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Estonian Nature Tours local guides
To the right is a list of local tour leaders that accompany you on your tour. All our leaders are expert naturalists. They will be able to show you, and help you to identify, many of the birds, plants and mammals that occur in the region that you are visiting. Please note however, that whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary.
Mati Kose
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I graduated university in Avian Ecology and am a conservationist and active nature and wildlife photographer. I have researched the swallow breeding ecology and coordinated several bird and nature conservation projects for BirdLife Estonia. Currently, I am a researcher at the University of Tartu’s Pärnu College, specializing in research on human and nature relations. A keen birdwatcher since my teenage years—from 1988 primarily in Estonia and additionally in Finland since 1996, when I went to study Animal Ecology and Environmental Science at Helsinki University— I derive inspiration from the rich bird fauna of my home region in southwestern Estonia. Furthermore, the best possible bird identification teachers were readily available to me at our two nearby bird stations. As a behavioral ecologist, I prefer to stay in the background and most enjoy watching birds at their natural, undisturbed activities, especially when illuminated by good light, while busy with some exciting aspect of their life. Often this coincides with sitting, or hiding, behind a long lens and seeking inspirational photographs.
Although not a twitcher or species-ticker, I know how to find birds and I regularly attend bird races "to keep birding fit". Together with a team of my friends, I have collected as many as 191 bird species per 24hours during the race in Estonia. Further, I have worked as bird guide since 2004 and like to share my passion for the Estonian country, nature, birds, culture and lifestyle with our visitors.
Mati Kose leads the following tours (click here ):
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Margus Ellermaa
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I graduated Helsinki University in 2002 as a Philosophy MA. At present, I am a nature protection specialist at Birdlife Finland and coordinator of the Important Bird Area in Finland. Everything that has to do with birds, their protection and monitoring engages my participation. My favourite activities include observing bird migration and counting. Further, I have been involved in nature conservation organisations, as well as in local birding societies. I suppose I consider myself a “sceptical realist”, reliably pursuing my duties and interests notwithstanding setbacks and admiring altruism in others.
Margus Ellermaa leads the following tours (click here ):
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Tiit Randla
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An ornithologist and an honorary member of the Estonian Ornithological Society (EOS), I think of myself as a bird examiner as of 1954, when I first sent my ornitho-fenological map to EOS. Throughout 1960-80, I studied birds in Ussuri, Taimõr and the Russian Arctic archipelago, Franz Josephland and Severnaja Zemlja. My publications include ornitho-faunistical articles; popular scientific books, such as "Narration About the Read-breasted Goose" and "Lively Arctic", have been published about these trips, as well. In Estonia, I have studied birds of prey, especially eagles, have taken part in counting forest and water birds, bird monitoring and protection and taught bird song as a nature guide, as well as how to recognize different types of birds. Previous bird trips have taken me to Sumatra Island and China (Pojeng lake), the Li river, and to the best birdplaces in northwestern Estonia.
Tiit Randla leads the individual clients.
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Uku Paal
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I have been interested in birds almost 15 years, with five years tour leading experience. I speak English, Finnish and Russian. I have dealt with different fields of ornithology, as well as ringing, ring-reading, migration counting, gull watching, doing transects, virtually everything having to do with birds, although rarities play important role in my hobby. I have been a member of the Estonian Birdrarities Committee for more than four years. As birding and tour-leading are my hobbies, I don’t have as much time for birding as I would like. Lately, chasing rarities and photographing have been my priorities, perhaps a bit too often. Maybe wisdom will come with age. However, being amongst the top listers is stressful and exciting at the same time. I have been birding in many different countries, the most memorable being Egypt, Spain and the USA (New York). My favourite birds are Calidris sandpipers and gulls, but I enjoy everything about nature.
Uku Paal leads the following tours (click here ):
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Mikko Virta
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I am from Finland, but I have lived in Estonia for three years. I have been birdwatching for more than twenty years, mostly in Finland. This hobby began in the Oulu area in Finland in the beginning of the 1980’s, when I was ringing golden eagles with my father. I like to watch birds (rare birds, forest and bog birds), migration, etc. My responsiblity at Estonian Nature Tours is organizing birdwatching and natural history tours in Estonia for Finnish groups. During the last couple of years, I have guided birdwatching and natural history tours for foreign groups from Finland, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany.
Mikko Virta leads the following tours (click here ):
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Peeter Vissak
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Autumn, winter, spring and summer deep in the West-Estonian woods; meadows, bushes and reedbeds, close to the edge of the land; amidst frost, icicles and snowdrifts or among the multiplicity of birds, plant species and different ecosystems— these views, subjects and landscapes are usually beyond our immediate first-hand experience. Whether this is our deliberate choice or is driven by comfort and chance, all too few of us find ourselves enjoying this inconvenient, although thrilling side of the world.
I have had the good fortune and privilege to live and work only perhaps a hundred meters from such places where cranes and sea-eagles are frequent visitors when I open the window early in the morning, or where roedeers, foxes and partridges come to the backyard at the waning of the day.
