A new and exciting trip for 2012, this photo tour combines specialist photographic tuition and expert wildlife guiding through the skills and knowledge of both myself and leading Estonian photographer Remo Savisaar. The trip runs from the 26th of May to the 3rd of June 2012. I hope you will join us...
HIGHLIGHTS
Highlights of the trip include the chance to photograph some of Europe's iconic wildlife that is now either rare or extinct elsewhere in the continent. Mammals that we will be aiming to photograph include bears and beavers, with the added hope of finding other forest-dwelling species like wild boar and elk.
Estonia has an impressive bird list of well over 300 species and we will be hoping to find and photograph forest species like woodpeckers, raptors like osprey, marsh harrier and white-tailed eagle, as well as coastal waders and seabirds. May is also a good time for seeing waterbird migratory activity from the coastal sites we will be visiting.
Estonia's forests and bogs not only support an array of wildlife but the country's landscapes and habitats are wonderfully photogenic. The chance to photograph landscapes long since cut down or puposefully drained elsewhere in Europe makes this a particularly special place to visit. Estonia's many bird-watching towers make getting a unique perspective on flat landscapes relatively easy.
ACCOMMODATION
We will be staying in comfortable guest houses and hotels during our trip. We do this to ensure that there are necessary facilities to charge camera batteries and laptops throughout the trip. It is also good to have somewhere safe to leave any equipment or belongings while we are out on a shoot. However, because we will sometimes be out in the field for long periods, we try to keep the accommodation costs reasonable.
PHOTOGRAPHY
So what makes this trip so different from a regular nature tour? This trip is not only aimed at providing you with fantastic opportunities to photograph Estonia’s wildlife and wild places, it is also tailored to include expert guidance to develop your knowledge and skills and to put those into practice during our daily excursions.
All levels of photography skill and interest are welcome. With two expert guides working with a small group, each guest will receive an element of help and tuition personal to them no matter whether they are an amateur or semi-professional. Photography will be done on foot as well as from hides, boats, bird-watching towers and vehicles. Therefore, an element of physical fitness and good mobility is necessary.
You do not have to own more than one camera or a monstrous lens and every effort will be made to help you make the most from the equipment you are using. However, we will be photographing birds and mammals and so the best telephoto lens that you can afford to bring is recommended. It is important to remember that we will be spending quite a bit of time photographing elements of the landscape too. This means that wide-angle lenses are just as necessary as telephoto lenses.
Specific equipment recommendations can be discussed by contacting your guides directly before the trip but ample memory cards and batteries are a must. There will be plenty of opportunities to make good use of tripods but we know that they are not always the easiest items to travel with. There are alternative travel-friendly stability systems and, again, your guides will be happy to advise you based on your interests and equipment.
YOUR GUIDES
Neil Aldridge is an award-winning photojournalist and professional wildlife guide. Neil’s photography has been celebrated in the winning portfolio of the international Wildlife Photographer of the Year and he is a British Wildlife Photography Awards winner. He is a published author and his work is seen widely in publications such as BBC Wildlife Magazine. Neil’s photography experience, knowledge of wildlife and professional field guiding qualifications make him ideally suited to assisting others in photographing and experiencing wildlife and wild places. Neil leads wildlife photography trips in Europe and Africa.
Remo Savisaar is one of Estonia’s leading wildlife photographers. Remo was attracted to the nature around him at an early age and has been passionate about nature photography for the past seven years. His award-winning photographs have received recognition at international level. He has held numerous exhibitions and his work has been published in books and in magazines, including National Geographic. His knowledge of photography and eye for a good photograph has meant that he has also been a member of the jury of several photo contests. This makes Remo well suited to helping others see and take that winning photograph.
Day 1 - Saturday 26th May 2012 – Tallinn Arrival in Tallinn, where you will be met by your guides. You will be collected from the airport by minibus and transferred to the hotel (Domina Inn Ilmarine / Nordic Hotel Forum). The first evening will include a welcome dinner in a local restaurant.
Day 2 - 27th May – Paljassaare, Saaremaa & Kiipsaare (Very) Early in the morning we will visit the protected Paljassaare peninsula. Situated in the middle of Tallinn, Paljassaare has beautiful landscapes and a long bird list. From Tallinn’s first bird observation tower, magnificent views unfold onto pools and lagoons amidst the reed thickets and bushes of the peninsula and onto the sea beyond. May is the time of waterfowl and wader migration, so finding pleasing multiplane views and decent avian subjects should be easy. 215 bird species have been recorded here altogether, 40 of which are protected throughout Europe. Low light, lovely colours and morning haze will add extra atmosphere to the shots.
