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The flowering period of willows has now reached us here in eastern Estonia too, or at least the bees return to the hive with yellow buttocks. The white blankets of wood anemones have little by little come to Mid-Estonia. Forest man Vello Keppart writes: “Last Tuesday the first wood anemone flowers were open in a warm corner in Luua park. The buds of currants and bird-cherries will soon be mouse-ear sized, and the gooseberries already have mouse ears. Elms and white elms (Ulmus laevis) started their flowering with the warm weather at the weekend.“ At Häädemeeste the marsh marigold flowers will soon be out, and in the warm shelter of Sagadi Castle there will be the first violets. Fields … well, many fields can’t take a tractor yet, but just nearby, in a higher area, the "iron horse" kicks up a dust tail from the ploughing. Mikk Sarv says about the tasks in the fields that in earlier times people used to sow beans on May 1 – this is also a good day to get clear about things: “Come and help at the My Estonia Ideas workout, help us to find the “thinking bean” of Estonia!“

Elks and deer have suddenly disappeared to somewhere. Only a few lonely roamers move around, the elk mums are birthing at any moment now, and have pushed off their last-year’s young – some elk youngster is sure to be seen in town soon, sniffing the traffic signs. The hares’ dance is in full swing in the fields again, the long-ears have one continuous wedding feast. The bear cubs at the rehabilitation centre grow on, and as stepmother Kaja describes “Climb, roll, play happily, and bite … one of the cubbies gets at the others’ food all the time, and when he is told off teeth come in action – but after all, they are wild animals.” Last week an odd grouse cock also arrived at the rehab centre, for some reason he can’t stand on his legs.

Frogs on roads and frogs in waters. The ear-splitting frog choir is not to be heard yet, but the first spawn globes of the common frog are already there in smaller ponds, that were free from ice early. It seems that all the breams are moving away from Peipsi to rivers and water meadows to start their spawning – that is, if they manage to get through the fishermen’s gauntlet. And it seems that for catching roaches nothing more is needed than showing an earthworm to the fish. Aotäht has understood that her task is to spit on the worm before it goes into the water … then to run away in the next moment as the gleaming fish rises out of the water … And the square-winged osprey surveys it all.

The native parrots – the starlings – run through all that they have heard during the year from the birch top. If last year’s favourite sound for the Nigula starlings was cackling, then this year it is the trumpeting of cranes, but the piping of the wryneck is even more popular, according to Kaja Kübar. The whistlers of Vilusi however try to mimic the rattle of the flagpole rope, or the church bells of Mustvee church. What have you heard – or taught to the whistler?