Large waterfowl on the go

by Peeter Vissak

Cranes are gone by now / Photo: P. Vissak

The very sudden Crane migration wave in the last week of September was perhaps unexpected, but marked the end of the warm "indian summer". When a message from Finland told about 17 thousand cranes starting off from Tampere region and about 14 thousand birds from Pori region, it was like a promise of upcoming crane observation. And they were coming in the daytime and at night, with the NE wind and full moon. Part of these huge flocks, that were starting from Southern Finland, flew straight across Estonia without stopping (a disappointment), but they were in a hurry and had to make their next day ration of 500 km.

Barnacle Geese in gathering sites in Matsalu / Photo: P. Vissak

For birdwatchers there was still the spectacular gathering of different goose species. Tens of thousands of Barnacle Geese and Bean Geese could be watched reciprocating between the feeding areas and resting and sleeping areas. During the latest decades over 100 thousand stopping Barnacle Geese have been annually counted only in the Matsalu region. There are equally good watching locations both in the Northern and Southern coast of Matsalu Bay. With a bus, full of people, we were lucky to watch almost endless flight of geese over the Silurian limestone cliff in Kirbla. 

White-tailed Sea Eagle hunting on geese / Photo: P. Vissak

In the gathering sites passers-by can occasionally watch hunting eagles among thousands of geese taking wing. Despite that West-Estonian fields and coastal meadows are perhaps the best restaurants and hostels for these restless birds on their way.

Aurora borealis in West-Estonia / Photo: P. Vissak

Almost a week ago, late at night, taking long-exposure photographs of Aurora Borealis all over the starry sky, it was almost relaxing to hear the arrived Whooper and Bewick Swans on nearby shallow bays. Next morning observation revealed hundreds of Wigeons and Mallards among them, also some Teals and Goldeneyes. During the upcoming weeks some more thousands are expected to arrive and stay here until the shallow coastal sea is fully frozen.

Wooper and Bewick's Swans in West-Estonia / Photo: P. Vissak

Results of Estonian Open 2015

This year Estonian Open took place on the 15th of August from 3 a.m. to 5 p.m. in North-East Estonia. Over 60 participants were registrered for this event with 7 Estonian, 1 Latvian, 1 Lithuanian and 7 Finnish teams. As usual, several Estonian Nature Tours bird guides participated in that event. The winner team was RC & Co from Estonia (including ENT guide Uku Paal)  with 141 species in total. The team Läänemaa Linnuklubi (including our guides Tarvo Valker and Mati Kose) came in fourth place with 136 species. The most interesting species recorded during the rally was Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea).

Photo: Mati Kose

Results of the teams:

1. 141 RC & Co (Andrus Jair, Mihkel Metslaid, Margus Ots, Uku Paal, Peeter Raudsepp)
2. 138 MuoviLabaJengi (Petteri Mäkelä, Tom Nordblad, Jarkko Santaharju, Roni Väisänen)
3. 137 Team Ristisaari (Petri Ripatti, Tuomas Seimola, Ari Vuorio)
4. 136 Läänemaa Linnuklubi (Mati Kose, Renno Nellis, Hannes Pehlak, Tarvo Valker)
5. 133 Banaanivabariik (Jukka Hatva, Tuukka Kupiainen, Jan Nordblad, Gustaf Nordenswahn, Matti Rekilä)
6. 127 Finnish Toy Boys (Sebastian Andrejeff, Paul Boijer, Markus Lampinen, Tomas Swahn, Ossi Tahvonen)
7. 125 Kõrvemaa Suusaklubi (Aki Arkiomaa, Harri Holtta, Matti Koivula, Timo Nuoranen)
8. 123 Kuldkihar ja kolm Karu (Tiina Mäkelä, Juha Tuomala, Henry Tennberg, Jyrki Tolvanen)
9. 114 Natourest (Rein Kuresoo, Leho Luigujõe, Bert Rähni, Ahto Täpsi)
10. 112 Himantopus himantopus (Ilze Bojare, Ivars Brediks, Andris Klepers, Ieva Mardega, Marcis Tirums)
11. 107 Viis Vellot (Madis Karu, Sten Lassmann, Raul Vilk, Kris Voog, Kaarel Võhandu)
12.-13. 103 Bilia (Christer Casagrande, Jaakko Hynninen, Seppo Grönlund, Istvan Kecskemeti)
12.-13. 103 Buteo (Eedi Lelov, Heikki Luhamaa, Kalle Muru, Riho Männik)
14. 101 Eesti Naised (Triin Kaasiku, Liis Keerberg, Aire Orula, Thea Perm, Tiiu Tali)
15. 100 Birding Lithuania (Gediminas Eigirdas, Vytautas Eigirdas, Marius Karlonas, Armandas Naudžius)
16. 75 Westerners (Sander Sirelbu, Ave Huugen)

The total number of species 192.

