The end of February and the beginning of March have been consistently mild, the ice is running from water-bodies one after another and most of the landscape in Estonia is already snowless. As a result, active movement of migratory birds has been noticed everywhere.
Skylark and Lapwing have been around for some time already, while Greylag, White-fronted and the Bean Geese have arrived more recently. Whooper and Bewick’s Swans are also arriving, in addition to the more locally dislocated Mute Swan. Various duck species such as Mallard, Teal and Wigeon are also arriving in numbers. Last week has added Starling, Coot, Bittern, Woodcock and Common Crane to the migrant list.
Whooper Swans (Cygnus cygnus)
Photo: Luke Massey
Common Cranes (Grus grus)
Photo: Arne Ader
By the end of March more migrants should arrive at their northern breeding areas. Species like White and Black Storks, White Wagtails, Avocets, Lesser Spotted Eagles and many others are not far from their final destination.
The first bears have awakened already from hibernation.
The first bears have awakened already from hibernation.
Brown Bear / Photo: Jack Hill
Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!
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