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OSME OSME - the Ornithological Society of the Middle East, the Caucasus & Central Asia - is a charity base

The Ornithological Society of the Middle East was formed in April 1978. Its aims are as follows:

To collect, collate and publish ornithological data on birds of the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia. To encourage an interest in and conservation of birds of the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia. To assist environmental and conservation organisations and natural history societies in and concerned with ornithological studies and activities in the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

19/10/2026



In the third year of the BRC Flyway Monitoring Traineeship, organised in collaboration with OSME, Toka is one of the three trainees of the 2026 BRC season who stayed with the team for the first month of the count. In her conversation with Mitra, a former trainee from 2024 and now the coordinator of this season, Toka shares her experience.

Today starts ”COP17” in the Armenian capital of Yerevan. It’s the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) t...
19/10/2026



Today starts ”COP17” in the Armenian capital of Yerevan. It’s the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. It seems on social media that many friends and affiliates of OSME are heading there, although we ourselves don’t have the capacity to join (or prioritize funds this time).

We wish all you good people a worthwhile and fruitful conference, many heartfelt face-to-face meetings and the strengthening of conservation! Please share updates and news, and hold the OSME banner for us and our common causes. And last but not least we urge decision makers and the national leaderships to really shift gear and take tangible action to conserve biodiversity in the fabulous

A month of raptor counting has come to an end in Galugah, Iran.Galugah Raptor Count (GRC), now in its seventh year of t...
17/10/2026



A month of raptor counting has come to an end in Galugah, Iran.

Galugah Raptor Count (GRC), now in its seventh year of trial raptor counting in the southeastern part of the Caspian Sea, completed its 30-day count on October 8, having started on September 9.

Throughout the month, the main station (Bardena) was active every day, hosting volunteers and visitors from different cities around Iran and giving them the chance to enjoy the unique experience of observing a diverse range of migrating raptors and learning how to count and identify them.

Meanwhile, another group was exploring the area for a potential second station to complement the data collected at Station 1. This year, a new spot in the rugged forests south of Bardena turned out to be a great discovery! With a full view of the Bardena station, this spot offers the opportunity to observe migrating eagles at closer range and increases the chances of identifying many large eagles passing at a distance from Station 1, where identification would be more challenging.

Another potential location was found in the lowlands near the Miankaleh Peninsula. This area proved promising for observing both eagles and harriers and could become a new station in the coming years.
In previous years, two more potential stations were examined in both lowland areas and higher-elevation locations, with encouraging results. These sites will be further tested and used more extensively in the coming years, depending on the need and available resources.

The GRC team hopes to begin standardized counting next year, depending on the political situation, the availability of funding, and access to the necessary expertise and human resources.

If you’re curious about the numbers recorded at Bardena station, check them out on Trektellen:

https://www.trektellen.org/site/totals/3657/2026/0/0/0

Did you know there is an OSME Youth Development Fund Travel Bursary to apply from?We believe the mobility, opportunitie...
16/10/2026



Did you know there is an OSME Youth Development Fund Travel Bursary to apply from?

We believe the mobility, opportunities and meeting other likeminded are all crucial components for young conservationists and students in the !

This travel bursary aims to support aspiring researchers and conservationists to attend conferences, seminars or workshops. The bursary can be used to contribute towards bus or train travel, conference fees, accommodation and subsistence costs. The conference, seminar or workshop can be within your own country or abroad.

If you are a resident of an OSME region country, you are in the age span 16-30, and you have participated in a previous OSME funded Youth Development project, then go for it!

More info here:

https://osme.org/grants/osme-youth-development-fund-travel-bursary/

OSME received this cheerful greeting from Nature Iraq on the occasion of World Migratory Bird Day recently:”Happy World...
15/10/2026



OSME received this cheerful greeting from Nature Iraq on the occasion of World Migratory Bird Day recently:

”Happy World Migratory Bird Day! 🌍🦅

To celebrate World Migratory Bird Day, Nature Iraq, as part of the ERF2 project, visited Dukan Lake, an Important Bird Area (IBA) in Iraq's Kurdistan Region and a vital stopover site for migratory birds.

During our visit, we recorded a remarkable diversity of bird species, including approximately 90 globally endangered Steppe Eagles (Aquila nipalensis) at two locations. This impressive observation highlights the importance of Dukan Lake and its surrounding habitats for migratory birds.

