Estonia in Autumn
15th to 22nd September 2012
View from bedroom of Promenaadi Hotel, Haapsalu
Leaders
Barrie Cooper (Travelling Naturalist/Limosa)
Tarvo Valker (Estonia Nature Tours)
Participants
Anthony Bowen
Brian & Ann Hague
Tony Jones
Alex & Rose Krzyz
Wendy & John Mattingley
Fiona & John Smith
Introduction
Estonia is located in the South East corner of the Baltic Sea. It’s location makes it a junction where birds migrating to and from Scandinavia mingle with birds migrating from Russia and Siberia. Estonia’s coastline has various sites that are strategically placed for bird migration. This combination of flyways and physical landscape make Estonia one of Europe’s best countries to observe bird migration. The visual spectacle of thousands of birds migrating through was something that will live long in the memory of the members of this tour. Literally thousands of passerines such as chaffinches and goldcrests passed before our very eyes. Hundreds of jays on our first morning was an incredible spectacle, particularly as it was associated with large numbers of other migrants. One sight we visited ringed 1600 birds in one day. There is nowhere in the UK that has visual bird migration to compare with the sites we visited. Indeed, if these sites with their associated spectacles were in the UK, there would be hundreds of birdwatchers savouring every moment. We had these places almost to ourselves. It was a fantastic spectacle. A memorable wildlife tour, with great hotels and wonderful food. Can’t wait to do it again.
Saturday 15 September 2012
Bright, but cloudy, with a slight wind. 16 degrees max.
After our flight to Tallinn, via Helsinki we met Tarvo at the airport and after collecting the minibuses we headed off to Haapsalu. A brief stop alongside a dual carriageway allowed us to see a flock of lapwing with some golden plover and ruff mixed amongst them. Three roe deer were seen in a field by some of the group before we reached the Baltic Promenaadi Hotel. An excellent dinner was enjoyed before retiring to bed.
Sunday 16 September 2012
Sunny, occasional cloud later. Calm in the morning, becoming increasingly windy. 17 degrees max.
The view from the rooms of the Baltic Promenaadi Hotel is superb, overlooking a sheltered bay with hundreds of waterbirds literally in front of the bedroom window. This particular morning began with a superb sunrise in an almost cloudless sky. It was a wonderful way to begin the day. Eating breakfast in the restaurant also enables us to look at birds while enjoying the buffet of food. Ann commented that she had looked at the night sky at around 4am to marvel at clear views of Venus and Jupiter. Groups of cranes could be seen in the distance as they left their roosting site to move to the fields for feeding. Other birds to be seen from the hotel included wigeon, gadwall, coot, goosander, great crested grebe and great cormorant. When we were assembled in the two minibuses we headed off to the Puise peninsula. The next couple of hours provided us with excellent visible migration as hordes of birds literally swept in front of us. The most numerous included jay, with at least 800 passing. A few brambling were heard calling among the chaffinches. One star bird was lesser spotted woodpecker with at least 15, some of which gave good views. There were also good numbers of siskin, goldcrests, blue, coal and great tits, and meadow pipits. In amongst the crowds were three hawfinches and a couple of woodlarks. Raptors included white-tailed eagle over the water, with 4 sparrowhawks and a juvenile hobby giving good views. A black woodpecker teased us with its calls before finally revealing itself as it gained height before continuing its migration. A few great spotted woodpeckers were seen, while a couple of white backed woodpeckers were only heard.
