Georgia raptors face illegal shooting on Black Sea coast

More than one million birds of prey cross Georgia's Black Sea coast each autumn, where conservationists say illegal shooting still threatens the migration route around Batumi.

Batumi Raptor Count, an international volunteer organisation, monitors the passage from counting stations at Sakhalvasho and Shuamta. Its co-chair, Bart Hoekstra of Utrecht University, described the area as the third-largest raptor migration site in the world.

A 2013 University of Antwerp study, described as the latest reliable estimate, put the number of birds shot each autumn at about 9,000. Harriers are especially vulnerable because they often fly low.

Georgia's Environmental Supervision Department recorded 39 hunting violations in the region during the first month of this year's season, without saying how many involved raptors. The department says it runs round-the-clock patrols against illegal hunting.

Local guesthouse owner Ruslan Lomadze said birdwatching tourism has brought income to villages near the counting stations and may have helped reduce hunting nearby. Hoekstra said shooting has declined around the stations but may have shifted to places the project does not monitor.

The monitoring work nearly stopped this year before an anonymous 15,000-euro donation allowed the autumn count to continue. Count coordinator Mitra Daneshvar recorded the season's millionth raptor on September 27.