Irish Bird Images

We flew direct from Dublin to Tallinn via Estonian Air, flights cost € 425 each flight duration three hours . Car hire via Hertz cost €240 p/week for a Honda Civic. Hotel rooms were cheap average €55 for two sharing.

We based ourselves in Haapsalu (110Km from Tallinn) for the first few nights. We birded Sutlepa/Purski Lake several times and birds of note Penduline& Long Tail Tits, Breaded Reedling, White Tailed Eagle, Marsh Harrier, several thousand Tundra Bean Geese and hundreds of White-fronted Geese also Bittern was booming here. At Hobringi two Hazel Grouse and two Black Grouse, Great-spotted, Middle-spotted and White-backed Woodpeckers also Woodlark. At Turksi/Bergsby Parrot, Two-barred and Common Crossbills also Ural Owl hunting at night. At Dirhami Point thousands of Long-tailed Ducks, Eider, Velvet and Common Scoters, Goosanders and Red-breasted Mergansers were also plentiful as were Black-throated Divers. At Matsalu Reserve thousands of Taiga Bean and White-fronted Geese and approx. 40 Smew. Cranes seemed to be present everywhere.

The car ferry from Virstu port took 20mins to the Island Saaremaa @ €12 return (travels every hour on the hour), a drive of 130 Km to the northwest bay Undepanga laht (Tiigi jv via village KALMU) for Steller's Eider of which we saw approx. 200 offshore and well worth the trip. The latter part of the week we drove south and on the outskirts of Parnu at Ardru Golf Course we saw hundreds of White-fronts, Bean & Barnacle Geese and the star attraction Red-breasted Goose this stunning adult was our bird of the trip!

South of Parnu at Soometsa woodland two Grey-headed Woodpeckers were seen from the bird tower over- looking the forest , along the Kabli to Massiaru road at 6k we played tapes for Three-toed Woodpecker with success, Grey-headed was also calling here, a superb area with other birds of consisting of Crested & Willow Tits and Northern Bullfinch.