Dates: 2 to 11 March 2012 (10 days, 9 nights) * one space left
Starting point: Baku Airport
Tour Guides: Pavel Simeonov and experienced local escorts
Group size: Limited to 8 participants + Tour leader
This year, for the first time, Branta-Tours will organize an exploratory winter trip to Azerbaijan at a very low cost.
The tour will concentrate on such mouthwatering resident birds such as Great Rosefinch, Güldenstadt´s Redstardt, Caspian Tit, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Wallcreeper, White-tailed Lapwing, Black Francolin and Moustached Warbler. An excursion to the Shahdagh National Park by the impressive Gusarchay Valley (if the weather permits) features unforgetable views of Caucasian Snowcock, with an outstanding possibility of Caucasian Black Grouse.
During the trip we will visit some of the most remote places in the country to discover its real natural splendour and wilderness, and you will have the special privilege of being among its first explorers. Winter landscapes in Azerbaijan are stunningly beautiful, etching indelible images in the memories of its visitors.
To finance this exciting venture, which is not a "standard tourist product", we will try to find enthusiastic partners to share cost of transport, meals and accommodation across the country.
Budget cost is approximately EUR 1270 per person (not including visa and flights to and from Baku airport).
Minimum group size for tour to go ahead: 4 pax
Trip deposit of EUR 200 is required at least two months before departure.
* We will be pleased to send you a bird checklist and day-by-day programme shortly after receiving the required deposit.
Azerbaijan is one of the most attractive nature destinations and is visited by almost no other wildlife tour companies. Only one-ninth the size of Turkey, it really produces excellent birdwatching opportunities with far less effort required.
It is one of the best places to see Caucasian Snowcocks in their natural environment. This wary gallinaceous bird, together with Caucasian Black Grouse and Caucasian Chiffchaff, is endemic to the Caucasus Mountains where it occurs at high altitudes on bare stony mountains.
During the trip we expect to find the following wintering highlights, providing us with rare photographic opportunities:
White-headed Duck, Marbled Teal, Lesser White-fronted Goose, Red-breasted Goose, Little Bustard, Black Francolin, White-tailed Lapwing, Greater Sand Plover, Lammergeier, Black Vulture, Eastern Imperial, Greater Spotted, White-tailed and Steppe Eagles, Pallid Harrier, Long-legged & Rough-legged Buzzards, Grey-headed Gallinule, Laughing Dove, Finsch´s & Isabeline Wheatears, Güldenstadt´s Redstart, Calandra, White-winged, Shore & Lesser Short-toed Larks, Caspian Tit, Crimson-winged & Great Rosefinches, Red-fronted Serin, Twite, Pine Bunting & Moustached Warbler, by way of a small sample (over 170 species expected).
The wildlife around is represented by several notable species of mammals that we also look for, including Goitered gazelle, East Caucasian Tur, Transcaucasian Mouflon, Caspian Seal, Marbled Polecat, Jungle cats and, with good luck, we may just see a Persian Leopard.
The mild Azeri winters and the huge variety of different habitats attract many northern species of birds, which come from December to March in large numbers. This is the wintering period for many Geese, Ducks, Pelicans, Cormorants and Flamingos, which can be found mainly along the Caspian Sea coast.
Wintering waterfowl include tens of thousands of Marbled Teals, White-headed Ducks, Greater and Lesser White-fronted Geese, Divers, and Grebes and also the stunning and the globally threatened Red-breasted Geese, concentrating mainly on the coastal lagoons and the inland freshwater wetlands and flooded farmer's fields.
Gulls abound along the coast with hundreds of Common, Little, Caspian, Armenian and Great Black-headed Gulls and then there are the waders, which include White-tailed and Great Sand Plovers, with an outstanding possibility of Terek Sandpiper and there are a host of small passerines including Pine Buntings, flocks of Red-fronted Serins, hundreds of Pipits, mainly Medow and Red-throated, and larks including Sky, Lesser Short-toed and Calandra. There is also an excellent possibility of White-winged Lark and, with luck, a Great Rosefinch, Radde's Accentor, and Güldenstadt´s Redstart which can also appear in the lower river valleys, being forced to move from their snowy alpine zones.
Raptor specialities include Imperial, White-tailed, Greater Spotted and Steppe Eagles, Long-legged and Rough-legged Buzzards, Saker Falcon, Merlin and Pallid Harrier.
Huge flocks of Little Bustards with up to 100.000 individuals also feature in the semi-desert and steppe areas.
* Promotional statement:
We offer a 5 percent discount to anyone who books a place (and sends a deposit) by 30 November 2011.
Contact Pavel Simeonov at info@branta-tours.com
General Information
Azerbaijan, located on the western edge of the Caspian Sea, has a valuable geographical position sitting at the crossroad between East and West. (Asia and Europe) Surrounding it are four other countries, namely; Russian Federation, Georgia, Armenia and Iran.
Azerbaijan, formerly part of the USSR, declared its independence in 1991 as the Soviet Union began to break up and is now a democratic republic that favours closer ties with Western Europe.
Landforms:
Azerbaijan is a mountainous country. Three physical features dominate Azerbaijan: the Caspian Sea, whose shoreline forms a natural boundary to the east; the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north; and the extensive flatlands at the country's center. Many snow-capped peaks exceed 12,000 ft. (3,700m), with Baza-Dyuzi the highest point, at 14,698 ft. (4,480m).
Climate:
The climate varies from subtropical and dry in central and eastern Azerbaijan to subtropical and humid in the southeast, temperate along the shores of the Caspian Sea, and cold at the higher mountain elevations. Baku, on the Caspian, enjoys mild weather, averaging 4°C in January and 25°C in July.
Air Travel:
This is entirely optional leaving you completely free to make personally your flight reservations and to pursue your travel arrangements to Baku with an airline company or your own travel agent. Turkish Airlines offer cheapest flights to Baku available at: http://www.thy.com
For more information please contact us: info@branta-tours.com
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