Avian Adventures in Peru - 3

After our unscheduled night in Moyobamba, we went for breakfast at Waqanki Lodge, just a 15-minute drive away to the south of the town.  We had planned a two-night stay here but now we made arrangements to extend that to three.  This would put us back in line with our original itinerary, which had been disrupted by the protesting rice growers.

Birding around the grounds of the lodge we soon found ourselves facing another set of hummingbirds to be identified.  On this occasion they were coming to flowers rather than feeders.  One of them at least was distinctive, the diminutive Rufous-crested Coquette, but also seen were Violet-headed Hummingbird, White-chinned Sapphire, Sapphire-spangled & Blue-tailed Emeralds and Amethyst Woodstar that, when all arriving together, provided more of a challenge.  Great Kiskadees were noisy as always, a Blue-headed Parrot and several Cobalt-winged Parakeets flew over, a Dull-colored Grassquit lived up to its name.  During breakfast, a Purple-throated Euphonia, a Black-bellied Tanager and a Palm Tanager came to a nearby feeder.

 Rufous-crested Coquette

Rufous-crested Coquette

Violet-headed Hummingbird

There followed a walk into the forest along a trail that was at times quite steep. We began by differentiating between Crested & Russet-backed Oropendolas, we had great close-up views of a Sooty-headed Tyrannulet and we saw what is said to be world’s smallest passerine bird species, a Short-tailed Pygmy Tyrant. The last of these measures only 6.5 cm and on average weighs only 4.2 g.

Sooty-headed Tyrannulet

Further on there were Fiery-throated Fruiteaters, a White-flanked Antwren, Squirrel Cuckoo and Green-backed Trogon, we heard the loud song of Buff-rumped Warbler and the call of Broad-billed Motmot.  When we returned to the lodge, a Yellow-tufted Woodpecker was surprisingly approachable.

Yellow-tufted Woodpecker

Later, we set off to enjoy one of the lodge’s main attractions, the hummingbird feeders.  This involved quite a steep climb up the hillside but resulted in even more different species.  Black-throated, Green, Reddish, Long-tailed & Rufous-breasted Hermits, Grey-breasted Sabrewing, White-necked Jacobin, Brown Violetear, Black-throated Mango, Golden-tailed Sapphire, Long-billed Starthroat and Little Woodstar brought the number of hummingbird species for the day to twenty!  It was a good job we had Carlos to help us sort them out!

White-necked Jacobin

On the way back down to the lodge there were lots more birds we hadn’t seen before including Lafresnaye’s Piculet and Gilded Barbet, which appeared almost simultaneously and in the same tree.  Others were Pale-breasted Thrush, Black-faced Tanager, Little Woodpecker, Social & Short-crested Flycatchers and Russet-crowned Crake.  The last of these was teased out of the vegetation with just a little ‘playback’ and showed itself only briefly.

We went into Moyobamba for dinner but only after a short walk in the dark to look for an owl.  At this point in the tour we had probably missed as many owls as we had seen but on this occasion we were successful and a Band-bellied Owl duly appeared at Carlos’s beckoning.

Band-bellied Owl

Dinner was interesting!  Chifa Central was a Chinese restaurant but, of course, the menu was in Spanish.  Chinese immigrants came to Peru in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and Chifa is a culinary tradition based on Cantonese elements fused with traditional Peruvian ingredients.
On the way back to the lodge, we looked for a Stygian Owl around the backstreets of Moyobamba but didn’t find one.

Next morning we once again headed along (and up) the forest trail we had been on yesterday.
One of the first birds we caught a glimpse of was a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl as it flew away from us and disappeared into the trees.  We continued to hear it for some time.  Inevitably, we saw quite a number of species we had seen yesterday but an Ochre-bellied Flycatcher and a Mouse-colored Tyrannulet were further additions to our list before we came upon what would have one of the star birds of the whole tour, a Golden-collared Toucanet, if only we could have had a closer view.  Further notable species included Wing-barred Piprites, Mishana Tyrannulet, Tschudi’s Woodcreeper, Peruvian Warbling Antbird, Plain-winged Antshrike, Olivaceous Flatbill, Black-and-white Tody-Flycatcher, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Thick-billed Euphonia and Slaty-capped Flycatcher.  This forest gave the impression that there would always be the chance to see something new no matter how many times we walked the same trail.

Back at the lodge we realised that the strange structure we had seen yesterday hanging from inside the roof of the substantially-built gazebo in the garden was the nest of a Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift.  We realised this because a Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift made several visits to the nest while we were standing underneath!  The nest, made from plant material, seed heads and the like, was barely recognisable as such and it was hard to imagine how the contents stayed in it, defying gravity.

Nest of Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift

After lunch we were given a short tour of the Waqanki Orchid Centre, an attraction that apparently brings in quite a number of visitors who pay 10 soles to look round the 150 or so species of orchids that grow here.  Carlos knew the orchids like he knew the birds.

