The greater spotted eagle is one of the most endangered eagles in Europe. In the EU countries fewer than 50 pairs nest and according to what is known, only in Poland and Estonia. The majority of Europe’s GSEs nest in Russia, Belarus and the Ukraine.

By ten thirty there were six eggs in the nest

Starling             Kuldnokk         Sturnus vulgaris

 

 

Starling        Kuldnokk        Sturnus vulgaris

 

The strength of passerines to lay eggs always feels amazing, how does the body of a small bird have this capacity?

When we crack open a hen’s egg in the course of cooking we notice a small white dot on the yolk – it is the germinal disc  from which the chick develops. The developing chick feeds on the yolk during the incubation.

By 10 o’clock in the morning the fifth egg was in the nest box

 

Starling      Kuldnokk       Sturnus vulgaris

 

By today there are five eggs in the nest box  and four of them the female laid each subsequent morning. In case of passerines it may be noted that the female uses about 60% of her daily energy need  for laying an egg.

The third egg the starling laid half past 10

 

Starling            Kuldnokk        Sturnus vulgaris

 

The first egg we spotted in the nest box in the evening of April 22, the second in the morning of April 24 and the third in the morning of April 25.

The second egg this morning…

 

Starling          Kuldnokk      Sturnus vulgaris

 

At about half past nine it seemed that the starling female was laying an egg and a quarter of an hour later we could see a second egg in the nest box.

The first egg came into the nest box in the evening of April 22, the second in the morning of April 24. Let us wait and see,  most commonly the female lays five to six eggs.

 

Events in the badger camera can be watched once again from here in Saaremaa, from the same place where we finished in mid-November 2016 after the old fat beaver fell asleep snoring on the ground beside the burrow.

 

White-tailed eagle       Merikotkas      Haliaeëtus albicilla   

 

Thirtyseven days of incubation in the cold spring, sometimes even in a snowdrift.

The chick was hatched from the first egg laid on March 18. From the incubation period we can deduce that the egg that was crushed on April 5 was laid on March 21.

 

Red deer       Punahirv     Cervus elaphus

 

The shedding of the antlers started in early March.  As we can see young animals still have their antlers, and the old bulls grow new antlers.

Tiit Hunt will surely make a final summary of the season in the near future.

Our thanks to our viewers and the Looduskalender forum members, thanks to whom interesting events were recorded in images as well as words.

The eagle chick has picked holes in the shell with its egg tooth and squeaks...

 

White-tailed eagle       Merikotkas        Haliaeëtus albicilla

Let us look back in time and make a brief recapitulation of events in female Suvi and male Sulev’s nest up to now.