At the beginning of last week there was still a quite decent winter. The Soosaare sett was covered by a solid carpet of snow and the badgers stayed napping in the burrow. Neither did the raccoons want to go far from the burrow openings in the cold.
Posted by the Animal of the Year team, 20.11.2016
Text Kristel Vilbaste
Photo from Vikipeedia
Translation Liis
The railway station building in Tartu in 2014
When I lived at the Peipsi shore for seven years train travel in Estonia became unfamiliar to me. There were simply no trains to Mustvee. From time to time we collected birch whisks and picked wild strawberries from the old railway embankment.
The only railway trips during that period I made in Europe, mostly from an airport to the city. Once, yes, I travelled a longer distance by train, from Malaga on the Spanish sun coast to Cordoba. Train travel was slower than by air, more troublesome and actually probably more expensive.
Grey seal Hallhüljes Halichoerus grypus
Actually the seals began to gather at the beginning of the thaw, on Thursday. How did the ”greys” know that it would turn into a long-lasting thaw?
Judged by a glance it can be believed that there are well over three hundred there. Where many are together things always happens …
In the Saaremaa badger camera we saw most recently five sturdy animals on November 5, just before the arrival of frost and snow. On November 12 when we finished transmitting for this year from the badger sett and brought the camera to the red deer site the thermometer again went back gently to the plus side and drizzle.
Introduction Tiit Hunt, www.rmk.ee
Transmission courtesy of Teetormaja and Eenet
Technical support HATCAM
Translation Liis
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Video record and text by Ahto Täpsi
Translation Liis
Trail of brown bear tracks at Viinistu in Lahemaa
Brown bear Pruunkaru or karu Ursus arctos
A thaw has set in, probably the bear's bedding had gone wet – just try to sleep then … Or maybe sleep hadn’t come properly yet? Such weather really does not favour hibernation.
Science news from the year of the great tit edited by Marko Mägi, marko.magi@ut.ee University of Tartu Bird Ecology department
Translation Liis
Some days ago I observed a nuthatch in the park who was carrying something into a branch crevice. I was not the only one observing this, so also did a great tit. When the nuthatch disappeared out of sight the tit grabbed the booty and went off. This happened several times. Is this behaviour the reason why great tits don’t collect winter stores? Is it simpler to keep one’s eyes open, and memorize the hiding places of others, in order to empty them later?
A video record from the ELKS anniversary celebration conference in the Estonian National Museum where nearly 500 people attended. The Rail Baltica was one of the main topics of our conference.
Editor of science news from the Year of the Great Tit Marko Mägi, marko.magi@ut.ee
Translation Liis
Many know the various songs of great tits but few have heard the bird hissing like a serpent. Hissing can be heard when you come across a female bird sitting on her eggs in a nest box, elsewhere great tits will not use this call. It is caused by predators such as least weasel, stoat, pine marten, pygmy owl, stray cats that are threats to an adult bird in a tree hollow. Although a nest in a hollow is comparatively well protected from predators the hollow can become a mortal trap if the nest is discovered – the only escape route is controlled by the predator and in the worst case the predator may even be able to get into the hollow.
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