As former ones on this website, this bird report is not from a trip aimed exclusively at birdwatching. During our two week stay in Armenia we combined visiting cultural sites and friends with bird- and dragonfly watching. As a logical result, our species list lacks various “rarities” and is not extremely long compared to observation reports of specialised birdwatching tours. But it shows that even combining culture, social events and nature, in a relatively short period , a great variety of birds (122 species) including several uncommon and rare ones like Crane and Dalmatian Pelican can be seen. The visits to Buzhakan and the trip south and into Karabagh were made by Marc Tailly , Anny Anselin , Mieke Vanhoutteghem and Arsen Hovhannisian. The excursion to Armash, Ooranots and Vedi was made by Marc Tailly and Anny Anselin , guided by friends Mamikon Ghasabian and Luba Balian of the Armenian Society for the Protection Birds, cooperating with BirdLife . Lake Arpilich was visited by Marc Tailly , Anny Anselin , Mieke Vanhoutteghem and Armenian friends Henrik and Azat.

Many thanks to Vasil Ananian (visit www.armeniabirding.info) for commenting on this report.

Thursday 06/07/2006 - A calm day in Yerevan.
From our apartment in central Yerevan we saw hundreds of common swift foraging high up in the sky and between the housing blocks. This first day was mainly spent preparing a trip to the south and Karabagh. Further observations included common urban species as laughing dove, house sparrow, magpie and goldfinch.

Friday 07/07/2006 - North of Yerevan to Jeghvard and Buzhakan and back.
On the way to Jeghvard we saw regularly common kestrel, magpie, hoopoe, skylark, rosy starling, northern wheatear, black redstart, hooded crow, black-headed bunting, swallow, common swift, common buzzard (1), lesser grey shrike (1) and great spotted woodpecker (1). From the village of Buzhakan we walked up on a track to Teghenyats Monastery along extensive haylands with common quail calling, and halfopen woodland, the higher slopes covered with a mozaic of mountain shrub and grassland. Species observed (seen and heard) were: black redstart (e.g. 1 pair nesting in the ruines of the monastery), northern wheatear, red-backed shrike, lesser grey shrike, goldfinch, chaffinch, blackcap, swallow, common swift, house martin, crag martin, woodpigeon, magpie, hooded crow, hoopoe, rosy starling, white wagtail, house sparrow, common buzzard (2), chiffchaff, common whitethroat, wren and blackbird.  

Saturday 08/07/2006 - Start of our four-day trip to the south and Karabagh: Arpa valley and via Vorotan pass to Sisian.
East of Yerevan we had a first stop along the road after Artashat with a good view of the Arax riverplain - mostly irrigated fields often bordered by reedfringes - and the historical site of Chor Virap. In the background towered an impressive but hazy Ararat. From this spot we observed small groups (10-15) of hooded crow, pygmy cormorant (2), squacco heron (1), foraging white stork (15) several little and cattle egret, green sandpiper (2), many swallow and common swift, european roller (3) and tens of common bee-eaters on the electricity lines. At a next roadstop near the famous Armash Fishponds wetland we saw -apart from tens of little egrets and pygmy cormorants- a male marsh harrier flying in the distance. In the villages we crossed many white storks were nesting. Driving into the hills towards Areni we observed from the car many crag martin, swallow, several lesser grey and redbacked shrike, rosy and common starling, black-headed bunting and common kestrel (2). During a stop at Areni we watched for vultures but saw none. In front of the cliffs behind the village several hundreds of common and alpine swift, crag and house martin were circling around. Near the road we saw a male golden oriole and a white stork. A short stop further in the Arpa valley at Arpi for dragonfly searching along an irrigation canal gave cetti’s warbler, again golden oriole and several white wagtails. We drove up a side valley (direction Selim pass) to Shatin and then along a steep track to the ruinous but precious Tsakhats’Kar monastry. The wide view on the surrounding Vardenis mountains and the nearby Smbatabert fort was worthwhile the difficult climb. In the hay meadows and shrub habitat on the slope common rosefinch, black-headed bunting and goldfinch were common. In the sky we observed crag martins, common swift and one long-legged buzzard. The way down brought a male black-eared wheatear and a male golden oriole. Crossing Yehgenadzor we saw an Armenian gull. The road over the Vorotan Pass (2344m) brought 5 jackdaw and several common rosefinch and northern wheatear. At nearby buildings we visited Vasil Ananian and Mamikon Ghasabian and their colleagues of the Armenian Society for the Protection of Birds, cooperating with BirdLife,  who were studying and monitoring the small lesser kestrel colony nesting in the buildings’ cavities ((discovered in 2000 on one of Vasil's birding tours, and until now the most important known in Armenia). Tens of birds were hunting in the open grassland on the nearby slopes and parents were constantly bringing food (mostly small rodents) to the grown up young. A spectacular view! Black redstart and common starling were also breeding here. A long-legged buzzard passed by and we heard common quail. We continued southwards to Sisian along the Vorotan reservoir with several Armenian gulls. In Sisian, at dusk, hundreds of common starlings came to roost in the trees in a park.

