Birding Estonia

Photo gallery and results added

2011-06-19T18:32:00.000+02:00

Just a short message of a newly added photo gallery from our last trip as well as a pdf that contains the results of the daily seawatch countings.
Cheers
Niklas, Raul and Janne

The last great day in Estonia on 21st

2011-05-21T20:38:00.006+02:00

We woke up to a cloudless and calm day. Our last morning at Virtsu as well as our last one in Estonia. We had expectations of a morning with good numbers of migrating divers and in fact it started good with nice flocks of Black-throated Divers, but the numbers, unfortunately, dropped dead after a couple of hours. However, it was a lovely morning and we had a nice chat with a Finnish birder, which we also met last year. Results worthy of mention from our session (04:45-10:00 hrs): Arctic Skua (9), Temminck’s Stint (3), Common Scoter (230), Velvet Scoter (57), Scaup (21), Red/Black-throated Diver (21), Red-throated Diver (351), Black-throated Diver (307), Goldeneye (656; passage of males to moulting grounds, which is specially studied at Virtsu by Dr. Raul Vicente).

Migrating passerines worthy of mention: Common Rosefinch (30), Spotted Flycatcher (35) and Grey Wagtail (1). The latter is rare in Estonia!

We headed to our house and packed our stuff. We had guided tour by Peeter Pung, the owner of Pivarootsi Tuulik, in his beautiful Windmill. Very impressed by his work! We payed and then headed to the northern part of huge nature reserve Matsalu. But before we reached Matsalu we spotted an adult Lesser Spotted Eagle from the car! Janne stood hard on the brakes and turned back on the main road. We soon found the bird in perfect light condition gliding slowly toward us for five minutes or more and finally passed over our heads! Just awesome! We then continued and reached the Heaska bird tower in Matsalu. We scanned the area and soon Janne shouted load about some animal or dog down among the cows on the shore meadow. Wow, a Raccoon dog! In broad daylight. What a beautiful creature. A lifer for all of us. After another ten minutes we heard a strange call and Raul was alert and screaming “White-winged Black Tern!” And two very beautiful adult birds passed close to the tower. They flew further into the Matsalu reserve. What a sighting, which also was a lifer for Raul. On our walk from the tower to the car Raul found the third Lesser Spotted Eagle of our trip soaring at some distance! What a grand finale for our Estonian trip!

That’s all from us right now and we hope you have enjoyed this blog! The Latino Cabaret on Tallink ferry is calling!

Cheers

Janne, Ralle and Nicke

The lovely Lesser Spotted Eagle that passed over our heads!

On board the Tallink ferry. Janne and Ralle hanging around and scanning the place for chicks...

...while Niklas adding the last updates on the blog while zipping latte after latte.

Puhtu Laid – a nice migrating hotspot on 20th

2011-05-21T18:42:00.002+02:00

The morning session at Virtsu lighthouse were mediocre, but the weather was sunny and delightful. Some results at 04:45-09:40: Common Scoter (552), Velvet Scoter (152), Scaup (49), Red-throated Diver (100), Black-throated Diver (70), Goldeneye (372).

Migrating passerines worthy of mention: Common Rosefinch (31), Spotted Flycatcher (42) and Golden Oriole (1 adult male + another male present for ten minutes and offered excellent views!). In addition a powerful adult female Peregrine Falcon came in from sea and passing over head! Also several Grey Seals were seen in the morning.

After the morning countings we drove to the southern part of Matsalu (Keemu bird tower), which is located only 30 minutes away. The visit were productive with sightings such as Red-crested Pochard (3 male and 1 female), Great White Egret (1), Smew (4), White-fronted Goose (4), Grasshopper Warbler (3 singing), Golden Oriole (1). And of course many White-tailed Eagles and White Storks seen throughout the day. Red-crested Pochard were also a lifer for Raul! Then we returned to our house and took a long power nap. Raul were responsible for the dinner today too; tasty sausages and meatballs filled with cheese. The man has cooking qualities.

After the nice dinner we headed to new place, named Puhtu Laid, which is a tip that protrude southward one kilometre east of Virtsu. A beautiful place were we in late evening saw flocks of Scoters that started soaring above sea before they finally crossed the land on high altitude. This site probably offer a great spectacle just before dusk on peak days!

Results from Puhtu Laid at 17:35-22:05: Scaup (21), Long-tailed Duck (410), Velvet Scoter (99) and Common Scoter (1890). We also had an excellent view of a Beaver swimming by close to the tip, which were a lifer for Janne!

Niklas, Raul and Janne at Puhtu Laid.

One of many nice flocks of Common Scoters passing overhead.

