Such a crane chick was brought to us

On July 14th the Imeloomade Selts, a society that helps wild animals in distress, received a call that in the Kaelas village in Pärnu  County a lonely crane chick had appeared in the farm yard.

The neighbourhood had been searched but adults to whom to return their offspring was not to be found anywhere.

The wildlife helpers expected a half-metre tall angry fighter such as young cranes may be at this time. The surprise was great when the bird was handed to them across the gate in a small box. 

Bird cherry    Harilik toomingas       Padus avium

From the flowers that were pollinated during the flowering time of the bird cherry black and glossy berries have ripened by now.

Bird cherry berries are quite edible: taste sourish, with a high Vitamin C content and quite good for the body. But they are rich in tanning compounds, making the mouth feel ”thick” on eating.

Yesterday morning the storklets were in the nest as usual…

Black stork        Must-toonekurg       Ciconia nigra 

The young storks left on migration as usual a little before they were three months old. They did not go on discovery trips together and they left from the nest at different times and in different directions. And how do we know?

Viviparous eelpout or blenny    Emakala or kiviluts        Zoarces viviparus

The mating period is comparable to that of  mammals; the facts are as follows.

The male fertilizes the roe inside the female fish and in the ovary of the female fry develop from the roe grains. Thus the eelpout is a viviparous fish, or our only one to give birth to living fry..

Last week I talked about my butterfly garden, so I thought that this summer I won’t mention butterflies any more. There are so many creatures out there just calling to me: Talk about me! Talk about me!

Chicory and buzzards, young common swifts ready for their first flight, and woolly burdocks, whose flower tufts are just so suitable for a “burdock war”.

But at Võtikvere book market I was approached by several people talking eagerly about admirals. I must confess, that I don’t know that much about them, only that they are migratory butterflies and that they look a little like an admiral’s three-corner hat. Dark brown, beautiful wings with proud orange stripes. and white spots on their wing tips.