The main guides were Rein and Andres Kuresoo, Triin accompanied the journey as an apprentice. A tour to Tartu area, Western Estonia and Saaremaa island produced 160 species of birds – not at all a bad result for a summer trip. Although the focus was on birds, we also took a look on orchids.
It belongs to our concept of good birding trip – looking for something else (plants, bugs or mammals) or just outdoor cooking in a good habitat makes you forget that you are waiting for some bird. Tuning the patience that way pays usually off and you can also see more birds. The Ladyslippers were already gone over, but most of the orchids had their best appearance just now.
Insect Orchid, Üügu cliff
Pyramidal Orchid
Funny:
In Viidumäe nature reserve Rein suddenly stopped and started to mimic a Pygmy Owl's whistling. After a while the owl seemed to respond. Stepping closer we realized that it was just a squeaking of a tree. “I wish I had my keybook of the sounds of European trees with me,” told Rein and stepped further. DOF tour leader John Speich was about 100 meters behind us. When he reached the place, he and the rest of the group heard both the tree and the Pygmy Owl.
What was that? A solitary male wasting the season for a weird squeaking tree? Breeding Pygmy Owls keep usually very low profile in May/June and do respond rarely, only the “bachelors” would still advertise their territories at that time.
Hits:
Lekking Great Snipes
Citrine Wagtails
Greenish Warblers
White-backed Woodpeckers
Lesser Spotted Eagle
Black Stork
Hoopoe
Missed:
This time we missed Blyth’s Reed Warbler – not a rare bird in Estonia. Some good habitats from previous years were destroyed with trimmer and abandoned properties overgrown with bushes and nettles tend to get more and more rare. As a night singer, this warbler can remain stubbornly silent in daytime and we stayed stubbornly in beds all nights on the other hand.
Collared Flycatcher. Altough a territorial male was reported to be present at the park at Kuressaare Castle, the bird was not at home.
See the trip report - thanks to John Speich!
22.06.2008
Rein, Triin
No comments:
Post a Comment