Gavia migration at Virtsu on 19th

2011-05-21T17:53:00.002+02:00

We woke up at 03:15 and Niklas arranged the breakfast, as usual. A beautiful moon and cloudless sky outside. However, when we approached the lighthouse by car, clouds and thin fog suddenly appeared. The passage of divers were already in full swing, but unfortunately the fog got thicker and we couldn’t proceed the countings for an hour. Damn it!

Results at the lighthouse at 04:30-11:10: Arctic Skua (18), Common Scoter (913), Barnacle Goose (2357), Velvet Scoter (444), Long-tailed Duck (317), Scaup (77), Red/Black-throated Diver (719), Red-throated Diver (318), Black-throated Diver (232), Steller’s Eider (2), Black-tailed Godwit (1) and Goldeneye (394).

Migrating passerines worthy of mention: Common Rosefinch (48!), Barn Swallow (50) and Golden Oriole (1 beautiful adult male).

We headed directly to our house and had a three hour long power nap, just to be rested for the evening session. But before we returned to the lighthouse Raul did the cooking and served us older hardcore birders a delicious dinner of sausages from Hiiumaa, which had a touch of gamy flavour (or roadkill Badger) and pasta.

Results at the lighthouse at 17:35-21:35: Velvet Scoter (284), Common Scoter (892), Long-tailed Duck (265). The evening passage were very calm, even though the conditions seemed to be good. However, that’s the charm of birdwatching and one just have to love the situation!

Very rare and unmasking occasion when three hardcore birders take a coffee break at the same time. Very unprofessional;)

Evening at Virtsu lighthouse.

Virtsu and surroundings on 18th

2011-05-19T16:25:00.002+02:00

Woke up at 03:15 and had a morning porridge with coffee and then drove to Virtsu. Clouded over, strong wind from SW and rain now and then. The passage was quite good, but not exceptional (04:50-10:30): Arctic Skua (12), Barnacle Goose (4451), Scaup (100), Black-throated Diver (323), Red-throated Diver (477), Long-tailed Duck (1580), Common Scoter (990) and Velvet Scoter (158). Also two Honey Buzzard coming in from sea.

About ten in the morning the clouds were decreasing and the sunshine welcome indeed. We decided to travel inland looking for raptors, especially Lesser Spotted Eagle. We did some stops now and then scanning the areas and on the fourth stop we were rewarded as Janne found a beautiful adult Lesser Spotted Eagle soaring around for about five minutes! We had a nice three hours travel by car through a beautiful and unspoiled landscape.

After a dinner, latte and icecream in Lihula we headed to Virtsu for the evening seabird session, which was quite mediocre. Study between 16:50-19:15: Arctic Skua (12), Common Scoter (490), Red-throated Diver (52), Black-throated Diver (14) and Barnacle Goose (1335).

Sightings: Golden Oriole (1 singing), Rosefinch (many), Red-breasted Flycatcher (1), Collared Dove (1), Serin (1), Great Reed Warbler (1), Black Tern (30), Montagu’s Harrier (5), White Stork (many).

Accidentally, in late evening, Janne saw a flock of ducks passing over our house in Pivarootsi. Within twenty minutes or so we noted many big flocks of scoters and Long-tailed Ducks passing overhead. So tomorrow we intend to cover the waterfowl passage until dusk.

Stay tuned

Niklas, Janne and Raul

Niklas, Raul and Janne scanning the at Virtsu lighthouse.

Raul and Janne enjoying the sight of an adult Lesser Spotted Eagle.

White Storks on their nest.

A field of Dandelion, a common sight in Estonia.

From Hiiumaa to Virtsu on 17th

2011-05-19T16:18:00.000+02:00

We woke up at 03:30 and had a slow and nice breakfast, but we soon discovered that fog had embedded the island, again. Very frustrating! So, we slept for a couple of hours more and decided to bird around at the southern part of Hiiumaa before we had have to catch the 12:30 ferry back to the mainland. Even though the fog disappeared after a while, it was clouded over, colly and very windy. Meaning not too pleasant weather for inland birding, as our main purpose were seabird migration, but nice to see the nature of Hiiumaa. A few sightings: Montagu’s Harrier (1) Black-tailed Godwit (2), Great Reed Warbler (1), Tundra Been Goose (1), Little Gull (50), Ruff (30), Temminck’s Stint (3), Knot (8).

From the ferry crossing we saw a total of at least 500 roosting Scaups. Well back on mainland we drove to Haapsalu. Bought some food, fuelled the car and continued towards Virtsu, which is located at the straight between mainland and Saaremaa (Ösel). We had a quick dinner in Lihula: three chicken schnitzel, two large beers and a coke to a price of 14 Euro! We arrived to our pre-booked accommodation at Pivarootsi. A beautiful and silent place on the countryside. We left our packings and headed to the observation site at Virtsu. Quite calm passage (18:00-19:45 hrs): Common Scoter (934), Long-tailed Duck (1234), Velvet Scoter (112) and Scaup (17).

