East is Eesti: Estonia April 2011 (1 Viewer)

This is a short trip report for a visit I made to Estonia in April. I spent most of the time in Tartu, where I was attending a conference, but spent the final five days travelling through the coastal regions of the country. For this I was joined by BF's Arbu. Whilst in Tartu I had two days of guided birding in the local area with Rein Kuresoo of NaTourEst. This helped a lot with seeing some of the more challenging species.

Itinerary:

31st March Arrive Tallinn, overnight in Tallinn
1st April Bus to Tartu, birding in Tartu
2nd-3rd April Birding with Rein, Tartu area
4th-8th April Tartu for conference, night of 8th in Viljandi
9th April Nigula, Audru, Saaremaa, night in Kuressaare
10th April Undva, Saare, night in Kuressaare
11th April Matsalu, Tuhu Soo, night at Alkagilla
12th April Matsalu, Haapsalu, Sutlepa Meri, Leidissoo, night in Haapsalu
13th April Drive to Tallinn for return flight

Weather:

Estonia had just endured a very hard winter and when I arrived there was still thick snow everywhere and the sea in Tallinn was frozen. The snow started to melt soon after my arrival and the first few days were often quite pleasant, with sunshine and temperatures getting into double figures. During the latter part of the trip the weather was less good, with temperatures not much above freezing and some wet and windy weather. This hampered birding a bit and probably slowed migration down. By the end of the trip the country seemed to have mostly thawed and almost all the snow had disappeared. Most lakes and some coastal bays were still largely frozen though.

Let us know what you saw when you get a chance...

1st April

I had a wander around the northern part of Tartu near the Ema River. The highlight was the only Grey-headed Woodpecker of the trip, which showed well in a line of poplars just next to the cross-country skiing course. A brief Goshawk was also good to see. Not too many other birds were about, and it was noticeable how few passerines there were. The milder weather over subsequent days changed that situation noticeably.

2nd April

Rein picked me up before dawn and we headed out to Alam Pedja. After driving some of the forest tracks for a while we had wonderful views of a female Capercaillie, which flew up from the track to perch in a tree. Eventually we found our way to the end of the track in this large ‘wilderness’ area and got out for a walk through the forest and along the Ema River. The trees near where we parked seemed to be a popular drumming spot for woodpeckers and I had views of a couple each of Lesser-spotted Woodpecker and White-backed Woodpecker. The latter is a fairly common bird in Estonia and was seen regularly through the trip.

Walking on through the forest I had fine views of a couple of caudatus Long-tailed Tits, which have a distinctive call as well as pure white heads. Soon after, I saw a large oval shape in a birch tree overhanging the track. I was amazed to see it was a Ural Owl, which looked nonchalantly at us before floating into the forest and reappearing on the other side of a small clearing. This was the sort of stuff I’d come for – absolutely beautiful birds. Also in the area were a young White-tailed Eagle and some calling Cranes.

We carried on to Karavere, which is mostly known as a site for seeing Great Snipe. It was too frozen and too early for them to be in the meadows but we had a look around the nearby forests. The highlight was a pair of inquisitive Nutcrackers, which came to check us out for a minute or so. White-backed Woodpecker was again heard.

By the afternoon the weather was fine and sunny. We headed to an area of forest near Lake Peipsi, just east of the village of Vonnu. I had some distant views of a soaring White-tailed Eagle and heard a few Crested Tits. Eventually we stopped at an area of protected forest that was good for woodpeckers. It didn’t take too long for the hoped for species to appear. First of all a female Three-toed Woodpecker showed quite well before being joined by a male. I spent the best part of an hour watching them as they moved from tree to tree, quietly working away at the bark. Black Woodpecker was seen in flight in the same area and a White-backed Woodpecker gave distant views in another part of the forest.

A more difficult bird to find was Pygmy Owl, which should have been common in the area but, despite ‘encouragement’, none could be heard. Rein wondered if owl numbers were low after the hard winter. Fortunately, on the way back to Tartu at dusk we stopped by the side of the road and soon had a response. Eventually an indignant Pygmy Owl appeared in a tree above our heads and tooted away. Views were silhouetted but close. I never cease to be amazed by how tiny Pygmy Owls (of any species) are.

Below:
1. An enigmatic shot of Ural Owl
2&3. Three-toed Woodpecker
4. Pygmy Owl calling

3rd April

The following morning was cloudy, misty and a bit cool. Rein reckoned that the forest tracks we’d been along yesterday would be much harder to drive today because of the thaw, so we spent most of the time in more easily accessible areas. We began in some forest near Elva to the southwest of Tartu. Here we had more views of a pair of Nutcrackers, which came in very close and posed for photos. We continued on to the southern end of the large lake Vortsjarv in the hope there would be some free water. Unfortunately it was still frozen solid and not much was around aside from a few Taiga Bean Geese flying over. The roadsides and fields in this area were absolutely strewn with passerines though, which had obviously come in overnight. Hundreds of Chaffinches, buntings, Skylarks, Lapwings, White Wagtails and thrushes were crammed into every available patch of bare ground. A White Stork had arrived back at its rooftop nest and looked quite incongruous in the snowy landscape. The northern end of Vortsjarv had some open water where there were small numbers of Mallard and Goldeneye. Rein picked out a migrating Woodlark calling as it flew over.

