Trip with DOF-Travel

We had a good birding with DOF-Travel on 14-21.06.2008
The main guides were Rein and Andres Kuresoo, Triin accompanied the journey as an apprentice. A tour to Tartu area, Western Estonia and Saaremaa island produced 160 species of birds – not at all a bad result for a summer trip. Although the focus was on birds, we also took a look on orchids.



It belongs to our concept of good birding trip – looking for something else (plants, bugs or mammals) or just outdoor cooking in a good habitat makes you forget that you are waiting for some bird. Tuning the patience that way pays usually off and you can also see more birds. The Ladyslippers were already gone over, but most of the orchids had their best appearance just now.


Insect Orchid, Üügu cliff


Pyramidal Orchid



Funny:

In Viidumäe nature reserve Rein suddenly stopped and started to mimic a Pygmy Owl's whistling. After a while the owl seemed to respond. Stepping closer we realized that it was just a squeaking of a tree. “I wish I had my keybook of the sounds of European trees with me,” told Rein and stepped further. DOF tour leader John Speich was about 100 meters behind us. When he reached the place, he and the rest of the group heard both the tree and the Pygmy Owl.
What was that? A solitary male wasting the season for a weird squeaking tree? Breeding Pygmy Owls keep usually very low profile in May/June and do respond rarely, only the “bachelors” would still advertise their territories at that time.



Hits:
Lekking Great Snipes
Citrine Wagtails
Greenish Warblers
White-backed Woodpeckers
Lesser Spotted Eagle
Black Stork
Hoopoe


Missed:
This time we missed Blyth’s Reed Warbler – not a rare bird in Estonia. Some good habitats from previous years were destroyed with trimmer and abandoned properties overgrown with bushes and nettles tend to get more and more rare. As a night singer, this warbler can remain stubbornly silent in daytime and we stayed stubbornly in beds all nights on the other hand.
Collared Flycatcher. Altough a territorial male was reported to be present at the park at Kuressaare Castle, the bird was not at home.

See the trip report - thanks to John Speich!


22.06.2008
Rein, Triin

Birding with Réal and Carolle

On 08.-15.05 we were individual guides for Réal Bisson and Carolle Mathieu from Canada. Triin brought Réal into some good birding sites around the capital while Carolle was having a conference in Tallinn. When it ended, we continued trip together.

Our timing was perfect - we witnessed one of the great spectacles of Estonian nature – the great lift-off of migrating arctic waterfowl. The peak arrived at May 11th —
suddenly the bubbling sound of the Black Grouse lek in Marimetsa bog was poured over with a waterfall of honking noises of the flocks of Barnacle Geese. During the day we saw about hundred thousands Barnacle Geese flying NE followed by millions of Long-Tailed Ducks and Velvet and Black Scoters later in the evening and night.

Good Luck:

• A pair of Red-Crested Pochards swimming just behind the windows of the restaurant of Hotel “Promenaadi” in Haapsalu

• Although Réal had Red-Breasted Goose in his wish list I had told him to forget about this species, because I had seen one bird already in the season (I have never had twice a luck with a lottery-ticket and most of the geese flocks had left the country anyway!). Yet we discovered five Red Breasted Geese in a huge flock of Barnacle Geese at Põgari coastal meadow.
  

• Greater Spotted Eagle spotted side by side with Lesser Spotted Eagle at Aardla polder near Tartu offered a good comparison of the size and plumage of these close species.
  

•  We found a nest of White-Backed Woodpeckers and saw very well both adults.
  
  

• A pair of White Egrets was seen at Emajõgi River. This pair had a first recorded breeding attempt in Estonia this summer.
  

Bad Luck:

• Capercaillie was a priority species for Real. The lek is over in Mid-May and the best way to see the birds is to drive the gravel roads in good Capercaillie habitat. This time we drove hundreds of kilometres to see one bird just about 700 meters ahead in front of another car.
  

• Justified hope to see and hear Barred Warbler became a desperate search on May 13th, when we had to leave its typical habitats in W.-Estonian juniper stands. Probably it was just a couple of days too early for this species.

All in all the group identified 173 species
An art list from the trip (link)

Rein, Triin

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