After enjoying this wonderful spectacle we moved further along the coast to an area with saltmarsh and reeds. A flock of barnacle geese immediately caught our attention. Four great white egrets occasionally emerged from the reedbed and a couple of snipe flew overhead. Greenshank, spotted redshank, lapwing, golden and ringed plover added to the wader list for the day. One or two marsh harriers made some of the birds jumpy, while distant white-tailed eagles also added to the atmosphere. Moving on to do some forest birding added marsh tit, treecreeper and hornet to the species list. We returned to Haapsalu for lunch at the interesting Kuursaal restaurant. This wooden restaurant was like a step back in time to another era. The old photos and uniform of the waitresses added to the ambience, with an excellent lunch also provided, this was a great choice. Suitably refreshed we went in search of cranes feeding in the fields. A few hundred were seen, but their nervousness restricted how close we could get to them. However, the sight and sound of these magnificent birds can never become too much and we had regular sightings for much of the day. In the same place as some of the cranes, single red-backed and great grey shrikes were seen, along with several wheatears and skylarks. More time in the forest added crested and willow tits, but the prize was the first of at least ten nutcrackers we saw on that day. At least three crossbills were seen by some of the group, mixed in with a flock of chaffinches. Six bean geese flying in the distance were too far away to confirm whether they were taiga or tundra.
The main target the remainder of the evening was elk and, sure enough, a young male was found on the edge of the forest. We sat in the vehicles for at least twenty minutes as the photographers prolifically reduced the remaining capacity of their memory cards. After keeping a careful eye on us for awhile, the elk became relaxed enough to browse on the leaves of the trees around it. Despite further searching no more mammals were found, nor owls, so we returned to the hotel for dinner. It had been an excellent first full day, with superb visible migration in the morning and views of the elk in the evening.
Monday 17 September 2012
Cloudy start, brightening up in late morning. Windy. 16 degrees max.
An early start had us driving up to Poosaspea peninsular for some seawatching. Good numbers of brent geese, wigeon and goldeneye were accompanied by species such as common and velvet scoter, red-breasted merganser, red-throated diver and eider. A Baltic gull and a couple of red-necked grebes provided close views in the windy conditions. Moving on to another part of the coast gave us a good selection of waders. Species included ruff, little stint, sanderling, dunlin, grey and golden plovers. The walk from the vans to the beach was through forest where a hazel grouse gave us a typically brief view before disappearing. A young adder, viviparious lizard, a dead grass snake, common frog and toad provided a contrast to the birds. On the return, two spotted flycatchers were the first for the trip. On the drive between the two coastal spots, a black woodpecker obligingly flew across the road in front of the vans. Lunch was taken at the Roosta restaurant which is in a forest holiday camp.
After a brief rest at the hotel we headed south through an agricultural landscape. Conditions were obviously perfect for the cranes with at least 600 hundred in one field. Keeping them company were 70 tundra and 3 taiga bean geese. One white-fronted goose was mixed in with them. A flock of greylag dropped in, while on the other side of the road, a large, but distant, flock of barnacle geese were accompanied by more bean geese. Unfortunately, the geese and cranes were just a touch too far away for Brian to get more excellent photographs on this occasion. We moved on before soon stopping to photograph a close flock of 350 barnacle geese, with a solitary white-front doing a rather obvious “where’s Wally” impersonation. Moving onto the Rannajoe watch tower we waited for the cranes to fly over to their roost. However, a splendid male hen harrier soon got our attention, later to be joined by two ringtails. A couple of snipe were flushed by the harrier, before the spectacle started. A flock of 40+ bean geese flew over as hors d’ouvre, before the main course began. In total at least 4000 cranes passed with their evocative calls being slightly spoiled by the strong wind. Seven whooper swans provided a nice white glow to the murky grey light of dusk and a nice colour contrast to the cranes. During the show, Wendy spotted a black grouse dropping into some reeds and followed this with an elk that obligingly grazed in the meadow some 500 metres in the distance. The cold wind had worked up a fine appetite in the group and Tony remarked that some soup would be nice –he would not be disappointed. We had a superb dinner at the Altmoisa guest house. In this writer’s opinion, the soup was the best he had tasted for many years – absolutely delicious. After another eventful day we drove back to the hotel to relive the memories of the cranes, the geese and the soup.
Tuesday 18 September 2012
Early mist, followed by sun, cloud in the afternoon. 17 degrees max.
