June 2016

Image from webcam captured by Liz, LK forum
Video recorded by  Mutikluti, LK forum
Translation Liis

The large birds must manage with a smaller nest area

White-tailed eagle    Merikotkas        Haliaeëtus albicilla

The rains of the last few days have soaked the eagle nest through and through, in addition there have been strong gusts of wind.

The nest area has become clearly smaller but the eaglets are already at an age when they are able to get across shorter distances by flying.

Text and photos  Aare Lindt, www.loodusmuuseum.ee
Translation Liis

Great oak beauty

Great oak beauty  Hiid-samblikuvaksik   Hypomecis roboraria

The great oak beauty can be seen in Estonia quite often in broadleaf and mixed forests, but frequently also in gardens from mid-June to early August.

It is one of the largest among the geometer or Geometridae moths, with a wing span of up to 60 mm. Thanks to its efficient protective colouring it is simply not noticed in nature.

Image from webcam captured by  Fleur, LK forum
Translation Liis

Badger     Mäger       Meles meles

The openings of the badger sett towards the webcam are becoming overgrown with grass but the sett has not been abandoned. In summer new den openings are diligently dug out and the network of burrows is enlarged. So it is too with the sett that we watch, where we had to move the camera to the other side. The bottom image gives an idea of where the camera is installed.

Photos Arne Ader
Translation Liis

Valerian

Valerian; All-heal     Harilik palderjan      Valeriana officinalis

Summer has come so far that the valerian flowers, or is about to flower in North Estonia. Herbalists have used the herb already for thousands of years until today.

Does the valerian flowering in the meadows remind of the Umbelliferae family plants? It is a perennial, in the honeysuckle family and related to madders (Rubiaceae).

The large inflorescences, cymes, are adorned with funnel-shaped pinkish flowers, a little different from others in the family that do not have such long umbels.

Text  Margus Ots, coordinator of Great Tit Year
Image from webcam captured by  Laranjeiras, LK forum
Translation Liis

Camera view from nest box 1

Great tit      Rasvatihane     Parus major

A part of great tits in Estonia nest twice during the summer. At present the young from the first clutch have mostly left the nest and the tits are laying a second clutch. While the first clutch of great tits has 8-13 eggs, the second is smaller – usually 6-9 eggs. The tits that started laying the second clutch earliest have started incubating again by now.

Image from webcam captured by  Lussi, LK forum
Translation Liis

Look – I already stand with my legs straightl

Black stork    Must-toonekurg       Ciconia nigra

The week of birthdays goes on as already noted in earlier stories. There are two storklets left in the black stork nest and adults Kati and Karl have managed to feed them despite the low water level in the small rivers and forest creeks, where the adults go to hunt small fish 

.

Image from webcam by Hagnat, LK forum
Translation Liis

Adult with the buzzard chicks

Common buzzard     Hiireviu      Buteo buteo

:

Time flies – just recently the chicks got rings on their legs; by today the larger and older buzzard chick is one month old (the smaller was hatched on May 15).

As ever the older tries to grab the food from the younger one and displays all the other tricks that the webcam viewers have noted. Last year was the buzzard year and their family life was introduced more in detail then.

Photos Arne Ader
Translation Liis

Labrador tea

Labrador tea     Sookail        Ledum palustre

Where the Labrador tea grows there is usually a lot of it – be it a bog or forest where the humidity is sufficient for this beautiful flowerer.

The flowers, in umbels, are set in the tips of the numerous branches of the evergreen semi-shrub that grows up to a metre high. Some twenty to thirty flowers are gathered in the inflorescences and they are very rich in nectar. The truly long-lasting flowering period starts already in May and goes on until July.

Great Tit Year science news edited by  Marko Mägi, bird ecologist at University of Tartu
Translation Liis

The first clutches of great tit chicks have left the nests. However, few of them will reach a reproductive age, because during the week after leaving the nest a great part will fall victims to predators. Having reached adult age the chances of living on further are relatively great and so it is extremely important precisely in the first weeks of life to make the right decisions outside the nesr and keep alive.

The first decision that the fledged chicks have to make is the time of leaving the nest – to leave in early morning, at mid-day or  even at dusk? Is there  a ”best time” for leaving the nest?

Image captured from webcam by Gavril, LK forum
Translation Liis

The first egg was hatched in the nest of osprey pair Mai and Mati in the evening of June 4th

Image from webcam captured by Helga LK forum

The second osprey chick was hatched in the evening of June 5th

On the night to June 7th the most recently hatched chick probably died; the cause regrettably remains unknown.

Text and photos Aare Lindt, www.loodusmuuseum.ee
Translation Liis

Elephant hawk moth

Small elephant hawk moth

Elephant hawk moth     Suur-punasuru          Deilephila elpenor

Video recorded by Urmas Lett, www.eenet.ee
Translation Liis

Osprey    Kalakotkas        Pandion haliaetus

A brief summary: the first egg appeared in the nest of osprey pair Mai and Mati on April 28, the others followed on May 1st  and 4th.

Osprey chicks have hatched from two eggs, on June 4th and 5th (as of Wednesday, June 8th).

Video recorded by Aita, LK forum
Translation Liis

Buzzard       Hiireviu       Buteo buteo

For some days now the microphone at the buzzard nest camera has not been working. On Friday it was taken down; there are no repair facilities in the forest. Hopefully it will be in working order next week.

Photo Arne Ader
Translation Liis

Germander speedwell

Germander speed well     Külmamailane        Veronica chamaedrys

One of our common plants at forest verges, fields, meadows but also in yards where they should be allowed to expand in the lawn.

Each of the germander speedwell’s  a little flat sky blue flowers with slightly darker streaks is open for only 24 hours, but the plant flowers for weeks because new flowers open  all the time.

Photo Arne Ader
Translation Liis

Water avens

Water avens     Ojamõõl         Geum rivale

There may be a plant with a pretty bell-like flowe In spring in humid meadows, around springs or in forests, at fields, in the outskirts of gardens or even in the shadow of the porch – the water avens. 

The stalk covered with downy soft hairs, the little bent head and the very small leaves make a delicate impression. It is a favourite of bumblebees, with the folk name of ”honeyflower” locally.

Video recorded by Urmas Lett, www.eenet.ee
Translation Liis

Osprey family doings

Osprey   Kalakotkas      Pandion haliaetus

The long incubation period is coming to an end for osprey pair Irma and Ivo: the eggs were laid on May 1, 4 and 7.

This Wednesday the first osprey chick was hatched and in the future we will surely have more to write about them.