Leading Tours since 1987

Birdwatching Breaks’ are the UK bird tour company with the most experience of running birding holidays in Armenia.

May 15th – London-Yerevan

BA flight to Yerevan. Arrival late at night, met by Zhanna Galyan and drivers Arthur and Hovo, and transfer to Erebuni Hotel.

May 16th – Armash Fishfarm

Met by Vasil in the hotel and went to Armash fish farm. The fish farm is situated in original semidesert landscape in the Arax river valley near the eastern foothills of Mount Ararat. It was heavily raining in the morning, but it stopped upon our arrival at Armash. However the clay tracks of the farm were already muddy, which restricted our movements in the area for the first part of day. Nevertheless Armash was full of birds, and we managed to see all the ‘stars’ of the area, such as Pygmy Cormorant, Little Bittern, Purple Heron, Glossy Ibis, Ruddy Shelduck, Ferruginous Pochard, White-headed Duck, Collared Pratincole, White-tailed Lapwing, Armenian Gull, Little, Gull-billed and White-winged Terns, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Lesser Short-toed Lark, Black-headed Wagtail, Ménétries’s, Savi’s and Paddyfield Warblers, Bearded Tits. Unusual species included Dalmatian Pelican, Sanderling, Curlew Sandpiper, and probable Baltic Gull – a vagrant to the country, Black Tern and Moustached Warbler. On our return to Yerevan we observed Montagu’s Harrier and Woodchat Shrike.

May 17th – Outskirts of Asat Reservoir and Garni village and Asat River Gorge

Today we headed towards Garni village situated south-east of Yerevan. The weather was fortunately good, and we avoided any rain throughout the day. On the way we made our first stops in mountain steppes. There were soaring Cinereous Vulture, Long-legged Buzzard, Hoopoe, Roller, European Bee-eater, Crested, Wood and Bimaculated Larks, Tawny Pipit, Eastern Black-eared and Finsch’s Wheatears and Rock Sparrow. Lower down near Asat Reservoir in an arid valley with crags and sparse scrub we found Egyptian Vulture, Chukar, a vagrant Great Spotted Cuckoo, Rufous Bush-chat, White-throated Robin, Isabelline Wheatear, Upcher’s Warbler, Eastern and Western Rock Nuthatches, Rosy Starling and Black-headed Bunting. Later we continued down to Asat river gorge, our descent produced Alpine Swift, Blue Rock Thrush, Chough and Rock Bunting. Gardens and gallery forest in the gorge itself held Common and Honey Buzzards, Syrian and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers, Crag and House Martins, Lesser Whitethroat, Cetti’s Warbler and Lesser Grey Shrike.

May 18th – Yerevan – Hrazdan - Arkhashan Mt (Pambak Range) – Dilijan

An early start from Erebuni hotel in Yerevan to Mt Arkhashan in the Pambak Range of north-central Armenia. We changed our minibus for a small 4x4 jeep to ascend the mountain track, but after passing a couple of kilometers we realised we had to hike to the mountain as a result of heavy rains several parts of the track were completely washed off. After a while we came across a river and shared the only pair of rubber boots to pass it. On the way to the top, which lasted for more than 3 hours, we saw Tree and Meadow Pipits, Grey Wagtail, Dipper, Radde’s Accentor, Bluethroat, Black Redstart, Whinchat and European Stonechat, Rock Thrush, Ring Ouzel, Red-backed Shrike and Common Rosefinch. At the top among snowfields and screes we located Caucasian Grouse, migrating parties of Honey Buzzard, Long-legged Buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Water Pipit, Horned Lark, Alpine Accentor and Twite. After the easier, but no faster, descend we continued to a hotel near Dilijan.

May 19th – Dilijan – Lake Sevan – Selim Pass – Yeghegnadzor

Our hotel near Dilijan was situated in the middle of deciduous mountain woodland. After our arrival last evening and for the first part of next day we were exploring woodlands around the hotel. Here among others we found Green, Great and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers, Dunnock, Common Redstart, Song Thrush, Green and Garden Warblers, Semi-collared and Red-breasted Flycatchers, Bullfinch and Hawfinch. After lunch we left Dilijan and continued south to Yeghegnadzor along the western shore of lake Sevan with frequent stops en-route. Near the lake there were Great Cormorant, Ruddy Shelduck, Marsh Harrier, Booted Eagle, thousands of Armenian Gulls at their breeding island. Bushes and woodlands by the lake produced Mountain Chiffchaff, Cetti’s, Marsh and Sedge Warblers, Penduline Tit and an unexpected Woodchat Shrike. Heading south we turned to the road on the Selim pass, where at the top we were caught with heavy and continuous rain again. We stayed in a guest house at Yeghegnadzor.