At about 10am we will pack up and leave for Saaremaa Island. During the drive through West-Estonia down to the harbor at Virtsu we will have the opportunity to see different landscapes, including the vast raised bog at the Risti junction and the Kasari River that feeds the wetlands of the Matsalu National Park.
After lunch, a brief ferry trip takes us to Saaremaa – the largest Island in Estonia. Our destination is Pilguse manor – birthplace of famous explorer Admiral von Bellingshausen, where we will have a short rest. From 6 to 10:30pm we will photograph at Cape Kiipsaare, which is a lovely, constantly changing sandy coastal formation. Waterfowl and waders will still be active. If we are lucky we may also see seals, which are common in these coastal waters.
Dinner and accommodation will be at Pilguse.
Day 3 - 28th May – Viidumäe & Sõrve Tonight we will stay at Pilguse again so will not need to pack-up, only taking out photographic equipment and binoculars. Our first destination will be the Viidumäe Reserve where we will start the day photographing from the high observation tower. It is situated in one of the highest locations of the island. These are the very first pieces of dry land that once emerged from the early stages of the postglacial Baltic. In the Ancylus period, remarkable coastal cliffs were broken by the sea. Today we can enjoy these ancient formations and you will be surprised how much prime forest we can behold from up the tower.
We will continue walking through the reserve and finding forest landscapes, flowers and butterflies to photograph. The flora of Viidumäe comprises of a remarkable 700 species, the most interesting ones being different orchids, Toothwort, Coralroot Bittercress etc. There are over 220 spp. of mosses, as much again of lichens, 675 spp. of large butterflies and almost 200 spp. of spiders. This smoothly changing forest landscape with steep overgrown cliffs, small swamps with dwarfish pine-trees keeps us busy until 11am, after when we will have lunch and rest.
Late afternoon will find us on the Sõrve peninsula concentrating on photographing the dry alvar landscapes, strange fossiliferous coastal formations and shallow bays with lots of waterfowl. White-tailed Eagles hunt in these bays and the sunsets over the sea can be stunning.
Dinner and accommodation will be at Pilguse again.
Day 4 - 29th May – Sõrve & Matsalu In the morning we will transfer from Saaremaa to Matsalu National Park in western Estonia. Before leaving Saaremaa we will catch the sunrise on the other side of the Sõrve peninsula at Järve dunes, which has lovely dune forests, lots of rare plants (Creeping Basket of Gold, many Wintergreens, Spurious Butterbur, Sand Pink etc) and a picturesque shoreline. We will follow the adjacent Loode oak-grove, which has a remarkably rich species composition, coppice landscape and some extraordinary Lady’s Slipper Orchid sites with thousands of flowering specimens.
After 11am we will take the ferry to the mainland, have lunch and continue on to Puhtu-Laelatu Reserve. Laelatu wooded meadow is by far the most species-rich meadow ecosystem of Northern Europe. 76 vascular plant species per square meter is the record, so we will hope that lots of them will be in bloom, such as White Helleborine, Twayblade, Round-leaved Wintergreen, Meadow Violet, Military Orchid and more. Tree Pipit, Golden Oriole, Willow Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Wryneck and other passerines can be heard and seen. Shallow bays on both sides of the previous railroad dam are partly overgrown with reeds, offering photo opportunities of landscapes, waterfowl, up to five tern species, White-tailed Eagle and optional Barnacle Geese.
With Ramsons and Solomon’s Seal in full blossom, as well as woodpeckers, Redwing, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Redstart, Wren, Dunnock and many other birds in the fairytale landscape of fallen moss-covered old oaks, Puhtu’s broad-leaved forest is just the place to get over any creative photography block. Here, the forest stretches almost to the shoreline, leaving only an erratic boulder-field on limestone rocks and shingle.
From the bird-tower it may still be possible to catch the end of the spring bird migration, as the strait between Estonia’s mainland and Western Archipelago is a major passage of the East-Atlantic flyway for Goldeneye, Black and Velvet Scoter, Long-Tailed Duck, Brent Geese and divers.
Once our memory cards are nicely full, we will drive to South-East Estonia, where we will check in at Mooste – one-time vodka brewery and now a picturesque guesthouse and Photo Tourism Centre.
Day 5 - 30th May – Alam-Pedja & Beavers The purpose of the Photo Tourism Centre is to develop photo tourism in Estonia and to offer local as well as foreign photography enthusiasts a possibility to enhance their skills. The Centre is aimed at beginner as well as more knowledgeable photographers. The guests are offered seminars, photo-trainings and photo hikes. Hi-tech studio, hides, shelters and trail cameras belong to the arsenal of the Centre. On the walls are photographs from local masters.