After seeing Chestnut-bellied Seed Finch and Blue-winged Parrotlet in the garden, we boarded the minibus and went off to a site where the main target, Point-tailed Palmcreeper, could hardly have been easier to find.  Even before we were off the bus one was showing in a roadside tree and was well seen.  A short walk here also produced Chestnut-eared Araçari, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Sulphury Flycatcher and another Mouse-colored Tyrannulet, a bird that didn’t seem any more or less mouse-coloured than several other small flycatchers that we had seen.

Chestnut-eared Araçari

Next we drove to a pond where Carlos seemed confident we would see Masked Ducks.  We did see them but would not have done without the aid of a telescope and even then they were hard to make out as they slept among the waterside rushes.  Common & Purple Gallinules were also present and a Black-capped Donacobius made a brief appearance.  We walked along the road and found two more new species, Rusty-backed Antwren and Cinereous-breasted Spinetail, before heading back to the lodge.

For dinner we went to the Hospedaje Ecologico Rumipata where the food was Japanese-style and the tilapia in particular was very tasty.  It rained while we were there.  A few detours on the way back around Moyobamba looking for a Stygian Owl, or indeed any other sort of owl, brought the same result as last night.

By changing our schedule we had missed a planned visit to Reserva Arena Blanca.  This morning we put that right by making an early start and driving for more than an hour in order to get there by 6:30 am to see the main attractions at the feeders.  In fact, there are a number of species that come early in the day to take advantage of the seed put out for them.  We had really good views from the hide of two Little Tinamous, a female and a juvenile, and a Cinereous Tinamou but didn’t see the Grey-cowled Wood-Rail, Ruddy Quail-Dove, Orange-billed Sparrow or Rufous-breasted Wood-Quail which are also visitors here on some mornings.  However, there was no sense of disappointment; tinamous are notoriously shy and secretive birds and it was an unusual experience to watch these three birds for several minutes at a range that allowed us to take photographs.

 Cinereous Tinamou

Little Tinamou

Outside the hide there was a brief view of an Andean Cock-of-the-rock and a Pale-eyed Thrush before we moved on to breakfast by the hummingbird feeders.  The star turn here was Wire-crested Thorntail but the supporting cast of Many-spotted Hummingbird, Golden-tailed Sapphire, Blue-fronted Lancebill, Brown Violetear, Grey-chinned Hermit and Violet-fronted Brilliant kept everyone on their toes.  It is reported that 28 species of hummingbirds have been recorded here.

 Many-spotted Hummingbird

Golden-tailed Sapphire

Later in the day we visited some ricefields where, resisting the temptation to debate with the farmers the rights and wrongs of Brazilian imports, we concentrated on the wealth of bird life.  It had been a week since we had seen a wader of any sort so Wattled Jacana, Spotted & Solitary Sandpipers, Black-necked Stilts and Lesser Yellowlegs were welcome sights.  Little Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Great & Snowy Egrets had also been absent from our list since we left the coast.  This was the only occasion during the tour that we saw Limpkins and it was no surprise a few minutes later to see a Snail Kite.  Both species feed particularly on apple snails (Ampullariidae).  It was very noticeable how much darker in colour the Limpkins were compared to those which most of us had seen previously in the USA and Central America.  Limpkin was in fact split into two species for many years but has been treated as one since 1934.

We spent our last morning at Waqanki Lodge walking the same steep trail we had been on twice before but it came as no surprise to find several bird species that we hadn’t previously seen.  Most prominent were the noisy Speckled Chachalacas and yet we failed to see them.  They were close and called loudly but still remained out of view.  Those species that we did manage to see included Yellow-browed Sparrow, Forest Elaenia, Yellow-crowned & White-lored Tyrannulets, Foothill Antwren, Bluish-fronted Jacamar (‘a hummingbird on steroids’), Stripe-chested Antwren (looking very much like a Black-and-white Warbler), Chestnut-throated Spinetail, Coraya Wren, Fiery-capped Manakin, Guira Tanager, Lemon-chested Greenlet, Slaty-capped Flycatcher and, somewhat unexpectedly, Cerulean Warbler.

After an early lunch we left Waqanki Lodge at about 1:00 pm. Just as we were about to leave Carlos’s mother appeared with an enormous yellow caterpillar. This we learned was a flannel moth caterpillar and she was keeping it well away from her skin as its long hairs are extremely venomous and can cause a painful sting. It seems it belongs in the genus Megalopyge and is known in the USA as a “Trumpapillar” because of its resemblance to the President’s hair!

Flannel moth caterpillar

It was a long drive to Tarapoto.  On the way we stopped for some birding and although it was a relief to break the hot, uncomfortable journey, we now spent an hour feeding the mosquitoes along a narrow trail.  However, it was worth any discomfort as we were rewarded with a succession of birds we hadn’t seen before including White-browed Antbird, White-lined Tanager, White-bellied Pygmy Tyrant, Stripe-chested Antwren, Black-fronted Nunbird, Plain-crowned Spinetail and Northern Slaty Antshrike.

