Text and photos Tiit Hunt, www.rmk.ee
English translation Liis
Estonian text posted 22.09.2018
“In a minute or two the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth and yawned once or twice, and shook itself. Then it got down off the mushroom, and crawled away in the grass, merely remarking as it went, 'One side will make you grow taller, and the other side will make you grow shorter.“
Information from Tiit Hunt, www.rmk.ee
English translation Liis
Estonian text posted 21.09.2018
On their migration wigeons (Anas penelope) have arrived in Haeska, on the green grass turf directly in front of the web camera.
Today up to some twenty male birds were eating for hours and with unabated eagerness the salty grass that had risen out of the water – wigeons often feed in coastal meadows, like geese.
Text and image Aivar Leito
English translation Liis
Estonian text posted 19.09.2018
Cranes "Soits 1“ and "Soits 2“ have left
When driving to work yesterday morning the Soitsjärve crane family were still at the Elistvere roadside at 6.40 to greet me but at 8 o’clock they left from there on migration as the transmitter data from “Soits 1“ and “Soits 2“ today show.
Text and photos Aivar Leito
English translation Liis
Estonian text posted 18.09.2018
Information from Aivar Leito
Photo Arne Ader
English translation Liis
Estonian text posted 17.09.2018
Cranes
Dear Crane Friends!
The migration of the cranes with transmitters “Aivar“ and “Hauka 3“ who set out early has advanced again.
“Aivar“ again made a long migration leap and late in the evening on September 19 reached the Hortobágy National Park in East Hungary, the same area where he made a long stop last autumn. But then he arrived there almost a month later, on October 10. Evidently he will stay there for some time now too.
Photo Eero Kiuru
English translation Liis
Estonian text posted 17.09.2018
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Chiff-chaff
The weather for the weekend promised to be changeable but that cannot stop the autumn migration that proceeds at full speed. Millions of birds have already passed us and millions are still on their way to here. The time has arrived when mornings in the garden are again full of birds and exciting!
The sun rises at about 6.45 now and that is the moment to pick up the binoculars, a hot drink and paper and pencil and settle comfortably in a garden chair. During the next couple of hours you will see and hear some twenty bird species without much bother and maybe even such that you have not met yet this year.
Photos Arne Ader
English translation Liis
Estonian text posted 15.09.2018
Hazel nuts
Common hazel Harilik sarapuu Corylus avellana
The bell-shaped and soft husk that encloses hazel nuts is green, velvety and fringed at the edges in summer. There may be up to five one-seeded nuts in a group. By now they are nicely brown. The average diameter of hazelnuts is a couple of centimetres and the weight of a thousand nuts may be estimated at a kilo – or one nut, one gram.
When the kernel or seed (”nut”) cannot be easily loosened from the husk it may almost certainly be predicted that there is no kernel because the nut weevil has laid its eggs in the young seed.
Screenshot from webcam Felis silvestris, LK forum
English translation Liis
Estonian text posted 12.09.2018
Tõnnipoeg
Greater spotted eagle Suur-konnakotkas Clanga clanga
Tõnnipoeg is three and a half months old and rarely visits the nest if at all. The nest life period has come to an end.
The parents raised Tõnnipoeg and taught the necessary knowledge for eagle life. Mother Tiiu should set out on migration in the second half of September. Father Tõnn stays to keep an eye on Tõnnipoeg and we can still meet them a month after Tiiu’s migration. With favourable weather they start the migration earlier.
Information and invitation from MAFF
Introduction written by Tiit Hunt, rmk.ee
Transmission provided by Teetormaja and EENet
English translation Liis
Estonian text posted 16.09.2018
Photos Arne Ader
English translation Liis
Estonian text posted 13.09.2018
Common toad
Common toad Harilik kärnkonn Bufo bufo
On Saturday evening, I had the opportunity to keep company with a toad gentleman at an evening meal that started at half past five and lasted almost an hour and a half.
Why a male? The individual was some eleven centimetres long, smart and dignified. Somehow I did not want to class the creature as a female because old females may be even larger than fifteen centimetres in body length and, as fits dignified ladies, appropriately portly.
Mounted and commented by Mogga, LK forum
English translation Liis
Estonian text posted 12.09.2018
Text and photos Aivar Leito
English translation Liis
Estonian text posted 10.09.2018
Hello again, dear crane friends!
In my crane tale on September 4th I predicted that „Hauka 3“ with a GPS probably would not migrate further from Latvia, but that was a mistake!
After a resting pause of four days he started the migration again on September 8th in the morning in a south-south-southeasterly direction and by midnight on the same day reached the northwestern corner of Belarus where he stayed on September 9th too. But I think that he will move from there in the near future a little more towards southeast to the Miory marsh area where many of our cranes with transmitters have stayed earlier too for longer periods on their autumn migration.
The author, Kristel Vilbaste, also posts texts in Vikerraadio
Photo: Arne Ader
Translation into English by Maret
Estonian text posted 23.08.2018
Woolly burdock
The stalks of burdocks have grown chest-high and the plants themselves are full on burs, some of them still carrying a ring of purple bloom.
But most of them are totally ready to catch onto a passerby’s sleeve or hair. And to travel away.
Despite being such a catching nuisance, the burs are still liked by everyone. In the middle ages it was customary to present burdocks to your beloved, when you wanted to let her/him know, that you were ready to get fully attached to your sweetheart.
The author, Kristel Vilbaste, also posts texts in Vikerraadio
Photos: Arne Ader
Translation into English by Maret
Estonian text posted 22.08.2018
Raccoon dog
Driving around these days you will notice lots of raccoon dog corpses on the roads. Most likely even you yourself have had to do some zig-zag driving in order to save the life of a little animal.
The mention of raccoon dogs usually does not raise any positive emotions in us, probably because of the song, where they as a foreign species crowded out the badgers. Still, they were brought in decades ago for reasons of vanity, as a hat made of raccoon dog skins was a sign of prosperity. Many people were dreaming of such a nice hat or a fur collar, although once that skin got wet, it smelled something awful.
Just because of that smell, the animals killed on the roads are left there - the other predators will not touch them.
The author, Kristel Vilbaste, also posts texts in Vikerraadio
Photo: Arne Ader
Translation into English by Maret
Estonian text posted 15.08.2018
Female plant with cones
This year, the climbing plants have a hard time in Estonia - both the hedge bindweed and the field bindweed try to twist and wiggle as close to the ground as possible. The only ones to hang themselves up in the hot air are the hops.
The hops twisting in my alder jumble have already developed lovely green cones.
Naturally we know hops predominantly for producing the bitter taste in beers, but they are also valuable medicinal herbs and it would be worth picking them in the alder groves by the river right now.
It is interesting that the hop stems wind themselves around any handy prop and that they usually grow clockwise. In order to observe this for yourself, you just have to create a hop garden by your home.
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