Batumi Raptor Count

What Batumi Raptor Count does

Batumi Raptor Count (BRC) is a volunteer-driven non-profit NGO founded in 2008 and headquartered in Batumi, Georgia. Its core function is the standardized long-term monitoring of raptor migration through the Batumi bottleneck, where over one million raptors funnel through each autumn (1.5 million counted in 2025, a record). BRC operates three count stations — Sakhalvasho, Shuamta, and the 2025 pilot at Chalet Kvirike — running each autumn from mid-August through late October, and conducts additional spring counts since 2019. The methodology uses visual observation, clicker counting, and distance estimation by trained volunteer counters, with daily and annual count data published via the Trektellen platform and embedded in the BRC website with custom features (multi-station 'Lock dates' synchronization, keyboard navigation).

BRC's core product is its research-grade open-access dataset, which has enabled detection of ecologically meaningful population trends for 8 key species over 17+ years and produced peer-reviewed publications including the Ardea 2026 spring migration study. Supporting products include the OSME Flyway Monitoring Traineeship (launched 2024), an education booklet and school program (12 schools, 293 students, 53 teachers reached in Kobuleti municipality), an on-demand merchandise webshop (launched January 2025), and a volunteer counter program with tiered participation fees.

BRC's revenue model is hybrid non-profit: an annual crowdfunding campaign targeting €30,000 (€24,088 raised in 2024, €30,054 in 2025), an anonymous €15,000 emergency donor contribution in February 2026, volunteer participation fees (€10–24/day with free entry for Caucasus citizens), merchandise sales, and grants from OSME, BBCT, IJsvogelfonds, and Natuurpunt-routed donations. The organization is structurally supported by the BRC Foundation, a registered Dutch charity (ANBI/PBO), and commercially partnered with Kite Optics (flagship equipment sponsor). The volunteer workforce averages around 5 core coordinators, with 50+ seasonal volunteer counters from 19 countries in 2025 and 400+ alumni from dozens of countries since inception.

Name

Batumi Raptor Count

Legal name

Batumi Raptor Count

Website

https://batumiraptorcount.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Batumi Raptor Count is a volunteer-driven non-profit NGO founded in 2008 in Georgia that monitors raptor migration through the Batumi bottleneck, running standardized counts at three stations each autumn and publishing open-access population trend data for the East African-Eurasian Flyway.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Services

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Surveys & Movement/Connectivity Studies (e.g., Avian/Bat, Telemetry) (EUAHAHAH)

Keywords

• Raptor migration monitoring
• Citizen science conservation
• Ornithology field research
• Wildlife conservation education
• Flyway population monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Sakhalvasho

HQ country

Georgia

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Crowdfunding/Donations: Annual crowdfunding campaigns (€30,000 target) fund autumn counts. Individual donations and recurring monthly support. Anonymous major donor contributions (e.g., €15,000 in 2026). Tax-deductible donations facilitated through Natuurpunt for Belgian supporters.
2. Merchandise Sales: Webshop selling annual T-shirts (featuring different raptor species), art prints by Jérôme Wey, and other branded merchandise. Products made on-demand to reduce overproduction.
3. Volunteer Participation Fees: Daily fees from volunteer counters (€10-24 depending on duration/student status). Free participation for Caucasus country citizens. Discounts available for financially constrained applicants.
4. Organizational Grants: Funding from OSME's Youth Development Fund for traineeship program (covers €1300 travel+accommodation per trainee). British Bird Charitable Trust (BBCT) and IJsvogelfonds funding for education initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Batumi Raptor Count (BRC) conducts standardized, long-term visual counts of autumn raptor migration through the Batumi bottleneck in Georgia, recording over 1 million migrating raptors each season across three count stations. The counts generate research-grade, open-access population trend data published via the Trektellen platform and are paired with volunteer participation, community education, and a Flyway Monitoring Traineeship. Supporting revenue comes from an on-demand merchandise webshop and donations.

Product overview

Batumi Raptor Count operates as a volunteer-driven monitoring and conservation NGO conducting standardized long-term counts of migrating raptors through the Batumi bottleneck in Georgia. The core offering is the autumn raptor migration monitoring program running August-October at three count stations, delivering population trend data through embedded Trektellen data viewers. Supporting products include annual T-shirt merchandise via the BRC Webshop, an educational booklet for Georgian schools, the Flyway Monitoring Traineeship (in partnership with OSME), and annual crowdfunding campaigns to fund operations. The organization publishes scientific research and comprehensive autumn reports while hosting volunteer counters from around the world.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Autumn Raptor Migration Monitoring & Counting Long-term standardized visual counts of migrating raptors through the Batumi bottleneck in Georgia (August–October), monitoring over 1,000,000 raptors annually across three stations. Generates research-grade open-access population trend data for 37+ raptor species, supporting conservation, research, and education outcomes.
• Volunteer Counter Program International volunteer program welcoming participants for 2+ weeks to assist with raptor counts at Sakhalvasho and Shuamta stations. Provides training in raptor identification, accommodation in local guesthouses, and tiered fee structures (€10–24/day), with free participation for citizens of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
• Flyway Monitoring Traineeship Fully-funded traineeship program in collaboration with OSME (Ornithological Society of the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia) for early-career conservationists from the East Afro-Eurasian Flyway region, providing hands-on migration monitoring experience to implement in their home countries. Funded by OSME's Youth Development Fund (up to €1,300 per trainee for travel and accommodation).
• Education Booklet for Georgian Schools 60-page educational booklet covering bird biology, ecology, migration, and conservation with activity proposals, distributed to schools in the Batumi bottleneck region in partnership with Nature Conservation Georgia.
• BRC Webshop (Merchandise) Self-designed merchandise store featuring annual T-shirts with species-specific raptor illustrations, art prints (e.g., by Jérôme Wey), and other items produced on-demand to reduce overproduction. Supports BRC's monitoring and conservation work.
• BRC Crowdfunding and Donation Program Annual crowdfunding campaigns (€30,000 goal) to fund autumn counts, equipment, and conservation activities, plus one-time donations, recurring monthly donations, and legacy giving options. Tax-deductible giving facilitated via Natuurpunt for Belgian supporters.
• Daily Count Data Viewer Interactive web-based viewer for daily and annual raptor count results, powered by Trektellen. Features 'Lock dates' toggle to synchronize all three stations, 'Copy link' for direct day linking, and keyboard navigation for browsing counts.
• Autumn Count Reports Annual comprehensive reports documenting each autumn migration season, including species counts, phenology, notable sightings, and team highlights, published on the BRC website.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.5 million raptors counted in single autumn season (2025)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, major, pilot and supporting.

