Harilaid 6.10.2021

 Today we started very early and we drove Harilaid, which is most western point of Saaremaa. Great peninsula with beautiful scenery. We checked the whole area and walked about 10 kilometers aroudn the place. Nice sightings were Peregrine Falcon, Ruddy Turnstone, Golden Plover, and couple of Great-grey Shrikes. Nothing too fancy this time.. 

Ruddy Turnstone. 

And again.

Bird was really confident. 

Two Eiders.

What a place.

Jände and Juha.

Harilaid lighthouse. 

Lighthouse keepers. 

Male Roe Deer. 

Peregrine Falcon in morning light. 

Migrating Barnacle flock.

Pause. 

Later we stopped at gas station and at the shop. We arrived back to the bird station around four pm, and soon we went to check places near by. Only common birds and not really new birds in the area, but who knows, maybe tomorrow is the day! Spotted Redshank was best bird today in Sôrve area. 

Grey Plover.

Beautiful Herring Gull.

Lots of Bramblings around.

More birds and birding tomorrow. 

-Tom

Rainy day at the bird station 5.10.2021

 Morning was rainy and we started late, at nine a clock despite the rain. Not much birds around the area, but big numbers of Robins, few Blackcaps, some Woodlarks and loads of Goldcrests. 

We walked around the peninsula, checked the bay, but nothing really interesting. Migration was almost zero today. 

Later we visited Laadla and Loode, but same results there. Evening walk at the lighthouse and places near by. I spotted Caspian Gull from small flock of large gulls. Also same Northern Wheatear around. 

Few pictures from the day, no in chronological order. 

Grey Heron.

Caspian Gull.

Caspian Gull.

Common Eider surfing. 

This little fellow was about 50cm from me and it was standing inside the bush.

Juha, lighthouse and Mute Swans.

Northern Wheatear.

Great-grey Shrike.

Dunlins and Common Ringed Plovers.

Hyles Gallii caterpillar. 

Greater Black-backed Gull. What a beast.

Jände and Loode lighthouse.

Relatively late Osprey behind the branch.

One of few Grey Plovers.

Dunlins.

Tomorrow the weather should be better, so we are expecting THE DAY. 

-Tom 

Sôrve bird station day two. 4.10.201

 I stated from sunrise and went to the shore for having some sea watch and migrating birds. This morning was Chaffinch frenzy and I counted about 14000 migrating birds. Also Siskins had great morning and about 5000 migrated today. 

What a morning.

Great Cormorants flying south. 

Common Wheatear.

Greater Back-backed Gull.

Greater Black-backed Gull.

Common Eider. 

Other migrants for the morning were three Merlins, 40 White Wagtails, 200 Greater white-fronted Geese, some Bean Geese. Not too often you can see small land birds migrating so visibly. Great stuff! 

Later I visited near by places, but nothing too exiting appeared. My uncle Jände and Juha Sjöholm arrived this afternoon and we had sauna! Great to have company. This is very large and hard place to check alone.. 

Brambling.

Another, or same Brambling.

One local Greater Grey Shrike. 

Common Redstart is already scarce at this time.

Chaffinch. 

One of two Hobby of the day. Both quite late migrants. 

Old soviet barracks near the bird station. 

What a great day. So many birds. Tomorrow I have Juha and jände with me so great opportunity to find better birds! 

-Tom 

Estonia 3.10.2021

 Finally my trip to Sôrve bird station started and today I arrived to the place. Started earliest ship from Helsinki this morning and I drove to Virtsu and from there I took ferry to Saaremaa. 

From Helsinki to Tallinn. 

From Virtsu to Kuivastu, Saaremaa.

After I got my self out of the ferry I drove to Kuressaare, the capital of Saaremaa. There I went to the grocery store and got some food, beverages and even a new pair of gloves for the trip. 

Finally around three a clock I arrived to the bird station and got my stuff inside. I was eager to go for some birding and I had nice walk, about hour and a half checking some bushes and the bay. Nice variety of birds around the bay including lone Grey Plover, flock of 19 Dunlins, two Sanderlings, lone Spotted Redshank, nine Greater White-fronted Geese with two Bean Goose and two Great white Egrets. Huge numbers of ducks around the bay and I have to count those tomorrow. 

From the bushes I found star bird of the day, Firecrest with hundreds of Goldcrests. I didn´t get any photos of the bird cause it moved soon after I found it. Shame, it was new species for my Estonian list. 

Other birds worth to mention were Spotted Flycatcher, flock of 200 Siskins, two flocks of Long-tailed Tits and big numbers of Bramblings. 

Spotted Flycatcher. 

Area where I found the Firecrest. 

Great white Egret.

Poor photo of Winter Wren.

Sôrve lighthouse. 

I will be here the whole week, so post every evening should be possible. Let´s hope a huge load of rare birds and days without rain. 

-Tom