Cranes gathering
Submitted by Looduskalender on 1 September 2010 - 10:33am
Photo: Arne Ader
Translation: Liis
Crane family
| Crane, Eurasian crane |
Sookurg
|
Grus grus |
The crane is both a long-time native breeding bird and a migrant in Estonia – a large, grey bird, with a white streak along the sides of the head and the neck. The flight feathers and feet are black, the beak greenish brown, adults have tail feathers gathered in a bushy bunch.
The autumn migration starts in August and lasts until November. At the moment only birds that have been breeding here gather in Estonia, but in September great numbers arrive from the north as well as from the northeast. There are more than 30 autumn migration resting places in Estonia, and around thirty thousand feeding migrants collect here. The Matsalu Bay area and western Estonia are well known gathering places but Lahemaa and eastern Estonia have similar areas.