May 20th – Yeghegnadzor area

The rain didn’t stop for the whole night and was continuing in the morning. This meant that we had to forget about Caspian Snowcock and other high mountain target birds, because mountain tracks became slippery and even more dangerous, while the mountains were still thickly covered with clouds. We decided to spend time in the valley around the town of Yeghegnadzor. The day was further spoiled with regularly showers, nevertheless we managed to add some birds to our list and saw among others Golden Eagle, Green Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Eastern Olivaceous and Barred Warblers, Penduline Tit and Golden Oriole.

May 21st – Yeghegnadzor – Goris - Kapan

On a long transfer south we passed a variety of habitats in lowland gallery forests, highland Sisian plateau of mountain steppe with reservoirs, deciduous woodlands and rolling hills with dense scrub. On our stops, despite strong winds we saw White Stork, Griffon and Egyptian Vultures, Booted Eagle, Long-legged and Common Buzzards, Goshawk, Common and Lesser Kestrels, Hobby, Quail, Ringed Plover, Greenshank, Whiskered Tern, Bimaculated Lark, Meadow Pipit, Bluethroat and Common Nightingale. The hotel near Kapan was situated in woodlands, here we had Tawny Owl calling at night, Black Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tit and Red-fronted Serin.

May 22nd – Meghri

Early start to Meghri in the extreme south of Armenia on the border with Iran. The climate here is dry subtropical with an arid landscape, deep rocky gorges and gardens in the valley. Our primary targets here were Red-tailed Wheatear, Levant Sparrowhawk and Sombre Tit, which were all located. Other birds of the area included Hobby, Chukar, Roller, Syrian Woodpecker, Eastern (Siberian) Stonechat, Eastern Orphean and Upcher’s Warblers, both Rock Nuthatches, Red-fronted Serin and Rock Bunting.

May 23rd – Kapan – Yeghegnadzor

After breakfast we headed back to Yeghegnadzor. On the way we made stops for Cinereous, Griffon and Egyptian Vultures, Lesser Spotted and Booted Eagles, Middle Spotted Woodpecker and European Chiffchaff. On Sisian plateau we found another, colony of Lesser Kestrels, while lowlands in Yeghegnadzor valley produced White-throated Robin, Barred and Eastern Olivaceous Warblers, Woodchat Shrike, Rosy Starlings and Ortolan Bunting.

May 24th – Yeghegnadzor – Armash Fishfarm – Vedi – Yerevan

Back to Yerevan with an extra visit to Armash fish farm. There were fewer birds at Armash, probably because of strong winds, but we additionally saw here Squacco Heron, Shoveler and Marbled Duck before continuing to Vedi gorge. The latter dry area held Little Ringed Plover, Stock Dove, Greater Short-toed Lark, Tawny Pipit, Rufous Bush-chat, Isabelline, Eastern Black-eared and Finsch’s Wheatears, Upcher’s Warbler, Rock Sparrow and Grey-necked Bunting. Back to Erebuni hotel in Yerevan.

May 25th – Aragats Mt
Final Species Total 203

The last day of our trip was spend on spectacular slopes of Mt Aragats. At lower elevations there were Isabelline Wheatear, Cetti’s Warbler, Lesser Grey Shrike and Rosy Starling, woodlands held Common Buzzard, Mountain Chiffchaff and Jay. At mid elevation on slopes covered with bushes, dwarf juniper and scattered boulders we found Woodlark, Tawny Pipit, Radde’s Accentor, Bluethroat, White-throated Robin, Ring Ouzel, Barred Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, Linnet, Common Rosefinch and Ortolan Bunting. Higher up we saw Long-legged Buzzard, Skylark and Horned Lark, Water Pipit, Black Redstart and Northern Wheatear, while close to the mountain top among snowfields and crags we had views of Alpine Accentor, Twite and Snowfinch.

May 26th – Yerevan – London

BA flight to London.

For details of the full species list or to request further information about the next time we will be offering this trip. Contact us at enquiries@birdwatchingbreaks.com.