Finally, we drove for another hour to the Hotel Cumbaza in Tarapoto where we had had lunch almost a week ago.  Now we had dinner and a bed for the night.

Next morning we left the hotel at 6:00 am taking the winding mountain road north from the city.  It was another bright, sunny morning and soon we were birding along the roadside.  During the first hour or so we found Cliff, Social & Streaked Flycatchers, Slaty-capped Shrike-Vireo, three or four Andean Cock-of-the rocks, Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner, Bay-headed, Masked & Swallow Tanager, Rufous-bellied Euphonia and low-flying Turkey Vultures.  One or two Swallow-tailed Kites also past over but mostly remained higher.

The main purpose of our excursion to this area was to visit the ACONABICKH Reserve, a well-known site where the endemic Koepcke’s Hermit is just one of several interesting hummingbirds seen regularly at the feeders.  It took some time at the feeders before we all had a satisfactory look at Koepcke’s Hermit but in the meantime we were entertained by several other species, notably Gould’s Jewelfront, Grey-breasted Sabrewing and White-necked Jacobin.  Koepcke’s Hermit is fairly new to science, first discovered as recently as 1977.  Unusually for a hermit, it has an almost straight rather than down-curved bill.

Koepcke’s Hermit

After lunch back in Tarapoto we headed to the airport for a LATAM flight to Lima.  All went smoothly and the evening saw us back at the familiar Hotel San Agustin Exclusive, Miraflores.

Avian Adventures in Peru - 2

After a second night in Lima we were up early next morning so as to take a LATAM flight to Tarapoto. The flight was a routine affair arriving in Tarapoto at around 11:00 am. Half an hour later, we were with new guide, Carlos Altamirano and heading for lunch at the nearby Hotel Cumbaza.

Tarapoto is in the north of Peru, the largest city in the San Martin region. From here we spent the rest of the day making our way along the main road (the 5N) to Owlet Lodge where we planned to spend three nights. On the way there we made a number of stops, the first at Cañón Quiscarrumi where from the roadside we looked down into a dark cave where there was a colony of Oilbirds. Carlos told us that there were as many as 300 of them but it was hard to estimate how many we actually saw, perhaps 25 at one time, some flying others resting on the rocky ledges. These birds are nocturnal and nightjar-like in appearance but unlike nightjars they are said to be fruit eaters. The common name "oilbird" derives from the fact that in the past chicks were captured and boiled down in order to make oil!

At about 3:00 pm we stopped to refuel in Moyobamba, the regional capital.  After that it was another long drive before we paused again to look for birds.  This time we were on a bridge high above a river.  A flock of Band-tailed Pigeons flew over as Carlos began playing the call of Ferruginous Pygmy Owl.  This had the desired effect and in just a short time the call had attracted a selection of birds, mostly tanagers, to come looking for the owl.  Species seen were Bay-headed, Golden, Paradise, Green-and-gold, Yellow-bellied, Yellow-crested and Blue-necked Tanagers, Orange-bellied Euphonia, Purple Honeycreeper and Fork-tailed Woodnymph.  Quite a collection!

At last, at around 7:00 pm we reached Owlet Lodge. By this time is was dark and climbing from the parking area to the lodge was a bit of a challenge but we soon settled into our rooms. Dinner quickly followed and it wasn't long before we were in bed anticipating another early start tomorrow.

Crimson-mantled Woodpecker

Part of our first full day at Owlet Lodge was spent quite close to the lodge itself.  Just outside the main building, we found Golden-olive Woodpecker, Variable Antshrike and Yellow-breasted Brushfinch, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Bluish Flowerpecker and Spectacled Whitestart.  When we explored nearby forest trails Peruvian Tyrannulet, Sierra Elaenia and Glossy-black Thrush were among the first to show but were soon eclipsed by the more colourful Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, Grass-green, Flame-faced, Yellow-scarfed and Blue-and-black Tanagers and Lacrimose Mountain Tanager.

We also spent quite a while by the hummingbird feeders that are one of the main attractions here. On Thursday we had struggled to identify the three hummingbird species seen at Lomas de Asia, now we had eight species appearing almost simultaneously and before the end of the day we would see thirteen! It took a while to get to grips with them. Most numerous at this first session were the Chestnut-breasted Coronets; cutest were the White-bellied Woodstars, the latter hovering at the feeders without ever landing.

 Collared Inca

 White-bellied Woodstar

 Chestnut-breasted Coronet

 Sword-billed Hummingbird

Sparkling Violetear

Also on our agenda was to go and watch the feeding of the antpittas, another of the attractions at Owlet Lodge. Feeding individuals of this hard to see family of birds so that they are more easily seen seems to have started in Ecuador but now happens at quite a number of sites in South America. Here the species involved were Rusty-tinged & Chestnut Antpittas, both of them endemic to Peru. Despite the fear of some that worm-feeder tourism may have a negative impact on many species of threatened antpittas, it has also been suggested that it is not far from being natural behaviour. Commensal foraging relationships involving birds as “follower” species are common and wide-spread geographically and taxonomically (e.g. Cattle Egret and Yellow Wagtail) and perhaps surprisingly there are well documented cases of antpittas actually following humans through the rainforest in order to feed on prey items that are disturbed.

