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| It's like nowhere else - Don bangs the drum for Azerbaijan with one of Friday's visitors to Global Birdfair |
SPARE a thought for Ulviyya Safarova and her colleagues at Azerbaijan Tourist Board.
They missed out a return visit to Global Birdfair because of a late hitch in securing the visas required to allow them entry to Britain.
It was huge disappointment given that stand space, flights and accommodation had all been booked.
Happily, the fair still hosted the Azerbaijani stand because an Australian, Don, who works for the board and was able to secure entry to the UK.
Although not a birder and with limited knowledge of the country, he has been proving a magnificent substitute over the three days of the fair.
Meanwhile, although a few independent travellers have already discovered what is on offer in Azerbaijan - not just the birds but also the delicious food, the culture and the excellent hospitality - the country is not yet well known to the UK birding community.
But that is likely to change as Azerbaijan's energetic tourist board strives to promote its eco-tourism credentials, notably its birdlife which numbers more than 400 species, with the chance of discovering more.
Azerbaijan sits on the Caspian Sea and shares borders with Georgia, Russia and Turkey.
Individual bird-rich regions include:
* Talish Mountains (black-throated thrush, Caspian tit, shikra, semi-collared flycatcher)
* Nakhchivan (Mongolian finch,grey-necked bunting, Persian wheatear, white-throated robin, Radde's accentor, see-see partridge, Upcher's warbler)
* Agool National Park (grey-headed swamphen, white-headed duck, white-tailed lapwing
* Gizilagach National Park (citrine wagtail, Terek sandpiper, Dalmatian pelican)
* Shirvan National Park (black francolin, little bustard, Menetries' warbler, blue-cheeked bee-eater, marbled duck)
* Besharmag Bird Migration Bottleneck (black-winged pratincole, imperial eagle, white-winged lark, pallid harrier)
Those who partake in a whistlestop tour can explore the whole country in not much more than a fortnight, but obviously it is preferable to stay longer to make the most of what is on offer.
Most travellers will arrive by flight at the country's vibrant capital, Baku, which, incidentally, has another jewel of its own - one completely unrelated to birds.
It was the home of Tofiq Bahramov, the linesman in the 1966 World Cup Final, whose crucial intervention at a critical moment in extra-time encouraged the uncertain Swiss referee to award a goal to England.
Most in the UK believed, mistakenly, that Mr Bahramov was Russian because his homeland was then part of the Soviet Union. But we are happy to put the record straight - he was a proud Azerbaijani!
More information at:
The 'Russian Linesman'
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| All on his own (but doing a great job) - Don on duty at this year's Global Birdfair |
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| Flash back to Global Birdfair 2022 - Ulviyya (centre left) and Sharifa Hasanova with their colleagues on the Azerbaijan stand |
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