„Aces“:
Natourest – rukkirääk CRECRE
Birding Lithuania – randtiir STEAEA
Himantopus himantopus – nõmmelõoke LULARB, karvasjalg-kakk AEGFUN, tutt-tiir STESAN, krüüsel CEPGRY, roohabekas PANBIA 
RC & Co – väikekajakas HYDMIN, põldtsiitsitaja EMBHOR
Team Ristisaari – värbrüdi CALTEM, kaelus-turteltuvi STRDEC
Banaanivabariik – rästas-roolind ACRARU, metsis TETURO
Kõrvemaa Suusaklubi – kaljukotkas AQUCHR
Kuldkihar ja kolm Karu – kukkurtihane REMPEN

Video story on the bird race Estonian Open in national TV environmental broadcast...

Estonian Open 2016 takes place on 13th of August in Hiiumaa island. British and other teams are welcome to join this event! 

Migration of Arctic waterfowl at Cape Põõsaspea

Every year the migration of arctic waterfowl is monitored at cape Põõsaspea and last years season came to a close on 6th of November. You can find preliminary numbers and comparison with previous years here ...

White-tailed Eagle / Photo: Juho Könönen

Cape Põõsaspea is one of the best places in the world to witness the  autumn migration of arctic waterfowl as birds moving south pass through a bottleneck between Cape Põõsaspea and Osmussaar Island (with a strait just 7 km wide). The birds become more concentrated in this narrow passage and counts can be incredibly high.  Many arctic and boreal birds that breed in north-western Russia between the White Sea and Taimyr migrate to and from their East-Atlantic wintering grounds through the Baltic Sea. Birds that use the Siberia /East-Atlantic Flyway include Long-tailed duck, Black and Velvet scoter, Barnacle goose, Brent goose and divers.

Cape Põõsaspea / Photo: Juho Könönen

Brent geese / Photo: Juho Könönen

Velvet scoters / Photo: Juho Könönen

The bird census data for 2014 revealed, that the number of Long-tailed Ducks breeding in tundra has decreased to almost half of the figure 10 years ago when 431 000 birds were counted. In 2009 the number was 307 000 and in 2014 only 283 000 birds were counted. Margus Ellermaa, the leader of the monitoring project, says: „Two-fold decrease of the abundance of Long-tailed Ducks, breeding in tundra during the last 10 years, is one of the most important conclusions of the bird-counting activities in Põõsaspea. This decrease is probably due to oil-contamination and low-quality food in the Baltic Sea.”

Long-tailed Ducks / Photo: Juho Könönen

Two years ago the Long-tailed Duck was acknowledged as a globally threatened species. Bird scientists are very worried about this species and this year are start work on an International Management Plan for Long-tailed Duck. Estonia has its role too: our task is to sort out on which sea areas mass winter-gatherings of Long-tailed Ducks are located, where they restore their energy supplies after migration and survive through the winter. 

EuroBirdWatch 2014

The international birdwatching event EuroBirdwatch 2014 on the weekend of 4-5 October was attended by 40 countries from Europe and Central Asia. In Estonia, over 300 people participated in the event and collected 98 sighting lists, the longest of which was 111 species of birds. At several places in Estonia it was also possible to join a guided birding trip. During the weekend over 400,000 birds of 166 species were observed..
Despite the beautiful weather the passerine migration was not great and inland the number of the birds was extremely low. But the situation was totally different near the sea. At Põõsaspea Cape, the international event celebrated by 60-70 birdwatchers from Estonia and abroad saw some superb migration with the season's best counts: nearly 90,000 birds in all. An early passage of Long-tailed Duck produced 58,000 birds with smaller, but still impressive, numbers of Velvet Scoter (5,500), Wigeon (6,300), Pintails (1,050), Scaup (2,300), Red-throated Diver (720), Barnacle Goose (6,800) and Brent Goose (2,180). Also worth mentioning are Dunlin (133) and Grey Plover (32). 

