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Estonia
Arctic migration in the Baltic

Saturday 25 April - Saturday 2 May 2009 (8 days)

Few places in Europe can match the excitement of watching Estonia's amazing wildlife. In late April and early May, birds - especially wildfowl and waders - pass through this tiny country in their millions, pausing to feed and rest here before pushing on northwards to the tundra and forests of Lapland.

Our visit is timed to coincide with massed flights of Common and Velvet Scoters, Long-tailed Ducks, Red-throated and Black-throated Divers, and skeins of Barnacle, Bean and White-fronted Geese (with the occasional Lesser White-front) migrating up the Baltic Sea. We will also enjoy Black Storks and woodpeckers in Estonia's ancient forests, 'lekking' Great Snipe and Black Grouse, and magnificent Elk (or Moose) in the marshes.

In spring, the vast flocks of wildfowl include handsome Smew, and this natural bounty attracts predators such as White-tailed, Lesser Spotted and Golden Eagles. We'll watch for Caspian Tern, Lesser Spotted and White-backed Woodpeckers, Citrine Wagtail and possibly Grasshopper and Savi's Warblers, Thrush Nightingale and Brambling, while mammals of note include Mountain Hare, Red Squirrel and, with luck, European Beaver.

It is not just this superb mix of wildlife which makes this such a brilliant trip. Time has stood still in Estonia, a country still caught in a wonderful time warp, where the farms are rustic and agricultural techniques favour birds and man. The country is beautiful, mainly rural with pretty landscapes and rustic buildings (a little like Old England between the wars).

The accommodation is good throughout with wholesome meals and friendly staff. Roads are good and distances small giving lots of time for experiencing the wildlife.

We start our tour at one of Europe's most important wetlands - Matsalu Bay. This huge, shallow bay on the Baltic coast has more than 300,000 ducks, geese and Cranes passing through each spring, and attendant raptors including White-tailed Eagle. The surrounding freshwater marshes hold an excellent variety of breeding birds, with waders and reedbed species.

Our second venue - not far away to the south - is a very different area of peat bog and forest, with a remarkable combination of northern and eastern species that include owls, woodpeckers and grouse. Finally we head inland to Tartu, close to the Russian border, where marshland birds include breeding Great Snipe - which we hope to watch as they display at dusk, a wonderful experience and regarded by some tour participants as the best Great Snipe lek in Europe.

Price: £ 1,645
Single supp.: £ 145
Deposit: £ 300 per person

The price is per person and includes scheduled return flights London-Tallinn, airport taxes, accommodation, all meals, incidental tips, transport and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, optional tips to the local driver & guides, drinks, and other personal expenses.

For an ex-flight cost (starting and finishing the tour in Tallinn) please deduct £235 from the tour cost

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

Leaders: Tim Earl and Antero Topp

Red-Breasted Goose, Capercaillie and Hazel Grouse, Pygmy Owls mating, leks of multicoloured Ruffs, and a Ural Owl which wanted to join our group were just some of the special moments on our last two tours! This will be Tim Earl's sixth visit to Estonia, where he'll be assisted once again by Antero Topp from our good friends at Finnature.

Please note that pre-breakfast outings are necessary to witness the wildfowl migration and lekking Black Grouse. These are optional but we usually find few people want to miss out.

Itinerary
Days 1 - 3
We take a scheduled flight from London to Tallinn via Helsinki (Finland), and meet our Finnish guide at the airport, before travelling to Haapsalu (Estonia). The journey there is open through farmland and we should see our first Common Cranes and White Storks along the way.

Next morning we will spend some time watching birds in Haapsalu Bay, with Goosander and Smew present in immaculate breeding plumage. We then head north to a marshland where Bitterns boom and White-tailed Eagles sometimes join the local Marsh Harriers.

Matsalu Bay, on Estonia's west coast, is one of Europe's great wetlands, a vast shallow bay no more than four metres deep anywhere. Here we will be greeted with the sight of masses of Whooper and Bewick's Swans, Barnacle, Bean and White-fronted Geese and huge flocks of ducks, together with Common Cranes, waders and newly arriving terns. Several pairs of White-tailed Eagle patrol the area and we hope to see one or two.

The fantastic variety of habitats in the area include reedbeds, flooded meadows and scattered islands. Behind the coastal meadows are deciduous and mixed forests. Here we will travel out in the early morning and late evening in search of roding Woodcock and grouse - Capercaillie, Black and Hazel Grouse - along with ghost-like Elk (or Moose if you know it better by its North American name). The conifers also hold Parrot Crossbill and Nutcracker (although we should hear them, these can be difficult to see in spring), while raptors include the powerful Goshawk.

One morning we will drive out to the Spithami promontory, an excellent watchpoint. Migrants passing through at this time can include thousands of Barnacle Geese, Whooper and Bewick's Swans, Red-throated and Black-throated Divers, Velvet and Common Scoters and Smew, along with Common, Arctic and possibly Caspian Terns, and immaculate Red-necked, Slavonian and Black-necked Grebes. The sight of hundreds of Long-tailed Duck on the sea on our last visit was unforgettable.
Three nights Haapsalu

Days 4 - 5
We drive south via Pärnu to Häärdemeeste, where we stay for two nights amid the superb ancient forests of the area. From here we'll visit the Soomaa Reserve and Nigula Bog.

In the forests we will look for Black Stork, Hawfinch and woodpeckers such as Three-toed, Lesser Spotted and the declining White-backed. Raptors are excellent and should include Lesser Spotted Eagle and Rough-legged Buzzard. Evenings provide an opportunity to look for the local owls: Tengmalm's, Ural and Pygmy Owl all occur here. An early morning visit may reveal Capercaillie, while the ever-elusive Hazel Grouse can also be found in the forests and mammals could include European Beaver and various deer.

The forest is also home to some breeding waders - including Green Sandpiper and tree-perching Common Snipe. Handsome Black-tailed Godwits and a few pairs of Common Crane breed in the nearby marshland, and Elk browse along the edges.

Kabli Bird Station is one of the migration watchpoints here, and we shall be visiting at a time when migrating birds should be streaming through. The coast will reveal yet more sea-duck and geese, and may hold Little and Caspian Terns, as well as large numbers of graceful Little Gulls. Bittern nest in the nearby freshwater marshes, and these are also the haunt of Savi's and Great Reed Warblers and other reedbed species.
Two nights Häärdemeeste

Days 6 - 7
Today we head inland to Tartu, close to the Russian border, where the riverside marshes hold a fine array of breeding species. Great Snipe is the star bird here and we hope to go out one evening to see these remarkable birds calling and leaping in display at the lek. Other evening species include Woodcock and possible Long-eared Owl. In early May, the likes of Grasshopper, Savi's and Icterine Warblers, Pied Flycatcher, Thrush Nightingale, Redstart and other migrants should be arriving daily, to make up a varied supporting cast and help round off our holiday in style.
Two nights Tartu

Day 8
We travel back to Tallinn airport for our afternoon flight home.

Accommodation: Good quality hotels with all rooms en suite.

Numbers: Max. 12 clients