 Chestnut Antpitta

Rusty-tinged Antpitta

Our re-start after lunch was delayed by rain but by 3:00 pm it had stopped and we boarded the minibus to travel just a short distance and then do some birding along the main road. Notable here were Barred Becard, Rufous-capped Antshrike, Green-and-black Fruiteater, Common Chlorospingus and Oleaginous Hemispingus (notable at least for its name if not for its appearance). On the way back to the lodge we saw two White-capped Dippers, a Hooded Mountain Tanager and, fittingly, close to the highway, a Roadside Hawk.

The whole day had been cloudy and dull with light rain (heavier around lunchtime) and most of us had had enough when we got back to the lodge at about 5:00 pm.  The weather conditions were such that the scheduled long trek to try and see the Long-whiskered Owlet (after which the lodge was named) was out of the question.

Breakfast next morning was at 6:00 am. There was a cloudy start to the day but at least there was only very light drizzle as we set off to walk a trail that would take us eventually down to and along the main road. We were out for about an hour and a half during which time the highlights were Azara’s & Rufous Spinetails, Johnson’s Tody-Flycatcher, about half a dozen Sharpe’s Wrens, Russet-crowned Warbler, Inca Flycatcher, Geoffroy’s Wedgetail and a very brief glimpse of the sun.

Having failed to find any worthwhile flocks of tanagers or other birds close to the lodge, we set off in the bus to try our luck along the main road.  It took a while but eventually we found ourselves with a nice mixed flock, so many birds in fact that it was hard to see all of them. They included Ashy-browed Spinetail, Equatorial Greytail, Ecuadorian Tyrannulet, Grey-mantled Wren, Yellow-throated Chlorospingus and Green-backed Becard. They were quickly followed by White-winged Tanager, Olive-backed Woodcreeper, Ornate Flycatcher, Orange-bellied & Bronze-green Euphonias and more. This was more like it!

A five-minute drive further along the road and again we found ourselves trying to cope with a bird flock. This time it was mostly tanagers: Golden, Golden-eared, Green-and-gold, Paradise, Blue-grey and Palm were quickly followed by Magpie Tanagers. Not far away an Andean Cock-of-the-rock could be heard but, unfortunately, remained unseen.

It was now a 45-minute drive back to Owlet Lodge; at last the sun was shining and most importantly, we had seen a good variety of birds; things were looking up! However, lunchtime brought news that would mean we had to change our plans for the next couple of days (and nights) and difficult decisions would have to be made.

Carlos had been warned that there was going to be a protest made by local rice growers about cheap imports of rice from neighbouring Brazil. These protests were going to involve blocking the main road between Owlet Lodge and Moyobamba, the road on which we were due to travel on in two days’ time, a road to which there was no real alternative. Road blocks would be in place from midnight, we were told. The rice farmers really were having a paddy! But it was no joking matter. Previous similar protests had seen roads blocked for days on end and we were threatened with the possibility of having to stay longer at Owlet Lodge and, in the worst case scenario, there could be the chance we might miss our flight back to Lima at the end of the week. There seemed to be three possibilities: we could take that chance and stick with our planned itinerary, we could take to the road but in the opposite direction, go to Chiclayo and fly to Lima from there or we could pack our bags now, cut short our stay at Owlet Lodge and make sure we reached Moyobamba tonight while the road was still open.

It didn’t take long to decide on the third option, but that meant having to sacrifice not only a night at Owlet Lodge but also our one planned night at Hotel Puerto Pumas. The main purpose of going to Puerto Pumas was to try and see the Marvelous Spatuletail, a hummingbird that has an extraordinarily long tail and is unique among birds in having just four feathers in its tail. It was little more than an hour away. We decided to go now!

Marvelous Spatuletail

The feeders at Puerto Pumas did not disappoint! Not only did we see a Marvelous Spatuletail but also Andean Emerald, Violet-fronted Brilliant and White-bellied Hummingbird that we hadn’t seen before. As we sat watching the hummingbirds, three Andean Guans were also seen coming to another feeder about 100 metres away.

 Andean Guan

Andean Emerald

The Marvelous Spatuletail came to the feeders just twice while we were there. On the first occasion it fed and then perched very conveniently for photographs. The second visit was much shorter and coincided with a lot of activity at the feeders – maybe it was intimidated by the many larger birds and not willing to compete. It was an individual with a fairly long tail but a tail that was still not fully grown. As soon as it was gone the second time, we also left.

We were back at Owlet Lodge for 6:00 pm, had dinner at 6:30 pm and left again at 7:00 pm. We were off to Moyobamba for the night where a stopgap booking had been made at the Gran Hotel Dorado. Our sole aim was to avoid the road blocks.  It was definitely the right decision to leave but, unfortunately, it did put an end to any chance we might have had of seeing the mysterious Long-whiskered Owlet.

