ESTONIA - THE BALTIC AT ITS BEST!

Upon arrival in Tallinn we will head towards our base at Roosta. If we have time this afternoon we will make our first attempt at Ural Owl on the way to the hotel. Overnight Roosta.

Early this morning we will visit a nearby forest where we will attempt to find Eurasian Pygmy Owl and Ural Owl. These forests can provide some fantastic birding and other species we will be on the lookout for include lekking Black Grouse, if we are lucky then we could find the always tricky Hazel Grouse, and hopefully both White-backed and Three-toed Woodpeckers, as well as other species such as Great Grey Shrike and Bohemian Waxwing.

After breakfast we will visit the Noarootsi Peninsula, where amidst a landscape of woodlands, fields & agricultural landscapes there's a possibility of finding Northern Hawk Owl, but it does depend on the latest news and whether this is a good year for this species. However, we will hopefully see wintering Rough-legged Buzzards and a good variety of geese that can include both Taiga & Tundra Geese, as well as both Bewick's & Whooper Swans.

In the afternoon we will board the ferry to Muhu Island and this can be good for large flocks of Long-tailed Ducks and our first Velvet Scoters. Upon arrival we will drive across the causeway to Saaremaa Island, making various stops to scope the numerous wildfowl on the way over. Large rafts of Goosander sometimes attract a few Smew, and there's a good chance of seeing White-tailed Eagles as well. Night on Saaremaa Island.

Our first destination this morning is the Undva Peninsula where we have the first opportunity to scope the dense flocks of fantastic Steller's Eiders. Around Uudepanga Bay near Undva there can be up to 1000 Steller’s Eiders each winter, although anything between 300 to 600 is more usual. There's good chances of Long-tailed Ducks and Velvet Scoters here as well.

We will bird our way back to the guesthouse for lunch, and have chances of Rough-legged Buzzard, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Spotted Nutcracker & Great Grey Shrike.

After lunch we will  explore a nearby forest where we have further chances of Spotted Nutcracker & Eurasian Pygmy Owl, or perhaps even Northern Hawk Owl if one is around. Afterwards, we can try for closer views of Steller’s Eider at one of the sheltered harbours where close views of Long-tailed Ducks and big rafts of Velvet Scoter can also be seen. At dusk, we can visit Viidumäe Nature Reserve for a chance of Tengmalm's Owl. Night on Saaremaa Island.

We can spend most of the morning on the island, chasing any new species or simply enjoying the Steller's Eiders again! Or we can try again for Eurasian Pygmy Owl if we still need it. Whatever we decide to do, there's great birding on offer, so let's just enjoy it! We will return to the mainland later in the morning and what we do for the rest of the day is rather weather dependant as the Suur Väin Strait can sometimes be covered in ice, or there's a huge flock of seaducks to scope. Our final destination is Pärnu, where we should have some time in the late afternoon to try again for various owls at sunset. Night in Pärnu.

Today is going to be another fantastic day as we head 'early doors' into Soomaa National Park in southwestern Estonia. This sparsely populated area holds a vast variety of good habitats, including large raised bogs, rivers, floodplains and old growth woodlands. We will concentrate our efforts mainly in the huge mixed woodlands of Spruce and Aspen, which is one of the strongholds of the local Capercaillie population. There's a fair amount of walking today, which is necessary to find these elusive birds but also there's the added incentive of Hazel Grouse, along with Three-toed, Black & White-backed Woodpeckers breeding in the national park. We have good further chances of finding Eurasian Pygmy & Ural Owl, while seeing a Tengmalm´s Owl would be a very good way to end the day!
Overnight in Pärnu.

We have most of the morning to catch up with any species still needed before returning to Tallinn Airport where the tour concluded later today.