MALTA MASSACRE ON MIGRATION – Luke Massey

The guide of Estonian Nature Tours White-tailed Eagle Photography trip, Luke Massey was on a mission to raise awareness about the mass slaughter of migrant birds on Malta. Chris Packham together with Luke Massey and two more colleagues with the support of Birdlife Malta made video diaries between YouTube 21-26 April.

To read more about this mission and look videos click to the Chris Packham homepage. Share it to your friends also.

We are very proud of you, Luke– great job!

 

Chris, Ruth, Jez and Luke: „We are especially grateful to all those who took the trouble to write to their Members of the European Parliament and/or gave so generously to the BirdLife Malta Indegogo fundraising initiative allowing us to surpass their target of 50K Euros. Thank you. Very, very much.“

IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

If you haven’t yet acted . . . please do. It’s only with your help that we can make a difference. It takes just a few minutes to do the MEP thing and to donate whatever you can afford.

Write to your MEP here...  
Donate here...  

Each spring, thousands of migrating birds are shot by hunters in Malta. It's the only country in the EU where this is allowed to happen.
Malta lies 100 kilometres south of Sicily and is a popular destination for sun-seeking British holiday-makers and is steeped in interesting cultural and natural history. It also lies on the Central Mediterranean Flyway one of three migration superhighways between Europe and Africa. Millions of birds migrate along this route every year and the Maltese Islands are an important resting place for birds making the long flight across the Mediterranean - the final barrier before they reach mainland Europe. Malta has the highest density of hunters anywhere in Europe, with approximately 80 licenced hunters per square kilometre of huntable land estimated this spring. Hunting of this intensity is not seen anywhere else in Europe, probably the world and predictably has a devastating impact on the birds hunted.

Luke Massey has visited Estonia four times and would like to come back as soon as he can. See the Luke´s gallery about Estonia...

Clients are talking... Kliendid räägivad...

„It was a very good trip thanks and a good flight back.
Uku worked really hard - we were sometimes out until 9pm and out at 4.30am at times.
Great views of White-backed Woodpecker for all of us as well as surprises such as Brown Bear and a Glaucous Gull past Poosaspea Point.
So many thanks to you and Uku.
Below are White-tailed Eagle in Matsalu Bay, Black Woodpecker near Roosta, Bewicks Swans early in the morning at Poosaspea Point and Grey-headed Woodpecker and female Capercaillie near Tudu“. R.B / April 2014

White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) / Richard Bayldon

Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) / Richard Bayldon

Bewicks Swans (Cygnus bewickii) / Richard Bayldon

 Grey-headed Woodpecker (Picus canus) / Richard Bayldon

Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) / Richard Bayldon

„Just thought I would email to let you know that Bill and I arrived home safely, and we would like to say that we had a wonderful time in Estonia, your tour was perfectly organised, the accommodations were lovely and the food was wonderful, and Margus looked after us all very well, thankyou for suggesting the Ryanair flights and the Ilmarine hotel (which was also excellent) your suggestions made our trip to Estonia possible, please thank Ingrid and Margus for us, and thanks again to you, we are considering returning to Estonia for a spring tour, not sure when, maybe next year, we shall be in touch.“ A&B.G / March 2014

ESTONIA. Nature spectacles before us, just a short flight from the UK

By Luke Massey (UK) / 9-21 March 2014

Estonia is full of surprises, when I visited this winter I expected freezing temperatures and a snow covered landscape. What I was greeted with was a spring like scene; early migrants such as common cranes had already arrived, black grouse were already lekking in incredible numbers and bears were out of hibernation.

My first week was a tropical 10C with no snow, animals were hard to track down and we struggled to get great views of much but we knew that is what nature is all about, an ongoing treasure hunt. We finally got lucky with great views of black woodpecker and pygmy owl, elk began to show themselves throughout the forests.

Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) / Luke Massey

Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum) / Luke Massey

An evenings search for the rare and hard to find European flying squirrel struck gold, with not one but two individuals flying through the forest, landing feet above our heads. Scuttling up trees and leaping, gliding effortlessly from tree to tree.

Then the snow came, the temperature plummeted and Estonia was blanketed in snow. Animals and birds went into hiding, evading predators and conserving energy. We continued our search and came across black grouse lekking in the middle of a forest track whilst roe deer slinked through the forest, avoiding any predators tracking them through the snow. An elk wasn't so lucky as we found its half eaten body, the victim of a hungry wolf pack.

 

Black Grouses (Tetrao tetrix) / Luke Massey

Early nesting Ural owls left their nest as dusk fell, gliding silently through the forest and perching in front of us. The ploughed fields gave an important food source to the enormous flocks of migrating snow bunting and skylarks. 

Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) / Luke Massey

Further west we came across stubble fields filled with cranes, finches, geese and swans all feeding on the left over grains before moving further north once the weather abated. 

