INSIDE Flora Spring Flora Summer Birding Spring Volcanic Lakes and Dragons A Volcanic Chapel and a Cave Church Mt. Aragats Caving Aragats on Horseback
		MAPS for Itineraries: (large files) Flora May-June Flora June-July Birding April-May

A natural wonder lying on one of the world's major bird migration routes, Armenia has a total of three hundred and forty nine species, or fifty per cent of those that inhabit Europe, including hard-to-find species (Great White Pelican, Dalmatian Pelican, Demoiselle Stork, Black Stork, egrets, herons, Great Flamingo and the Eurasian Spoonbill, among others). Bird-Watching in Armenia with world-class specialists is fast becoming an expedition of choice for world tourists.

For a complete list of the Birds of Armenia, click here

The following Itinerary is one that was presented in 1999 and is a sample to help guide you in preparing your own. Migrations begin in March and April and continue in the autumn. Contact us with species you are interested in seeing.

The birds listed in this itinerary are the species most common to the itinerary's habitats. Those listed are only about 25% of the species the group are probable to find on this expedition. This list focuses on endemic and other species most probable to find in the latter half of May.

KEY:
No asterisk ("*") means common to locale.
* = possible
**=uncommon or rare sightings, not able to predict ahead of trip

Day 1: YEREVAN - GARNI GORGE-GEGHARD - YEREVAN

Habitats: River gorge, mountain steppe Terrain up to 1650 m alt.

• Melanocorypha bimaculata (Bimaculated Lark)

• Merops apiaster (European Bee-eater)

• Apus melba (Alpine Swift)

• Sitta neumayer (Western Rock-Nuthatch)

• Emberiza melanocephala (Black-Headed Bunting)

• Coracius garrulus* (European Roller)

• Dendrocopus major* (Great Spotted Woodpecker)

• Sturnus roseus* (rose-colored Starling)
  

Day 2 : YEREVAN-ARAGATS-YEREVAN

Habitats: semi-desert, mountain steppes, subalpine and alpine up to 3200 m alt.

• Sturnus roseus (Rose-colored Starling)

• Circaetus gallicus* (Short-Toe Snake-Eagle)

• Neophron percnopterus* (Egyptian Vulture)

• Lanius senator (Woodchat Shrike)

• Upupa epops (Eurasian Hoopoe)

• Eremophila alpestris (Horned Lark)

• Prunella ocularis (Radde's Accentor)

Day 3 : YEREVAN-APARAN-STEPANAVAN-TASHIR-STEPANAVAN

Habitats: High meadow, mountain steppes, canyon, forest and alpine meadows.

• Lanius Collurio (Red-Backed Shrike)

• Carpodacus erytrinus (Common Rosefinch)

• Pernis apivorus (European Honey Buzzard)

• Ciconia nigra* (Black Stork)

• Anthropoides virgo * (Demoiselle Crane)

• Dendrocopus major* (Great Spotted Woodpecker)

Day 4 : STEPANAVAN-ARDENIS-ARPILICH-GIUMRI

Habitats: Upper mountain meadow, marsh and lakeland, scrub, alpine

Featured Species:

• Circus pygargus (Montagu's Harrier)

• Buteo rufinus (Long-Legged Buzzard)

• Larus armenicus (Armenian Gull)

• Larus ridibundus (Common Black-Headed Gull)

• Tadorna tadorna (Common Shelduck)

• Motacilla citreola* (Citrine Wagtail)

• Pelecanus crispus* (Dalmatian Pelican)

• Grus grus* (Common Crane)

• Luscinia svecica* (Bluethroat)

• Bubulcus ibis** (Cattle Egret)

• Egretta Garzetta** (Little Egret)

• Pelecanus onocrotalus** (Great White Pelican)

Day 5 : GIUMRI-YERKATGIDZI KAYARAN- ANI-ARAGATS-YEREVAN

Habitats: Mountain scrub, semi-desert, desert, marshland, lowland scrub

Featured Species:

• Oenanthe hispanica (Black-Eared Wheatear)

• Oenanthe isabellina (Isabelline Wheatear)

• Carpospiza brachydactyla (Pale Rock-Finch)

• Burhinus oedicnemus* (Stone Curlew)

• Sturnus roseus* (Rose-Colored Starling)

Day 6: MASIS-VEDI-ARMASH-YEGHEGNADZOR-VAIK

Habitats: Lowland scrub, marshland, lakelands, semi-desert

Featured Species:

• Ciconia ciconia (White Stork)

• Phalacrocorax pygmeus (Pygmy Cormorant)

• Himantopus himantopus (Black-Winged Stilt)

• Recurvirostra avosetta (Pied Avocet)

• Ardea pupurea (Purple Heron)

• Sitta tephronota (Eastern Rock-Nuthatch)

• Panurus biarmicus (Bearded Reedling)

• Rhodopechys githaginea (Trumpeter Finch)

• Emberiza buchanani (Grey Necked Bunting)

• Merops persicus (Blue-Cheeked Bee-Eater)

• Sylvia mystacea (Menetries's Warbler)

• Hippolais languida (Upcher's Warbler)

• Alectoris chukar (Chukar)

• Bubulcus ibis** (Cattle Egret)

• Egretta Garzetta** (Little Egret)

• Pelecanus onocrotalus** (Great White Pelican)

• Platalea leucorodia** (Eurasian Spoonbill)

• Plegadis falcinellus** (Glossy Ibis)

Day 7/8: YEGHEGNADZOR-MARTUNI - SEVAN - HRAZDAN GORGE - YEREVAN

Subalpine, Lake shore, reed marshlands, forest, mountain meadows, cliff valleys.

Featured Species:

• Colony of Larus Armenicus (Armenian Seagull)

• Podiceps cristatus (Great Crested Grebe)

• Fulica atra (Common Coot)

• Vanellus vanellus (Northern Lapwing)

• Charadrius alexandrinus* (Kentish Plover)

• Garrulus glandarius* (Eurasian Jay)

GUIDES
The Birds In Armenia Project is the greatest advocate for conservation and the most knowledgeable sources about the impact of environment on Birds. They are the authors of the field guide, "The Birds of Armenia", the only printed source on this topic. They are also the only group working to exclusively conserve bird habitats.  They offer tours and guided visits, for a fee. You can reach them in Yerevan by calling Dr. Martin Adamian or his assistants Levan and Luba at (Tel (3741) 151-413, 28-15-02). 

LINKS

Eco Center
Bird Checklist

Armenian Botanical Society
EcoCenter
Ecotourism.com (currently down, but try in case)
Protected Areas of Armenia
Map of Sevan National Park
Map of Endangered Species in Armenia

INDIVIDUAL TRIP REPORTS
Individual - September 2000
Individual - July 1998
Ramsar Field Trip on Armenia's Wetlands (1998)

GUIDES / TOURS
Birds of Armenia (Luba and Levon) @ Zoological Institute [+ (3741) 28-15-02 ]
Armenian EcoTour (site down, but try in case)
Avarayr
DenaLine

Adventure, Eco Tour Groups in Armenia

write TourArmenia -

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