Text and illustrations Tiit Hunt, www.rmk.ee
English translation Liis
Estonian text posted 08.10.2018
Last week the barnacle geese reached
Yesterday’s radar observation in Esivere showed for the first time this large migration of various bird species from the Arctic that reached an order of hundreds of thousand individuals. A favourable slight northern wind set the birds moving.
In addition to the barnacle geese thrushes were migrating in large numbers; night-time migrants were mostly song thrushes and redwings, fewerfieldfares. black-throated loons, velvet scoters and common scoters were also migrating.
The Arctic migration proceeds at full speed, 15000 wigeons passed between Põõsaspea and Osmussaar in a day. A week ago there was a mighty dunlin migration, migration of the greater white-fronted geese however has not even started yet .
It is understandable that the larger part of the migrants remain unseen by us because night migrants flying low may be identified by their calls but the bird flocks flying high up are neither heard or seen – or we are simply in the wrong place.
In the video we see for a moment the barnacle geese that have just arrived to the Haseks beach, then also wigeons, some solitary grey geese, woodcocks, mallards and others.
Now a good time starts to head for the western Estonian coastal meadows, fields and bird towers to observe the barnacle geese, Anser geese and other migrants – it can be impressive.