Text and photos  Tiit Hunt, www.rmk.ee
Estonian text posted 09.01.2020

The Tree of the Year 2020 is the common spruce (Picea abies), or more precisely in English the Norway spruce. For us here in the north it is so common that we simply leave the word ”common” out of its name and so familiar that it might even be boring. So for Christmas we may bring in something more exotic, such as a fir that has been grown god knows where.

Snowy spruce forest

Yet the spruce in all its shapes is so conspicuous in our nature and culture.

Information from Estonian Ornithological Society
Photo Arne Ader
Estonian text posted 02.01.2020

Great crested grebe at nest ( www.loodusemees.ee )

Estonian text posted 12.01.2010

Looduskalender’s frequent visitors have noticed that beginning from December 20 the web and forums of Looduskalender could be extremely slow, or not accessible at all.

The reason was an unprecedented number of requests to our server in afternoons and evenings. Most of them arrived from China, sometimes also from Singapore, some but fewer from other Asian countries as well.

Photo Arne Ader
Estonian text posted 01.01.2020

Naturalist Urmas Sellis. Ohepalu Järvesoo ( www.loodusemees.ee )

Elk or moose (US)     Põder       Alces alces

Older  elk bulls have shed their ”pride” in December, younger bulls may be seen with antlers until the end of February, sometimes even in March.