European Brown Bears

European Brown Bear - f/3.2 | 1/60 sec | ISO 1600

Young Bear Yawning - f/5.6 | 1/60 sec | ISO 1600

European Brown Bear II - f/5.6 | 1/60 sec | ISO 1600

After two nights in a bear hide in Estonia these are some of my favorite shots of the European brown bear! We saw five individuals including two 1 years olds and their mother which was fantastic! At one point on the second night two males chased the cubs right to the top of a tree and they remained stuck up there for hours! It was amazing to see how quickly they were able to climb trees even the larger adults were able to run vertically half-way up a tree in a matter of moments. 

European Brown Bear III - f/5.6 | 1/100 sec | ISO 1600

Raccoon Dog

Raccoon Dog - f/3.5 | 1/400 sec | ISO 400

During our time in the bear hide in Estonia we had the opportunity to see several individual raccoon dogs! - Yes they are called raccoon dogs not just raccoon's - although the look similar they are not closely related.  

On the second night one was determined to get to the fish despite two large male bears chasing  the mother and cubs away from the food and up a tree  it continued to sneak around in the longer grass, going undetected which was very funny to watch. I like the way each one seemed to have a personality of its own!

Mute Swan

Swan - f/5.6 | 1/640 sec | ISO 200

A mute swan emerging from the grass on the river bank at an Estonian nature reserve.

Endla Bog

Fisheye - f/14 | 1/40 sec | ISO 100

Reflections - f/8 | 1/125 sec | ISO 400

We visited Endla Bog early one morning in Estonia and the landscape was breathtaking, we followed a wooden board-walk over some of the ponds and it was a wonderful experience, despite arriving just after sunrise the light was still very nice for photography!

Wagtail

Wagtail on Drystone Wall - f/5.6 | 1/320 sec | ISO 200

Wagtails are possibly the cutest bird ever, I spent a long time sneaking up to this drystone wall to try to get a closer picture, I like the bookeh effect from the dandelions behind!

Frog

Showing off - f/5.6 | 1/640 sec | ISO 100

Another highlight of the Estonia trip was when we saw a group of frogs showing off to one another in a river. It almost looks like they are wearing arm-bands! 

Red Fox

Red Fox - f/5.6 | 1/400 sec | ISO 1600

On the second night in a bear hide in Estonia we saw two beautiful foxes! They have got to be one of my favorite animals and this was a lovely moment when the first fox looked straight at us. 

Jumping Spider

Jumping Spider - f/6.3 | 1/125 sec | ISO 200

A jumping spider I photographed while I was in Estonia. It was difficult to get a good shot as it jumped away when you got close and then you had to find it again - it was tiny! I used my tamron 90mm macro lens which enables me to reveal miniature details you'd never normally see. 

Estonian River Photography

Rocks and Water - f/22 | 4 sec | ISO 100

River Scape in the Evening - f/11 | 30 sec | ISO 400

These are my favorite shots of rivers in Estonia. I took them as it got dark in the evening which cast interesting light and enabled the use of a longer exposure, resulting in the beautiful impression of the flow of water along the river.

Flowers of Estonia

Lady's Slipper Orchids - f/4.5 | 1/1000 sec | ISO 100

Little Blue - f/4.5 | 1/320 sec | ISO 200

Dawn - f/5 | 1/200 sec | ISO 400

Just a few of the flowers we saw in Estonia.

Forest at Dawn

Between the Trees - f/4.5 | 1/800 sec | ISO 200

Misty Forest - f/3.5 | 1/1000 sec | ISO 200

Many of the forested areas of Estonia still feel truly wild and these photographs were shot as the sun rose while the morning mist lingered. 

Beaver Boat Trip

European Beaver - f/5.6 | 1/500 sec | ISO 400

On my visit to Estonia we had the opportunity to go on a boat trip out in a nature reserve to see beavers at dusk. This beaver was our first sighting and is my favorite photograph with the beaver carrying the green plant in its mouth and the greens reflected beautifully on the waters surface. 

River Scape - f/7.1 | 1/500 sec | ISO 800

Adder

Young Adder - f/5 | 1/250 sec | ISO 400

This baby adder we found curled up asleep in the doormat of one of the guesthouses we stayed at, the blades of grass give a sense of scale it was actually pretty tiny!

One of my many photographs from my recent trip to Estonia, led by professional wildlife photographers Neil Aldridge and Remo Savisaar. We saw some spectacular landscapes and a variety of creatures great and small during the trip, and there were beautiful opportunities for wildlife photography! Highlights include a visit to a bear hide in the forest where we had sightings of five bears as well as red foxes, racoon dogs and woodpeckers, amazing!