April 2019

Screencap from webcam  Biker, LK forum
Estonian text posted 28-04-2019

Today there are six eggs in the starling nestbox

Starling        Kuldnokk        Sturnus vulgaris

Everybody kjnows the starling but it is still worthwhile to keep an eye on the nesting of the spring-.

The female laid the first egg on April 22nd. Often there are five or six eggs in a clutch. The incubation lasts about twelve days. Accordingly we may expect hatching of the starling chicks before May 10th.

Transmission provided by  Kernel, Tele2 and EENet
Estonian  text posted 29.04.2019
English translation Liis

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Text and illustrations  Tiit Hunt, www.rmk.ee
Estonian text posted 26.04.2019
English translation Liis

Weatherfish         Vingerjas      Misgurnus fossilis

A weatherfish turned up in the fish camera in Võrtsjärv. There are certainly those who have not even heard of this protected fish species, so it may be a good time to be introduced to this fish as it starts its spawning. An interesting creature that was earlier kept in water containers to predict the weather .

Screencap from webcam Toivo
Estonian text posted 23.04.2019
English translation Liis

Water stick insect         Nõelhark       Ranatra linearis

This creature belongs to the Nepidae or Water scorpion insects, and appeared yesterday in camera view in the Võrtsjärv water meadow.

Those who move in mainland water bodies are probably more familiar with the water scorpion  Nepa cinerea with its leaf-like body. The stick water insect (see images) is seen less often .

Video recorded by  Tatjana, LK forum
Estonian text posted 27.04.2019

So female Tiiu laid the egg 

Greater spotted eagle      Suur-konnakotkas         Clanga clanga

 

Greater spotted eagles generally lay two eggs, seldom three.

We saw in the video Tiiu laying the first egg on April 23rd. Today on April 27th too the egg was laid in the evening.

Transmission provided by  Teetormaja and EENet
Estonian text posted 27.04.2019

Video recorded by  Mutikluti, LK forum
Estonian text posted 24.04.2019
English translation Liis

Grey heron          Hallhaigur       Ardea cinerea

 

A baby boom is starting in the heron colony – just imagine the hatching of the chicks of a some hundred nesting pairs at roughly the same time !

For information – the heron pairs keep together only during one nesting period.

Text   Tiit Hunt, www.rmk.ee
Estonian text posted 22.04.2019
English translation Liis

The beaver webcam furnished a pleasant surprise and definite proof that in Matsalu the  rare eagle owl is still present.

Screencap from webcam  lianaliesma, LK forum
Estonian text  posted 26.04.2019
English translation Liis

Female osprey Miina and three eggs

Osprey         Kalakotkas      Pandion haliaetus

The family life of the osprey pair proceeds nicely.

The order of laying the eggs at the moment is this: we saw the first egg in the nest  on April 21st, the second on April 23rd and the third today in early morning, that is on April 26th.

Screencap from webcam Gavril, LK forum

Estonian text posted 24.04.2019

Two nice eggs and both adults in camera view

Osprey        Kalakotkas     Pandion haliaetus

The new osprey pair has been named Miina (the female) and  Marko (the male)by the forum members.

On Sunday, April 21st, Miina laid the first egg. Ospreys as a rule lay the eggs with an interval of a day because the creation of the large egg in the body of the female takes time. In the second half of Tuesday the second egg was in the nest, thus on April 23rd.

Transmission provided by  EENet
English translation Liis
Estonian text posted 21.04.2019

Screencap from webcam  Maggy, LK forum
Estonian text  posted 25.04.2019
English translation Liis

When Klaara left the nest hollow in the tree trunk it was clear that all of the tawny owl pair’s eggs had been fertilized

Tawny owl       Kodukakk        Strix aluco

In fact the hatching of the last owl chick started already last night (see the lower of the webcam images).

Looking at the hatching dates of the chicks it may be argued that the last chicks do not have very much hope of survival.

The order  of the hatching of the chicks: April 18th, 19th, 20th, 22nd and  25th.

Screencap from webcam Timea, LK forum
Estonian text  posted 22.04.2019
English translation Liis

The chick hatched today is lowest down  in the image …

Tawny owl         Kodukakk       Strix aluco

When the owl chicks were fed Klaara went out on her evening trip at a few minutes to ten o’clock.

The owl  chick that was hatched today is quite tiny compared to the older ones. In the nest trunk hollow four owl chicks are growing including the one hatched today; hatchings on April 18th, 19th, 20th and 22nd.

Video recorded by  Tatjana, LK forum
Estonian text posted 23.04.2019
English translation Liis

The video shows the last stage of the egg-laying…

Greater spotted eagle      Suur-konnakotkas        Clanga clanga

Last year Tiiu laid an egg one day earlier, this year on April 23rd at 19.34.

Screencap from  webcam  Askja, LK forum

…in this image we also see the egg.

Screencap from webcam  Anne7, LK forum
Estonian text posted 21.04.2019
English translation Liis

Already yesterday night we could see that Kati did not incubate  one egg and so it was in the morning too …

Black stork         Must-toonekurg        Ciconia nigra

There is no answer to the question why.

It is surely not carelessness but there is no evident reason. Does the stork feel that bringing up four chicks would turn out to be complicated?

A similar view this morning . Screencap from webcam  Liz, LK forum