The results of the annual Easter bird survey, organised by the Estonian Ornithological Society, revealed that more than half of the almost 42,000 birds sighted over the weekend were from the Branta or Ansa goose genus.
White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons)
Eight species of goose can be typically seen in Estonia, either stopping here in early spring on their north/eastern migration or breeding here over spring and summer. Now is one of the best times to see migrating geese en masse as they continue to arrive or rest here during the first few weeks of May.
Below is a gallery of these beautiful birds and links to further information about them from Wikipedia or Birdlife International.
# – difficult to see
## – possible
### – easy
Red-breasted geese (Branta ruficollis) - #
Barnacle Geese (Branta leucopsis) - ###
Canada Goose (Branta Canadensis) -##
Greylag Goose (Anser anser) - ###
Lesser White-fronted Goose (Anser erythropus) - # first week of May
Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) - ### first half of May
Pink Footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) - #
Bean Goose (Anser fabalis) - ### first half of May
Three of the best known bird tour operators in Estonia are listed below. If you are interested in visiting one of the best bird watching places in Europe, please contact them A.S.A.P. . They may still have places left in their spring birding tours.
- Estonian Nature Tours
Contact Maarika for information about special spring birdwatching tours that also include meals and hospitality at local farms.
- NaTourEst
Contact Triin from NaTourEst about their spring tours or about hiring equipment for a self-guided birding tour.
-Birding Estonia
Contact John or Ella about their 1 day birding trips from Tallinn or their longer small group tours designed to see the best of the spring migration.
Geese by Sergey Yeliseev
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