A graduate biologist of the University of Tartu and self-taught photographer, I have been a naturalist for several NGOs, a conservationist at the Puhtu-Laelatu Nature Reserve, Matsalu National Park, a nature and photography tour guide, translator, editor, writer and illustrator. I have earned my living studying western Estonian plant communities, taking care of seminatural heritage landscapes and ecosystems, compiling mangement plans for protected areas, guiding nature tours, giving lectures about nature and photography, selling fine art and stock photography and running small NGOs.
I sell my photographs through agefotostock, Alamy and other agencies. Recently I have also become seriously involved in fine-art photography, exhibitions and books.
My statement? Everyday life is so full of unexpected instances, especially when seeking living creatures or scenes full of colour and light, that I have to be nothing less than a grand opportunist.
Peeter Vissak leads the following tours (click here ):
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Veljo Volke
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I was born in 1965 in Tapa, in the eastern part of Estonia. I graduated Tallinn Technical University as a civil engineer in 1987. Then I went to Tartu University to learn biology and to become a teacher. Biology interested me even more, so I continued my studies in biology and began a new subject—chemistry. From 2001-2004, I worked as a private consultant, after which I worked in Vilsandi National Park as a site manager. Since 2006, I have been a land and planning specialist at the State Nature Conservation Centre.
I have been interested in birds and ornithology since 1984.
My favourite activity is participating in different monitoring schemes (coastal meadow breeding birds and agricultural landscapes, as well as midwinter counts of waterfowl, census of breeding birds on islets, etc.).
My preferred groups of birds and species are raptors, owls, coastal meadow breeding birds, woodpeckers, and others. I coordinate the ring-marking of white-tailed eagles in Estonia and am a member of the Estonian Ornithological Society and Eagle Club.
Other interests include angling, log-building, theatre, poetry and ecology sensu lato.
Veljo Volke leads the individual clients.
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Tarvo Valker
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I was born in 1984 in Haapsalu. I started birding when I was a 9-year old school-boy. At first it was just watching birds. Later, birdwatching and nature photography became a lifestyle – I spend my time in nature as much as possible.
Since 2004, I have been the chairman of the Läänemaa Bird Club. I have written two bird books and I plan to continue publishing my books in the future, as well. I studied Natural Resources Management at the Estonian University of Life Sciences and began my work as a monitoring specialist at the Silma Nature Reserve in 2003. After the reorganisation of the nature conservation system in Estonia, I became a monitoring specialist at the State Nature Conservation Center of the western region. In 2008, I was awarded the Youth Nature Conservationist of the Year Award. Working as a nature conservationist, I realized that nature protection has to do not merely with restrictions. It`s mostly communicating with people and raising their awareness. The more people know, the more they care.
In autumn of 2008, I decided to end my career with the State Nature Conservation Center. Nowadays, I write environmental stories for newspapers and guide birding tours in Estonia. The grand old man of Estonian naturalism, Fred Jüssi, once said, “Never look at nature only with your eyes, but also with your heart; then you see much more.” I hope that the nature trips that I lead or the stories and books that I write will help people to look nature with their hearts.
Tarvo Valker leads the following tours (click here ):
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Remek Meel
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When I was little boy, I spent a good deal of time in Matsalu National Park because my grandmother lived there. She was my first nature teacher. My interest in wetlands and species which are related to such habitats dates from that time. Later, this interest turned into a passion to do surveys and make photos of semi-aquatic mammals.
In 2003, I graduated the Estonian University of Life Sciences, where I studied natural resources management. In the course of my studies, I monitored beaver distribution and population changes at the Alam Pedja Nature Reserve. My passion to photograph and later also to film semi-aquatic mammals deepened during my university years.
In my further career, whether working at science and monitoring, photographing or filming or lecturing on wildlife and setting out study programmes, all my work has been related to semi-aquatic mammals. These animals are very interesting because of their need for two different environments. Therefore, they are more sensitive than mammals living only in water or mammals living only on the ground. The beaver is a mammal that changes its surrounding environment extremely through its vital functions, thus creating suitable habitats for many other species. I think we should be pleased to have such a strong population of beavers in Estonia.
There is nothing better than spending an evening with beavers and focusing on the world of this mysterious mammal which lives half of its time in water and the other half on ground. This is real therapy!
Remek Meel leads the following tours (click here ):
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Uudo Timm
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I graduated as a zoologist-ecologist from the University of Tartu. My scientific speciality is the ecology of mammals, mostly of small mammals and after graduating I worked at Tallinn Zoo studying the mammals there for many years. From 1993-2000 I was very involved in the realization of the CITES convention. For the last 15 years I have been working in nature conservation. Beyond my main occupation I have had a particular interest in Flying Squirrels for the last 20 years and have researching their ecology and protection plus monitoring their spread and distribution.
I spend all my spare time enjoying being with nature and I am extremely interested in all the wildlife of an area and how the different species interact. I like to follow every process involved in these interactions. My principal aim in life is to teach children and adults to notice nature and keep it unspoiled. |
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