Italian bird hunter in Estonia uses illegal bird call playback for attra...

The deadly disco

Considering the bird migration - it has been really quiet day. Only few flocks of Hooded Crows/ hallvares Corvus cornix and Jackdaws/ kaelushakk Corvus monedula moving south. But in quiet mornings, sometime something more special can show up. A very late 1cy Hobby/ lõopistrik Falco subbuteo has been encountered on migration. It is probably latest autumn record of this species in Estonia. 

In the garden it is now very few birds left compared few days ago. But still, one Serin/ koldvint Serinus serinus showed up again and Black Redstart/ must-lepalind Phoenicurus ochruros has been also presented now for several days.

Today we got also some media coverage for our project, then the TV3 broadcast the news story on our bird radar: (http://www.tv3play.ee/play/283831/) the time section 4:32 - 6:29 in the video file. Sorry, no English subtitles!

But considering other life, it has been day full of action. First, we hear constant calls of Teals/ piilpart Anas crecca and Wigeon/ viupart Anas penelope. It is clear, that it must be playback for the hunting. So our bird team went to check it and manage to find Italian hunter and loudspeakers playing duck sounds. This  is prohibited way of hunting in whole EU and we manage to get pictures and videos
of this illegal action on the island. Hopefully environmental inspectors make some pressure on local hunters society for stopping the use of waterfowl playback. 

/T.V & M.K./

Portrait of the male Sparrowhawk

The Deadly bird disco - Italian hunter has using illegal waterfowl vocalization playback next to the hunting hide, set up by local hunting managers, for attracting ducks into shooting range. The powerful loudspeakers has been erected in "stereo" to the two poles on the both sides of the hide. The poles of the bird deterring setup on the islets, we have covered in our blog in ..... could b seen as well. All this is happening in the Natura 2000 bird protection area, which is specially designated for waterbird conservation. 

The powerful loudspeakers and decoy ducks (use of these as well as lead ammunition is unfortunately still legal). The duck-disco was so loud and out of the local bird context, that we heard this from more than 1 km distance!

Quiet day

It has been fairly quiet day in respect of bird migration - quite needed break for our team.The sky was frequently darkened by passing rain and blizzard clouds. It seems, that usual migrants like finches, sparrowhawks and goose are almost gone. In the afternoon I have spotted one Black Redstart / must-lepalind Phoenicurus ochurus in our garden. 

/Mati Kose/

The threatening cloud is appoaching...

... and what is left after it's passing

The group of the Brent Geese is still here

A day without the rain

Finally - a day without any rain. Only one during last nine days. The morning is chilly and seems that many birds has migrated and Geese migration is slightly less numerous today. Although we have seen more Barnacle`s than yesterday, the numbers here are very small. Altogether 13 500 Geese has been counted on migration. And Bewick`s Swan/ väikeluik Cygnus columbianus having again small movement - 67m (best for the autumn season). 

Sparrowhawk/ raudkull Accipiter nisus migration is slightly ending - only 83 individuals today, but bigger brother is now starting: best for the autumn season for Goshawk/ kanakull Accipiter gentilis 6m. And also first movement of White-tailed Eagles/ merikotkas Haliaeetus albicilla - 5m. 

Calm sea enabled us to scope birds making stopover on the sea. At least 750 Velvet Scoters/tõmmuvaeras Melanitta fusca, 1,500 Long-tailed Ducks/ aul Clangula hyemalis and 15 Red-throated Divers/ punakurk-kaur Gavia stellata has been counted in the southwestern and southern part of the island. 

Serins/ koldvint Serinus serinus had today best movement of the autumn season - 5 migrating + local birds in the garden. 

Today there has been again several late migrants on the island - 1 House Martin/ räästapääsuke Delichon urbicum in a Swallow flock, 1 Willow Warbler/ salu-lehelind Phylloscopus trochilus and 1-2 Yellow Wagtails/ hänilane Motacilla flava. 

Theoretically it is still possible to see 100 species in a day on Kihnu island. Our bird survey team recorded today 94 species of birds (92 of those nearby field station). Good number for mid-October.

/T.V./

The second Boreal Owl from the last night

Autumn colors are in the peak

Flock of Tree Sparrows have visited the spit in the morning

Lesser-spotted Woodpecker

Like Estonian Gibraltar - Common Buzzards are circling in the thermals to gain some 500 m altitude and leave to the sea

The local 1-year White-tailed Eagle flew over our watchpoint today, while 5 other migrated south over the sea

Our staging Brent Goose flock has changed their diet to nibbling off the  green,  rock-covering algae

Raptor nets catch also Thrushes. Photo by Tarvo Valker. 

Geese!

7 o`clock we open door of our field station. Calls of migrating geese everywhere. It`s getting a bit lighter after half a hour, but unfortunately fog everywhere. It is even hard to see Geese which are passing our head. But it is getting better after a hour and it is clear that despite of the hard conditions it`s going to be a nice Geese migration day!

