Special offers! Why Autumn in Estonia?

We are pleased to offer the opportunity to travel Estonia with an exceptionally affordable price this Autumn.

Special offers until 31st August!

Mammals and Birds in Autumn 
Fri 26th Sep - Fri 3rd Oct 2014        
Price: 1295 € pp.
BOOK HERE...

To see Brown Bear video click here...
"In all, 12 000+ Barnacle Geese flew over our head towards Matsalu Bay". See video here...

 Elk (Alces alces) / Luke Massey

 European Beaver (Castor fiber) / Remo Savisaar

Itinerary:

Day 1 Arrive in Tallinn, to Haapsalu
Day 2 Matsalu National Park
Day 3 Tracking & birding; Beaver boat-trip
Day 4 To central Estonia; Elk & Wild Boar safari
Day 5 Toosikannu & Mõrdama
Day 6 Transfer to North-East Estonia; Bear Hide
Day 7 Birding & tracking; alternative overnight in the bear hide
Day 8 Departure

Highlights
Mammals: Racoon Dog, Red Fox, Elk, Roe Deer, Flying Squirrel (in darkness 70% quaranteed), Wild Boar (90%), Brown Bear (90%), European Beaver (95%), tracks and droppings of  Lynx and Wolves (100%, or even  the animals themselves if you are lucky!)
Birds: Golden Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, hundreds (or thousands) of Common Cranes, White-fronted Geese and Bean Geese, thousands of Barnacle Geese, peak autumn migration of songbirds, waders and waterfowls, Ural Owl, Pygmy Owl, Goshawk, Peregrine Falcon, Black Grouse, White-backed Woodpecker, Three-toed Woodpecker, Black Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Yellow-browed Warbler (probably), Nutcracker, Crested Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Bearded Tit, Lapland Bunting etc.

Birds and Bears
Wed 8th Oct - Sun 12th Oct 2014                           
Price: 795 € pp.
BOOK HERE...

To see Brown Bear video click here...
"In all, 12 000+ Barnacle Geese flew over our head towards Matsalu Bay". See video here... 

   

 Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) / Luke Massey

 Barnacle Geese (Branta leucopsis) / Luke Massey

Itinerary:

Day 1 Arrive in Tallinn, to Haapsalu
Day 2 Matsalu National Park
Day 3 To North-East Estonia; Bear hide
Day 4 Alutaguse forests; alternative overnight in Bear hide
Day 8 Departure

Highlights
Birds: massive Arctic waterfowl migration – including thousands of  Long-tailed Ducks, Velvet Scoters and Red-throated Divers, spectacular passerine migration with tens of thousands of Siskins, Chaffinches and Bramblings, possible massive invasion of Jays and Nutcrackers,  stunning raptor migration with hundreds of Sparrowhawks in few hours, Bewick's Swan, Rough-legged Buzzard,  White-tailed Eagle, Common Crane, Hazel Grouse, Grey-headed Woodpecker, White-backed Woodpecker, Tengmalm's Owl, Pygmy Owl, Great Grey Shrike, Waxwing, Yellow-browed Warbler, probably Hawk Owl etc.
Mammals: Racoon Dog, Red Fox, Elk, Roe Deer, Wild Boar (probably), Brown Bear, tracks and droppings of Lynx and Wolves etc.

Short breaks are becoming increasingly popular and in response to the high demand for this type of holiday we are continuing to increase our programme. For birdwatchers who can make a quick decision and are keen to focus on the spectacular bird migration, we offer this Autumn new, fully-inclusive, 4-day trip in Western Estonia.

WESTERN ESTONIA IN AUTUMN
Thu 25th Sep - Sun 28th Sep 2014
Price: 495 pp.
BOOK HERE... 