More to follow…

Avian Adventures in Peru - 1

Peter writes...
Last November I was fortunate enough to visit Peru at the invitation of PROMPERU, the country’s tourism authority.  The plan was that I might at some later date, as a result of that trip, take a group of birdwatchers to Peru for Avian Adventures.  Well, last month that plan came together and I led an Avian Adventures tour to the north of Peru and to the Andes and Machu Picchu.

The tour began with an early morning KLM flight from Birmingham to Amsterdam followed by a 12-hour flight to Lima.  It wasn’t nearly as bad as it sounds with comfortable seats, plenty of legroom and in-flight food and entertainment both of a good standard.  I managed to watch three movies!

We arrived at Jorge Chávez International Airport more or less on time at around 6:00 pm, passed quickly through immigration formalities and picked up our bags without fuss.  Unfortunately, traffic in Lima was dreadful and it then took about an hour to get to our hotel in Miraflores, which is described as “an exclusive residential and upscale shopping district south of downtown Lima”.  However, it had been a long day and by the time we had checked in there was no appetite for anything other than sleep!

To enable us to acclimatise and recover from the long flight we spent our first day in Peru birding in areas close to Lima.  Our local guide was Gunnar Engblom, owner of Kolibri Expeditions.  I had been birding with Gunnar on the last day of the November trip and had met him again recently at the Birdfair at Rutland Water.

We began by driving to a wetland area, Humedales Puerto Viejo.  This provided some easy birding to get us started – ducks, herons, cormorants, shorebirds and just a few passerines.  Highlights were the colourful Peruvian Meadowlark and Many-colored Rush Tyrant, a dozen or so Grassland Yellow Finches and numerous Black-necked Stilts and Wilson’s Phalaropes.

Many-colored Rush Tyrant

 Black-necked Stilts

Later we went to Lomas de Asia, a relatively new birding site that seems set to become a popular destination for visitors to Lima.  Lomas is the name given to fog-watered vegetation in the coastal desert, a region that experiences little or no rainfall and is otherwise devoid of plant life.  Lomas de Asia is essentially a fog oasis.  We spent a couple of hours here during which we saw Burrowing Owls, a Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Vermilion Flycatchers and a number of species that weren’t seen again during the tour.  Several of these were attracted to a small reservoir and to various puddles around the parking area.  They included Band-tailed Sierra Finch, Raimondi’s Yellow Finch, Collared Warbling Finch and Chestnut-throated Seedeater.  Particularly notable were the Thick-billed Miners, a species that is endemic to Peru.  Several of them were very confiding and they were probably used to finding food around the picnic site where Gunnar and his driver, Renzo, prepared our second breakfast of the day!  While we waited for food we occupied ourselves trying to identify the various hummingbirds that came by.  Gunnar named them as Amazilia Hummingbird, Peruvian Sheartail and, appropriately, Oasis Hummingbird.  These were just the first three of more than 50 hummingbird species that we would see in the next two weeks.

 Band-tailed Sierra Finch

 Burrowing Owls

 Thick-billed Miner

 Vermilion Flycatcher

 Grassland Yellow Finch

Collared Warbling Finch

From Lomas de Asia we drove back north to Pucusana, a small fishing town where we saw hundreds of small boats anchored in the shelter of the harbour.  They were a colourful sight but thankfully, Gunnar recognised them as a sign that we probably shouldn’t go ahead with the boat trip he had planned – conditions out at sea were a bit rough!  In reality this was no big deal although it did mean that we would have to be content with seeing Humboldt Penguins from a distance, which after only a short while we did.  From the cliff top we also watched Inca Terns, Red-legged Cormorants, Peruvian Pelicans and Peruvian Boobies.  Along the sandy shore were Ruddy Turnstones, Belcher’s & Grey-headed Gulls and Blackish Oystercatcher.  Inca Terns were also hanging around the fish market, even perched on the market stalls in the manner of gulls rather than terns.  They really are unusual birds with their dashing curly white moustaches.  They are placed in the monotypic genus Larosterna, a name that seems to imply a combination of gull and tern.

 Belcher's Gull

 Blackish Oystercatcher

 Inca Tern

Peruvian Pelican

All in all it was an excellent start to our tour; during the day we visited several other sites and recorded about 70 bird species.

More to follow…

Estonia in early May - 2

The second instalment from the Avian Adventures tour in Estonia:

After staying out late the previous night we had a delayed start on the morning of Day 5 with breakfast in the hotel at 7.00 a.m. and departure an hour later.  Today we were moving from Pärnu to Tartu, the second largest city of Estonia.

Before long we entered Soomaa National Park where one of the first birds seen was a Lesser Spotted Eagle and this was quickly followed by another.  Both birds were perched and seen well from the minibus.  Next was a White-backed Woodpecker, seen briefly by those of us who had a view out to the right of the vehicle.  Unfortunately, it didn’t stay to be admired and although we got out of the minibus to look for it, it wasn’t seen again.  We walked along the road and did see a Great Spotted Woodpecker and we heard the drumming of a Lesser Spotted (Woodpecker) but these were hardly consolation.  We heard a Cuckoo calling, a Redwing was singing and a Green Sandpiper passed over.

