During the one-week birdwatching tours this autumn more than 130 bird species were encountered. The tours coincided with the high time migration of Cranes and several birding tourists were lucky to watch thousands of Cranes gathering at roosting places around the Matsalu Bay. At the same time surrounding coastal meadows and fields were filled with tens of thousands of Barnacle Geese, which were constantly disturbed by White-tailed Eagles - a fabulous sight.
Neither a morning nor afternoon went by without spotting some powerful Elk bulls in the floodplains of Matsalu. Besides waterfowl the largest flocks of birds were of passerines, in particular Chaffinches and Thrushes hurrying southwards. These flocks, built up of hundreds or occasionally even thousands of birds, could be observed from various peninsulas and feeding in the fields by the roadside.
The most exciting bird species encountered this autumn on the birdwatching tours were Lesser Spotted Eagle, Black Grouse, Grey-headed and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Red-backed and Great Grey Shrike and Nutcracker
Text: Tarvo Valker
Forest Dawn
Photo: Neil Aldridge, Conservation Photojournalism & Safaris
Client Comments:
“Thank you for organising a great week for us. It was a privilege to get to know your wonderful country better during our stay. We were initially attracted by your high quality advertising, especially the full page spread in BBC Nature Magazine. Your "Estonia" brochure was also eye catching and very well put together. I first become interested in Estonia and its wildlife a few years back but the rest of my family had been reluctant to join me until they saw your product and were able to fully appreciate what your exceptional country has to offer! We were a bit limited as Sinead is pregnant at the moment but were able to enjoy most of the tours. The guides were very knowledgeable and keen to show us everything. The only limit was our energy!
Unfortunately we did not see the bears from the hide but were treated with excellent views of the raccoon dogs and the next days tracking rewarded us with bear and wolf prints and good views of capercaillie, black grouse and hazel grouse so we were not disappointed. Matsu Talu guest house was comfortable and the food excellent. We will have to come back in spring!”
N.C. / Sept 2011
Bog
Photo: Neil Aldridge, Conservation Photojournalism & Safaris
“Estonia, its people, landscapes and wildlife were truly captivating. I'm already looking forward to returning and I hope to be able to share the country's wildlife riches and photography potential with guests on future trips.
Saaremaa was particularly impressive - the landscapes, sunsets, coast and forests were all remarkable. To be able to walk out of the door at the guest house and watch swallowtail butterflies, fall asleep listening to corncrakes and see in the dawn from the top of the 26m high tower in Viidumae was something special. That said, literally losing count of the number of beavers Remek and I saw on the Emajogi River probably ranks as the highlight of the trip in terms of wildlife watching.
Saaremaa
Photo: Neil Aldridge, Conservation Photojournalism & Safaris
While it was a shame that the weather made it impossible to see the flying squirrels, the study trip gave me the ideal impression of how good the opportunities would be at other times of the year. The quality of the guides in Remek and Uudo was impressive. They both went to great lengths to make sure that I had a great experience, had the chance to get whatever shots I was after and came away with an in- depth understanding of the species and habitats that they know so well. I'm looking forward to working with them both in the future and developing ideas.
All of the accommodation was comfortable and secure (important for a photographer travelling with expensive equipment) and the reception was always warm and friendly. Thank you to everyone at Estonian Nature Tours for your help organising trip and I'm looking forward to working with you closely again.”
Neil Aldridge, Conservation Photojournalism & Safaris
"We had a lovely holiday, everything went smoothly and I thank you again for organising. We did not manage to see bear, but that's ok, it was an experience to stay in the forest. We can leave that for another day!
The country is beautiful and easy to navigate and the people although somewhat shy are helpful and nice. We stayed in some really nice place and I would not hesitate to recommend or return at a differen time of year. We knew it was not peak time for the birds, but plenty of butterflies and flowers, frogs, fox, elk (brief glimpse) and the peace and quiet were more than enough for us. We also enjoyed the hustle and bustle of Tallinn."
A.B. / July 2011
Common Blue
Photo: Peeter Vissak
“First of all we want to tell you how much we enjoyed our 3rd trip to Estonia! Mati tried his best to find woodpeckers, but without success, but we did see thousands of cranes and geese and lots of other birds. We also saw 2 elks, which was very exciting! Poor Mati was suffering with toothache, which was fixed in Parnu, and then he was his normal self again.
Thank you for organising a wonderful tour, especially the lunches at farms and guesthouses, we had a real taste of Estonian food!”
K.B. / Sept 2011
Cranes
Photo: Ivar Ojaste
“Thanks very much for another superb holiday. As ever, we were delighted with all that we saw and heard. Nothing beats the sight and sound of thousands of Cranes coming in to roost on an autumn evening! Thanks especially to Mati for his expertise and good humour and for ensuring that we missed nothing. Our accommodation was just right and it was lovely to meet up, once again, with all the ladies who provided such delicious lunches for us in their villages. Hope it won't be too long before we're back again. We still have to see all those wonderful spring and summer flowers."
P.R. and R.R. / Sept 2011
„I am writing to thank you and Ivar once again for this wonderful trip and this new experience. It was a very interesting and eventful program. I hope that your amasing journey still proceeds, and you will return to me after the rest with details.
P.S. I successfully send a postcard before departure and enjoyed the cake I taked away in the cafe which was great like everything we had during our stay in Haapsalu.“
L.G / Promotional Tour 2011, West-Estonia in Autumn tour Fri16September – Mon19September.
Storks
Photo: Neil Aldridge, Conservation Photojournalism & Safaris
„Thank you so much for this amazing tour! I have no doubt that all participated will confirm this. It had a big impression on me. Now I love the beautiful town of Haapsalu and I like looking to cranes of course )) Special big thaks to Ivar!"
A.V. / Promotional Tour 2011, West-Estonia in Autumn tour Fri16September – Mon19September.
„Just a quick email to say that we got back fine yesterday and with many happy memories of a great time in Estonia! Thanks so much for everything you did to ensure we had such an enjoyable few days – I loved it all.“
J.P. / Promotional Tour 2011, West-Estonia in Autumn tour Fri16September – Mon19September.
