looduskalender.ee

Grouse hut in Laeva bog. We called this tiny hut the Roikaonn, Pole Hut

 

Women’s day can be celebrated in many ways. While it is with flowers and cakes in the classical mode  then our little group of friends at one time celebrated it with building grouse-watching shelters in the Laeva bog.

The tradition started in 1985 when most of us were students. Women’s day was an official holiday then, and no classes were held at the university. Early March was also perfect for working on the grouse huts: before proper spring the grouse display was limited to cursory early-morning tries which gave us good opportunities to build new shelters or to repair old ones in daytime.

The building of a hut started with selecting the location. There, we were guided by the traces of grouse activities. We knew that the centre of the display area was marked by the wing streaks drawn by the grouse cocks on the snow while the footprints of the grouse appeared over all the display area.

For building we used all that could be found in the bog. For the framework of the hut pine branch poles were suitable and for sealing the walls we fetched spruce branches from the bog outskirts.

Of course girl students also took part in the hut-building. Only a few chosen friends were invited: since all builders would have free access and tickets to the grouse display performances the number of watchers had to be restricted for the sake of the wellbeing of the birds.

 

Building the Roikaonn. Because of the snowy March in 1985 we had to start with digging a hollow. Setting up the support poles is in progress. The hut craftmasters from left to right: Kristel Vilbaste, Urmas Sellis, Olav Sarv.

 

The cupola-shaped movable grouse hut which we called the Royal Hut after its final location. Thanks to this hut we had a rare opportunity to observe for several years a  “grouse king”  or Rackelhahn  (grouse and capercaillie cross). Of the hut builders Urmas Sellis (at left), Olav Sarv, Ell Irdt (Sellis) and Arne Ader have been captured in the photo.

 

Tulips and daffodils were absent from our Women’s day’s celebrations but some colder March 8th mornings were decorated with pretty ice flowers. I cannot remember a Women’s day cake but the fresh air gave such good appetite that the sandwiches that we brought along were as good as cakes. In spring in some years we could pick and eat cranberries that had wintered on the bog turfs.

The building of the grouse huts was a piece of cake compared to what was in wait later for the observers in the hut. One of the girl students in our group – now nature journalist and writer Kristel Vilbaste – comments the observations of the grouse displays in those days as follows: „Looking back to all the crouching in the shelter I must confess that I really don’t want return to sitting in the grouse hut. It was so cold that the chill crept to the marrow. Sitting in the grouse hut is greater self-torment than walking on glowing coals or swimming in a spring. Despite all the beauty and enchantment.”

 

Watching in the grouse huts offered us many splendid remembered images. Yes, primarily just that, because the photo technology of that time did not allow twilight photography. The photo shows a rare phenomenon in Estonian nature: a ”Rackelhahn” or grouse king (right) reminding of a grouse cock, has landed on the grouse display area. Rackelhahn is a German term for the cross between a grouse cock and capercaillie hen.