Lesser Spotted Eagle

Eventually, we set out on the Hüpassaare hiking trail that winds first through forest and then on a boardwalk to the Kuresoo bog.  Thick layers of peat have formed here, preventing the vegetation from reaching nutrients in the ground below. The soil is poor and acid and the trees, even the very old ones, look like small miniatures.  It was interesting even if the bog itself wasn’t particularly bird-rich.  Species seen in the wooded area included Wood Warbler, Marsh Tit, Common Rosefinch and Pied Flycatcher, while the bog held Teal, White Wagtail, Tree Pipit, Lapwing, Common Gull and a distant Great Grey Shrike.  A Common (Viviparous) Lizard was seen very briefly.

Kuresoo bog

After dinner at the rather quirky Hansa Hotel we drove out of Tartu to Kärevere to see Great Snipes lekking.  It has to be admitted that this was not a great spectacle!  Although the Great Snipes did indeed jump into the air they were too far away for their sounds to be well-heard (if at all) and by the time there was any action the light was really poor.   In fact the Great Snipe were totally eclipsed by a Hobby that put on a wonderful flying display while we were waiting for the waders to perform.  Also seen were Lapwings, Wood Sandpipers, roding Woodcock, a Common Buzzard, a Red Fox and several geese, (probably Greater White-fronts) that arrived late.  The soundtrack to all this, as so often during the week, was the song of Thrush Nightingale and Cuckoo.  It was 10.30 p.m. when we arrived back at the hotel. 

Next morning, we left the hotel at 6.00 a.m. taking breakfast with us.  We travelled east from Tartu to the Järvselja Primeval Forest, protected as a nature reserve since 1924.  Once there, we set off on a boardwalk through the forest and either saw or heard a good selection of bird species most of which were familiar from back home.  These included Cuckoo, Wren, Chiffchaff, Wood Warbler, Blue, Great, Willow & Long-tailed Tits, although the last of these was a bird of the white-headed caudatus race.  A Woodcock was flushed from beside the trail and quickly flew off out of sight.

Once again our particular targets here were the woodpeckers and three species were recorded in fairly quick succession.  These were Great Spotted, White-backed and Grey-headed.  A Grey-headed sat motionless and we had great views of it through a telescope.  Sadly, the White-backed wasn’t as obliging.  Soon after this flurry of woodpeckers, a Spotted Nutcracker made its presence known (at least to Tarvo!) and it was soon located perched at the top of a tree close to the trail.  As we raised our binoculars it flew and that was the last we saw of it.

Later we drove to what was obviously a huge lake; it proved to be Lake Peipus, the fifth largest lake in Europe and across the other side we could see Russia.  We had just a short walk here but it was notable for giving us our best view of the week of a Thrush Nightingale, a species heard everywhere but usually from deep cover.  There were good views of Garganey and Great Crested Grebes and several Common Whitethroats were seen.  A flock of more than 50 Cormorants flew over and after circling for a while landed on the water.
 

Thrush Nightingale

For an early lunch we went to Mooste Viinavabrik, a former vodka distillery and now a guesthouse and restaurant, quite an impressive location next to scenic Lake Mooste.  Afterwards we had a short walk nearby without finding many birds, although again we saw a Nuthatch that was clearly different from those we see further west in Europe having a white breast.

Mooste Viinavabrik

Later we went to the Aardla wetlands visiting two separate areas.  At the first there were thousands of Great White-fronted Geese, two Common Cranes, about 10 Goldeneyes, a pair of Great Crested Grebes, at least one pair of Marsh Harriers, a Common Raven plus Whinchat and Reed Bunting.  A dragonfly here was identified as a Downy Emerald.

 Common Raven

Greater White-fronted Geese

The second area had many more birds, including many thousands of geese, mostly Greater White-fronts.  At one point, presumably spooked by a White-tailed Eagle, each and every one of these geese took to the air creating a noise reminiscent of a passing freight train!  It was quite a sight and sound!  There was a nice selection of ducks that once again included Garganeys and there were at least three Red-necked Grebes.  Two Black Terns here were the first we had seen.

Breakfast on Day 7 was at 7.00 a.m. and departure from the Hansa Hotel just an hour later.  Today was our last full day in Estonia and a day when we had to travel back to Tallinn, a distance of only about 190 km.  This meant that there was plenty of time for birding on the way and we began at Ilmatsalu where the fishponds proved to be quite productive.

The most memorable birds at Ilmatsalu were those that required some effort and persistence to see.  Savi’s Warblers reeled from the reed beds and Great Reed Warblers croaked; eventually there were reasonably good views of both species.  A Marsh Warbler sang from cover but finally gave us a glimpse; most difficult to see was Penduline Tit but we did after a while get one to show itself.  A Red-breasted Flycatcher was unexpected in this habitat and was presumably a newly arrived migrant.  It was a relief to see this bird having heard several during the previous two days.  Other notable birds here were a Common Rosefinch, about 20 Little Gulls, a pair of nesting Whooper Swans, a Red-necked Grebe, an Osprey, a Marsh Harrier and a flock of Black Terns.

