looduskalender.ee

 

LINK  to ETV programme Osoon

Ülo Väli provides a nice summary of the doings of buzzards, among them Villu.

 

Read  in EOY’s  Bird of the Year - 2015“ home page about “Villu’s first month in Estonia“ (in Estonian), and much other interesting information: LINK

 

 

Buzzard Villu's first month in Estonia 

Translation of Estonian text on Bird of the Year 2015 home page  http://www.eoy.ee/viu/uudised/hiireviu-villu-esimene-kuu-eestis

 

"Buzzard Villu has been back in his homeland already for more than a month and each day he has forwarded four of his locations  to us. Night and late evening stopping places have mainly been in the forest, but from the morning and afternoon data we get an idea of where a buzzard prefers to hunt for prey in spring.

Buzzard Villu has been looking for prey flying above open landscapes and sitting at forest verges in an area of  roughly 3 sq. km around his nest. The area comprises  grassland as well as fields, a couple of bogs and some water bodies.. Villu has mainly been hunting on cultured grassland and rape fields, and he has kept away from the poisoned grassland and the summer crop fields with black soil where grain has not sprouted yet.  Villu has been near ponds and other water bodies quite often – it is probably convenient to snatch spawning frogs there in spring.

 

[Map of Villu’s positions in April]

 

Comparing the distribution of landscape types with Villu’s positions it becomes evident that Villu prefers grasslands and the proximity of water bodies and rather avoids rape and summer crop fields.

 

[Diagram comparing frequency of landscape types and Villu’s positions there]

Diagram legends: Bog – Rape - Grassland – Water body – Grain field"