May 2016

Text and photos Aare Lindt, www.loodusmuuseum.ee

Translation Liis

Oak beauty

 

Oak beauty  Tamme-kedrikvaksik  Biston stratarius

 

The oak beauty was discovered in Estonia for the first time by amateur entomologist Tiit Marnot in 1961. By now they have spread over all Estonia and have become locally quite common

It flies from mid-April to mid-May.

Video recorded by Urmas Lett, www.eenet.ee

Translation Liis

 

 

Black stork   Must-toonekurg       Ciconia nigra

 

The two bigger storklets are only three days old, one is a day younger which shows too, but all are well and sturdy.

Feeding is easy for the adults at first. Half-digested food which the storks-to-be digest better is regurgitated for the storklets (they already know that food comes from a beak and one must stretch towards there). Larger fish and anything that is not suitable for the storklets the adult eat themselves and so the ”table” gets cleaned up too.

Text and photos Aare Lindt, www.loodusmuuseum.ee

Translation Liis

Brindled beauty

 

Brindled beauty    Saare-karusvaksik      Lycia hirtaria

 

The brindled beauty is widely spread in all Estonia and is quite common. It can be found in forests and thickets but also in parks or gardens. The moths fly in April and May.

Text and photos Aare Lindt, www.loodusmuuseum.ee

Translation Liis

Sallow nycteoline

 

Sallow nycteoline    Paju-varjeöölane    Nycteola degenerana

 

The sallow nycteoline is a quite small moth (wing length only 11 mm) but its life span in contrast is quite long – about 10 months. The moths hatch at the end of July and fly until the arrival of frosts. After wintering they may live until June, and we can meet them now.

If the sallow nycteoline is disturbed it may stick out its white legs from under the wings as a means of scaring.

Image from webcam captured by Mutikluti, LK forum

Translation Liis

Black stork       Must-toonekurg          Ciconia nigra

 

A brief review of events, starting from the very beginning. Male  Karl arrived to his home nest on March 26, but had to wait for his mate Kati until April 7. Happiness seemed to be mutual and the eggs were laid already on April 11, 13, 15 and 17.

The first two chicks were hatched on May 17, the third in the morning of May 18; we will see how things develop further….

Text Margus Ots, Great Tit Year coordinator

Web camera image captured by Shanta, LK forum

While we could see the hatching of the chicks in nest box no.1 on May 16, then the chicks in nest box no. 2 were hatched  on the morning of May 18.

The just hatched chicks need to be kept warm during the first few days, so the female sits on the nest every now and then. The egg shells are partly thrown out of the nest  but a part is eaten by the female to cover her calcium need. In their first days in life the chicks are fed the smallest invertebrates.

Video recorded by Liz, LK forum

Translation Liis

 

 

Black stork    Must-toonekurg       Ciconia nigra

 

Adults Kati and Karl have spent the last few days in waiting, as have we. Late on Monday night two eggs were already ”talking”, with small holes in the eggshells.

By early morning one eggshell was already lifted on to the edge of the nest and Kati showed us two hatched stork chicks. Congratulations!

See also the entries in the forum: LINK

Webcam image captured by Lussi, LK forum

Translation Liis

 

Buzzard     Hiireviu       Buteo buteo

 

Another new being has entered the world, the second buzzard-to-be was hatched on Sunday and we expect the third to be hatched on Tuesday.

Text Bird of the Year Team

Transmission courtesy of EENet, Teetormaja, Tele2 and Elisa

Translation Liis

The nesting proceeds as follows: Nest log 1 – the female incubates 11 eggs in the nest, the hatching of the chicks may be expected in the beginning of this week. Nest log 2 – 9 eggs are being incubated and the chicks will probably hatch at the end of this week. Nest box 3 - the nest with 10 eggs was looted by a wryneck (see video record). It is not certain that the great tits will continue the nesting but the site should in any case not stay empty. We will see.

Webcam image captured by Hagnat, LK forum

Translation Liis

A portrait of the smallest chick who was the last to leave the nest log

 

Tawny owl       Kodukakk      Strix aluco

The chicks of tawny owl pair Klaara and Klaus move around near the nest tree. They left the nest log almost at the same time, and as owl camera viewers know from earlier, none of the chicks will return to the nest log.