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Velvet scoter migrant flock. Puhtu

 

Today again I went rambling on the Western Saaremaa shores. In the morning I observed the migration of waterfowl at the Katri bank near Karala for an hour. A quite nice movement – common scoters nearly 4000, velvet scoters  210, long-tailed ducks 2700, greater scaups 845, and other species too. More details can be read in the e-Biodiversity data base. During the day I stayed to watch for another hour in Salme. Raptors that I had hoped to see in large numbers here moved very little but for instance 280 curlews passed in one hour. In the course of the day evidently a quite great number of them went by.

All small bays were filled with dabbling ducks, especially many teals had arrived. In one corner of Ariste bay for instance there were 1200 teals at once, in addition other species too. At Ariste bay I also found today’s only new species – the greenshank. My 2012 species list now has 169 bird species.