In the afternoon the sun came out and we headed to the very beautiful forests at Taevaskoja. I had good views of a Black-bellied Dipper on the fast flowing stream and a few parties of Cranes went over. A Black Woodpecker was seen briefly in the forest, but it was all still rather quiet with no owls calling at all, despite a lot of effort to find them.

1&2. Nutcracker
3. White Stork
4. Black-bellied Dipper

A few snowy landscapes from Vortsjarv and Taevaskoja.

4th-7th April

I didn’t do too much birding during the conference but saw a roadside Great Grey Shrike, Crane and White Stork on a field trip and had an enjoyable few hours looking for woodpeckers in Tartu. Rein had tipped me off to look for Middle-spotted Woodpecker (scarce in Estonia) at the large wooded cemetery on the eastern side of the river. After half-an-hour or so I had good views of one, and heard another bird calling. I also had another look at the area where I’d seen Grey-headed Woodpecker. I didn’t see that species but did see both Lesser-spotted and White-backed Woodpecker there.

Below: a stupendously large snowman from the village of Palamuse north of Tartu.

8th April

I picked up the hire car from the bus station in Tartu and drove over to Viljandi late in the afternoon to meet up with Robert. On the way I stopped at the northern end of Vortsjarv, where there was a bit more open water than there had been earlier in the week. Several Goosander, Pintail and three Smew were gathered. A Green Sandpiper was feeding in the nearby flooded fields.


9th April

After meeting with Robert at our hotel (the Endla) in Viljandi, we headed out west the following morning. We stopped briefly to enjoy yet more flight views of Black Woodpecker before heading south towards Nigula. This is a large area of forest and bogs that holds many sought after species. We had good views of various Cranes in fields and small parties of Bean and White-fronted Goose were seen flying over.

At Nigula I soon scored with one of my arch bogie birds, when a splendid Rough-legged Buzzard sailed northwards over the forest. A gorgeous pale hawk and my first ever anywhere. Really. It was one of several migrating raptors that we saw in various places during the day. The boardwalk out over the bog was still partly frozen but we made our way to the first observation tower. From here we had distant views of a male Black Grouse, which could only be separated from the similar looking ‘tree stump’ when it started to move. A few Golden Plovers cavorted over the bog. We had excellent and prolonged views of a White-backed Woodpecker near the start of the boardwalk. As we drove around to the south of Nigula near the Latvian border a migrating Lesser-spotted Eagle drifted purposefully northward.

After we passed through Parnu we stopped at the coastal marshes of Audru. Various geese were in the fields here, mostly White-fronted Goose, but also Barnacle, Taiga Bean and Canada. Lots of Cranes were in the fields between here and Virtsu. Plenty was seen from the ferry over to Muhu and Saaremaa, particularly sea duck such as Common and Velvet Scoter, Eider, Long-tailed Duck, Goldeneye, Goosander and Scaup. Most of these species were seen in very large numbers along the coast over the remainder of the trip.

Arriving in Saaremaa, we briefly bumped into Rein as we stopped to watch a group Bewick’s Swans in a small roadside wetland. In Kuressaare Bay there were plenty of seaduck and Whooper Swans and a flock of Waxwings whizzed overhead.

Photos:
1. Cranes
2&3. White-backed Woodpecker

10th April

This day was sunny but very windy, with a really strong northerly that made birding pretty tricky. I began by having a quick look on the bay near to our B&B (the very pleasant Nooruse). Plenty of seaduck, including some Smew, were scattered over the water.

After breakfast we headed up to Undva to look for the famed Steller’s Eiders. This was successful, but also a bit disappointing. After looking fairly carefully around the headland we drew a complete blank but eventually found a single male in the bay to the west of Undva. This gave some reasonable views but we never found the flock of a hundreds that others have seen. We either somehow managed to miss the precise spot where they were hiding or the wind had moved them around to somewhere more remote. So kind of good but not a total success. Other birds in the area were another Rough-legged Buzzard, two White-tailed Eagles, a Great Grey Shrike, a Black Redstart and lots of seaduck. A few flocks of Cranes and Whooper Swans were seen in various places around the island.

In the afternoon we headed to Sorve at the tip of the Saare peninsula. This place exudes rareness and is a famed migration watchpoint. Not too much was struggling into the wind while we were there but a nice party of Snow Buntings were hugging the shingle spit at the end of the peninsula. The rest of the afternoon was spent looking at various bays around the coast. The best bird was a Red-necked Grebe at Montu. The evening was spent at Viidu looking, entirely unsuccessfully, for Pygmy Owls. The wind probably wasn’t doing us any favours.