Common Cranes (Grus grus) / Luke Massey

Estonia delivered again, despite interesting weather conditions and elusive creatures. The birds and mammals we saw were amazing. Nature spectacles before us, just a short flight from the UK.

Estonian Nature Tours participated at Intertown Birding Competition

On 30th March Estonian Intertown Birding Competition was taking place 13th time already. Once again the winner was Haapsalu with 79 different bird species. Three different teams were standing for Haapsalu, one of them participated by ENT representatives Marika Mann, Hille Viigipuu and our birding guide Tarvo Valker. This year 21 towns with 116 observers uploaded their data, which broke the record again. Moreover, this year's total result – 118 bird species is the highest number of all times.

Take a look at Haapsalu's gallery...

Watch the video clip at TV3 news ... (begin with 23rd  minute)

Mainly thanks to Tarvo Valker our team had the winning score one in the general account :)

The winning team (from the left): Tarvo Valker, Marika Mann, Hille Viigipuu and Kaia Kukk
Photo: Arvo Tarmula

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)
Whooper Swan (Pronounced hooper)
Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus)
Bean Goose (Anser fabalis)
Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons)
Greylag Goose (Anser anser)
Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis)
Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope)
Gadwall (Anas strepera)
Eurasian Teal (Anas crecca)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)
Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)

Smew (Mergellus albellus)
Goosander (Mergus merganser)
Hazel Grouse (Tetrastes bonasia)
Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Great Bittern (Botaurus stellaris)
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)
Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus)
Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra)
Common Crane (Grus grus)
Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Mew Gull (Larus canus)
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)
Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)
Feral Pigeon (Columba livia)
Common Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
Wood Lark (Lullula arborea)
Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)
Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Hedge Accentor (Prunella modularis)
European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
Common Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)
Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)
Bearded Tit (Panurus biarmicus)

Marsh Tit (Poecile palustris)
Willow Tit (Poecile montanus)
Crested Tit (Lophophanes cristatus)
Blue Tit (Parus caeruleus)
Great Tit (Parus major)
Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaea)
Eurasian Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris)
Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
Western Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)
Rook (Corvus frugilegus)
Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix)
Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)
Eurasian Siskin (Carduelis spinus)
Common Linnet (Carduelis cannabina)
Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea)
Common Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes)
Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)
Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)

Estonian Nature Tours osales linnadevahelisel linnuvõistlusel

30. märtsil toimus Eestis linnadevaheline linnuvõistlus juba kolmeteistkümnendat korda. Taaskord võitis võistluse Haapsalu linn, kus nähti kokku 79 erinevat linnuliiki. Haapsalu oli esindatud kolme võistkonnaga, ühes võistkonnas osalesid ka ENT töötajad Marika Mann ja Hille Viigipuu ning meie linnugiid Tarvo Valker. Vaatlustulemused edastati seekord 21 linnast ning vaatlejaid oli 116, mis on vaatluspäevade rekordid. Tänavune aasta oli võistluse läbi aegade liigirohkeim – Eestis nähti kokku 118 linnuliiki.

Vaata galeriid Haapsalu võistlusest...

Vaata videoklippi tv3 uudistes... (alusta vaatamist 23-ndast minutist)

Suuresti tänu Tarvo Valkerile :) osutus võistkond võitjaks ka üle-eestilises arvestuses.

 Võiduvõistkonna liikmed (vasakult): Tarvo Valker, Marika Mann, Hille Viigipuu ja Kaia Kukk

Foto: Arvo Tarmula

Meie võistkonna poolt nähtud liigid:
Kühmnokk-luik   
Laululuik   
Väikeluik   
Rabahani   
Suur-laukhani   
Hallhani   
Valgepõsk-lagle   
Ristpart   
Viupart   
Rääkspart   
Piilpart   
Sinikael-part   
Punapea-vart   
Tuttvart   
Merivart   
Sõtkas   
Väikekoskel   
Jääkoskel       
Laanepüü   
Tuttpütt   
Kormoran   
Hüüp   
Hallhaigur      
Merikotkas     
Hiireviu     
Rooruik   
Lauk   
Sookurg   
Liivatüll   
Kiivitaja    
Naerukajakas   
Kalakajakas   
Hõbekajakas   
Merikajakas    
Kodutuvi   
Kaelustuvi   
Suur-kirjurähn    
Nõmmelõoke   
Põldlõoke   
Linavästrik   
Siidisaba   
Käblik   
Võsaraat      
Punarind   
Musträstas   
Hallrästas   
Laulurästas   
Pöialpoiss   
Roohabekas  
Salutihane   
Põhjatihane   
Tutt-tihane   
Sinitihane   
Rasvatihane   
Puukoristaja   
Porr   
Pasknäär   
Harakas   
Hakk   
Künnivares   
Hallvares     
Kuldnokk   
Koduvarblane   
Põldvarblane   
Metsvint     
Rohevint   
Siisike   
Kanepilind   
Urvalind     
Leevike   
Suurnokk-vint   
Talvike   
Rootsiitsitaja   

Wise Birding Holidays made a recce trip to Estonia

Chris Townend had just returned from a short 6 day trip to Estonia as a recce for a future Wise Birding Holidays trip to Estonia in 2015 in cooperation with Estonian Nature Tours.

