This tour is specifically designed as a short break to see the wintering flocks of Steller’s Eiders that congregate off the Estonian island of Saaremaa. Numbers vary each winter but generally you can expect a minimum of 300 birds and as many as 1,000 birds. Of course, during the winter months the diversity of species will be low but the quality of species is excellent. We should see a good selection of other seaduck, White-tailed Eagles and a good chance of Eurasian Pygmy Owl. We also spend a night on the mainland near Soomaa NP where we will search for Capercaillie and Hazel Grouse as well as woodpeckers and with luck, the hugely impressive Ural Owl!

Steller´s Eiders at Saaremaa island. Photo taken by tour leader Tarvo Valker  during the same tour in 2019. 

Hazel Hen near Haapsalu. Photo taken by tour leader Tarvo Valker during the same tour in 2019. 

Spotted Nutcracker near Haapsalu. Photo taken by tour leader Tarvo Valker during the same tour in 2019.

SPRING MIGRATION AND FOREST BIRDS!  

This tour is the perfect choice if you want to witness great visible migration in combination with seeing some of  your target forest birds! After the arrival to Tallinn we will head to Hiiumaa island to witness some of the Europe´s best spring migration! Our mornings will be filled with stunning seawatching with tens of thousands of Common Scoters and Long-tailed Ducks passsing the point mixed with many less numerous seaducks, divers and grebes. With good luck we might even encounter last flocks of the Steller´s Eiders or an annual vagrant – Yellow-billed Diver! During the day we will check wonderful meadows which hold good numbers of passing migrants, such as Red-backed Shrikes, Whinchats and Wrynecks.
After two evening and morning birding sessions at Hiiumaa island we will be heading to the mainland to look for the breeding Grouse, Woodpeckers and Owls to have a taste of the Estonian woodland birds.

Expected highlights: thousands of Long-tailed Ducks, hundreds of Velvet Scoters, Grey-headed, White-backed, Black and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Hazel Hen, Black Grouse, Ural Owl, Pygmy Owl, Hen Harrier, thousands of Common Cranes, tens of thousands of migrating passerines, Nutcracker. 

This tour gives you the chance to witness the spectacular bird migration taking place in autumn in West-Estonia. We take you to some of the best places in Europe for seaduck and passerine migration. During the peak days up to half a million Chaffinches, tens of thousands of Siskins or continuous chains of Long-tailed Ducks pass through the observation points in West-Estonia..

On this tour we will use two accommodations - 2 nights at the small Kihnu island and 3 nights at the Matsalu National Park. We will visit different migration bottlenecks each morning. This allows us to enjoy the migration of seaduck, raptors as well as tiny passerines. We will also have very good chance to find some forest specialities, such as Pygmy and Ural Owl, Hazel Hen, White-backed, Black and Grey-headed Woodpecker and Nutcracker. Our evenings will be spent witnessing the amazing roosting flights of the thousands of Common Cranes. The same areas are also perfect for encountering the impressive Moose. There is always a good chance of seeing tracks and signs of Estonia’s more elusive top predators such as Lynx, Bear and Wolf, or if you are extremely lucky, actually see them!