Sunday 09/07/2006 - Excursion to the petroglyphs at Ukhtasar and then east to Stephanakert in Karabagh.
Early in the morning we had a sighting of tree sparrow in town and then we started with our driver in a “russian willys” for the long ascent to the remote petroglyph site of Ukhtasar at an altitude of about 3300m in the mountains north of Sisian. Driving up through relatively dry grasslands and extensive grainfields, common rosefinch, linnet, sky, crested and short-toed lark, isabelline and northern wheatear and common stonechat could almost non-stop be observed. We also saw several hoopoes, common kestrel and magpie. Above 2500 m , reaching the higher alpine meadows, horned lark became very abundant, with hundreds of birds flying up around the track. We also started seeing water pipit. Ukhtasar is a fantastic place to visit. Aside from the natural beauty of the mountaintop valley, the views and the small lake, there is an abundance of ancient petroglyphs aged between 4 to 7 thousand years old. We were very lucky with the weather, almost no clouds and no mist. We observed a singing ring ouzel, golden eagle (2), common kestrel, several yellow-billed chough, raven (3), Armenian gull (3), black redstart, water pipit and white winged snowfinch (2). We checked the mountain slopes for alpine accentor and Caspian snowcock, and were alert for its call, but alas...Driving down we had good sightings of a male rufous tailed rock trush, little owl, short-eared owl, corn and black-headed bunting. Back in Sisian we drove on the high plateau towards Goris, with as observations from the car long-legged buzzard (3), common kestrel (2), lesser grey shrike and frequently bee-eater and common rosefinch. On the road to the Lachin corridor we saw our first Egyptian vultures: one dark juvenile and 3 adult birds. The road into Karabagh passed trough a beautiful mountainous and heavely forested landscape before descending into the open valley to the capital Stephanakert where we passed the night.  

Monday 10/07/2006 - In Karabagh from Stephanakert via Gandzasar to Dadivank.
After a visit to the historical town of Sushi with observations of e.g. many nesting house martins, female red-backed shrike and several black redstart around abandoned buildings, we drove northwest in the direction of Gandzasar. The landscape was hilly, poorly inhabited, an alternation of grainfields, meadows and forested slopes and several well preserved river valleys. Signs of the Karabagh war from the end of the 80ties and beginning of the 90ties were obvious (ruins, ghost villages, destroyed tanks). On our way we observed corn bunting, linnet, goldfinch, european roller (2), several  magpie, groups of common bee-eater and 2 Egyptian vultures. At Vank near Gandzasar we saw a female red-backed shrike with two young, several tree sparrows and a male golden oriole. At the beautiful monastery a green woodpecker showed up and over the wooded slopes hovered a common buzzard. Heading towards Dadivank we drove through dense beech and mixed deciduous forests following a spectacular river gorge. After an evening visit to the monastery we stayed in the village where we saw our first european robin and 3 eurasian nightjar at dusk. From the river we heard a common sandpiper calling. At night a tawny owl was hooting.  

Tuesday 11/07/2006 - From Dadivank via the Zodk Pass to Vardenis along Sevan Lake and back to Yerevan.
At dawn, our hosts’ vegetable garden and surrounding orchard and shrubs swarmed with birdlife: hoopoe (4), red-backed shrike (2-3 pairs) with juveniles, chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, linnet, hawfinch, european robin, great and blue tit, house and tree sparrow, common redstart, eurasian blackbird, mistle trush, green woodpecker (1), turtle dove (1) and eurasian jay (3). We heard eurasian bullfinch, wren, and again common sandpiper at the river. A short stop at the river further on in the gorge brought us several common sandpiper, white-throated dipper, grey wagtail, cetti’s warbler, eurasian jay and 3 raven and 1 griffon vulture in the sky. From the Zodk Pass ( 2427 m ) with several water pipit, common rosefinch, northern wheatear, common raven (3) and long-legged buzzard (1), we started the descend towards Vardenis and Lake Sevan. In one of the villages on our way down we observed a colony of sand martin in the riverbank. On a freshly plown field 2 Armenian gull together with some 100 rook were foraging. We stopped along the southern shore of Lake Sevan for some dragonfly searching and saw several long-legged buzzard, Armenian gull, hooded crow and red-backed shrike. In the early evening we drove back along the highway to Yerevan .  

Wednesday 12/07/2006 - Trip to the Armash Fishponds, Ooranots and Vedi.

