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.
The entrance to the nest box of the great tit was made with a 3,5 cm drill. So that the greater spotted woodpecker would get into the box it must widen the opening by at least one and a half centimetres.
On Thursday, October 27th, the woodpecker came to demolish the nest box in order to make the entrance suit its own body – an hour of hammering and a couple of hours of rest, and so two days with this schedule. A woodpecker does not easily leave something half-done and persistence led to the gaol.
On Saturday it finally squeezed in and at once started to throw out the great tit’s furnishings. As we can see it is a female greater spotted woodpecker; who has no red nape patch.
Camera stream transmitted by Teetormaja, www.tt.ee
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Posted by the Animal of the Year team, 09.11.2016
Posted by the Animal of the Year team, 09.11.2016
Video recorded by Ahto Täpsi
Translation Liis
Raccoon dog Kährikkoer or kährik Nyctereutes procyonoides
Tuesday in Meegaste in Valgamaa. The raccoon dog may have died of old age or been killed by some disease. Ravens as well as tits were present, another raccoon did not despise the cadaver either.
Interestingly, on the roads it is raccoon dog cadavers that are left lying around in autumn, other mammals are not particularly interested in them.
Text and photos Urmas Tartes
Translation Liis
Buzzer midge
This year snow fell on unfrozen ground. It means that under the snow carpet it can be even warmer than usual. Which in turn means that an abundant insect winter might be expected.
Before the snowstorms I managed to inspect the snow surface, near Keila river this time. There were plenty of insects – red stoneflies, snow flies, buzzer midges and various spiders were on the move on the snow. We will see what excitement the coming snowy months will offer this winter.
Until the winds calm down it is nice to view photos in a warm room. In the museum of the Palamuse Parish School there is a photo exhibition to see in November: ”There is something more”.
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