Georgia
Eastern Tur Habitat, Kazbegi
I visited Georgia for a few days in July 2017. It is a beautiful country that I planned to return to. I got back there in September 2022 for a few more days.
Kazbegi
Eastern Tur Habitat
This is a great place to see Eastern Turs. Very thick cloud in July 2017 meant we had almost no opportunity to scope out the mountains and I dipped. But I returned for a night in 2022 and saw the small groups of animals quite easily in the late afternoon and early morning.
Lagodekhi Nature Reserve
Radde’s Shrew, Sorex raddei
This reserve protects some lovely forest with a healthy mammal population. In three nights in July 2017 we caught Radde’s Shrews, Transcaucasian Water Shrews and Major’s Pine Voles and I saw an Edible Dormouse. If you have time to trek up the mountain you should see Eastern Turs.
Mestia
The scenery around Mestia is breathtaking, and despite only 3 days and some very lousy weather we found Western Turs in 2022 (thanks to the immense skill of our local guide Nika Kerdikoshvili).
Community Reports
Georgia, November 2023: Ralf Burglin, 2 weeks & several species including Stoat, Wolf and both Turs.
Georgia & Armenia, May 2022: Frans de Schamphelaere, 9 days & 7 mammal species including Dagestan Tur, Bezoar Goat, Brown Bear and Caucasian Squirrel.
Georgia & Armenia, April 2022: Wise Birding, 12 days & 6 species including Eurasian Lynx, Brown Bears and Bezoar (Wild Goat).
Ecoturism, 2022: Jon Hall: 3 nights and 3 species including both Eastern and Western Turs.
Georgia and Armenia, 2019: Frans De Schamphelaere, 2 weeks (primarily birding) & 9 species including Eastern Tur and, a Brown Bear.
Georgia and Armenia, 2019: Jan Ebr’s account of a “few mammals while birding” over 10 days. But those few included Eurasian Lynx, Brown Bear and Eastern Tur.
Georgia, 2017: Jon Hall, 4 nights & 4 species including Transcaucasian Water Shrew and Radde’s Shrew.
Armenia and Georgia, 2013: Michal and Piotr Polanski, 10 days & 9 species including Bezoar Goat and Syrian Brown Bear.
Georgia, 1980s: Vladimir Dinets’ notes of visits to the coutry with species including various Pine Voles, Shrews and Birch Mice.
Also See
Please email me if you have tips for mammal watching in this area.
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