The mist soon cleared to enable us to arrive at another observation tower in good light. Five garganey were new for the trip, mixed in with teal, pintail and shoveler. Great white egret and several snipe were here, but an adult white-tailed eagle sitting on a rock amongst a herd of cows gained most attention. Driving around provided the occasional flock of geese and some family groups of crane. Driving through a forest provided a male elk which showed quite well, particularly to those in the leading bus. A flock of fieldfares and redwings quietened down when a female sparrowhawk flew over. We then had a superb lunch at a local farm, made with mainly local produce. It was an effort to drag ourselves away from all the superb food, but another viewpoint overlooking Matsalu Bay was our next destination. Pochard and greylag geese were prominent, until two white-tailed eagles grabbed our attention. The eagles showed very well, sitting on rocks two or three hundred metres away. Before we returned to the buses, Fiona spotted a wheatear on wires next to the car park. A stop up the road near a ruined manor house gave us good views of blue hawker and ruddy darter. The ferry crossing to Saarema island gave us quite close views of red-throated divers and eider. Driving across the island after leaving the ferry provided us with the most vehicles since leaving Tallinn, but fortunately they had all dispersed by the time we did an emergency stop to have quite close views of three hundred cranes in a roadside field. Our journey came to an end at the Saaremaa Hotel which was in an excellent location next to the sea.
Wednesday 19 September 2012
Wet, followed by very wet. Dry in the evening. 13 degreesmax
An early start to drive down to the Sorve peninsular. Wild boar, red fox and roe deer were seen in the headlights on the quiet road. The weather was grey, but dry when we first arrived, but persistent rain soon followed and this lasted until late afternoon. Unfortunately the weather was not producing the anticipated mass migration of passerines, however several sparrowhawks heading south indicated that they were expecting a feast. After finishing our packed breakfast, Tarvo beckoned us over to the shingle ridge. Alex had located a crested lark sheltering in the sparse, low plants. This is a rare species in Estonia and this bird had been around since mid August. A few yellow wagtails mingled with the white and a distant merlin provided a contrast to the sparrowhawks. John M had wandered off on his own which turned out to be a good idea. He had found a warbler sheltering in the rafters of a two storey building that was being constructed. Fortunately the building had no walls, so the warbler had taken refuge from the weather and aerial predators. As the bird was high up on the top beams beneath the room, the light was poor and it only showed parts of its body at any one time. Chiffchaff and willow warbler were quickly ruled out and then the debate started. Fortunately a few photos were taken. Tarvo sent a selection of photos to a few experts in Sweden to aid identification. However, the mystery warbler even baffled these people. Was it Estonia’s third record of Arctic warbler or was it something else? It seems we may never know.
After this identification challenge, we walked towards the end of the peninsular. A dark Arctic skua came flying past and beyond the lighthouse before continuing south and out of sight. A few eiders provided some variety from the usual cormorants and goldeneye, with some brent geese also mingling around. A white-tailed eagle gave them something to think about, however it settled for a fish on this foray. A couple of turnstone were the first for the trip. Passerine movement had slowed to a crawl so we drove around to another part of the coast. Whinchat and wheatear were there we arrived and small flocks of chaffinches were also moving along. On the sea, two shelducks added to the list and a ubiquitous white-tailed eagle was sitting on a rock in the water. Small numbers of chiffchaff and skylark forced their way through the rain, but the weather was poor for man and beast. Time to move on for another excellent lunch, this time at Lumande. As with most other rural eating places we had visited, almost all the food was fresh, local produce. After the usual round of second helpings, it was decided to head back to the hotel for a couple of hours rest in the hope that the rain would move on.
The rain eventually stopped in late afternoon so at 5.30 we drove to the Viidumae forest to try for owls. The first notable birds were nutcrackers that we could hear, but not see. We moved to an open area and were soon rewarded with a good flight view of a nutcracker only some 50 metres away. Alex continued his fine form by drawing attention to a bird sitting at the top of a conifer. This was a hobby looking resplendent in the evening sunshine. No success with owls so we headed back to the buses. Bu just before we got into the vehicles, a pygmy owl was heard calling close to the track where we were parked. Eventually, excellent views of a pygmy owl were enjoyed by everyone as it sat at the top of a tree for at least fifteen minutes. Everybody was very happy as we returned to the hotel for dinner.