Photo: Aki Aintila

Other species seen in good numbers include Great Tit, Hooded Crow, Black-billed Magpie, Eurasian Jay and Great Spotted Woodpecker and more interesting species were Yellow-browed Warbler, Common Guillemot and Hoopoe. Quite a lot of migratory species that should have already left Estonia were also seen, such as Shelduck, White Stork, Honey Buzzard, Eurasian Curlew, Black Tern, Spotted Flycatcher, Common Redstart, Serin, Sedge Warbler, Blackcap and Penduline Tit.

ENT bird guide Tarvo Valker participated in the Batumi Bird Festival

From 15 to 21 September a Bird Festival took place in Batumi (Georgia), where Estonia was reperesented by a birding expert Tarvo Valker. Tarvo stood up with two presentations:  „Spithami - a major flyway for the arctic waterfowls“ and „Nature conservation in Estonia“.

It was already fourth time of this birdwatching event to take place. Batumi is located at the Black Sea coast, which is a major bottleneck for several million birds on their journey from breeding grounds to wintering areas. The aim of this event was to promote this birding area for wider public and encourage more birders to visit that unique hotspot.

Besides Estonia experts from Belarus, Armenia and Azerbaidjan were invited. Several field trips were made together with local stakeholders - including visiting famous Batumi raptor watching point, opening new bird tower at Mtirala National Park and visiting several other nature conservation areas. In the evening the conference was held where experts from abroad shared their excperience in birdwatching and nature conservation work.

It was corporately confirmed by the participants, that Batumi has a huge potential in birdwatching and ecotourism. The main problems are lack of local birders and also massive hunting, including on many endangered bird species. Certainly Batumi Bird Fest will take place also in next autumn.

See also a gallery of Batumi Raptor Count Autumn 2014

Migrating Black Storks / Tarvo Valker

There are still many falconers in Georgia / Tarvo Valker

Over one million raptors pass through Batumi every autumn / Tarvo Valker

Tarvo Valker is on the left side

Tarvo Valker is on the left side

Tarvo Valker is on the left side

ENT linnugiid Tarvo Valker osales Batumi Linnufestivalil

15.-21.septembril toimus Batumis (Gruusia) linnufestival, kus Eestit esindas eksperdina ENT giid Tarvo Valker. Tarvo tegi festivali ajal kaks ettekannet: „Spithami - a major flyway for the arctic waterfowls“ ja „Nature conservation in Estonia“.

Batumi linnufestivali peeti tänavu juba neljandat korda. Ürituse eesmärgiks on välisekspertide abiga juhtida tähelepanu Musta mere rannikul paiknevale tähtsale lindude rändekoridorile ja meelitada Gruusiasse enam linnuturiste. Üritust olid kajastamas ka mitmed kohalikud telekanalid.

Üritusel osalesid lisaks Eestile veel väliseksperdid Valgevenest, Armeeniast ja Aserdaidžaanist. Päeval külastati üheskoos kohalikega kuulsat röövlindude vaatluspunkti, avati uus linnuvaatlustorn Mtirala rahvuspargis ning toimusid ekskursioonid erinevatele kaitsealadele. Õhtuti peeti konverentsi, kus väliseksperid rääkisid enda riigi loodusest ja loodushoiust.

Üheskoos tõdeti, et Batumi piirkonnal on väga suur potentsiaal linnu-ja ökoturismi arendamiseks. Peamisteks kitsaskohtadeks on kohalike linnuvaatlejate vähesus ning aktiivne linnujaht, mille käigus tapetakse ka mitmeid ohustatuid linnuliike. Kindlasti peetakse Batumi linnufestivali ka tuleval aastal.

Vaata ka Batumi Raptor Count Autumn 2014 galeriid...

 

 

 Rändavad must-toonekured / Tarvo Valker

 

 Jahikullide pidamine on Gruusias jätkuvalt väga levinud / Tarvo Valker

Batumist möödub igal sügisel miljon röövlindu / Tarvo Valker

Tarvo Valker on vasakul

Tarvo Valker on vasakul

Tarvo Valker on vasakul

Bird race Estonian Open – 167 species in 14 hours is a new record!

The Estonian Open birdrace takes place every August. This year was the 20th annivessary of this international race, with teams from Finland and Latvia also taking part. An impressive 23 teams with 95 participants joined the great birding event.

