Mike spent a week in early October, experiences the joys of the Baltic states, with great birds and more...
In early October, I was lucky to be invited to join a small group for a short ‘familiarisation trip’ to Estonia and Latvia. Those of you with the longest memories, may recall that I have visited Estonia a couple of times before, including the most recent trip in October of 2022. That trip was with Tarvo Valker (Estonia’s premier birder and bird guide), and was largely a ‘vis mig ‘ trip. Observing autumnal visible migration is superb in Estonia, as millions of birds flee the winter of Fennoscandia, crossing south over the Gulf of Finland branch of the Baltic. And in 2022, you may remember that Tarvo and I counted more Fieldfares in a day than ever before on the Estonian mainland (more than 11,400 at a site called Puise on the west coast).
This October’s trip was unusual (at least for me) in that it was not all about conventional birding and wildlife-watching. For instance (in Latvia) we had a cocktail workshop in Estonia and went on an e-biking trip combined with construction of ‘mocktails’ en route (with the added bonus of fly-over Nutcracker). As a more or less habitual cyclist (in the conventional sense), I was a tad sceptical about electronic assistance. But, I am compelled to say that e-biking is brilliant. The power assist kicks in with the slightest peddling, and it makes touring around very pleasurable and easy!
One evening, we experienced the delights of the rather intense Latvian sauna/massage ritual called Pirts (complete with ‘whisking’ with leafy branches, and use of local herbs and honey… ). While awaiting the final, terrifying-sounding, honey massage session, a few us had a useful distraction as we saw a Raccoon Dog shuffling across the lawn outside (looking like a hybrid between a Badger and a Raccoon); my best ever view of this charismatic mammal which should really be in Asia…
The trip included such foody treats that at times I felt like a food critic or one of the judges on Masterchef the Professionals, or the Estonian/Latvian version of Great British Menu – Great Estonian/Latvian Menu.
White-tailed Eagle, near the Grey Seal rocks, NE Estonia
But birding was also very much on the menu, and included a Grey Seal-watching boat trip off the north coast of Estonia, east of the capital Tallinn. Small flocks of Long-tailed Ducks whizzed by, as did several Red-throated Divers, and the odd Black Guillemot, and alongside the rocks where the seals hauled themselves out to laze around as seals do, a young White-tailed Eagle posed nicely for us on a rock.
Grey Seals, NE Estonia
We also visited a bird-ringing station, with a Heligoland trap heaving with tiny Goldcrests, and I walked out over a vast, peaceful bog where little Black Darter dragonflies were (for a while at least) my only companions on the boardwalk.
One early evening, we visited Matsalu National Park for a boat trip along a sleepy waterway between banks of reed, a little like I would imagine it would be floating along what we call a dyke in the fens. The idea was to power a while upstream, then let the gentle current take us back to the start, looking for European Beavers (and birds) along the way.
Barnacle Geese on the move, Matsalu NP
Engine off we drifted in beautiful peace silence. Silence apart from the chuckles and wheezes of Fieldfares, and the gentle flutter of thrush wings, as we pushed them out of the reeds. Skeins of barking Barnacle Geese and honking Tundra Bean Geese passed overhead. A Bearded Tit pinged from the nearby reeds as a mad full moon rose, and fish (but no definite beavers) broke the calm of the water surface.
The absolute highlight for me, though was a return to the Puise vis-mig watchpoint, once more with my friend Tarvo. We met him outside the Hotel Altmoisa and already birds were on the move overhead. Rounding up birders is hard enough, but there were non-birders in our midst, so there was inevitable faffing – after all they didn’t fully appreciate the activity to come. While we waited for everyone to get ready for the short bus ride down the road, several Ravens seemingly came out of roost, and continuous flocks of Chaffinches and Bramblings passed, while Tarvo’s incredible ears picked out a Hawfinch. A White-tailed Eagle flew just above the hotel. Things were getting exciting.
Tree Sparrows, Puise, Estonia
The Puise watchpoint is the roof of a small hut along the roadside leading into this little village on the spit. There is sea on both sides, and birds naturally funnel along the middle, heading south.
Long-tailed Tit, Puise, Estonia
As I mounted the stairs to the roof, a Wood Lark was just overhead, alongside flocks of Chaffinches and Great Tits. As I found in 2022, Vis mig there is a wonderful experience, with continuous movement of birds that with our British heads on, we don’t expect to be migrating. Birds like Dunnock and Blue Tit, Tree Sparrow and Sparrowhawk. Back in October 2022, we recorded 35 Long-tailed Tits passing Puise. In this region, they are all of the ‘northern’ subspecies, incredibly cute and wholly white-headed. This morning in October this year, we recorded an incredible 580 northern Long-tailed Tits. It seemed the came in an almost constant stream. Often all we could see the disembodied little white heads as the flocks flew along towards us.
Do you remember that incredible and beautiful Sony Bravia TV advert when small coloured, bouncy balls flooded down the slopes of streets of San Francisco to the sound of Heartbeats by Jose Gonzalez? That is what it was like looking at the continuous flow of bouncing white fluff-balls coming down the road. Incredible and beautiful.
Long-tailed Tits, Puise, Estonia