Estonia in spring, May 9-16, 2015

Looking out of my Promenade hotel room window at 5:30 AM Sunday morning I noticed that the rising sun behind the Tagalaht Bay had „ears” – here known as a sure sign of bad weather coming. Luckily everything was going right and summing up the final score of the bird checklist together with Marietta, SNP Natuurreizen tourleader, on our way back to Tallinn the result was 127 species. 

It wasn't that bad at all, we had to admit, considering several species hadn't arrived yet or were just not singing due to cold weather. Sad to say, but we had no sign whatsoever of icterine warbler, wood lark, greenish warbler, shrikes, scoters, spotted crakes or corncrakes.



Lapwings in flight. Photo: P. Vissak

Instead we had beautiful spottings of kingfisher, waxwing, hoopoe, horned grebe, avocet, curlew, white-tailed eagle, hobby, 3 species of harrier, barnacle geese, cranes, hawfinch, rosefinch, willow tit, crested tit and loudly performing thrush nightingale everywhere. Two far black grouse and one mysterious hazel grouse. Nutcracker and black woodpecker remained as distant calls, grey-headed woodpecker came upon, but most of us didn't spot it though. Elk and beaver were expected and nicely delivered. One wet and fat speciman did not care about us at all, while tucking into fresh plants just by the boat.

Beaver. Photo: P. Vissak

Escalating conflict between cranes and curlews.
Photo: P. Vissak

Horned grebe. Photo: P. Vissak

White-tailed eagle in the reedbeds. Photo: P. Vissak

This tour was much about birds, as most of the plants were still sleeping or yet in buds. Yes, we saw lots of yellow flowers – yellow anemones, multiflowered buttercup, lesser celandine and cowslips, cowslips, cowslips. In the other hand - Osmussaar island surprised us with early spring remnants - a big clump of liverleaf in full blossom. Amazing how a small country may be so large in its seasons.

Osmussaar island, liverleaf still in blossom. Photo: P. Vissak

SNP tour leader Marietta taking pictures of liverleaf

There isn't much more to speak about botanical survey. Some species of flowering sedges and cottongrass in moist meadows, danish scurvygrass on the ultimate edge of the limestone cliff of Osmussaar island, flowers opened on top of almost negligible stems, bittie leaves of round-leaved sundew in raised bogs and ghostly white romantic flowers of wood sorrel.

Danish scurvygrass (rare in Estonia) in Osmussaar island.
Photo: P. Vissak

Danish scurvygrass. Photo: P. Vissak

Wood sorrel. Photo: P. Vissak

Then of course there were the eery „fingers of the dead” - or toothwort, a plant, who is living the life of an earthworm, crawling most of the year under the ground and having scales instead of leaves. Only once a year for a very short time it shows up with its fleshy pink flowers.

Toothwort. Photo: P. Vissak

This time the plants were following us in our footsteps. Hardly gone from West Estonia, I was called by a keen orchid photographer, announcing that military orchid and early purple orchid will be out within 1-2 days. We hurry, nature doesn't.

Hereby some more quickly developed tour pictures (by Peeter Vissak), some of them shot merely through bus window :)

Beefsteak morel Gyromitra esculenta

Black morel Morchella elata

Cranes

"Crocodiles" and other creatures formed by Osmussaar brecchia rock

Unexpected

Synchronized

Lily of the valley stretching up

Mallard, little bit annoyed

Mooste vodka factory guesthouse

Mute swan in Matsalu reedbeds

SNP tour group wandering along limestone cliff in Osmussaar island

Osmussaar island

Scarlet elf cup

Breakfast in Promenade hotel, Haapsalu

Yellow anemone

White-tailed eagle

Early morning view from hotel window, Haapsalu

INTERNATIONAL MIGRATORY BIRD DAY

Birding towers event

In connection with international migratory birds day on the 9th of May Estonian Ornithological Society calls each and every bird-lover or afficionado to the watchtower event. All over Estonia there will be tutors waiting in towers to instruct newbies and supervise all other participants. As buzzards are birds of the year, more attention will be paid to birds of prey. Species’ checklist will be fulfilled in each tower and the most species rich tower will be found out.

See the map http://www.eoy.ee/printmail/839

to find out the locations of watchtowers, visiting hours etc. The map will be updated during the event.

No prior registration is needed. It is possible to watch birds and keep the checklists on everybody’s own. On that occasion it is of utmost importance to send the results to Thea Perm (the coordinator) on Saturday at 17 as the latest. E-mail address: Thea@tallinna-linnuklubi.ee

It is necessary to fix the location, time, species list, watchers’ names or number and contact phone nr. 

The Cornell Lab Of Ornithology - counting most of the birds in one day!

This Saturday, May 9, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology will be embarking on a new kind of Big Day, and we hope you'll come with them. Their birding team will spend 24 hours birding in Panama, the crossroads of the Americas. But they need your help to reach their twin goals of recording 4,000 of the world's species in a single day and raising $500,000 for conservation. No matter where you live, you can help our cause. http://cornell.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b35ddb671faf4a16c0ce32406&id=7c1288f3bf&e=f5ff587455. 