The race started at 3 a.m and every team had exactly 14 hours to gain the biggest bird list. As with most bird races, to have a tick, more than a half the team members need to see or hear the species.

Because of the anniversary, this year the race area was the whole of Estonia. The winning team Spithman, (including two Estonian Nature Tours bird guides Margus Ellermaa and Tarvo Valker), chose Läänemaa county as their area. It was mixed team – beside Margus and Tarvo, the team included three Finns (Juho Könonen, Aki Aintila and Markus Lampinen). They put the secret of their success down to top birding skills and an excellent knowledge of the local patch, plus of course running at many sites, to avoid loosing valuable time. Two owl species were ticked within the first 5 minutes, and by mid-day, the team list was already nearly 150 species!

 Making of summaries (Tarvo Valker is in the middle in the front row) / Uku Paal

Even during the last half a hour, the winning team managed to tick two more species – Lesser Spotted Eagle and then just 10 minutes before the end, they added a Turtle Dove to the list. The team result of 167 species beat the previous record total by 12 species. The second-placed team had 152 species, so it turned out to be biggest margin of victory between two teams ever. If you consider that birds in August are not vocal and it wasnt 24 hours bird race, it is amazing result, showing the great birding potential of the country!

NB! It is important to realize that birding records are done in May, while in August birds are less vocal and gaining high list is far more challenging.

Results of the teams:

1. 167 Spithamn (Aki Aintila, Margus Ellermaa, Juho Könönen, Markus Lampinen, Tarvo Valker)
2. 152 MuoviLabaJengi (Teppo Lehtola, Petteri Mäkelä, Tom Nordblad, Jarkko Santaharju, Roni Väisänen)
3. 150 Takaveto (Vesa Jouhki, Andreas Linden, Jukka Salokangas, Andreas Uppstu, Peter Uppstu)
4. 148 Team Ristisaari (Petri Ripatti, Kari Soilevaara, Petteri Tolvanen, Ari Vuorio)
5. 146 Himantopus Himantopus (Ivars Brediks, Andris Klepers, Ieva Mārdega, Mārcis Tīrums)
6. 143 Sylvia (Mika Bruun, Asko Rokala, Roland Sundström, Ari Veijalainen)
7. 141 Nahkhiirmees (Jan Nordblad, Timo Pettay, Matti Rekilä, Juha Sjöholm, Erkki Valsta)
8. 139 Bad Company (Kuido Kõiv, Mati Salumäe, Tiit Vohta)
9. 138 Länemaa Linnuklubi (Trinus Haitjema, Mati Kose, Renno Nellis, Hannes Pehlak)
10. 137 Eesti Naised (Mariliis Märtson, Marju Erit, Triin Kaasiku, Aire Orula, Reet Rannik)
11.-12. 136 FC Fallos (Heikki Eriksson, Jukka Hatva, Juha Laaksonen, Pasi Pirinen, Tuomas Seimola)
11.-12. 136 V5 (Madis Karu, Raul Vilk, Kris Voog, Kaarel Võhandu)
13. 133 RC&Co (Margus Ots, Uku Paal, Ranno Puumets, Peeter Raudsepp)
14. 132 Vantaa (Heikki Luoto, Leena Luoto, Biti Ojala, Markku Ojala)
15. 132 Kõrvemaa Suusaklubi (Aki Arkiomaa, Johan Hassel, Jari Kårlund, Timo Nuoranen)
16.-17. 124 Kuldkihar ja kolm Karu (Tiina Mäkelä, Henry Tennberg, Jyrki Tolvanen, Juha Tuomaala)
16.-17. 124 Bilia (Christer Casagrande, Seppo Grönlund, Jaakko Hynninen, Istvan Kecskemeti)
18. 122 FC Pullus (Ilpo Hanski, Ilpo Huolman, Martti Vattulainen, Erkki Virolainen)
19. 120 Buteo (Eedi Lelov, Heikki Luhamaa, Riho Männik, Kalle Muru)
20. 115 Unioni (Risto Lammin-Soila, Tuomas Lukkarinen, Petteri Uusivouri)
21. 101 Sunset ökoriders (Timo Böhme, Lauri Mäenpää, Minna Mäenpää, Leena Törnqvist)
22. 99 Male&Female (Ave Huugen, Sander Sirelbu)
23. 97 Qkakk (Martin Piispea, Rene Ottesson, Meelis Suurkaev)

The total number of species 206.

