looduskalender.ee

 

Today the passerine migration at Mehikoorma started exceptionally powerfully at sunrise and there was hope of a record day but unfortunately the weather turned: light conditions went so poor that at times nothing much could be seen in the mist haze. But still nearly 440 000 passerines (mostly  chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs)) could be counted. In five days at least 2,19 migrating birds have now crossed the Lämmijärve!

 

Long-billed dowitcher. The bird’s Estonian name, nepp-vigle, “snipe-godwit“ mirrors its looks – a bit of snipe and a bit of godwit(19.09.2012 Võiste)

 

Yesterday a long-billed dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus) was discovered at Võiste beach in Pärnumaa and I tried at once to twitch it, but it didn’t get further than the attempt because the bird was gone in the evening. But today the dowitcher was back in the same place and I headed there with a larger group of people for a new try. Now luck was better. The bird posed quite nicely. In the increasing drizzle I only managed to take some rather hazy photos but they will do as proof. My list now got a tough species added, the long-billed dowitcher is the 269th bird species in my 2012 year list.