Even hardcore birders have to take a break sometimes.

The windmill at Pivarootsi, our accommodation.

Our nice accommodation at Pivarootsi.

Arktikan bonanza on 16th!

2011-05-17T15:41:00.000+02:00

This day, especially the evening at Ristna, were just unbelievable and unforgettable. In fact, it is impossible to describe this evening’s spectacle mass passage of Common Scoters and Long-tailed Ducks with words, one have to experience it! So, a few words by the members of the birding party:

Raul: “After this… where do I watch migration?”

Janne: “The amazing ‘draperies’ of Common Scoters and Long-tailed Ducks will stay in my memory for a long long time!”

Niklas: “This was, without any doubts, one of the most memorable days during my 33 years as a seawatch addict!”

Ristna at 04:50-10:20 hrs:

Common Scoter (12770!), Long-tailed Duck (5460), White-billed Diver (1), Black-throated Diver (373), Red-throated Diver (34), Steller’s Eider (5), Scaup (113), Garganey (4), Red-breasted Merganser (172) and Arctic Skua (10).

Ristna at 16:25-21:30 hrs:

Common Scoter (71065!! Long-tailed Duck (24134!), Black-throated Diver (92), Red-throated Diver (14), Arctic Skua (4), Garganey (1), Red-breasted Merganser (128).

A total of 115534 seabirds were counted!

Sightings besides the countings: Caspian Gull (1 close 2^nd cal year) and one Short-eared Owl coming in from sea.

Cheers from three happy birders!

Ristna lighthouse!

One of thousands flocks of Common Scoters!

Three very happy birders at Ristna in the evening. From left: Niklas, Janne and Raul.

Tahkuna and Ristna – two migrating hotspots!

2011-05-17T12:37:00.000+02:00

We got up at 03:30, as usual these days. While we had breakfast and first morning light find its way through the wood our misgivings turned out to be true: The island were still embedded in fog. After the breakfast we drove the short way to the tip, just to check if the fog covered the sea, which it of course did. Plan B: We got back to the house again and slept for 1 ½ hours. The fog were still present when we woke up and we decided to birding the island instead. We drove to Körgassaare for a third try on the Red-breasted Geese, but had no luck. A quick stop at Lehtma produced a female Bluethroat. Quarter past nine we reached Tahkuna lighthouse at the northwestern tip of Hiiumaa, after an adventure ride on a narrow and somewhat waterlogged gravel road through the northern beautiful woodlands.

We decided to stay at the lighthouse and its nice surroundings, as the fog suddenly disappeared and breaks in the overcast. Many thousands of Long-tailed Ducks roosted off the tip, but it was clear that the northern tip is a great site for migrates. Bird sightings worthy of mention at Tahkuna 09:15-12:00: Barnacle Goose (1686), Brent Goose (827), Sparrowhawk (32), Buzzard (14), Rough-legged Buzzard (6), Honey Buzzard (1), Kestrel (3), Hen Harrier (2), Hobby (3), RED-FOOTED FALCON (1 adult male), White-tailed Eagle (5), Common Crane (14). Also good passage of migrating passerines.

Well back at the house we took a power nap for an hour and after it Raul cooked a delicious dinner with a Spanish touch. After that taste sensation we headed to the tip of Ristna for the evening session. Some results from the countings (16:00-19:15 hrs): Long-tailed Duck (8361), Common Scoter (2680), Red-breasted Merganser (161), Brent Goose (235), Barnacle Goose (194), Black-throated Diver (36), Red-throated Diver (22), Arctic Skua (6). We also saw a Carrion Crow, which the Estonian birders had found earlier in the day, only the 8th record for the country.

Raul and Janne scanning the sea at Tahkuna lighthouse.

Keen birder Raul in action, while Barnacle Geese passing behind.

Female Black Redstart at the Tahkuna lighthouse garden.

Raul celebrating the Red-footed Falcon at a local bar.

