Birds coming and going

Text: Eet Tuule and Aarne Tuule, Tallinna Linnuklubi: www.tallinna-linnuklubi.ee/
Photo: Aarne Tuule
Translation: Liis
 
Chain of greylag geese in the autumn sky
 
Some birds have already left, many are just about to leave, but great flocks are yet to arrive too. The peak period of the autumn migration is finally here, at least the easily observeable part of the migration. September 20 with only weak adverse winds offered a favourable opportunity for many migrants – particularly passerines –that of course was quickly made use of. Chaffinches were the most numerous passing species; they were steadily departing from the Tallinn area, flock by flock, mostly towards southwest. In addition to those thousands of finches there were skylarks, wagtails and a great number of other species hurrying towards their winter quarters. Surpisingly often there were still groups of barn swallows; here and there a chiffchaff or a redbreast called. The groups of tits move around even more actively. This can also be said of the birds of prey; kestrels are seen most often. There are starlings and lapwings in the fields, sometimes in very large flocks; so for instance there were 850 lapwings in a single flock near Saue.

At the coast the migration of the waders is subsiding but instead there are the more ducks paddling in the shore waters. In general the most spectacular days are still about to come: any day now the serious crane and goose-migration should start.



 

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