Looduskalender

Oh, this was in the middle of the day, between 3pm and 4pm
this one at 2pm


and 3pm at Townhall square...not much daylight no matter what the clock says

Well, itś Winter Solstice today...from 7.47 pm winter is official!
and it`s snowing and snowing and snowing....temp. is normal -10C




let`s see what tomorrow brings, forecast promises more snow...wonderful!

Thank you, Kuremari.

Lovely dog!
She must be a friend of yours.

It is so winter in Estonia now!

Beautiful

some fog and frost pictures from last week in Tallinn, i really don`t remember when was the last time i saw something like that


someone has put an apple through the chestnut tree branch...for birds, i guess

Beautiful views beautifully photographed, Kuremari!

In Stockholm, Sweden, we had lots of snow beginning some time around December 15, then lots of cold, then hoar and rime frost and all mixtures in between, then a little less snow (it compacted) and less cold, but streets slippery as wobbly skating rinks (old people stayed indoors or broke arms and legs), then these last few days a lot more snow, and just now, a lot more cold again.
The blackbirds have finally decided to go for all the rowanberries that have loaded the trees until now. A fantastic globe-shaped rowan in the Botanical gardens looked still red with berries today, but it was just the empty stalks. Some very annoyed blackbirds told me to get off. They have still left the white, pink, yellow and black rowanberry varieties alone (actually the pink ones - a very clear pink - taste much nicer for humans than the ordinary red ones).
Rabbits and hares make preparatory walks around apple trees, but no one cared to even nibble at the nice fresh tulip leaves and rose stalks that I left for them. It seemed interesting to check in the botanical gardens what they preferred of all the exotic varieties of trees, shrubs and bushes - what a smörgåsbord! - but there were just "hare paths", broad as motorways, and no eating raids on anything special.

Great description Liis!
How come there are so many hares or rabbits in Helsinki and Stockholm?? i have hardly heard about any in Tallinn
and i was just thinking some days earlier that with all the forest webcams, we have never spotted any hares there!?
and they should be the most common habitant there....there is a very simple explanation for that i am sure!
but one can ask ( as a saying goes...one fool can ask more questions than hundred smart ones could answer )

Kuremari wrote: --- How come there are so many hares or rabbits in Helsinki and Stockholm?? i have hardly heard about any in Tallinn

Aahhh - that is, for Stockholm, a long, fascinating and educational biological story: balance in nature, genetics, adaption, human behaviour, urban vs rural nature, population evolution, pet vs pest - you name it, it is there! Goes back about 10-15 years (and with a recent gruesome although ecological? sequel).
One answer is partly in a question: how come they were nearly all small, coal black, green-eyed?
It was pet rabbits, let loose when parents and kids tired of caretaking tasks. And curiously, they kept to the city.
Why not in Tallinn: this is a guess - there may be more loose dogs and even large cats, possibly birds of prey, in Tallinn. Maybe also handier humans who haven't lost the skill of snaring rabbits. It took at least 10 years for the Stockholm rabbits to explode into that very noticeable population.

Kuremari wrote: and i was just thinking some days earlier that with all the forest webcams, we have never spotted any hares there!? ----

Yes - so was I. Last night with the beautiful moonlight at eagle camera and all calm, no foxes or eagles around any longer. The hares can't be all camouflage white and invisible?

PS. The Stockholm rabbits migrated to Other animals topic

I was wondering if they were like the rabbits of the University of Victoria campus -- I think they were pets and now they are entertainment for visitors.

Here is a very pretty Winter in Tallinn picture I took from the ILM page

I hope I have put these in the correct place if not maybe they can be moved to the proper place....just some photos from my house this morning...the leaves are beginning to change and fall rapidly....this is my favorite time of the year....


Looking down my street:




The trees are so colorful now:



Many lovely colors:

Just a few more photos:


My home:




View of the deck in the rear of the house:



The rear yard:

Just a couple more:


View from the rear yard:




Same view:



Some visitors:

IKat: Nice place where you live... Wonderful colours of autumn... And nice visitors in your garden (specially the squirrel )

Thank you Manu.....it was a beautiful day today.....the sky was as blue as I have ever seen it.....the leaves have continued to fall all day so looks like raking is in our future....again....already have 4 large bags filled.....

Beautiful autumn, IKat! We had fog today the whole day, no sun ...

One of the trees in front of my house from my balcony yesterday late afternoon

Thank you Felis.....what lovely color you have too....Autumn is my favorite time of year. Those photos of the Estonian winter are just fabulous, aren't they?