Latvia
Riga, Kemeri National Park and Lubans Lake
The Baltic state of Latvia is a land of forest, lakes and bogs with a rich and varied wildlife. Until recently the country was more or less unknown to most westerners and certainly not high on the wish list of British birders, but all that is changing.
Latvia is at a modern crossroads, both geographically and culturally. We are only now discovering just how beautiful and varied this small country is. Squeezed between Estonia and Lithuania on the Baltic coast, it has easily accessible avifauna with plenty of surprises. There is an east meets west and north meets south aspect to the Baltic States. Here southern species like Roller and Short-toed Eagle meet eastern species such as March Sandpiper and Citrine Wagtail. It also boasts one the highest densities of Wolf and Lynx in wider Europe as well as all the northern woodpeckers and most of the owls! Many of the guide books report that it has all the bird species of eastern Poland but that they are more difficult to see. In fact the reverse is true as Latvia has the specialties of eastern Poland with many of them easier to see.
This holiday combines three very different locations. Firstly we go to the Kemeri National Park, an area well protected by the Latvian government. It is a system of bog and wet forest - due in part to the activity of one of its best known inhabitants - the European Beaver. Wet forest is an en excellent habitat for woodpeckers and most of them are here, including the elusive Three-toed Woodpecker.
Lubans Lake is possibly the best wetland in the region and here we will see a large selection of wetland species including some of the aforementioned eastern species. Birds of prey are also on the agenda with White-tailed and Lesser Spotted Eagle putting in regular appearances. Here, too we will visit large tracts of forest looking for some of the most elusive forest birds including Hazel Hen.
Lastly, we will get the chance to visit the beautiful city of Riga. Steeped in history, this is now a very modern, welcoming city and a rewarding way to finish our holiday.