„Aces“:

MuoviLabaJengi – Caspian Gull (Larus cachinnans), Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus), Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana)
Team Ristisaari – Blyth's Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum)
Himantopus Himantopus – Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
Sylvia – European Penduline Tit (Remiz pendulinus)
Bad Company – Great Bittern (Botaurus stellaris)
Eesti Naised – Parrot Crossbill (Loxia pytyopsittacus)
RC&Co – Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix), Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea)
Vantaa – Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
Kuldkihar ja kolm Karu – Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
Bilia – Eurasian Eagle-owl (Bubo bubo)
Buteo – Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga)
Qkakk – Black Kite (Milvus migrans)

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

Eesti Ornitoloogiaühing ja ENT kutsuvad Talvisele aialinnuvaatlusele 2014

Talvine aialinnuvaatlus on suurim kodanikuteaduse projekt Eestis, milles osales 2013. aastal üle 2500 linnuhuvilise. Selles osalemine on väga lihtne: jaanuarikuu viimasel nädalavahetusel tuleb leida üks tund, minna koduaeda või parki ja märkida üles seal kohatud linnuliigid. Aialinnuvaatlusel kogutud andmeid kasutatakse talilindude arvukuse muutuste jälgimiseks, mis võimaldab vajadusel võtta ette samme lindude heaolu parandamiseks. Lisaks on see hea võimalus talviste aialindude tundmaõppimiseks. Talvist aialinnuvaatlust korraldatakse Eestis alates 2010. aastast. 

 

Chintis Lundgreni animatsioon talvisest aialinnuvaatlusest

Kuidas osaleda?
 

1. Vali endale sobiv hea nähtavusega vaatluskoht aias, pargis või kalmistul, soovitavalt lindude toidumaja või toitmispaiga läheduses. Võid toidumaja ümber askeldavaid linde vaadelda ka toast läbi akna!

2. Vali kahe vaatluspäeva jooksul üks sulle sobiv tund, pane kirja kõik selle tunni jooksul vaatluspaigas kohatud linnuliigid ning iga liigi puhul suurim korraga nähtud isendite arv (Näiteks: algul oli toidumajas 4 rasvatihast, hiljem nägid 2 ja vaatluse lõpus veel 3 rasvatihast - kirja tuleb panna ikka 4 rasvatihast, et vältida topeltloendust). NB! Kirja tuleb panna vaid paiksed linnud, kes vaatluspaigas kasvõi korraks maanduvad. Ülelendavaid linde ei loendata. Lindude ülesmärkimist hõlbustava piltidega ankeedi leiad siit.

3. Sisesta enda vaatlustulemused siin lehel olevasse vaatlusankeeti. See võtab vaid mõne minuti ning hõlbustab ka kokkuvõtete tegemist. Võid ankeedi ka välja printida ja saata selle hiljemalt 3. veebruariks aadressil Eesti Ornitoloogiaühing, Veski 4, Tartu 51005, märgusõna “Talvine aialinnuvaatlus 2014”.

4. Vaata kindlasti ka korduma kippuvate küsimuste ehk KKK lehele, kus on kirjeldatud mitmeid olukordi, mis võivad vaatluse käigus tekkida.

Rohkem infot talvise aialinnuvaatluse kodulehel...

Tarvo Valker: aialinnuvaatluses toob edu rikkalik toidulaud...

Estonian Nature Tours kutsub osalema Ökorallil 2014 / Estonian Nature Tours invites you to participate in Eco Birding Rally Estonia 2014

Estbirdingu liikmete eestvedamisel algas linnuvaatlemise projekt Ökoralli 2014. Öko e. „rohelise“ linnuvaatlemise eesmärk on käia linde vaatamas jalgsi, rattaga või mõne muu, ilma mootorita liikuva sõiduvahendiga. Ökolinnuvaatlemine on kogu maailmas linnuvaatlejate seas kiiresti populaarsust koguv viis linde vaadelda. Põhjusi miks ökorallil liigutakse ilma mootorsõidukita on mitmeid:

a) Ökoloogilise jalajälje vähendamine.
b) Füüsiline aktiivsus ja tervise parandamine.
c) Uus aspekt, uus list, uutmoodi konkurents. Seega, lihtsalt öeldes, uus asi on põnev.
d) Majanduslik aspekt, kokkuhoitud bensiiniraha.

