Video recorded by Urmas Lett, www.eenet.ee
Translation Liis

In the morning the female arrives to entice the chicks out of the nest with food; the leaving is surveyed by the female’s observant eyes. The ”sleepier” chicks are made to take off  into flight from the nest trunk. Morning is a good time for leaving.

An attentive viewer will manage to distinguish the young birds from the adults, but the difference in size is small.

Video recorded by Liz, LK forum
Translation Liis

Great tit    Rasvatihane         Parus major

That the 9 chicks in the second nest trunk would leave by Monday morning was predictable. Interested viewers could see how it happened.

A great number of viewers have been interested in the doings of our everyday familiar birds. Hopefully the curiosity about the activities of the Bird of the Year was also satisfied on some counts.

Photos Arne Ader

Translation Liis

Crane nest with chick and egg

Crane    Sookurg        Grus grus

These graceful birds can be seen andheard already in March. In spring there is no mass migration through Estonia, so we have mostly to do with cranes nesting here. They may be up to 7 500 pairs.

Video recorded by  Aita, LK forum

Image from webcam captured by Lussi, LK forum

Translation Liis

Black stork    

Since Friday night there are only two chicks left in our black stork nest.

We ask parents please not to show the video below to children!

The smallest chick had grown about half less than its siblings – reasons for this may be many (impossible to decide only visually). Plausibly the adults felt that they would not succeed in raising the smallest chick to fledging. The water level in flowing waters is very low due to the drought, thus feeding resources are also clearly reduced. Why see this act as intentionally cruel – the mind of birds differs significantly from that of humans, instincts for preservation of the species and rationality have prevalence.