppen, contrast aanpassen,... allemaal acties die zowel in de radiologie als de fotografie het verschil maken tussen een goede foto en een prachtige foto. Focus op sport-, muziek- en natuurfotografie.

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Nous sommes un couple passionné par les voyages et par la Nature, nous allions ces deux passions pour découvrir le monde et ses trésors ! Forts de plusieurs expériences de bénévolat au plus près de la Nature,notre couple se lance dans un projet de plus grande ampleur :un tour du monde en écovolontariat !
On vous emmène ?

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SABUKO (Society for Nature Conservation) is Birdlife Partner in Georgia. Our main directions is conservation of species and their habitats. Our mission is to promote the conservation of wildlife in Georgia and to increase the valuation of nature by the public and to encourage the sustainable use of natural resources. We aim to protect wild birds and their habitats, and to raise awareness about the value of nature and the importance of its protection. For preventing the conflict between human and nature, we have chosen a way of cooperation and work with local communities and other target groups, rather than confrontation, which is a most effective approach that delivers win-win situation in long-term outlook.

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Tanslations

English	Latin	Dutch

Birds of prey


Black kite	Milvus migrans	Zwarte wouw
Black-winged kite	Elanus caeruleus	Grijze wouw
Booted eagle	Aquila pennata	Dwergarend
Buzzard	Buteo buteo	Buizerd
Goshawk	Accipiter gentilis	Havik
Greater spotted eagle	Aquila clanga	Bastaardarend
Hen harrier	Circus cyaneus	Blauwe kiekendief
Hobby	Falco subbuteo	Boomvalk
Honey buzzard	Pernis apivorus	Wespendief
Imperial eagle	Aquila heliaca	Keizerarend
Kestrel	Falco tinnunculus	Torenvalk
Lesser kestrel	Falco naumanni	Kleine torenvalk
Lesser spotted eagle	Aquila pomarina	Schreeuwarend
Levant sparrowhawk	Accipiter brevipes	Balkansperwer
Lizard buzzard	Kaupifalco monogrammicus	Hagedisbuizerd
Long legged buzard	Buteo rufinus	Arendbuizerd
Marsh harrier	Circus aeruginosus	Bruine kiekendief
Merlin	Falco columbarius	Smelleken
Montagu's harrier	Circus pygargus	Grauwe kiekendief
Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Visarend
Pallid harrier	Circus macrourus	Steppekiekendief
Peregrine falcon	Falco peregrinus	Slechtvalk
Red kite	Milvus milvus	Rode wouw
Red-footed falcon	Falco vespertinus	Roodpootvalk
Shikra	Accipiter badius	Shikra
Short-toed eagle	Circaetus gallicus	Slangenarend
sparrowhawk	Accipiter nisus	Sperwer
Steppe buzzard	Buteo buteo vulpinus	Steppebuizerd
Steppe eagle	Aquila nipalensis	Steppearend
Tawny eagle	Aquila rapax	Savannearend
White-tailed eagle	Haliaeetus albicilla	Zeearend
Yellow-billed kite	Milvus aegyptius	Geelsnavelwouw

Owls


African wood owl	Strix woodfordii	Afrikaanse bosuil
Barn owl	Tyto alba	Kerkuil
Greyish Eagle Owl	Bubo cinerascens	Grijze Oehoe
Little owl	Athene noctua	Steenuil
Long-eared owl	Asio otus	Ransuil
Northern white-faced owl	Ptilopsis leucotis	Witwangdwerguil
Short-eared owl	Asio flammeus	Velduil

Vultures


Black vulture	Aegypius monachus	Monniksgier
Egyptian vulture	Neophron percnopterus	Aasgier
Griffon vulture	Gyps fulvus	Vale gier
Hooded vulture	Necrosyrtes monachus	Kapgier
Palm-nut vulture	Gypohierax angolensis	Palmgier

Wingtag Project

Wingtags are used in Zeeland (The Netherlands), Flanders (Belgium) and the north of France. The wingtags come from Centre d’Etudes Biologiques te Chizé (France). The code on each wing is different and every code is translated in 3 signs.

First read the code of the left wing, then the code of the right wing. Because the wingtags are developed in a French system, we like to read the codes the way the French would. A little knowledge of the French language would come in handy:

1. Determine the background color of the wingtag and look for the according letter. There are seven colors who can be noted down with the letters B, F, J, O, P, R and W. This is the third symbol (letter) of the code.

2. Next determine the sign on the wingtag and look for the according symbol. This is the first symbol of the code. This symbol can be X, /, H, V, 0, P, T, 8 or A.

3. The color of the sign on the wingtag determines the second symbol. We use n (noir) for black and w for white, no other colors are used. If the sign is absent, write down an n, except if the background color is red, then write down a w.

Remark: We start with observing the color of the wingtag, because colours can give exclusion about the individual, with only signs it is a lot harder, nearly impossible.

X: letter X
/: slash
H: horizontal stripe (cross body)
V: vertical stripe (aligned with the body like in the example above)
0: number zero
P: point
T: triangle
8: number 8
A: absent (no sign)

B = Bleu - Blue
F = Fuchsia - Fuchsia (Purple)
J = Jaune - Yellow
O = Orange - Orange
P = Pistache - Pistachio (Green)
R = Rouge - Red
W = Blanc - White

The example on the silhouette above can be read as VnP PwO.

When observing a wingtaged harrier, note down:

The combination code
The species (Montagu's harrier has the same wingtags)
Sex and age (if possible, otherwise just note down adult or juvenile)
Location (coordinates included)
The date
Behavior

Remark: The combination code does not necessary has to be written down like explained above. You can also describe it: On the right a red wingtag with a white X on it and on the left a green wingtag with a black slash on it.

Good to know:

Blue and orange wingtags can contain both white and black signs
Red wingtags can only contain white signs
Fuchsia (or purple), yellow, green and white wingtags can only contain black signs.
From 2015 on, no fuchsia (or purple) nor blue wingtags were used anymore to prevent confusion with orange and red or with green. Birds with these colors of wingtags are still flying around, so they can still be observed.

Pictures are very welcome, also if only 1 wingtag can be seen. With pictures we can judge changes in the plumage and codes can be checked.

Send your observation to anny.anselinATinbo.be - AT=@

To practice code reading, check this page on the bottom, note down the code and click on the picture for the correct answer.
More about this project: Bruine Kiekendief

Guesthouse Hospitality - Murman Dumbadze

Guesthouse Hospitality is one of the best guesthouses near the watchpoint of Batumi Raptor Count. The location is superb, you have a view over the valley where most migration takes part. Great family, nice rooms and the most delicious food you can find in the area. To book, contact them through their facebook page. To get there from Batumi, you can take a taxi from Batumi and ask to go to the school of Sakalvasho (Skola Sakalvasho). The road doesn't really have a name. It's about half an hour drive. More questions? Contact them on their facebook page.

The guesthouse during winter time. The guesthouse is located at the school of Sakhalvasho. From there it's only a short, but steep walk (15 minutes) to the raptor migration watchpoint. I have been to many guesthouses during my visits to Batumi, but this one is my favorite. I can recommend it to anyone!

Most rooms have their own bathroom. They are very comfortable.

Here I'm on the picture with Nargiz, the host of Guesthouse Hospitality. A very sweet lady with a heart of gold! Her Husband Murman is also very nice guy. Tina, the daughter, speaks English very well and takes communication for her account.

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