looduskalender.ee

January 29

 

Polar explorers looking for Iceland gull – Jõelähtme landfill, air temperature -20 (Photo: Kris Voog, 29.01.2012)

 

For today’s “Garden Bird Watch“ a larger group of us headed for the Jõelähtme landfill fence. A feeling of polar exploration expedition made itself felt as we scoped gulls in 20 degrees of cold. But nothing to be done about it, precisely in a cold winter there may be a glaucous gull or even an Iceland gull among the other gulls. As a not quite pleasant surprise there were only 800 gulls in the landfill in the morning. Gradually more of them arrived but after staying for a couple of hours there were still at most 3000 gulls, mostly herring gulls. Just a few years ago there could be some twenty thousand gulls to be seen on the better days and among them often a glaucous gull could be found. Today unfortunately no gull rarity was to be found. It seems that thanks to the recycling less refuse reaches the deposit. Thus the birds have less food in the landfill and this is one reason why there are fewer birds.

 

Little grebe at Aravete 29.01.2012 – this winter at least 5 little grebes have been found in Estonia already

 

On the way home to Tartu the wintering waterfowl in Aravete were inspected, because some time ago a hint arrived that among the mallards might also be a little grebe. Having gone to check the matter just in case, it turned out that a little grebe really was here. At least 5 little grebes have been found in Estonia this winter, a record number.