All time high for Arctic Skua at Ristna on Saturday 14th

2011-05-16T12:57:00.000+02:00

We got up at 03:30 in the morning and had a nice breakfast. We took the car and placed ourselves at the very tip of Ristna at 04:40. None of the finnish or estonian birders were there, but soon the cars arrived and about 15-20 birders gathered. The weather conditions were quite good with winds from west, clouds and, unfortunately, drizzled most of the morning. However, we were in good spirit and the mix of species and numbers was good! Worthy of mention of today’s counting (04:30-12:30 hrs): Common Scoter (6586), Long-tailed Duck (1630), Barnacle Goose (1495), Brent Goose (783), Arctic Tern (540), Bar-tailed Godwit (268), Greater Scaup (106), Black-throated Diver (33), Red-throated Diver (157), Red-breasted Merganser (198), Arctic Skua (51!) and Little Gull (32). Today’s result of Arctic Skua is the all time high in Estonia!

After eight hours of seawatching and the only ones left at the site we closed the shop and drove to our house for a late lunch. Then we headed to Körgassaare trying to find the Red-breasted Geese, which have been present the last few days. But no geese at all were found instead fog suddenly embedded the island. No no, what the f-ck, so we drove back to the house for a well-needed power nap. About five we got up and dressed for a nice evening with finnish and estonian hardcore birders as we were invited to Estonian Birding Society annual meeting in Kalana. We enjoyed slideshows from Trinidad Tobago by Hannes and Morocco and Western Sahara by Uku. Then it was time for a nice dinner, which followed by a thrilling Bird Quiz of 30 difficult photos depicting birds that has been recorded in Estonia. We were four teams: two estonian, one finnish and the three of us the swedish one. To cut a long story short, we won together with Uku’s team, even though we didn’t agree with the identification of a couple of photos. Too many spotted eagle hybrids in Estonia;-) When it was time for a sauna roundup we decided to go back to our house, where we had a cosy hour in front of the open fire before we got to bed. Happy in mind after a day full of action!

Cheers

Raul, Janne & Niklas

Estonian, finnish and swedish birders at Ristna

Barnacle Geese passing overhead at Ristna.

Beautiful Brent Geese passing the very tip of Ristna.

Slideshow at the Estonian Birding Society annual meeting in Kalana.

Tallinn-Haapsalu-Ristna on Friday 13th

2011-05-15T11:51:00.000+02:00

We arrived to Tallinn at 10 in the morning and drove directly towards Haapsalu. However, we did a quick stop halfway and soon Raul found a nice Greater Spotted Eagle soaring around.Many White Storks were also seen along the road. What a good start! In Haapsalu we bought food four days, fuel up the car and had a quick latte then headed to a nearby birding tower were we saw a couple of White-tailed Eagles, Caspian Terns, Bearded Tit, Ruff (at least 150!), Gadwall (many) and Slavonian Grebe.

At 14:30 we took the ferry from Rohukula to Heltermaa on Hiiumaa (Dagö). We arrived to the ferry berth at 16:00 and then drove to Kärdla and had a late dinner at our favourite restaurant from last year. Then we headed torwards Ristna, the westernmost tip on Hiiumaa, but had a quick stop at Körgesaare in search for Red-breasted Geese, but no luck. We continued to our pre-booked spacious and luxurious house at Puumetsa, where we quickly unpacked everything and the stuffed our scopes in the car and took off for an evening session at the tip of Ristna. Worthy of mention from our 1 ½ hours visit there were: Arctic Skua (10), Little Gull (2) and Arctic Tern (135).

Three exhausted, but happy birders got to sleep early, dreaming about heavy migration.

Stay tuned for next update on Monday 16th

Productive seawatching from the ferry. Two estonian birders (Uku and his friend), Raul and Janne.

Temporary built wind shield at Ristna. Two finnish professionals and two swedish hardcore birders in the evening.

Relaxing in our spacious living room in the evening, with a nice open fire (outside the pic:)

Estonia soon!

2011-03-14T22:43:00.007+01:00

On 13 to 21st May we will visit the lovely country of Estonia again. However, this time we will concentrate on two hot-spots only: Ristna on 13-17 and Virtsu on 18-21st. As you understand our main focus will be on the magnificent waterfowl migration known as "Arktikan"! We cross our fingers and hope for good weather conditions and favourable winds and, of course, peak days of divers, scoters and long-tailed ducks. We also look forward to meet Finnish and Estonian birding friends again! And we are a happy Swedish trio that have been invited to the Estonian Birding Society annual meeting and dinner on Saturday 14th.

We will do our best to update this blog daily with photos and reports from our hardcore countings. In meantime, please enjoy the photo gallery from last year's trip.

