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Common cranes.

 

A tour in the Saue bird surveillance area, in north-western Estonia near Tallinn, on March 26 confirmed that open areas are wholly snow-covered as before, not to mention forests. A few tiny snow free patches could only be seen here and there on an occasional ditch bank or road verge But the birds were not there. Only a mixed flock of greenfinches and yellowhammers were seriously busy near a cattle barn – there were things to pick up. A small group of lapwings, most starlings, and all of the twenty or so skylarks only showed themselves flying over us. The larks  let some singing be heard. But particularly a woodlark was in a singing mood.

Two buzzards, and a grey heron flying along the riverbed were at least not surprising. But observing two cranes for some time, walking side by side, seemed simply unreal – this crane couple has undoubtedly arrived to its yearly nesting place on time, but a snow blanket, at least 40 cm thick, covered everything in the surroundings. The birds didn’t need to wade in the snow, the crust carried them, but they seemed rather perplexed. What to do? Rather listlessly they tried trompeting - and not in vain, from beyond Keila river a double response came back: the crane couple there had arrived too!

Observing three snow buntings on the snowdrift at the roadside we saw that at least here everything was in good order: these birds matched their name in every way. But today’s cranes would rather deserve to be called snow cranes. Let us hope that they, and many other winged friends that have just arrived from the migration journey, will survive this year’s snowy surprise.