Täpsema info võistluse ja osavõtjate kohta leiad ökoralli blogist...

Hallõgija- Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor) / Valeri Štšerbatõh

Allikas- source: ökoralli Blog

Under the leadership of Estbirding members the Eco Rally bird watching project 2014 began in Estonia. The main idea of Eco or “Green” birding is to go birdwatching on foot, by bike, or any other unmotorized vehicle. Eco Birding is rapidly gaining popularity among bird watchers around the world. There are several reasons to move without a motor vehicle during Eco Birding Rally:
a) Reducing the carbon footprint.
b) Physical activity and health improvement.
c) New aspect, new bird list, new kind of competition. So, simply put, it is an exciting new thing.
d) Economical aspect, saved money (on gasoline).

To follow the scores of Eco Birding ESTONIA 2014 please click here...

Incredible Hawk Owl invasion in Estonia!

 Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula) / Remo Savisaar

This year has seen the biggest invasion of Hawk Owls to take place in Estonia for many years. The first birds started to appear in late August – nearly two months earlier than usual. During this autumn up till the end of November birders have found 32 different Hawk Owls, an astonishing number for such a little country. Some of Estonian Nature Tours autumn bird trips offered brilliant views of this stunning northern owl.

 This shot was taken by Luke Massey in North-East Estonia in Autumn 2013

Normally there are no more than 10 individuals encountered during one season. Yet this years movement has been already more spectacular than ever. It is impossible to predict the final numbers we will have by the end of winter, but it is clear that this is the best time ever to twitch hawk owls in Estonia this winter.

Stop thinking – come to Estonia NOW!

For birdwatchers who can make a quick decision and are keen to see this stunning northern bird; the Hawk Owl plus other specific species as Black Grouse, Hazel Grouse and White-backed Woodpecker, we now have 3-day bargain tours. Invite a friend, or even a few and contact us, book a suitable period, and start packing! Group sizes can vary from 2-7 people. The price includes local transportation, a guide, two dinners and two nights in hotel/guesthouse with private facilities and breakfast. 


White-backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos) / Sven Zacek

Price:
2-3 pax                 495 € per person
4-7 pax                 395 € pp.
Single suppl.          70 € 



For futher information on 3-day bargain trips we have on offer, plus booking details, terms and conditions please phone or e-mail us:

Tel:  +372 5349 6695 / E-mail: info@naturetours.ee

A good hawk owl invasion usually lasts till at least early March, but with the amazing numbers they are expected to stay until mid-April. By joining one of our early Spring tours, there is a great opportunity to see the Hawk Owl.

Please click here to see our Tour calendar... 

Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula) in Estonia in winters 1996/1997–2011/2012

During this period at least 76 Hawk Owls were observed in Estonia,including autumn and spring migrants. Apparent invasions were registered in winters 2002/2003, 2005/2006, 2009/2010, 2010/2011 and 2011/2012. No Hawk Owls were observed in winter 2000/2001. Most of birds were met from November to January. The earliest observation dates from the 11thof September and the latest from the last days of March. Site fidelity of wintering Hawk Owls is quite high, 11 birds held a territory longer than one month. All individuals were solitary ones.

More than half of birds were met in western counties (Läänemaa and Pärnumaa). Uku Paal / Hirundo 25 (2012)

Birds and Mammals in Estonia 4-11 October 2013

Early in October Luke Massey Images and Tarvo Valker led a Bird Watching magazine readers group around Estonia searching for an array of different birds. They hit the jackpot spotting over 100 species of bird including Hawk Owl, Golden Eagle, Parrot Crossbill, thousands of Barnacle Geese and many more. Though it wasn't just birds they found, amazingly the group saw a great number of mammals, including Elk, Foxes, Arctic Hares, Bears, Pine Martens, Beavers and even the extremely rare and elusive European Flying Squirrel. Autumn is a fantastic time to visit Estonia as birds are migrating through and mammals are out feeding before winter kicks in. See which tour suits you, from photography to orchid spotting.