Spotted Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes) / Sven Zacek

Common Crane (Grus grus) / Remo Savisaar

Itinerary:

Day 1 Arrive in Tallinn, to Saaremaa    
Day 2 Saaremaa island              
Day 3 Põõsaspea, Leidissoo, Matsalu National park                                    

Day 4 Departure

Highlights
Birds: Golden Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, Eurasian Crane (thousands), White-fronted Geese and Bean Geese, tens of thousands of Barnacle Geese, peak autumn migration of songbirds, waders and waterfowls, Goshawk, Peregrine Falcon, Black Grouse, Hazel Grouse (probably), Capercaillie (probably), woodpeckers, Yellow-browed Warbler (probably), Nutcracker, Crested Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Bearded Tit, Lapland Bunting etc.
Mammals: Wild Boar (probably), Raccoon Dog, Red Fox, Elk, Roe deer, Red Deer, tracks of Brown Bear, Wolf, & Lynx (probably) etc.

To find out more about our fantastic value birdwatching holidays available for the Autumn 2014  click on our website  or visit us at the Birdfair Marquee 5 Stand 32!


Estonia in the autumn is a magnificent destination for the birdwatcher who wants to see forest species, such as woodpeckers and forest grouse, together with raptors and arctic migration, with that added touch of eastern rarities and even some mammals. From early September until late October, thousands of ducks, geese and cranes use these wetlands as their last feeding and roosting grounds before their final migration to the wintering sites. One of the best time to observe (and photograph) the bears from the hide is in September and October when they return to feeding places to gorge on food before  hibernation.

10 Good Reasons to Visit Estonia in Autumn:
10 000+ Cranes - unforgettable experience
White-backed, Three-toed and Black Woodpecker
Western Taiga forests - habitats to Hazel Grouse, Ural, Hawk and Pygmy Owl
Invasion of Nutcrackers
Massive assemblies of migrating waterbirds from the Arctic
Long coastline and many islands – a paradise for seawatching
Bird stations and siberian rarities
Raccoon Dog, Brown Bear and Ringed Seal
Mating season for Elks
A lot of surprises, colours and silence

Birdfair 2014. What´s new?

The 2014 British Birdfair will take place at Egleton Nature Reserve, Rutland on Friday 15th – Sunday 17th August. 

This is the seventh time Estonian Nature Tours (ENT) will participate in the biggest bird and ecotourism fair in the world as an exhibitor.

Visit us in Marquee 5 Stand 32!

Estonian Nature Tours has been a pioneer in developing nature and bird tourism all over Estonia. We have more than 10 years experience in organising outstanding wildlife holidays in Estonia and the feedback from our clients has always been very positive. Believe it or not – we have developed a fan club, with many of our customers visiting Estonia with our help four or even five times!
Short breaks are becoming increasingly popular and in response to the high demand for this type of holiday we are continuing to increase our programme. For birdwatchers who are keen to focus on the spectacular bird migration, we offer new, fully-inclusive, 4-day trips in Western Estonia for a year 2015.

ESTONIA IN SPRING
Fri 15th May – Mon 18th May 2015
Price: 530 € pp.

BOOK HERE...

Hazel Grouse (Bonasa bonasia) / Remo Savisaar

ESTONIA IN AUTUMN
Fri 18th Sep – Mon 21st Sep 2015
Price: 530 pp.

BOOK HERE...

Common Cranes (Grus grus) / Remo Savisaar

Another new idea is our 5-day fully-inclusive holiday for dragonflies. In recent  years Estonia has been a magnet for birdwatchers from Europe and beyond. Now this Baltic State is also becoming a mecca for dragonfly (and butterfly) enthusiasts eager to see the country´s speciality species.

DRAGONFLIES IN ESTONIA
Wed 10th Jun – Sun 14th June
Price: 755 € pp. 
BOOK HERE...
To read tour report Butterflies in Estonia by Trevor Davenport click here...

Yellow-Spotted Emerald (Somatochlora flavomaculata) / Philip Smith

Ruby Whiteface (Leucorrhinia rubicunda) / Mati Martin

Estonia is an up and coming destination for wildlife photography. Boasting fantastic species such as White-tailed Eagles, Brown Bear, European Beaver, Wild Boar and Elk. All of which you may get the chance to photograph if you visit Estonia.

White-tailed Eagle Photography
September – October / February – March (on request)
Price: from 50 € pp.
Beaver Photography
April – October (on request)
Price: from 45 € pp.
Brown Bear Photography
May – June / September – October (on request)
Price: from 85 € pp.

