First of January, when normal people are sleeping out their hangover, keen birdwatchers are sneaking out with first light. A new yearly list to keep has opened. We tick our first Great Tit for a year with a sense of accomplishment. We do not bother to look at them for the next 364 days.
I hoped to start a year with something more elusive and headed out well before sunrise. My destination was Alam-Pedja Nature Reserve. With over 34 000 ha of bogs, forests and river meadows it is one of the largest wilderness areas in Estonia. I was aiming to find an Ural Owl in that expanse, to start off my bird list with style.
Rest of the story continues here.
I hoped to start a year with something more elusive and headed out well before sunrise. My destination was Alam-Pedja Nature Reserve. With over 34 000 ha of bogs, forests and river meadows it is one of the largest wilderness areas in Estonia. I was aiming to find an Ural Owl in that expanse, to start off my bird list with style.
Rest of the story continues here.