It was also a great opportunity to participate in the Payz (Autumn) Festival, organized by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government. Through this event, we had the pleasure of engaging with young people, sharing our passion for birds, and raising awareness about the importance of protecting migratory species and their habitats.

Protecting migratory birds requires collective efforts, and places like Dukan Lake remind us of the importance of conserving critical habitats along their migration routes.

Together, we can make a difference for migratory birds! 🦅🌿

”

Our dear friends at Batumi Raptor Count is a frequent source of exciting birding news and crazy records. But this one b...
05/10/2026



Our dear friends at Batumi Raptor Count is a frequent source of exciting birding news and crazy records. But this one begs belief. 240.000 migrating raptors in one day! That’s ridiculous even by Batumi standards. Check out the reflections below on a day that will likely go down in history in terms of extreme numbers of bird migration. Congratulations guys and what an achievement to pull off!

Brace yourselves for a disturbing, discomforting, graphical and sobering OSME guest blog. One that calls for thoughts. ...
29/09/2026



Brace yourselves for a disturbing, discomforting, graphical and sobering OSME guest blog. One that calls for thoughts. And action. OSME together with BirdLife Finland supported this work in 2024 and the outcome has been incredibly good, with an increased awareness and quite some uproar against this shadowy side of wildlife crime.

"Beyond Illegal Bird Killing: Documenting the Illegal Wildlife Trade through Lebanon and Syria" is the title of this guest blog by Michel Sawan from Lebanese Association for Migratory Birds (LAMB).

"For many years, conservation efforts in Lebanon have primarily focused on illegal bird killing, an issue that has gained increasing international attention due to Lebanon’s importance along the African-Eurasian migratory flyway. However, another equally alarming conservation crisis continues to receive far less attention: the organized illegal trade and smuggling of wildlife through Lebanon and neighboring countries."

LAMB has spent years investigating and documenting these horrendous wildlife trafficking routes between Lebanon and Syria, sometimes stemming from Iraq and beyond in the . Their work has revealed routes that facilitate the movement of hundreds (if not thousands) of wild birds and animals across international borders under extremely poor welfare conditions. Many species involved are protected under international agreements such as CITES or are listed on the IUCN Red List.

Its highly disturbing these vast conservation resources and efforts that go towards threatened species, like the Egyptian Vulture and the Steppe Eagle, only for them to be shot down or trapped in the country nextdoor. OSME urges action from the national authorities and law enforcement bodies concerned!

https://osme.org/2026/09/beyond-illegal-bird-killing-documenting-the-illegal-wildlife-trade-through-lebanon-and-syria/

REMINDER - please sign up for the OSME Annual General Meeting this coming Saturday! We need a firm backing for the AGM f...
22/09/2026

REMINDER - please sign up for the OSME Annual General Meeting this coming Saturday! We need a firm backing for the AGM formalities to keep developing crucial conservation efforts across the .

We need your attention during an hour on Saturday 26th September 2026 from 10.00am – 11.00am (UK time). Interspersed with the formal agenda items are some more interesting ones, like the Chairman´s report from 2025 that should be an exciting recap and highlights from the year.

Please register for the meeting by using the Zoom link available on the OSME web:
https://osme.org/2026/09/osme-48th-annual-general-meeting/

(mixed photos for illustration)

Counting migratory raptors has officially started in Iran!Galugah Raptor Count (GRC) and Talesh Raptor Count (TRC), the...
19/09/2026



Counting migratory raptors has officially started in Iran!

Galugah Raptor Count (GRC) and Talesh Raptor Count (TRC), the two main raptor count projects on either side of the Caspian Sea, started their counts on September 9, and they will continue counting for 30 and 60 days, respectively.

GRC is in its 7th year of counting, focusing mostly on large eagles, particularly Steppe and Imperial Eagles. Due to the difficult conditions caused by war, sanctions, and limited equipment, the Galugah team has decided to postpone the standardized count and instead, they are exploring different spots around the main station (Bardena) to find good locations for other species, such as harriers.

TRC had a year of evaluation in 2022, and since 2024, they have been conducting their long-term raptor count, with large numbers of Griffon and Cinereous Vultures, besides large eagles.

You can follow their daily numbers on Trektellen:
Galugah Raptor Count: https://www.trektellen.org/site/info/3657
Talesh Raptor Count: https://www.trektellen.org/site/info/5402

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Galala City
Suez

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