Stay tuned

Ralle, Janne and Nicke

Last morning at Pöösaspea on 22nd

2010-05-22T19:52:00.023+02:00

As the beginning of our Estonian trip started bad with unfavourable winds and fog at Pöösaspea our expectations were high for the last morning. Clear blue sky and moderate winds from southwest and most important, no fog, we had every chance of succeeding. The opening of the morning were rather mediocre, but after an hour flocks of divers and scoters increased. Most flocks of divers passed overhead or a few hundred metres off shore on moderate altitudes. Most enjoyable, but they passed quickly, meaning they were difficult to count and identify properly. We certainly lose some flocks, but what the heck! We were happy for a good morning at Pöösaspea and we were able to compare the site with the other two top sites, Ristna and Virtsu. All three differ concerning the mix and numbers of species as well as topography, angles, light conditions and flight altitudes. All three localities offer a fabulous spectacle of migrating waterfowl/seabirds, which is known as Arktikan. However, the three of us wants to go back to Ristna for a longer period, perhaps next spring.

It was interesting to see the distribution between Arctic and Red-throated Diver. At Virtsu yesterday it was 70% to 30% between the two and today at Pöösaspea the distribution were the opposite.

We took farewell of Arne, the owner of Bergsby Paansionat, and his pretty dog Pecko, who like to have a pee on the tyres of Janne’s car. Then we headed towards Tallinn with a few stops within the Silma Nature Reserve. The boat put out at 18:00. Goodbye Estonia!

Some results from the counting at Pöösaspea (05:00-10:00): Arctic Diver (388), Red-throated Diver (1214), Barnacle Geese (1159), Common Scoter (4310), Velvet Scoter (61), Long-tailed Duck (400) and Greater Scaup (42).

We hope you have enjoyed this travel diary. The trip report will be available here within a couple of weeks and we wish to thank Annika Forsten, Sampsa Cairenius and Antero Topp for vaulable information and sightings provided during our stay! In total we recorded 173 bird species.

Cheers

Niklas, Janne & Ante

The very new board about Pöösaspea.
Niklas cover the overhead angle where lot of divers passed by.
Red-throated Divers.
Red-throated Divers and one Arctic Diver.
The Swedes at Pöösaspea!
Adult Little Gull at Sutlepa Melä.
All photos taken with my non-system camera Olympus SP590UZ.

A nice morning at Virtsu on 21st

2010-05-22T16:10:00.011+02:00

We got up 03:45 full of expectations. Had a simple breakfast and packed our stuff. The weather were good. Clear blue sky and light winds from south. We drove to Virtsu and placed ourselves at the lighthouse. We quickly found out that the waterfowl passage were in full progress. We had a flying start with a flock of 70 Arctic Divers that flew by high up over the strait, then one of 52 followed by a 61-flock. Wow! The morning at Virtsu were just a wonderful show and the light conditions perfect! One could easily imagine how the scene would look like on top day with six digit numbers of ducks and divers.

At 9 am we left Virtsu and headed to a large swamp named Tuhu Matkarada. Not much birds there, but it was so silent and enjoyable just being there. A Black Stork passed by slowly gliding against a deep blue backdrop. An unexpected sighting indeed. We continued northward and visited a few places within the Matsula area. Nothing unusual recorded, besides a singing Greenish Warbler and a male Montagu’s Harrier.

At 4 pm we reached Bergsby Paansionat and we installed ourselves and had a power nap for an hour or so. We skipped Pöösaspea in the evening and had a nice time together discussing the trip and memories from the past. Ante and Janne siping A Le Coq and whisky.

Some results from the counting at Virtsu (05:00-09:00): Arctic Diver (1410), Red-throated Diver (558), Gavia sp (254), Barnacle Geese (2665), Common Scoter (4930), Velvet Scoter (33), Long-tailed Duck (270), Greater Scaup (54) and Arctic Skua (2).

Additional sightings worthy of mention: Golden Oriole (1), Serin (1), Great Reed Warbler (5), Grasshopper Warbler (1), Parrot Crossbill (1), Smew (1), White Stork (many) and Little Gull (4).

All the best

Niklas, Janne & Ante

Early morning at Virtsu. The place for the great spectacle Arktikan.

Ante and Janne scanning the area at Tuhu Matkarada.

View of the svamp at Tuhu Matkarada.

Nesting House Martins at the Keemu birdwatching tower, Matsula.

Part of the large Matsula reserve.