Give Your helping hand to Black Storks

Black Stork is endangered species in Estonia, whose breeding habitats are mostly situated in large forests far from human settlement. During the last 30 years its number has diminished almost 3 times, being less than 100 pairs in the moment. 

It’s mainly feeding upon small fish and amphibians, while the home range is usually small forest rivers, brooks and ditches. Unfortunately these tend to grow over, so that the bird cannot reach the food, especially during the growing season. In the worst case the chicks starve to death.

Estonian Ornithological society and the Eagle Club together have initiated together with several helpers a campaign of gathering charity donations for restoration works of small rivers on Black Stork feeding grounds. The works are planned to begin in the autumn 2015. The communal bee is an event, where everyone can contribute.

You can support with a feasible donation to the special accounts:

SWEDBANK                                                    EE2522 0022 1023 7285 17     SWIFT kood/BIC: HABAEE2X

SEB EE8510 1022 0016 7660 14 SWIFT kood/BIC: EEUHEE2X

It is also possible to donate at the exhibition of the Finnish nature photographer Mikko Tiittanen in the Environmental Education Centre of Tallinn Zoo.

Estonian Nature Tours' birding trips and even holidays with wild flowers and butterflies have occasionally brought us together with Black Storks, whose daily activities are often adjacent to our routes.

Read more about Black Storks and watch the webcamera live stream at:

http://www.kotkas.ee/en

Source: Estonian Ornithological Society, http://www.eoy.ee/musttoonekurg

Exploring standards of Capercaillie’s habitat

Capercaillie holds it’s position of being a popular species to be spotted during birding tours, albeit not to be disturbed in its lekking sites. Anyway lots of birders have seen this magnificent bird through the van windshield, either the exposing cock, groups of hens or an occasional hen with chickens. Yes - there are so forsaken forest roads here and there in Estonia.

Estonian Ornithological Society (EOY) together with Tartu University are carrying on a scientific project, financed by the Estonian Forestry Board (RMK). The project is focused on the quality of capercaillie’s habitats and is coordinated by senior research fellow Asko Lõhmus, PhD.

An important part of the project are telemetric investigations to reveal the size of the home range of adult capercaillie cocks and hens throughout the year. This would give some understanding of habitat utilization in correlation with suitable landscape patterns, area and distances. 

Experienced and seasoned researcher Eric Ringaby shared his expertise of 35 years of similar work. In 2014 only one hen was labelled. This year, during one week of 24/7 capercaillie lifestyle, Eric Ringaby, Ivar Ojaste and Pauli Saag were able to equip one more hen and a cock with radio transmitters. In spite of negligible signal level in Soomaa, positioning of the birds has been successful so far. 

Capercaillie hen with transmitter
Photo: Ivar Ojaste

Ivar Ojaste (holding the capercaillie cock) and Eric Ringaby
Photo: Ivar Ojaste

Successful shots of bird migration

A nice specimen of Red-breasted Goose - rare and protected (III category) migratory goose species in Estonia - was repeatedly spotted during latest weeks. Several wildlife photo enthusiasts had good opportunities to take nice pictures of this bird.

A Red-breasted Goose (Branta ruficollis) among other goose species.
Photo: Mati Vaus

The Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avocetta) is a remarkable black and white wader in the avocet and stilt family. It has been breeding in the western coast western archipelago of Estonia for several decades by now. Still it can surprise us sometimes.

Avocet (Recurvirostra avocetta) group in flight.
Photo: Nils-Edvard Tennmann

News from 'nestcameras'

Thanks to the direct video stream from ‘nestcameras’ it is possible to watch the domestic life of good old acquaintances - the Tawny Owl pair Klaara and Klaus. In the first half of April five nestlings were hatched nicely and happily. Unfortunately the cold spring and lack of catch has lead to dramatic changes in this family idyll. Two of the latest nestlings have perished and there isn’t enough food for the other three.

Tawny Owls

In case of the ‘Year of Buzzard’ there are now nestcameras at two Common Buzzard’s nests. There are 3 eggs in both nests and so far it seems to be OK. Buzzards are extremely sensitive during the hatching period.

Common Buzzards

Additional information:

http://www.looduskalender.ee. 

Easter Birdwatching Results

Migratory birds continue to arrive even in this seemingly cold windy spring. It's always big fun and hard work to go out and spot the newcomers.

April is the month of Easter birdwatching event and quick changes in species lists.

 In April 4-5 over 400 people were counting birds and as a result 200 species lists were compiled. More than 140 000 birds from 150 species were recorded. These days there was really active geese migration taking place and consequently more than 50% of counted birds were geese. In addition to that more numerous species were Chaffinch, Common and Black-headed Gull and Black Cormorant. Many birdwatchers were lucky to spot their first Pied Wagtail, Robin, Redwing, Songthrush, Wheatear, Osprey or Black Stork of this year.

The rarest record of these days was a Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii) among other geese near Räpina polder. Natural origin of this species may be doubtful though. 

Another spotted rarity was Arctic Skua, confessedly never migrating through Estonia so early in spring.

Other notable occasions during Easter birdwatching were migrating cormorants, lekking Black Grouse and a Pygmy Owl on a feeding table, not to speak about a fishing otter.

This is the list of counted bird species.

Additional inormation from Estonian Ornithological Society website http://www.eoy.ee