White-tailed Eagles (Haliaetus albicilla) / Luke Massey

We also have the expertise to discuss your requirements and arrange suitable accommodation and a rental car for your itinerary.

If you are keen to see specific mammals such as Flying Squirrel, Elk, Beaver or Brown Bear then let us know – we can now offer individual bookings on our Mammal study trips and safaris 2015.

Brown Bear tracking and watching                
16.-17.05 / 23.-24.05 / 30.-31.05 / 19.-20.09
To see Brown Bear video click here...

Flying Squirrel Study trip              
15.05 / 17.05 / 24.05
To see Flying Squirrel Study trip gallery click here...

Beaver boat-trip               
April – August (on request)
To see Beaver boat-trip video click here...

Elk & Wild Boar safari    
April – June / August – October (on request)
To see Elk & Wild Boar safari video click here...

 

Flying Squirrel (Pteromys volans) / Rainar Kurbel

Estonian Nature Tours invites you

Estonia – a geographical crossroad for butterflies and dragonflies 
on Saturday 16th August 12:00am – 12:20pm
Anglian Water Birdwatching Centre
Presenter: Dr Wilf Powell
Butterfly Conservation (member), Wildlife Trust (member), Bedfordshire Natural History Society (member of Council)

Despite being a small country lying at the same latitude as N. Scotland, Estonia is host to around 100 butterfly and 57 dragonfly species. This reflects its geographical position, where species with predominantly northern, southern or eastern European distributions meet. This talk will give an introduction to this fascinating butterfly and dragonfly fauna.

NB! For futher information on any of the butterfly (and dragonfly) trips we have on offer in 2015, plus booking details, terms and conditions please visit us in Marquee 5 Stand 32 or e-mail us for the detailed itinerary. The best idea is to visit our stand and chat with Dr Powell right after his presentation (12:30pm – 14:00pm). Wilf Powell has been in Estonia four times and will be back in the Autumn, this time watching bird migration.

Scarce Fritillary (Euphydryas maturna) / Wilfred Powell   

All photography enthusiasts who have heard (or not yet heard) anything from Estonia and the wonderful opportunities there are welcome to our stand Marquee 5 Stand 32 on Saturday 18th August  2:00pm – 4:00pm. A professional award-winning photojournalist, Neil Aldridge, will talk about wildlife photography opportunities in Estonia.


Neil's work includes three streams - Conservation Photojournalism, Travel and The Conservation Collection. He has travelled around the world but keeps coming back to Estonia, one of his favourite locations.
Neil's photography has been widely published. He is a contributing photographer to the renowned BBC Wildlife Magazine. His African wild dog work also featured in the winning portfolios of the coveted Wildlife Photographer of the Year and International Conservation Photography Awards, as well as the iLCP's Extinction exhibition in Telluride, Colorado in 2010. As well as several Highly Commended achievements, Neil has twice been a winner of British Wildlife Photography Awards.

 Männikjärve bog in Estonia / Neil Aldridge

Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus) / Neil Aldridge

Estonian Nature Tours brochure 2015 is now available

With pleasure, we are continiously offering individual bookings on our fully-inclusive holidays. To order Estonian Nature Tours brochure 2015 enter your details here...

See also the selection of  best birdwatching, mammal tours and other wildlife holidays in Estonia available for the year 2015  by clicking here...

State of European Mink improved in Estonia

By now all litters of European Mink in Estonia are counted. In the eleven litters of Species Conservation Laboratory of the Tallinn Zoo there were 53 cubs. In the release folds of Hiiumaa Mink reserve 20 more cubs were born in 3 litters. This year the number of cubs per litter is pretty high – 5 in average. The largest one with 8 cubs was in the release fold of Hiiumaa Mink reserve.

 

European Mink (Mustela lutreola) / Source: Wikipedia

European Minks (Mustela lutreola) / Source: Tallinn Zoo
 

On November 10th, 2011 was moved European to the ‘critically endangered’ category, which means that the species is considered to be in etremely high risk of extinction. In Estonia remarkable results have been achieved in conservation activities of the species. As much as half of global artificial population of European Mink is kept in Tallinn Zoo and one of the most successful special protection activities is repopulation of the species to the Hiiumaa Island.