Saaremaa to Virtsu - Thursday 20th

2010-05-21T20:33:00.029+02:00

We had another great breakfast at Loode and had a interesting chat with Valdo about Saaremaa and the place he have built up the last 10 years. Most impressive! Clear blue sky and 10 degrees in early morning. We headed to the northwestern tip Undva pank and when w approached the tip Ante suddenly shouted “Wild Boar!”. Janne smartly stopped the car and soon a Wild Boar crossed the narrow stony road, and then another, and then… a total of six boars! At Undva pank there were , surprisingly, no fog, but unfavourable winds from southeast. A stream of distant flocks of Common/Velvet Scoter/Long-tailed Ducks passed towards northeast. We enjoyed a White-tailed Eagle and a singing Greenish Warbler, before we decided to go straight to Virtsu on the mainland instead. We got back to Loode and packed our things and hit the road. We made a stop at the strait between Saaremaa and Muhu island. Had a cup of coffee and scanned the strait for birds. We arrived to the ferry berth at Kuivasto about 09:30. We had prebooked the 16:30 ferry, but there were no problem to take the 10:00 ferry. Great! On the upper deck we started to scan the strait for passing waterfowls. Janne then shouted “skua” and soon “Pomarine Skua!”. It passed close and suddenly swept down and settled at sea! After a minute it took off and continued to north.

We placed ourselves at Virtsu lighthouse and enjoyed the weather as the migration were mediocre. Instead of going to Bergsbyn (Pöösaspea) as planned, we decided to find accommodation for the night at Virtsu, which was a hard case. In the same time we were stopped by the police who did a radar speed check. Shit! 16 kilometres above speed limit. Bad! However, the policeman were kind and let us go without speeding ticket.

With kind help from Sampsa Cairenius we found a nice place at Pivarootsi on the countryside twenty minutes from Virtsu. We had a tasty dinner at Lihula and coincidentally meet the nice Estonian birder Ukker there! Please visit his blog “Non-motorized Birding 2010 in Estonia”. Then we drove back to our cottage and took a power nap before the evening session at Virtsu lighthouse. Clear blue sky and 26 degrees!

On our return to Pivarootsi in late evening we made several stops listening for warblers such as River, March and Blyth’s, but there were millions of peppery and bloodthirsty mosquitos!

Some results from the countings at Virtsu (11:30-13:00 and18:40-21:40): Barnacle Geese (2250), Common Scoter (4560), Long-tailed Duck (8500), Greater Scaup (359), Velvet Scoter (77) and Arctic Skua (17).

Sightings worthy of mention: Greenish Warbler (2), Golden Oriole (2), Great Reed Warbler (1) och White Stork (3), Little Gull (4) and of course many Icterine Warblers and Rosenfinches.

All the best

Niklas, Janne & Ante

The northwestern tip Undva pank.

Seawatchers at the wrong place. Heat vawe in Estonia.

Janne scanning the sea from the ferry. Virtsu in far background.
The nice place Pivarootsi. Here we saw two overflying Golden Orioles.

Waiting for the evening performance of migrating waterfowl at Virtsu lighthouse.
Typical flock formation of high flying Common Scoters.

Long-tailed Ducks!

Barnacle Geese.

Saaremaa (Ösel) - Wednesday 19th

2010-05-19T21:09:00.016+02:00

We had the best breakfast yet, served by Valdo and Britta at Loode Tourims Farm, where we will stay for two nights. The interior furnishing is very special and in total contrast to our accommodation on Hiiumaa. I prefer Loodes kind of atmosphere!

We drove a few kilometres to Undva nina, the northwestern tip of Tagamöisa peninsula. And of course our follower Mr Fog were there. Clear blue sky above and 14 degrees, but a light fog covering the sea. The weather conditions, heat-wave and winds from an easterly directon is bad for the birdwatching in the long run. However, we see this trip as reconnaissance one for future trips to Estonia, but of course we are a bit disappointed.
We explored several birding sites as well as places with interesting habitat. In the afternoon the temperature reached 26 degrees. Too much when birding, but several stops for ice cream were good alternatives. We went back to Loode at 18:00 and after a refreshing shower we were served a delicious dinner of fish and a tasty desert with coffee.

Sightings worthy of mention: Greenish Warbler (2), Icterine Warbler (8 singing within a little area at Loode Oak Wood Reserve), Collared Flycatcher (1 male), Sandwich Tern (1 at Mulluta Reserve), Rosenfinch (30-40) and of course Chiffchaffs and Cuckoos almost everywhere on every stop.

We pray to the Gods of weather that there will be no fog at Undva nina tomorrow morning!

Niklas, Janne & Ante

Seawatching at Undva nina at dawn, just before the fog appeared.
Migrating Barnacle Geese.
Very nice shore at Murika, which held good number of waders.
Ante and the brand of his favourite Estonian beer.
A lovely Grass snake at Murika.
A beautiful woodland at Loode Oak Wood Reserve.
Beautiful meadows with Cowslips is typical for Saaremaa and western Estonia!
Loode Tourism Farm with silent and lovely surroundings. We rented a room uppstairs. Highly recommended accommodation!
After the tasty dinner of fish we had a nice desert with coffee at Loode.