We will spend our day at Alam-Pedja – Estonia’s largest Nature Reserve – which comprises huge natural landscapes northeast of Tartu. Swamps, fens and bogs with primeval bog-islands make up a remarkable part of the protected area. Streams and rivers as well as huge floods are the natural cause of very limited access. For fifty years the Soviet Army used the area as a military range and kept any other human impact off the area. About 50 old cut-off rivers of the Emajõgi River are important spawning ground for fish from Lake Võrtsjärv and even from Lake Peipsi. In the migration period the flooded plains abound in diving and dipper ducks as well as swans. White-tailed Eagle, Osprey and Spotted Eagle are quite regular species while sometimes Golden Eagle show up. The flooded meadows are good nesting sites for the abundant population of Great Snipe. There are two hiking tracks passing through different habitats of the nature reserve. The edges of the forests are good sites to find Spotted and Red-breasted Flycatcher, Black, Three-toed, Grey-headed and White-backed Woodpecker, as well as the occasional Hazel Grouse.
We will devote our evening to beaver photography with Remek Meel, the ‘beaver-man’, before returning to the Photo Tourism Centre.
Day 6 - 31st May – Ardla, Ilmatsalu & Endla Today we will greet sunrise at Aardla wetland to watch and photograph waders, grebes, Citrine Wagtail and Spotted Eagle. Hopefully we will be lucky enough to find Black and White-winged Tern as well. We will be able to choose from several shooting sites, depending on the spread of the flood. The bird tower is also an option to get the overview of the area. These wet areas are the right habitats for Adderwort, Siberian Iris, Baltic Marsh Orchid and Niedrige Birch (Betula humilis).
The next photography opportunities will come along the Ilmatsalu nature trail that leads us along the banks of current and previous fishponds. These are good birding areas during the high flood and spring migration time and we can expect breeding Whooper Swan, grebes, Penduline Tit and Black Terns.
We will continue our photography in the afternoon at Endla Bog. The protected Endla Bog-system covers more than 100 square kilometers and comprises raised bogs with picturesque dwarf pines and bog-lakes, swamp forests and karst springs. These locations hold great natural diversity of about 450 plant and 180 bird species. Cranes, waders, Golden and Spotted Eagle, different woodpeckers and passerines can be expected. Endla Lake is considered to be one of the richest and most diverse birding locations in Estonia.
In the evening, we will check in at Matsu guest house in North-East Estonia.
Day 7 - 1st June 2012 – Alutaguse & Bear Hide Early in the morning we will head on to Alutaguse forests for a Flying Squirrel trip. In these old-growth forest habitats with old Aspens, these marvellous and photogenic little creatures still live and fly around. There are also good opportunities for scenic photography in wild forest habitats. Alutaguse is one of the most untouched and densely forested corners of Estonia, similar in appearance to the taiga. Since the border of the taiga coniferous forest vegetation zone extends as far as the north-eastern part of Estonia, some taiga elements can be observed here. Swamp, mire, and dry boreal forests on peat, gley and sandy soils predominate. Pine and birch stands are most widespread; spruce is less common here than in the rest of Estonia.
We will rest after lunch to be alert and fresh for an overnight session in a bear hide. These hides offer the best opportunity to take pictures of this precautious and shy beast. The hides are well sound-proofed though and there may be the chance to photograph other mammals such as Racoon Dog and Red Fox, as well as forest bird species. With long daylight hours and an almost full moon, visibility should be good.
Day 8 - 2nd June – North-eastern Forests & Bear Hide Today we will stay at Matsu and, as well as resting, we will spend our day driving the forest roads and photographing mammals, birds and the other forest wildlife.
There will then be the optional opportunity for another night in the bear hide.
Day 9 - 3rd of June 2012 – Kakerdaja Bog & Tallinn Today we leave Matsu for Tallinn and travel via Kakerdaja Bog. Kakerdaja is a really beautiful spot to photograph before we reach Tallinn and is one of the largest bogs in the area – exceeding 100 square kilometers. Bog lakes here are situated on two different height levels while in the middle of the bog there is the large Kakerdaja Lake. Thousands of birds stop there during the migration time. The name of the bog comes from the local name of Red Necked Grebe.
Before the return flights we will have time for a brief but informative guided tour in the beautiful Tallinn Old Town.
Please note that although we make every effort to adhere to schedules and itineraries, these are subject to change subject to weather, roads and availability. You will be notified of any changes.
READY TO MAKE A BOOKING? All bookings are handled by our expert travel partners Estonian Nature Tours. Please visit the dedicated link below or contact me should you have any questions about the trip.
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neil aldridge neil@conservationphotojournalism.com UK tel. (+44) 0788 688 1223 South Africa tel. (+27) 079 095 4957
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