Wildlife of Estonia – A Zoom talk by Paul Hale on 21st February 2024
On Paul’s May visit to Estonia the Group flew to Tallinn, travelled to Haapsalu, down the western Estonian lowlands, east to Tartu, north along Lake Peipus and west by the Gulf of Finland. About half the country is forested and there is a very low human population with roughly 60% of Estonian and 35% of Russian origin.
They visited marshland outside Tallinn and saw Hen Harriers. The males are able to provision three mates in the breeding season. There were also Penduline Tits whose nest is a hanging basket with a long entrance tunnel so Magpies cannot reach the eggs or chicks. However, in a good summer when a second brood is possible the second nest is a very simple affair rather like a Reed Warbler’s nest.
Cape Poosaspea, near the village of Spithami, is a superb place for sea-watching in the autumn. In May they saw Long-tailed Ducks, which have a rolling flight, Red-breasted Merganser and Goldeneye. Pasqueflowers were growing on the sandy beaches. Along the coast were thousands of Barnacle Geese on their way north while inland Wood Warblers were arriving. In the forests Golden Eagles nest in the top of tall trees because there is so little human disturbance. Slavonian Grebes were nest-building on a lake near Haapsalu Castle. They eat fish and insect larvae and feed their chicks some matted vegetation to catch the fish bones so they don’t cause damage. Near Martna village they saw Ortolan Bunting, Grey Partridge and Whinchat and also enjoyed forest gateau with edible primroses.
Matsalu National Park has a range of habitats. European Beavers inhabit the River Kasari delta and very small kits may be predated by Otters. It is pitch black in their lodges in winter and beavers adjust to a 29 hour day. Crested Tits live in the pine forest while in the open country there are Lesser-spotted Eagles which like to perch and drop down onto their prey. Elk have no antlers in early May
Tartu is the second largest city. From his bedroom window, Paul could see Pied Flycatcher and Thrush Nightingale in the woodland outside. The woodland is home to Ural Owls. There are about 2,500 breeding pairs in Estonia. Some 60% larger than the Tawny, they can eat Woodpigeons and rats. They are very territorial and juveniles must find a vacant territory before winter if they are to survive.
East of Tartu and nearer Lake Peipus is Jarvselja Forest which includes some primeval areas. Pine Martens are found here. Birds include Nutcrackers, which store seeds and nuts in the ground inadvertently planting more trees, White-backed Woodpeckers which require old trees and Fieldfare. Little Gulls and Black Terns nest on Lake Peipus. They saw a lot of Ruffs. Most males display at a lek where the females select their mates but 5-15% are male satellites which hang around at the edge in the hope of obtaining a quick mating. About 1% look like females, mix with them and mate whenever the opportunity arises. Returning to Tallinn along the Gulf of Finland, the group saw Toolse Castle, a Crusader Castle built by the Teutonic Order right on the coast.
Having failed to see Brown Bears in May, Paul arranged a short return visit in the autumn to see them. Other mammals included Racoon Dogs, which are related to Red Pandas and
were brought over by the Russians, Arctic Hares (food for Lynx and raptors) and Wild Boar. In autumn hunters are very active.
We thank Paul for a very interesting talk about a country which hardly any of us had visited. He covered a lot of ground and it was fascinating to hear about some of the local customs as well as the wildlife. Unfortunately I have not had room to cover these aspects.
Helen Baker