Day two on Hiiumaa (Dagö)

2010-05-19T12:38:00.007+02:00

We started at the seawatching point at Ristna. Winds from north-east and clear blue sky. Flocks of Common Scoters passing as well as groups of Arctic Divers. The morning was lovely, until seven, then guess what? Yes, the fog arrived from north-east. What unlucky birders are we? However, we relaxed patiently and half an hour later something strange happen. The fog disappear in an angle of northeast to southwest-west, whilst it continued to pass us just north of us in a southwesterly direction all morning. So, we had a very nice morning with flocks of Arctic Divers and a mix of seabirds passing in good light conditions.

We returned to our house at 11 am and took a nap for an hour. Then we cleaned up the house and packed our stuff. We visited Ristna lighthouse, which were more or less embedded in fog. After that we drove eastwards. The fog disappear and the sun shining from a blue sky. The car’s thermometer standing at 23 degrees. We did a quick visit at Kôpu lighthouse, which is located on the highest point in western Estonia. We then drove slowly southwards through a beautiful landscape, with regular stops for birding.

At 18:15 we took the ferry from Sôru to Tiirgi on Saaremaa (Ösel). The crossing took one hour with tailwind. Saaremaa is indeed a large island and our accommodation were located in the northwestern part. We decided to take the “highspeed” main road to Kuressaare, where had a very good dinner and theen we hit the road to Loode, which is located far off road on the countryside. What a lovely place! We arrived at 21:30 and fell into sleep an hour later.

Some counting results: Red-throated Diver (44), Arctic Diver (444), Common Scoter (6850), Long-tailed Duck (420) and Arctic Skua (3).

Our trip list now stands at 161 bird species.

Niklas, Ante & Janne

The westernmost tip Ristna. A perfect place to experience the migration of arctic seabirds.

Common Scoters at Ristna.

Ristna lighthouse slightly embedded in fog.

Kôpu lighthouse, which is locted 102 metres above sea level and is the third oldest lighthouse in the world!

Hindu lighthouse adjacent to Sôru.

Hiiumaa (Dagö) on Monday 17th

2010-05-18T19:00:00.013+02:00

We got up at 03:45 and had a nice breakfast. At five we arrived to the seawatching point at Ristna. Peter Uppstu and Päivi Sirki were already there. At last, a dream came true, standing there on the westernmost tip of Hiiumaa and counting Common Scoters in an endless stream and flocks of divers passing nearly overhead. But our happiness was short as the fog came quickly about seven. What a welcome by the gods of weather! So we turned back to our house and decided to travel around the island to check several birding sites or potential ones. In late morning the fog disappear and the sun was shining from a clear blue sky. It was a nice daytrip, but the numbers of migrates were not as high as expected. However, the nature and landscape was a wonderful experience!

We had dinner at the same place as yesterday, Rannapaargu in Kärdla. Tandoori Chicken and Pork fillet! We rounded up the day with seawatching at Ristna, but there were not much of movements over the sea.

Some counting results: Red-throated Diver (23), Arctic Diver (239), White-billed Diver (1 in excellent light conditions), Common Scoter (5470) and Long-tailed Duck (540).

Our trip list stands at 157 bird species.

Cheers

Niklas, Ante & Janne

Breakfast in the spacious living room of our house at Puumetsa.
Staijare (Peter and Päivi) at Ristna early in the morning.
A sunbathing Common Lizzard.
A nice Black-tailed Godwit at Käina laht.
At Kassari I found a small clump of Bird's-eye Primrose (Majviva in Swedish. Couldn't be more suitable as a Happy Birthday flower to Maj Cronlund).
Hardcore birders in action. Janne taking a power nap in his own personal style.

Sunday 16 May

2010-05-17T13:22:00.009+02:00

Early morning at Pöösaspea, which gave us an unlucky start with a drunk, but happy, Estonian guy hanging around and then came the fog. We finished the countings, which only lasted for an hour, then birded around the northwestern part. At Spithami we heard a singing Greenish Warbler and Red-breasted Flycatcher. Good birds. We travelled through a very nice and old woodland from Spithami to Nova, where found a couple of Hazel Grouse, both seen and heard. Later on we also saw a female Capercaillie along the road.

We received interesting info concerning migrate numbers and sightings by sms from Annika Forsten throughout the morning. For example 32000 Common Scoters towards north at Ristna, counted by Peter Uppstu and Päivi Sirki. We also received a sms from Antero Topp telling us he had found a Kentish Plover at Pogari-Sassi, a third for Estonia.

We headed to the northern part of the large Matsula area at noon. Here we meet Antero and his group of british birders and exchange birding info. We scanned the northern bay from the big tower, but didn’t see anything special, except for several White-tailed Eagles, good numbers of Barnacle Geese, Temminck's Stint, Caspian and Little Terns. We then headed to Pogari-Sassi and checked the Kentish Plover.

