Between birds and bogs

Witnessing the autumn bird migration on the Estonian coast, as millions of Arctic waterbirds seek sunnier climes, is rivalled only by the chance to traverse the bog boardwalks of its wild interior before soothing the soul in a ceremonial sauna

‘Chaffinches!’ shouts Tarvo. ‘More chaffinches! A lot of chaffinches!’ The birds in question are flitting overhead in flocks of a dozen or so. I don’t know exactly how many, but Tarvo does. He lowers his gaze briefly to scribble more numbers in his notebook, then it’s eyes back on the sky. ‘Bramblings – over there,’ he calls, as more birds break the skyline. ‘Blue tits. Great tits.’ Then, cocking an ear. ‘Woodlark – high up.’

I’m perched with my companions on a small wooden platform above a bus shelter in Puise, a tiny hamlet on the western coast of Estonia. It’s October, migration season, and this unlikely lookout sits on a narrow peninsula jutting out into the Baltic, making it the perfect launch pad for an autumn armada of southbound songbirds. For many species – including ones that back home you may not think of as migrants – the cold dark northern winters are just too tough. Hence this annual exodus, which sees millions of feathered travellers following the Baltic coastline south towards milder climes.

PHOTOGRAPHS: ANNA SALNIKOVA (TOP LEFT); MIKE UNWIN (EAGLE , MATSALU MOON); MARILIN PEKHA (FAR RIGHT, LEFT)

Tarvo Valker, our guide, is one of the Baltic’s top ornithologists. At other times of year, you’ll find his whippetlike figure leading tours through Estonia’s bogs and forests in search of Ural owls and other local specials. But come autumn, he hits the coast to count the migrants. This morning we’ve joined him, but we’re struggling to keep up.