Today we are really up for some serious birding under the guidance of Mamikon Ghasabian and Luba Balian of the ASPB cooperating with BirdLife, who got permission to enter the private grounds of these splendid and ornithologically very rich fishponds. A stop near Chor Virap, this time with a magnificent clear view of Ararat, we observed Menetries’s warbler, rufous-tailed scrub robin, common kingfisher and several little egret, common bee-eater, swallow and groups of pygmy cormorant. At a small wetland at the foot of the hill where once was the site of the ancient capital Artashat near the monastery we saw tens of sand martin, several little bittern, european roller, purple heron, marsh harrier, reed warbler, little grebe and bearded tit (10). Once in the Armash Fishponds wetland, we did not know where to look first: little bittern, squacco heron, grey and purple heron, cattle and little egret were very common. We saw 1 night heron and 5 glossy ibis. Whiskered tern, white winged tern, swallow and many sand martin were flying over the water. On the ponds, tens of great crested grebe, 2 marbled teal, red-crested pochard (6), little grebe (even one albino), many common coot and moorhen were present. Between the reedbed we could observe the big colony of pygmy cormorant. Further species during the visit were several northern lapwing (the -for Armenia- very rare white-tailed was not seen), avocet, black-winged stilt, collared pratincole (3), little plover, kentish plover, european roller, common cuckoo, great reed and reed warbler, reed bunting, bearded and penduline tit, rufous-tailed scrub robin and yellow wagtail (subsp. feldegg). In the afternoon we drove up the hills throught steppelike grassland to Ooranots, a lovely valley surrounded by steep cliffs where we searched for dragonflies along a small rivulet. We saw chukar partridge (11) rock pigeon, common kestrel, blue rock trush, Finsch's wheatear, Eurasian sparrowhawk. The way back with a nice view of the fishponds deep in the valley, brought us griffon vulture (1), woodchat shrike (1), short-toed lark, crested lark, northern and isabelline wheatear, bimaculated lark and 1 long-legged buzzard. Back in the valley near Ararat we headed hillwards and through an arid steppe-like and sometimes semi-desertic landscape we reached the small gorge of Vedi with some waterholes. An attractive spot for thursty birds! At our arrival, a remarkebly ‘tame’ moulting short toed eagle was the star of the photographers. After some time we saw ortolan bunting, black-eared wheatear, pale rock sparrow, rock sparrow that coming to drink at the pools, while several noisy  most probably Eastern rock-nuthatch. were calling on the cliffs. In the sky hovered long-legged buzzard and adult Egyptian vulture. In the dusk we returned to Yerevan, very pleased of this “full birding” day.  

Thursday 13/07/2006 - From Yerevan to Giumri.
Most of day was spent visiting old churches and monasteries along the road, with little birdwatching. Apart from the already seen rather common species, nothing worthwile was noted. Only a group of several hundred rosy starling in an orchard at Haruch was quite spectacular.

Friday 14/07/2006 - Visits in town in the morning, in the afternoon to Lake Arpilich and Ardenis village (with a small lake)
From Giumri the road northwards goes trough an undulating high-plateau, an wide almost treeless landscape with meadows and some fields. On the way we saw hooded crow, common kestrel, common starling and long-legged buzzard (3). We drove to the northern shore of the Arpilich reservoir, a large but rather shallow waterbody at a few kilometers of the Georgian and Turkish border. Near the waterside we had a perfect observation of 2 common crane and 12 Dalmatian pelican, two rare species for Armenia breeding in this area. Tens of coots foraged in the shallow water. Further species included water pipit, white and yellow (feldegg) wagtail, common rosefinch and grey heron. In the reedbed were heard several songposts of sedge warbler. Armenian gull was common around the whole reservoir. We took a track to join again the main road from the Georgian border to Giumri, along larges areas of wet meadows, with frequently common quail calling.

Saterday 15/07/2006 - Visits to friends in Giumri and back to Yerevan.
No special observations were noted.  

Sunday 16/07/2006 - In the morning to the vernissage in Yerevan , in late afternoon to Tegher monastry.
A rather unusual sighting for westerners as we are, were two Hoopoes fluttering from tree to tree in the midst of all human activity from the Vernissage market. On the road up to Tegher we got goldfinch, common kestrel and a northern wheatear, besides a nice view of the valley beneath. Around the monastery black redstart, swift, great tit and common starling.

Monday 17/07/2006 - Social trip to Lake Sevan with friends.
We passed the major part of the day at the beach near Hayrivank. and searching dragonflies. The most interesting observation was a group of about 40 ruddy duck flying over the lake in the distance. Our ultimate species for this trip.  

Species list (06/07 - 18/07/2006)