„Last two days: amazing. Saw two brown bears, 6 raccoon dogs, pine marten, fox and a flying squirrel. All in all 12 different mammals and 105 species of birds. Best part of it: chasing the hawk owl with Luke trough the wilderness.“  B.H / Germany

Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula) / Luke Massey

"On our first morning we witnessed a great sunrise right outside the hotel as it rose over the Baltic. As I was photographing the sunrise I heard the unmistakeable calls of cranes, moving out of their roost site to go feed in the surrounding fields. Cranes are making a comeback in the UK, with around 50 now living wild after a a successful reintroduction project." L.Massey / UK

Common Cranes (Grus grus) / Luke Massey

"Estonia is one of the top 10 destinations in the world for bird migration with hundreds of thousands of birds passing through every spring and autumn. Probably the biggest migration is of barnacle geese, throughout our time in the country we saw thousands of them either flying over or carpeting fields feeding up before continuing on their way." L.Massey / UK

Barnacle Geese (Branta leucopsis) / Luke Massey

"We managed to see loads of different stuff from European flying squirrels to hawk owls. I think the highlight for most of the group were the bears, we were incredibly lucky to see 2 bears and one appeared in broad daylight. Not wanting to scare it I didn't take any photos, so this shot is one of the only one I got at dusk at 1/8 second!" L.Massey / UK

 Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) / Luke Massey

The Winners of the Questionnaire in British Birdfair 2013

For the third time Estonian Nature Tours offered a possibility to win a dream wildlife holiday to Estonia in British Birdfair 2013 and on our webpage as well. Estonian Nature Tours wishes to thank everyone who completed our questionnaire and took part in the prize draw.
All together our questionnaire was filled in by 49 people, 27 of them gave right answers to all the questions and therefore gained the right to participate in our drawing. The second question was most difficult.

We are delighted to announce the winners:

Grand Prize: Birdwatching holiday Estonia- Great Snipe and Woodpeckers. Price 695 € - Mrs Durn

Lot 1: Brown Bear tracking and watching. Price 100 € - Mr Larsen
Lot 2: Flying Squirrel Study trip. Price 100 € - Mr Hutchins
Lot 3: Beaver boat-trip. Price 85 € - Mr Simms


Congratulations to everyone!

Click here to see Woodpeckers gallery...

We asked all nature lovers to read carefully our homepage www.naturetours.ee or read up on the brochure "ESTONIA – the heart of European wildlife" You have now excellent opportunity to get acquainted to Estonia’s nature.

Three-toed woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus) / Sven Zacek

White-backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos) / Sven Zacek

 Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) / Remo Savisaar

Grey-headed Woodpecker (Picus canus) / Luke Massey

Estonian Nature Tours at the British Birdfair

It was for the 6th year already that our company was represented on the British Birdfair with our own stand. In recent years, interest in our tours has increased and more an more we feel that Estonia has become a popular destination in Europe! Noone asks any more about the whereabouts of our country, people come to our stand with clearly defined decision to travel to Estonia instead. For us it is really meaningful, that Estonian Nature Tours has now its own fanclub – many of our clients wish to come back for another time, some even for the 5th time. This is a clear indication, that people are pleased with our service and that Estonia's nature and local guides have much to offer.

Luke Massey (on the left in front) talks to people about White-tailed Eagle Photography. 

Behind, in the middle is Tarvo Valker

May 26 was the 10th anniversary of Estonian Nature Tours. We celebrated this event modestly with our clients, friends and partners on the Birdfair.

From right: Kaisa Korhonen (Liminka), Antero Topp (Finnature), Marika Mann (ENT), 

Jari Peltomäki (Finnature) and Roy Atkins (Speyside Wildlife)

Jari gave to Marika a very cute gift – his own favorite photo

Brown Bear cub playing peekaboo. Read more about Jari and this photo...

We really appreciate that You took Your time to stop over our stand - Roy and Jane Atkins, Jari Peltomäki, Antero Topp, Kaisa Korhonen, Miia  Marjanen, Mike Weedon, Killian Mullarney, Tim Harris, John McLoughlin, Ian Lycett, Sally Dowden, Tim Earl, Liz Charter, Peter and Vana Chadwick, Patricia and Raimond Rumbold, Carol Wady, Margaret Collet, Kath and David Beeken, Barry Trevis, David Kay, Luke Massey, Wilfred and Julia Powell, John Wright, Pippa Harvey, Dan Free, Ben Hoare, John Vanderdol, Margaret Alderson, Andrew Howes, Tim Appleton and many, many others...

Thank You!

Look what an amazing event the Birdfair is...

See you again at the British Birdfair 2014!