Where have I been?

11.11.2024

Dear Reader,

My second night of migration towards my wintering ground in France is in progress. Hurtling
down the road at twice the speed of an “Alli” on the top deck of a bus with magnificent views out
into the interminable blackness of the night. The journey and my sleep interrupted only by the
lurkers in the darkness checking for aliens, new species, hybrids and rarities – the secretive
humain twitchers of the borders – (White Caucasian : 2 pair/pair 0 : tablet code – HOMSAP).
So dear reader, where have I been?
To a place where selfie and picture postcard takers don’t stray far from the comfort of their cars.
A place where the wind excites the sea to tumble over the rocks and finish exhausted on the
beach.
A place where only hardy souls would come to swim or for a suntan.
A place that reaches out into the sea pointing to a distant island.
A place where millions of birds pass every year on their autumn migration to lands of plenty.
A place where every five years seasoned birders come to count and identify these arial wonders.
A place for ‘sea-watching’ where contrarily there is no time to watch it because there are
continuous lines / groups of birds to count and detail.
A place from mid October where the light is like a permanent “golden hour” without heat haze.
A place where each bird seems to be dressed in its Sunday best.
A place where Goldeneyes play endlessly in the tumbling surf.
A place where birds pass close enough to be immortalised on celluloid.
A place that has a very special and ever changing atmosphere.
So where is this magical place ? Well dear reader, it’s at Põõsaspea neem in Estonia, a spit of land
which sticks out into the Baltic Sea. If you find it on a map you’ll realise that you would need a
very good reason to go there, or your GPS is having a mental breakdown
or you are naturally of a very curious nature.
But it’s worth it!