AZERBAIJAN
If you want to bird in a true realm of legends, then a trip to this country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia is a must…
If you want to bird in a true realm of legends, then a trip to this country in Eurasia is a must
When you’re poring over a bird guide, daydreaming about your Western Palearctic wishlist, some birds quite simply leap off the page at you. None more so than the eye-popping Güldenstädt’s Redstart, its gleaming crown, paprika tail and icewhite wing panels grabbing the attention like a snowball to the face. Depicted as it often is against a backdrop of towering, frosty peaks, it seems to epitomise the unobtainable, challenging you to come in search of this remote and legendary mountain king.
Azer-by-gum
Even its distribution map calls out to those who love a challenge. The innocent-looking purple line towards the right-hand side of the map belies the frozen mountain ranges, remote communities and harsh living of the intimidating Greater Caucasus. The pull to visit this area for any intrepid birder is strong, especially when you consider the other inhabitants of that thin purple line – near-mythical birds like the Caucasian Snowcock and the Caucasian Black Grouse. Azerbaijan sits in the South Caucasus region, where Europe and Asia meet, and two migratory flyways merge. Hulking mountains protect it from austere Russian air from the north, allowing an unusual subtropical climate to form on its foothills and plains. For a country only a third the size of the UK, it’s remarkably diverse – nine of Earth’s 11 main climatic types are represented here. Its compact size makes it a birder’s dream. You can leave buzzing coastal wetlands after a feisty breakfast coffee, journey up through sparse badlands, hot steppes, tense subtropical forests and succulent alpine meadows, arriving in the lofty mountains in time for afternoon çay (Turkish tea). But it seems only the intrepid few birders have been here. In 2017, it had only 3,000 foreign tourists, compared to more than seven million visiting its neighbour Georgia. Alarmingly though, a recent Birdlife International report shows that Azerbaijan has the worst illegal wildfowling problem in northern and eastern Europe. Though its mountainous national parks remain pristine and its rural communities vibrant, in places huge ski resorts are creeping towards the gates. As the country opens up, it sits at a crossroads in its future, and this is a time when wellmanaged, sustainable ecotourism really needs to fill the travel void.
Hot steppe-ing
It’s a country ripe for exploration and discovery. But much as those dramatic watercolour mountain scenes are beckoning in the mind’s eye, there’s a selection of excellent lowland birding sites close to capital city, Baku, which it would be rude to ignore. Head south through sweeping coastal steppes, and you’ll soon be at Shirvan National Park. This 160,618-acre area was taken back from international oil