Whooper Swan

Next we went to the village of Puurmani where a walk by the lake in Puurmani Mõisa Park resulted in us having a good view of a singing Icterine Warbler as well as both Spotted & Pied Flycatchers.  A pair of White Storks were on a nest and obliged with a bout of bill-clapping.  A Wryneck was heard briefly but failed to reveal itself.

Icterine Warbler

White Storks

We completed our jorney to Tallinn with lunch on the way at  Põhjaka Mõis where we also saw a Lesser Spotted Eagle.  In Tallinn we checked in at the Hestia Euroopa Hotel and at this point we had to say good-bye to Tarvo who had been an excellent guide and good company throughout our trip. 
Those of us who used a period of down time before dinner to take a walk outside and explore the city a little were rewarded by finding a spiffy male red-spotted Bluethroat in a fairly unlikely-looking city centre setting.  Unfortunately, it could not be found again when we returned later.  It was presumed to be a recent arrival that after feeding had quickly moved on in search of a more suitable location. 
Our last morning was spent on a ‘proper’ guided tour of Tallinn Old Town.  Said to be the best preserved medieval city in Northern Europe boasting Gothic spires, winding cobblestone streets and enchanting architecture, the Old Town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
After lunch at Kuldse Notsu Kõrts (The Golden Piglet Inn), we walked back to the hotel to await our taxi to the airport. 

Estonia in early May - 1

This was an Avian Adventures tour from 4th to 11th May 2018.

A morning flight from Gatwick took us to Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport where we were met by Tarvo Valker who was to be our guide for the week.  Our first aim then was to reach Rohuküla Harbour in time to catch the 7.00 p.m. ferry to the island of Hiiumaa.  On the way, there was time for a short stop at a lake in the town of Haapsalu where two or three pairs of Slavonian Grebes were present and we were able to get reasonably close views.

Common Scoters

The ferry crossing of the Väinamere Sea from Rohuküla to Heltermaa is scheduled to take one hour and forty minutes and it presented a good opportunity for us to see some sea ducks and other birds.  Unfortunately, it was much too cold and windy for us to stay out on deck for very long but watching through a window proved to be just fine and we saw hundreds of Greater Scaup and smaller numbers of Common Eiders, Common Scoters and Long-tailed Ducks.  Perhaps most memorable were 37 Bewick’s Swans flying strung out in a long line.  Least memorable was probably a distant Ringed Seal, which would have gone unnoticed had Tarvo not pointed it out as it was virtually indistinguishable from the rocks on an offshore island.

The following morning we set off to Ristna Cape.  Ristna is the most western point of Hiiumaa Island and well known as somewhere from which to observe wildfowl migration through the Baltic Sea.  In our first hour there, we saw thousands of Common Scoters, hundreds of Long-tailed Ducks and numerous but smaller numbers of Common Eiders and Red-breasted Mergansers.  As these birds passed by, from left to right as we looked out to sea, it was necessary to maintain concentration in order to pick out the less common species: a flock of 12 Steller’s Eiders, just two Velvet Scoters, a Razorbill, a Red-throated Diver and two Black-throated Divers, a pair of Shelducks, a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls of the less familiar fuscus race known as ‘Baltic Gull’ and a single Arctic Skua.  A Rough-legged Buzzard was also identified and a few common passerines noted including Lesser Whitethroat, Chiffchaff and Chaffinch.

By 8.00 a.m. the number of birds passing by had reduced quite substantially and so we next turned our attention to the nearby trees and bushes to look for passerine migrants.  A Sparrowhawk here presumably had the same object in mind.  We saw Black Redstart, Northern Wheatear, Willow Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat and ‘Northern’ Bullfinches but the highlights were undoubtedly two Red-backed Shrikes, a male and a female. 

Red-backed Shrike

At the nearby harbour at Kalana we found Goosanders and Red-breasted Mergansers, Common & Black-headed Gulls, Northern Wheatear, White Wagtail and Woodlark, Siskins and Redpolls and a Common Buzzard.

We had an early lunch at the Kõpu Lighthouse Café.  The lighthouse is one of the oldest in the world, having been in continuous use since its completion in 1531 and is apparently a popular tourist attraction.

Kõpu Lighthouse

An hour or so birding around coastal meadows and reed beds produced Lapwing, Greenshank, Redshank, Common Sandpiper and Ringed Plover, Mute Swan, Gadwall, Shelduck and Shoveler, Greylag & Barnacle Geese, Little Tern, Marsh Harrier, Whinchat, Reed Bunting, Skylark and Common Whitethroat.  There was also our first White-tailed Eagle but just a distant view of a bird flying away. 

