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February 14^th

The middle spotted woodpecker is an inhabitant of old parks and broadleaf forests (25.03.2005 Räpina).

 

Today I got 2 more species to my year list. On the trip to South Estonian parks I managed to see the middle spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos medius)

in two places (Helme and Mustla). This species has only moved here  from the south during the last decades. The Bird rarities committee registered the first certain nesting of the middle spotted woodpecker in Estonia in 2000 in Räpina. Now the middle spotted woodpecker is a relatively common inhabitant at least in the old parks and deciduous forests in South Estonia.

As the second new species the merlin (Falco columbarius) was added to my year list. I met it in Rämsi in Tartumaa. The merlin is a very rare breeder in Estonia but a quite common passing migrant, a few stay here for winter. I myself had not seen this species earlier in the winter months (December – February), thus I got a winter point in addition to the year list point. There are now 153 winter points, and 111 year points for 2012.