Latvian team wins bird race

TALLINN – The 31st Estonian Open bird race, held in Saaremaa, was won by the Latvian team Himantopus Himantopus, who spotted 143 bird species over 14 hours.

Läänemaa, who were defending last year's title, fell short of the winner by just three species.

The Himantopus Himantopus team consisted of Andris Klepers, Mārcis Tīrums, Pēteris Daknis, and Ilze Bojāre. The team has participated in the Estonian Open for 16 years, but this was the first time they secured first place and the travelling trophy.

"On behalf of team HimHim, a big thank you to the organizers and Estbirding for maintaining and developing this wonderful tradition! We will take care of the rather heavy travelling trophy with great respect until the next rally. We have participated in this international birdwatching competition for 16 years, and we finally managed to win. We saw many birds, enjoyed the enchanting landscapes of Saaremaa, and were delighted with how well our route plan worked. It was an honor to compete with such dedicated and knowledgeable birdwatchers," said Andris Klepers, a member of the winning team.

In a tight competition, last year's winner, Läänemaa, took second place with 140 species, with a team consisting of Leho Luigujõe, Sten Lassmann, and Tarvo Valker. The Finnish team Avescapes Oy came in third with 136 species, with members Heikki Eriksson, Jari Laitasalo, Tuomas Seimola, and Roni Väisänen.

"This was a very exciting rally. We expected tough competition and are extremely happy about the Latvians' first win. The day was rich in birds, and the bird diversity on the coast of West Saaremaa was a particularly pleasant surprise," said Tarvo Valker, a member of the Läänemaa team.

During the rally, the teams registered a total of 185 bird species. Among the rarer species spotted were the Crested Lark, the Two-barred Crossbill, and the Yellow-legged Gull.

Saaremaa's own team, 'Tasa ja targu' (Slowly and Surely), participated in the rally for the first time and recorded 97 species. The team included Karl Jakob Toplaan, Ainar Unus, Maris Sepp, and Liis Sepp.

"For our first time, our plan was to take it easy, enjoy it, and gain experience. At first, we proceeded slowly and surely, but as we spotted more species and got closer to our goal of 100, the adrenaline grew and the pace quickened. The last few hours were therefore very intense and exciting. We just missed the 100-species mark this time, but we gained valuable experience and motivation to participate again next year," said Karl Jakob Toplaan.

For the first time in the history of the Estonian Open, a separate eco-category was also held. It was won by team HFK, consisting of Peter Lind, Alari Pajula, and Janne Põlluaas. The team, which travelled by bicycle on Abruka island, covered 24 kilometers and registered 78 bird species.

"When the vehicle mileage limit was removed, we had the idea to do the rally in a green way instead. Half-jokingly, you could say that we made our own small contribution to reducing the rally's environmental footprint. Doing the eco-rally on Abruka was an extremely positive experience, certainly helped by the island's wonderful nature and nice weather. We recommend eco-birdwatching to others and hope that there will be more participants in this category in future rallies," said Peter Lind, a member of the HFK team.

The Estonian Open is the longest-running bird race in Estonia. The competition began at 3 a.m. and ended at 5 p.m. During this time, teams tried to spot as many bird species as possible in Saaremaa, following the principles of fair play and bird welfare.