"All I can say is WOW! 

Visiting in late February is perhaps not the usual time for birders to visit Estonia, but it is the best time to witness hundreds of Steller's Eider that winter off the coast and an excellent time for some very special Owls and Woodpeckers. Aside from birds, mammal watching is also pretty impressive with Eurasian Elk, Racoon Dog and of course Eurasian Lynx. Although still a very difficult mammal to find, this is the start of the Lynx mating season when animals are more vocal and with an estimated 800 animals, Estonia has to be your best chance with the highest density of Lynx in Europe!"

 Steller's Eiders / Chris Townend (Wise Birding Holidays)

On his first morning (24th Feb) looking for Steller's Eider, the sea was quite rough, though the spectacle of 150+ birds in one flock was pretty exciting! The following morning he returned to calm seas and superb light, as a huge flock containing around 300+ birds gave him a fly-by at around 400-500 metres range.

See video here...

Few days later Chris travelled to the mainland and spent day with ENT birdguide Tarvo Valker. The undoubted highlight for them was a superb Hawk Owl that performed admirably!
See Hawk Owl video... 

Other highlights from day with Tarvo:
2 Parrot Crossbill
1 Hazel Grouse
13 Black Grouse
1 Capercaillie
1 White-backed Woodpecker
1 Black Woodpecker
4 Nutctcracker
7 Elk
1 Racoon Dog
1 Mountain Hare

Read more from Chris Townend blog...

We are pleased to start working with a new partner from UK!

Winner of the Estonian winter competition announced

We are very pleased to announce that Pieter-Jan D´Hondt (Belgium) is the winner of AP Estonian winter competition with his image of a Curious Arctic Fox. The winner will travel to Estonia from 10-14 March 2014 and the prize includes return flights, accommodation, food, travel within Estonia and guiding.

Congratulation!

Curious Arctic Fox by Pieter-Jan

Estonian Nature Tours gave one lucky photographer the chance to visit Estonia this March to spend five days alongside top wildlife photographer and AP contributor Luke Massey photographing white-tailed eagles. AP readers were asked to upload their best winter wildlife photographs to the AP Estonia Gallery for a chance to win this fantastic trip to Estonia.

The winning prize has been supported also by Visit Estonia.

Looking forward to seeing you in Estonia!

Sincerely
ENT team

If you were not lucky enough to win you can still visit this stunningly beautiful country in early Summer by joining Estonian Nature Tours on a wildlife photography tour. The tour takes place from Saturday 31st May until Sunday 8th June and involves travelling from coast to forest and from bog to riverbank photographing Estonia's wildlife and wild places.

  Photo: Neil Aldridge

This photo tour combines specialist photographic tuition and expert wildlife guiding through the skills and knowledge of noted professional wildlife photographer from UK, Neil Aldridge and leading Estonian photographer Remo Savisaar. We offer just six people the chance to photograph some of Europe's iconic wildlife, now rare or extinct elsewhere in Europe. All levels of photography skill and interest are welcome and each guest will receive help and tuition personal to them no matter whether they are an amateur or semi-professional. 

BOOK HERE...

Photo: Remo Savisaar

Neil Aldridge is an award-winning photojournalist and professional wildlife guide. Neil's photography has been celebrated in the winning portfolio of the international Wildlife Photographer of the Year and he is a British Wildlife Photography Awards winner. He is a published author and his work is seen widely in publications such as BBC Wildlife Magazine. Neil's photography experience, knowledge of wildlife and professional field guiding qualifications make him ideally suited to assisting others in photographing and experiencing wildlife and wild places. Neil leads wildlife photography trips in Europe and Africa.

 Photo: Neil Aldridge

 Photo: Neil Aldridge

Photo: Neil Aldridge

Remo Savisaar is one of Estonia's leading wildlife photographers. Remo was attracted to the nature around him at an early age and has been passionate about nature photography for the past seven years. His award-winning photographs have received recognition at international level. Remo is also a Grand Prize winner of Estonia Nature photo contest 2011. He has held numerous exhibitions and his work has been published in books and in magazines, including National Geographic. His knowledge of photography and eye for a good photograph has meant that he has also been a member of the jury of several photo contests. This makes Remo well suited to helping others see and take that winning photograph.

 Photo: Remo Savisaar

 Photo: Remo Savisaar

 Photo: Remo Savisaar

Photo: Remo Savisaar