• OSME (Ornithological Society of the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-time collaborator and supporter. Co-developed Flyway Monitoring Traineeship program. OSME's Youth Development Fund covers up to €1300 per trainee for travel and accommodation. Matched donations up to €3,000 during crowdfunding campaigns.
• Kite OpticsflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors BRC with high-quality optical equipment (binoculars, scopes including stabilized versions) for volunteer counters and trainees. Provides T-shirt sponsorship. Offers 10% discount on webshop orders using code BRC2500KT.
• TrektellencoreTechnology or IntegrationHosts BRC's count data on their platform. BRC embeds Trektellen's data viewer directly on the website, enhanced with BRC-developed features like synchronized date navigation across stations.
• Nature Conservation GeorgiamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for education initiative. Partner in organizing school workshops and Bird Clubs. Works with local conservationists Elza Makaradze and Dachi Shoshitashvili.
• Chalet KvirikepilotStrategic or Co-development PartnerGenerous collaboration enabled 2025 pilot count from Chalet Kvirike at 1080m altitude, 10km from Shuamta. Provided unique vantage point for observing raptors above cloud layer.
• NatureWalkssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerOrganized raptor identification course and donated proceeds (€620 in 2023) to BRC. Helps with donor recruitment and awareness.
• WWF TurkeypilotStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted first pilot migration counts at Bosphorus corridor in Turkey. Visited BRC to exchange knowledge on count methodology. Aim to establish long-term protocolized counts similar to BRC.
• Nature Conservation EgyptpilotStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts Galala Raptor Count in Egypt. Sent representative Watter Albahry to BRC for knowledge exchange on migration monitoring.
• Hunan Global Messenger LtdsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored GPS tags for Levant Sparrowhawk tracking project. Provided replacement tags when needed for falconry/conservation research collaboration.
• Fauna & Flora InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with BRC on falconry research project using GPS-tagged Levant Sparrowhawks. Young Georgian falconers trained in ringing and tagging techniques.
• BirdsRussiasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinated Greater Spotted Eagle conservation and tagging project. Dr. Alexander Mischenko provided information on GPS-tagged individuals observed at Batumi.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• BirdLife International: Global umbrella for national bird conservation organizations. Relevant environmental context partner; BRC's data feeds into BirdLife's broader population monitoring and IUCN assessments for raptor species.

Direct peers

• Cape May Bird Observatory: New Jersey Audubon's long-running raptor migration count at Cape May, one of North America's most established hawk count sites. Comparable as a volunteer-powered, multi-decade standardized raptor monitoring program with research, education, and community-engagement missions.
• Hawk Mountain Sanctuary: One of the world's oldest raptor migration count sites (Pennsylvania, USA), running standardized autumn counts since 1934. Comparable as a long-term, volunteer-driven, nonprofit raptor monitoring program producing research-grade data and conservation education.
• Falsterbo Bird Observatory: Sweden's premier long-term migration monitoring site, conducting standardized daily counts of visible migration at one of Europe's major bottlenecks. Directly comparable to BRC in methodology (visual counts, clicker recording, multi-decade time series), nonprofit structure, and reliance on volunteer counters.
• Hula Valley Birding Center / KKL-JNF: Operates Israel's major autumn raptor migration count at the Hula Valley bottleneck. Closely comparable to BRC in operating a standardized, multi-station, volunteer-led autumn count for raptor population monitoring and conservation.
• Fundación Migres: Operates the raptor migration count at the Strait of Gibraltar (Tarifa, Spain), one of the world's largest raptor bottlenecks. Closely comparable to BRC in species set, bottleneck geography, and long-term standardized monitoring for flyway-scale population trend analysis.

Emerging players

• Galala Raptor Count: Newly established raptor count at Galala, Egypt, hosted by Nature Conservation Egypt with direct knowledge-transfer from BRC. Emerging peer along the same East Afro-Eurasian Flyway that BRC monitors, using a similar protocol.
• WWF Turkey Bosphorus Raptor Count: WWF Turkey's pilot migration counts at the Bosphorus corridor, developed through knowledge exchange with BRC. Comparable as a flyway-aligned emerging monitoring project aiming to establish long-term protocolized counts modeled on BRC's methodology.

Others

• OSME (Ornithological Society of the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia): Partner organization but functions as a regional scientific society covering the same flyway. Comparable as a nonprofit supporting ornithological research, capacity building, and conservation across the same geography as BRC's work.
• Trektellen: Online platform that hosts BRC's daily count data and serves as the de facto visualization and data-sharing standard for European migration counts. BRC's data is published through Trektellen, making it a critical infrastructure peer for the migration monitoring ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/batumiraptorcount
• Facebookfacebook.com/batumiraptorcount
• Instagraminstagram.com/batumiraptorcount
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/batumiraptorcount

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Batumi Raptor Count