European Mink (Mustela lutreola) / Jonathan Hall

Euroopa naaritsate olukord Eestis on paranenud

Nüüdseks on euroopa naaritsate pesakonnad eestis üle loetud. Loomaaia liigikaitse uuringute laboris sündinud üheteistkümnes pesakonnas oli kokku 53 poega, Hiiumaal naaritsate kaitseala lahtilaskmisaedikutes sündinud kolmes pesakonnas veel 20 naaritsapoega. Tänavune keskmine poegade arv pesakonnas on päris suur – viis poega. Suurim, lausa kaheksa pojaga pesakond nägi ilmavalgust Hiiumaal euroopa naaritsa kaitseala lahtilaskmisaedikus.

Euroopa naarits (Mustela lutreola) / Allikas: Wikpiedia

 Euroopa naarits (Mustela lutreola) / Allikas: Tallinna Loomaaed

10. novembril 2011. aastal määrati Euroopa naarits äärmiselt ohustatud liigi (critically endangered) kategooriasse. Sinna kuulumine tähendab, et liiki peetakse äärmiselt suures väljasuremisohus olevaks. Eestis tehtud naaritsa alalhoiualasel tegevusel on märkimisväärne roll selle liigi kaitsel. Tallinna loomaaias peetakse ligi poolt naaritsa globaalsest tehisasurkonnast ning Hiiumaal naaritsa asurkonna loomine on üks edukamaid naaritsa liigikaitselisi ettevõtmisi. 

Euroopa naarits (Mustela lutreola) / Jonathan Hall

Ilmunud on uus raamat "Eesti päevaliblikad"

Ilmunud on Erki Õunap´i ja Urmas Tartese raamat "Eesti päevaliblikad". Erki Õunap on ühtlasi ka Estonian Nature Tours´i liblika- ja kiilireiside giid.

Raamatu eesmärk on tutvustada meil elavaid päevaliblikaid, nende elukäiku, elupaiku ja olla teejuhiks nende kaunite loomade elu tundmaõppimisel. Raamatust leiab ka juhised liblikate vaatlemiseks ja kogumiseks. Raamatu üldosa on illustreeritud Eestis pildistatud fotodega.
Olulise osa raamatust moodustavad fototahvlid ja liigikirjeldused Eesti ja meie lähialade päevaliblikatest. Nendes on toodud kõik Eesti alal leitud päevaliblikate liigid. Lisatud on ka liike, kes esinevad meie naaberaladel ja võivad samuti meile sattuda. Fototahvlitel kujutatud liblikad on pildistatud teaduslike kogude eksemplaridest. Vaid nii on võimalik näidata kõiki olulisi määramistunnuseid ja saada mõistliku aja jooksul pilte kõikidest liikidest. Nende abil peaks igaüks suutma Eesti looduses kohatud päevaliblika ära määrata.
Loodame, et käesolev raamat annab oma panuse meie looduse paremale tundmaõppimisele ja seeläbi ka selle paremale hoidmisele.

Raamat on saadaval ka internetis:

Varrak

Apollo

Rahva Raamat

A new book "Butterflies of Estonia" has published

Erki Õunap and Urmas Tartes have published a book "Butterflies of Estonia". Erki Õunap is also working as a bufferflies and dragonflies guide for Estonian Nature Tours.
The purpose of the book is to give an overview about our butterflies, their life cycle and habitats, also to serve as a guide for studying the life of these beautiful creatures. There are also instructions of how to watch and collect butterflies. The general part of the book is illustrated with photographs taken in Estonia.
Substantial part of the book is made up of illustration boards and species descriptions of butterflies of Estonia and the closest surrounds. There are also descriptions of species from the adjacent regions, which can be encountered by chance. Butterflies on the illustration boards are specimen from scientific collections. It is the only way to bring forth all significant distinctive attributes and get pictures of all speies within reasonable time it. With the help of these anyone should be able to recognize any butterfly, met in Estonia nature.

The book is available in the internet also:

Varrak

Apollo

Rahva Raamat