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Birdwatching in Estonia
Programmes can be viewed when clicking the name of tour and then choosing Tour dossier from the right menu. Discount does not apply to earlier booked trips and Tailor-made holidays.
We would be happy to give you more information or offer an extra tour whenever you find a suitable time. Put together your group and book your dream tour as soon as possible! Group leader can get a discount of 40%.
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| Three-toed woodpecker / Mati Kose |
Although not widely discovered yet, Estonia is ideal country for observing one of the most spectacular natural shows – massive bird migration. This smallest and northernmost Baltic country lies on the crossroad of the Eastern Atlantic migratory flyway: Estonia is locked between the Finnish Gulf, eastern coast of Baltic Sea and Lake Peipsi near the Russian border. In this respect, geographically the Estonian waters and coastline are the natural stepping-stones, the most natural flyway between breeding and wintering areas for millions of Arctic waterbirds, making birdwatching in Estonia fabulous at this time of year. But it is not just about non-stop passage: the country’s long and indented coastline, shallow and sheltered bays, straits, coastal meadows, marshes, lagoons and over 1000 islands in good natural condition are crucial feeding and stopover sites.
And this is not all - the long outstretching peninsulas, spits and narrow straits in coastal sceneries offer not only plenty of good sea-watching opportunities, but also concentrate large numbers of landbirds before their take-off and crossing of the sea.
Spring birdwatching in Estonia begins in late March when woodpeckers start their drumming, Capercaillies become very active under the old pine forests at dusk and all the swamps and bogs resound with Black Grouses at sunrise. Steller´s Eider is easily observed in their wintering grounds and when it gets dark you can hear the calls of owls in the forest and observe Woodcocks flying above you. On shallow bays, their traditional feeding sites, there are thousands of Whooper and Bewick’s Swans and different duck species, on the fields gather tens of thousands of geese.
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| Steller´s Eider / Jari Peltomäki |
During the migration season, the crowds of southward-rushing birds, can be seen in incredible numbers: several hundreds of thousands of waterfowl or passerine migrants can be seen passing per day at the best sites at the peak season. As many as one million of waterfowl and nearly three-quarters of passerines are observed per day as top figures. In total, over 50 million of waterbirds are estimated to pass the Estonian coast and marine territories annually. The last week of September is the best time to explore this exiting performance, as this is the peak time of migration of both water- and landbirds, combined with the most vibrant autumn colours.
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| Common Cranes / Arne Ader |
New! Tour packages for individual travellers.
We are happy to present a new opportunity for individuals to visit Western Estonia with our help. We have the expertise to discuss your requirements and arrange suitable accommodation and a rental car for your itinerary. Pickup of rental car is available on arrival at Tallinn (or Riga) Airport Hertz office. In the vehicle there is a general information and map of Estonia, rules of protected species and areas, brochures of Western Estonia nature reserves and directions how to find overnight places confirmed and paid for beforehand. Rental car return will be specified at the time of pickup. We can also provide expert advice from a local birdguide on searching for rare species, and this is available on request. Read more...
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| Birdwatchers at Cape Põõsaspea / Mikko Virta |
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