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Estbirdning – interesting sightings

For now there are still golden leaves, but soon, when the wind strips the trees of leaves drab, grey colours will reign under the leaden grey and ever so often foggy or rain-splashing skies. But our drawn-out autumn isn’t really so dreary. You only need to go out in nature and keep eyes and ears open – there is always something to see and hear: the ever-happy tits are busy, from further away a goodish flock of fieldfares approaches.

The thrush flock that just went towards southwest was an obvious case of passers-by; the migration movements of birds often remain unnoticed by city people. In Tallinn and around the capital many birds are still on their way even now – goldcrests, bullfinches and many more. The main part of songbirds have of course left us. Occasional individuals of some species – redbreast, wagtail, skylark, meadow pipit – can still be seen here or there, but waxwings and snow buntings, as representatives of our winter guests, are already in place.

The autumn migration of the geese is coming into its final stretch. Barnacle geese are still most numerous, whereas bean geese are really few. Lapwing groups can still be encountered too, in fields or passing on migration. And of course swans …

Today we managed to see a barnacle geese flock, and later a nice- sized tundra swan flock press on at the border of a dense mass of clouds that nearly touched the treetops. The calls between the birds flying above us was clearly more lively than usual – in such circumstances a slightly careless individual can easily lose sight of the flock. Quite recently, after the massive goose migration, we saw several solitary barnacle geese who had been left behind the others and who didn’t even actively search for their own species, but instead rested in the middle of the lake or feasted on the freshly sprouted grain fields. Things happen along the great migration paths.