birdwatching inAltiaghaj National Park
Located in the Khizi and Siyazan regions, Altiaghaj National Park covers 11,035 hectares of the eastern part of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, about 120km from Baku. About 90% of the park is made up of beautiful broad-leaved forests consisting of Caucasian oak, Oriental beech, European hornbeam, and many other tree species. The park is home to the East Caucasian tur, a mountain goat-antelope endemic to these mountains, as well as lynx, brown bear, wild boar, wolf, golden jackal, red fox, roe deer and other mammals. Birders can look forward to a rich variety of raptors and passerines. It’s worth noting, too, that the scenic road to the park takes you through the strikingly colourful Khizi Mountains.
Target species:
Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus)
Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus)
Eagle-owl (Bubo bubo)
Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis)
Green Warbler (Phylloscopus nitidus)
Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes)
Rock Bunting (Emberiza cia)
Barred Warbler (Sylvia nisoria)
Lesser Whitethroat (Curruca curruca)
Black-headed Bunting (Emberiza melanocephala)
When to visit:
April-June.
Where to stay:
The luxury Qalaalti Hotel & Spa is about a 1.5 hour drive to the north. The cities of Baku and Guba, both with a wide range of accommodation to choose from, are also just a couple of hours’ drive away.