At 16:30 we took the ferry from Rohukula to Hiiumaa, where we arrived at 18:00. It had raining heavily and we drove to Kärdla to finding a restaurant. At last we found a very nice one facing the sea. The food were delicious and here we meet the Finnish birders Peter Uppstu and Päivi Sirki and we had a nice chat. We then continued to our prebooked house at Puumametsa, the westernmost tip of Hiiumaa. What a house! Perfect for a hardcore birder trio. Sauna and a bedroom for each one of us!

Stay tuned for sightings from Hiiumaa.

Niklas, Janne & Ante

A silent monument from the Russian occupation at Spithami.

No problem to find yourself in the Nova area ;-)

Our very nice and luxurious house at Puumametsa, located only 10 minutes from the observation point at Ristna (Hiiumaa/Dagö).

2010-05-15T20:32:00.011+02:00

We got up at 02:45 and had a nice breakfast. We drove slowly towards Spithami and made short stops now and then. Besides the usual birds in song we heard a playing Nightjar. We arrived to Pöösaspea at 04:15 and counted the rather mediocre seabird migration until 07:30. A total of 250 Red-throated Divers and a flock of nine overflying Rosefinchs were the profit of the morning.

Then we headed to our cottage and changed clothes as it was clear blue sky and 23 degrees! We drove to Veskijärvi to visit a fire-ravaged woodland. There we had very nice sightings of two Three-toed Woodpeckers, Black Grouses, displaying Wood Larks and Wrynecks. At noon we drove to the Silma Nature Reserve and when we arrived to Sutlepa Melä we received a SMS from Annika Forsten telling us that the first record of Booted Eagle were seen at Harjumaa Nova, which was close to the area we left an hour earlier. That’s life, as a birder. We birded around within the Silma area. Had a tasty dinner in Haapsalu and were back to our cottage at 19:00.

Todays sightings worthy of mention: White-tailed Eagle (3), Slavonian Grebe (1), Smew (4), Pochard (124), Little Gull (40), Great Reed Warbler (10), Savi’s Warbler (4), Grasshopper Warbler, Cuckoo (fairly common), Rosefinch (many). So far we have seen 128 bird species.

Now its time for bed!

Niklas, Ante & Janne

The Swedes at Pöösaspea early in morning.

Soaring Cranes at Saare Lyckholm.

White Storks in their huge nest at Saare Lyckholm.

Janne and Ante checking the beach for shorebirds at Havari.

Part of the very nice foot-bridge through the Sutlepa Melä area.

An easy day of birding

2010-05-14T20:13:00.021+02:00

We arrived to Tallinn at 10 am and we had pool position on the ferry car deck. Clear blue sky and 22 degrees above zero! We left Tallinn behind us and headed towards Haapsalu in the western part. We did short stops now and then for birding. Most of the day we spent birding softly through the large Silma Nature Reserve and ended the day at the north-western tip Pöösaspea. We meet birders here and there, mainly Finnish, but a few Swedish ones too. At the birding site Sutlepa Melä we meet Sampsa Cairenius, which we have been in contact with prior to our arrival. Sightings worthy of mention: White-tailed Eagle (at least 7), Montagu's Harrier (2-3), Red-necked Grebe (5-6 pairs), White Stork (17 in one flock + several on nest), Black Grouse (3), Little Gull (20), Great Reed Warbler (4), Rosefinch (2) and finally one Arctic Skua and thousands of migrating Long-tailed Ducks in the evening at Pöösaspea.

Time for bed and the alarm is set on 02:45. Stay tuned for forthcoming updates!

Niklas, Janne & Ante

The good birdwatching tower at Haapsalu. From here we saw five White-tailed Eagles!

This nice looking bar were unfortunately closed, but...

...Ante found another place in Haapsula that served A. Le Coq Grande (and overflowing Little Gulls:)

The north-western tip Pöösaspea.

Three cool birders at Pöösaspea in the evening.

Janne and Ante in our nice accommodatin at Bergsbyn. Rather exhausted after a day of birding or what?

On the ferry to Tallinn

2010-05-13T19:37:00.002+02:00

At last onboard the ferry to Tallinn. After a nice meatball dinner we had some coffee or latte. Three happy birders full of expectations. From left: Niklas, Ante and Janne.

Estonia Countdown

2010-05-13T00:29:00.001+02:00

On Thursday afternoon it's time for three hardcore birders to enter the ferry from Stockholm to Tallinn. We will try to make daily updates on this travel diary, which will deal with more than birds only. We hope you will enjoy it!