White-tailed Eagle

Later, at Käina Bay, we visited a tower hide from where we could see maybe as many as 15,000 geese, mostly Barnacles and Greylags but also some Tundra Beans.  Also from the tower there were distant views of about ten Smew, a few Common Pochards and 50 Avocets.

Käina Bay

Soon there were further opportunities to look at geese with thousands of Greater White-fronts, Barnacles & Tundra Beans.  The search was now on for a rare Red-breasted Goose or Lesser White-front, a search that was to go on without success throughout the week whenever we encountered these large flocks.  The improvement in the conservation status of many European goose populations since the 1940s is one of the major success stories of European bird conservation but these large numbers of geese are clearly not universally popular and can cause severe problems for farmers.  On one occasion the geese that we were watching were deliberately flushed by a presumed farmer, something that must go on routinely in an attempt to protect crops and grazing land.

Greater White-fronted Geese

On the morning of Day 3 we went first to Tahkuna Cape at the northern tip of Hiiumaa.  A sea watch from the lighthouse here produced Common Eiders, Red-breasted Mergansers and Long-tailed Ducks but nowhere near the numbers seen yesterday at Ristna.  Passerines in the same area included Red Crossbills, a Common Redstart, Yellow Wagtails, Chiffchaffs and Lesser Whitethroats.  This time there were two Sparrowhawks in attendance.  We saw just a small number of Yellow Wagtails during the week, some flava but mostly thunbergi.

Next we went to Suuresadama and a somewhat derelict industrial harbour notable mainly for a distinctive old barn but also for the occurrence here in April 2014 of an Alpine Accentor that was only the second record for Estonia.  Here there were seven Great Crested Grebes on the sea, a singing Woodlark, Black & Common Redstarts, Common Sandpiper and Greenshank.

We were heading for Heltermaa and the ferry to take us back to the mainland but there were further stops on the way.  At one of these Tarvo found two Pink-footed Geese in amongst a flock of Bean Geese, the only time during the week that we saw this species.  At another, we had a short walk in an attractive woodland area where Pied & Spotted Flycatchers, Tree Pipit, Bullfinches and Fieldfares were seen and Hawfinch heard.

Pied Flycatcher

The weather, which at the start of the tour had been better than most of us expected, improved further today and the ferry crossing was a much more pleasant experience.  Again it featured a flock of Bewick’s Swans.

We enjoyed a very nice lunch at Tuulingu Farm at the edge of the village of Haeska and Matsalu National Park.  The coastal meadows surrounding the farm are grazed by Highland cattle and birds here included both Ruff and Black-tailed Godwit in very smart breeding dress.  There were thousands of Barnacle Geese to search through and we saw Caspian Tern and Yellow Wagtail.

Barnacle Geese

Next Tarvo headed to a site where in previous years he had seen Ortolan Buntings.  On this occasion we were unlucky and maybe we were too early to see them but we did find there a pair of Red-backed Shrikes and we had our first sighting of a Lesser Spotted Eagle.  The surrounding farmland had Yellowhammers and Skylarks.  Further on when we stopped to photograph a pair of Common Cranes we also saw the only Honey-buzzard of the week.

Common Crane

We continued our journey to Pärnu, the fourth-largest city in Estonia and a popular summer holiday resort.  Here, the Rannahotell proved to be a good choice for our two-night stay. 

The next morning, we left the hotel at 5.30 a.m. to spend several hours at two forest sites near Soometsa, a village to the south of Pärnu.  Here we were looking for woodpeckers but had only limited success.  There were brief views of Three-toed & Black Woodpeckers but only Great Spotted really co-operated and stayed in place for proper scrutiny.  Robin, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Cuckoo and Green Sandpiper were amongst the other species seen.  The Green Sandpiper, a species that typically uses an old Fieldfares’ nest in which to lay its eggs, was displaying above the forest.  It was here that we saw a Green Hairstreak but it wasn’t a particularly good week for butterflies with Brimstone the most frequently seen of just a handful of species.

On the way back to the hotel for breakfast we stopped at a wooded park where Nuthatch, Fieldfare, Spotted Flycatcher and Marsh Tit were seen.

Eurasian Nuthatch

Later we went to the Nätsi-Võlla Nature Reserve, a wetland area near Audru, comprising extensive reed beds, some open water and grazing meadows.  The star birds here were Citrine Wagtails and we watched them for quite a while.  It was difficult to be sure how many there were but probably at least three pairs.  Also seen were three Garganeys, seven Spotted Redshanks, two Hobbys, a ‘ringtail’ Montagu’s Harrier, a Common Buzzard, Greenshank, Great Crested Grebes and lots of Greater White-fronts & Barnacle Geese.

Nearby, we had a walk in Audru Park where a Middle Spotted Woodpecker was seen very well and there was a nice selection of other woodland species including Eurasian Treecreeper and Hawfinch.  After dinner there was an excursion to the local forest in search of night birds but, a little disappointingly, it produced only Woodcock, Nightjar and Tawny Owl. 

Middle Spotted Woodpecker

To be continued...