Thursday 20 September 2012
Cool start. Windy, sunny. 16 degrees max.
Everyone opted to go for the early start to return to the Sorve peninsular. This time the weather was dry but windy. Lots of birds were migrating through, with the most numerous being chaffinch. Other birds included siskin, linnet, white and yellow wagtail. Sparrowhawk numbered over twenty in the ninety minutes we were there, a few kestrels also mixed in. Our first stock doves gave close views. A sheltered garden with a few trees provided a brief refuge for goldcrests and Barrie located a red-breasted flycatcher doing a couple of forays away from a thick bush. A couple of sandwich terns passed over the sea. Wave after wave of migrants were flying through as they began their fifteen mile journey over the sea to reach Latvia. It was a wonderful spectacle of visible migration, but unfortunately we had to leave far too soon to return to the hotel for breakfast and check out. Driving back across Saaremaa island, we occasionally stopped to look at feeding flocks of cranes in roadside fields. As elsewhere on our tour, Anthony provided us with interesting snippets of information about the history and geography of the area. The short ferry trip returned us back to the mainland. Lunch was taken at a rural restaurant run by a Russian couple. The drive through the agricultural landscape was broken by stops at two forest areas, in search of woodpeckers, sadly only great-spotted was showing well, but good views of nuthatch was appreciated. The highlight of the afternoon was a splendid goshawk flying low across the road in front of us. Our first for the trip and a brief, but welcome sighting. Shortly after, we arrived at the Wesset Villa hotel in Parnu.
Friday 21 September 2012
Sunny, windy. 18 degrees max.
The weather was not looking promising as we watched the pouring rain while having our early breakfast. We were due to visit Kabli bird ringing station and this weather would not have been good for mist nets. Fortunately the rain had stooped by the time we left the hotel and as we drove south it was obvious that it had not rained there, so optimism grew. Before we even parked at the ringing station, we could see there were lots of birds moving through the huge Heligoland net. As we scanned with our binoculars we could see many goldcrests and siskins in temporary confinement. Our time at the station was very rewarding; the ringers later informed us that they rung 1600 birds on that day, including 1400 goldcrests. We had “in hand views” of lesser spotted woodpecker, crested tit and nuthatch which were particularly interesting. Other species included chaffinch, willow and coal tit. A hobby was seen feasting on a goldcrest while still flying over our heads. Later two hobby and a sparrowhawk gave the impression of doing a combined assault on the feathered mass of migration. On the coastal stretch, a great white egret and white-tailed eagle were a slight distraction. But it was the migration through the trees and over the road that gained most of our attention, with superb views of overhead nutcrackers being another highlight. On the roof of a nearby house, tree sparrows were our first for the trip. Reluctantly it was time to leave this superb example of visible migration and we ended the morning with another superb lunch, this time provided by the women’s group at a local village. An excellent stew with tasty homemade rolls was provided with raspberry cheesecake for dessert, should you be interested. After lunch we moved to another part of the coast. Two spotted redshanks, greenshank, four grey plovers and several great white egrets were in the marshes next to the road. At the shoreline, three white-tailed eagles showed very well, making the greylag and bean geese rather nervous. One eagle gave relatively close views in good light allowing John S to get a satisfying photo of it in flight. More consternation was created when a juvenile goshawk flew low over the marshes. Some excellent birdwatching in good sunlight was completed with a group of dunlin that included two little stint. The drive back to the hotel was interrupted by a stop at a supermarket in Parnu to allow some of the group to buy honey and chocolate to take back to the UK. It was a good decision, because a dozen northern long-tailed tits flew from trees at the edge of the car park. Unfortunately the combination of distance and being silhouetted against the sunny part of the sky, made it difficult to make out their white heads.