Photos: Whooper Swans and a Long-tailed Duck from Saaremaa.

11th April

We were greeted by snowfall in the morning and this was the worst day of the trip for weather: cold, grey and wet most of the time. We drove through sleet and rain to the ferry and crossed back to the mainland. The ice on the sea had been blown up into the harbour the previous day, which was both spectacular and slightly destructive! 250 Scaup were on the sea. Then we continued the short distance to Alkagilla on the southern side of Matsalu, the famous Estonian wetland.

We spent the afternoon looking around the bay, which was mostly still frozen. The tower at Keemu produced a few Whooper Swans and up to thirteen White-tailed Eagles. Around fifty Waxwings were watched drinking in some flooded forest. We then headed to Penijoe and the tower at Kloostri. Here there were lots of ducks, some Bewick's Swans, a few White-fronted Geese and some Common Redpolls.

Late in the day we visited Tuhu Soo, a large bog to the south of Matsalu. It was again almost totally frozen but we had very good views of a Great Grey Shrike there.

Photos: Scaup and ice at Kuivastu

12th April

The weather was slightly better for my last full day in Estonia. A young male Merlin was seen by the roadside near Massu. We stopped at Rannajoe tower, where there were good numbers of geese, before heading to the tower at Haeska. Some Dunlin were on the saltmarsh, possibly local breeding birds. Then we stopped at Kalakula where there were more seaduck. The best area was Puise, at the tip of the peninsula. A small group of Snow Buntings were here and a Woodcock was seen quite well on the ground for a few seconds. The tower at Jugassaare gave great views of a couple of soaring White-tailed Eagles and some Tundra Bean Geese.

We then checked into our hotel in Haapsalu (the Promenaadi). This is a really good place for birding, with lots of duck and White-tailed Eagle visible from most rooms. Sutlepa Meri was our next port of call. This is a large area of lake and reedbed. A few clear areas of water had begun to emerge, which held various duck including some Smew. Bittern were booming in the reedbeds and fifteen White-tailed Eagle were gathered on the ice.

We continued north to Leidissoo, where we looked around the forest areas to the north of the large bog. A Green Sandpiper was seen displaying overhead and six or seven Black Grouse were seen along the edge of one of the trails. Again, the owls weren’t playing ball.

13th April

Before heading to the airport I had a last check on the bay at Haapsalu. An impressive 98 Smew were counted and two Avocets flew over the bay. On the journey up to Tallinn, two female Capercaillie flew up from the side of the main road.

Photos:
1. Cranes at Matsalu
2. White-tailed Eagle at Puise
3. Puise
4. Haapsalu Bay
5. Haapsalu Castle

So, that was Estonia. A very pleasant country and one that I should like to return to. I'm left with memories of five splendid lifers (Ural Owl, Pygmy Owl, Three-toed Woodpecker, Rough-legged Buzzard and Steller's Eider), scads of seaduck and White-tailed Eagles, some beautiful countryside and very nice people. I saw 123 species over the whole trip. I suppose if you went a month later you might get fifty or so more than that, but a month earlier and there'd probably have been fifty or so fewer. There was sometimes a feeling on the coast of 'this is good but I bet it'll be great in a few weeks time', but that was made up for by the owls and woodpeckers earlier in the trip.

Thanks to Arbu and to Rein for their help and companionship on the trip.

A great read Andrew, and some cracking shots too. Interesting to compare your findings with my own- we left later in April. Certainly a place I would love to explore some more. Like yourself; Stellers, Three-toed and Ural were lifers and just great birds to see! We missed Pygmy and Nutcracker, but managed a few more we didn't expect! That is the beauty of birding, wherever you go- you always want to see that bit more, and that is what keeps you in the field!
Cheers,
Jim.

Nice work!

A nice report Andrew. The pic of the Ural Owl is very atmospheric.

Cheers
Mike

sounds like a great trip

Hi Andrew,

After renewing my status in Bird Forum it is nice to find your report here. I have to add that owls really suffered last winter and are still rare. In Viidumäe, where I had sometimes heard three Pygmy Owls simultaneousy there were none this spring. Also for some reason the woodpeckers were very hard to find in Western Estonia, altough around Tartu there seemed to be no problem.

Rein

reinkuresoo said:

Hi Andrew,

After renewing my status in Bird Forum it is nice to find your report here. I have to add that owls really suffered last winter and are still rare. In Viidumäe, where I had sometimes heard three Pygmy Owls simultaneousy there were none this spring. Also for some reason the woodpeckers were very hard to find in Western Estonia, altough around Tartu there seemed to be no problem.

Rein

Click to expand...

Nice to hear from you Rein. Sorry to hear the owls have been doing poorly - I hope they recover. I also hope I'm able to get back to Estonia some time soon!