Originally announced for Kumisi Lake, the Sunday excursion had to be changed to Jandarai Lake.

A team excursion visited Tbilisi Sea, Jandari Tba and Kumisi Tba on 2. February. It revealed, that Kumisi shores are not accessible with a mini bus, which has been necessary due to high interest.

About 20 people joined the excursion.

In the 19th century, the shallow and salty Jandari Lake often dried out during summer. In order to provide water for irrigation, the Gardabani canal was constructed 1870, feeding the lake with water from Mtkvari River. The lake was turned into a water reservoir fed also by another canal starting at the Tbilisi Samgori water reservoir.

But poor water management put the lake on risk. Increased pollution from Mtkvari River and the reservoirs increase the level of pollution in the lake. The expansion of irrigated land in both countries, Azerbaijan and Georgia, and uncoordinated use of water by various users are decreasing the water level again.

Despite the pollution, the lake is popular for fishing. It also provides an attractive resting and wintering side for water birds. Lake Jandari is used by over 20,000 water birds for wintering and large numbers of waterbirds stop by during migration.

Unfortunatly, we started the excursion in heavy fog. As soon as the fog lifted we experienced a very unpleasant way of Rambo style hunting on the lake. However, Coot, Pygmy Cormorant and Pochard was seen as well as Hawks and Buzzard. A Cett’s Warbler was nicely heard as well.

On the way back we stopped as well at the bridge from David Aghmashnebeli Street, from where we could more easy introduce cormorant, show difference with pygmy cormorant, see Great Egret and some gulls.