Today we counted altogether 31 000 migrating Anser species/ määramata hani and 21 500 Anser/Branta - määramata hani/ lagle. At least 90% of those also belong to the Anser family because Barnacle Goose migration does not pass Kihnu so much. So, that means that at least 52 500 migrating Geese passed our study area today, but as I mentioned before, foggy conditions forced underestimation during first hour. Together with Geese, best migration day for Bewick`s Swan/ väikeluik Cygnus columbianus - 60m. 

Just when I was counting a flock of 2,500 Geese, Margus spottes a bird on the wire. It is a Hawk Owl/ vöötkakk Surnia ulula - firs for the Kihnu island of this uncommon winter visitor. 

Chilly weather and calm morning has forced to migrate also many other birds. Kihnu is not good place for Arctic migration, but today we managed to see some movement of Divers/ kaurid Gavia species - 290m. All of indentified ones has been Black-throated Divers/ järvekaur Gavia arctica - 180m. 

Afternoon, Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers/ väike-kirjurähn Dendrocopos minor showed best movement of the autumn season - 26 has been counted today on migration. In one point we hear a very soft tick. It is clear that it must be either White-backed Woodpecker/ valgeselg-kirjurähn Dendrocopos leucotos or Three-toed Woodpecker/ laanerähn Picoides tridactyla. Both species would be exceptional on such a small island, so we try to find the bird. Finally I manage to find a female White-backed Woodpecker settled on a rowan tree. It is already second sightning of this bird during this autumn season. For me it has been 176th species in my Kihnu year list :). 

Clear sky and calm weather enabled movement of broadwinged raptors - Common Buzzard/ hiireviu Buteo buteo -66m and Rough-legged Buzzard/ karvasjalg-viu Buteo lagopus 5m.
Among late migrants - Greenshank/ heletilder Tringa nebularia - 1m, Lapland Longspur/ keltsalind Calcarius lapponicus - 1m and Lesser Whitethroat/ Sylvia curruca - 1 ind. in the garden.
In the evening another Owl has registred. Just before midnight we caught Tengmalm`s Owl/ karvasjalg-kakk Aegolius funereus (second for the autumn season). So today has been great day of species - around our field station, altogether 91 bird species has been registred today. 

/T.V./

Good invasion of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers has reached to Kihnu. 

Bird of the day and another new species for the Kihnu island - Hawk Owl. Photo by Tarvo Valker

Common Buzzards are taking hight before next sea trip. Photo by Tarvo Valker

Brambling. Photo by Tarvo Valker

Less birds, more species

After the very stormy days, the morning was completely windless and sea was calm. Glimpses of sun  have made the weather pleasantly warm and even some flying insects appeared. We are just in the middle of the center of low pressure so called eye, surrounded by the dark rain clouds all around.  Although it has been failry quiet day for the migration, it has offered nice birding. We are sitewatching and it is very quiet for the migration. Only few flocks of Tits are going for the migration. I try to take some photos of feeding Brent Geese/ mustlagle Branta bernicla when Margus spottes something. He tell me that something Coldcrest size bird with pale rump, flew into bushes at front of us. Already half a hour ago he thought that Pallas`s Leaf Warbler/ kuld-lehelind Phylloscopus proregulus called in the garden but when the birr disappeared. Is it the same bird here? After few seconds the bird is out, nice Pallas`s Leaf Warbler staring at us in nice morning sun. I take my camera and get few record shots with shaking hands. It is lifer bird for me and my species number 300 for Estonian list! Big day for the Estonian twitcher. It has been first Pallas`s Leaf Warbler in Estonia during this autumn season.

But the day is not over yet! I continue sitewatching and Margus goes to count local birds on the next spit. He get another good bird for the day - 1cy Montagu`s Harrier/ soo-loorkull Circus pygargus which is probably the latest one for the country.  

Among late migrants - one Spotted Flycatcher/ hall-kärbsenäpp Muscicapa striata feeding in our garden. It seems that calm day has been good for insectivorous passerines - today at least 7 Chiffchaffs/ väike-lehelind Phylloscopus collybita has been encountered nearby field station. 

Among migrants - Wood Pigeon/ kaelustuvi Columba palumbus - 4 160m, Blue Tit/ sinitihane Parus caeruleus -  340m.

/T.V./

Receiving congratulations calls - Tarvo was very happy guy due to achieving his 300 species mark and have received  calls from many fellow birders

Bird of the day, lucky number 300 for me - Pallas`s Leaf Warbler. Photo by Tarvo Valker

Juvenile Montagu`s Harrier. Photo by Margus Ellermaa.

Spotted Flycatcher - clear sign of the warm autumn season. Photo by Tarvo Valker

Even the tiniest birds can fly high. In the calm morning, I have had long awaited opportunity to make flight shots of a Coldcrest. Few birs even started their trip over the sea.

Autumn weather and light can do a tricks

One bird in the hand, 100 000 birds on the sea

Yesterday evening was more calm and we put up bird nets again. Early morning we discoverd nice suprise - a Tengmalm`s Owl/ karvasjalg-kakk Aegolius funereus has been succesfully captured and ringed. 

But the day has offered again spectacular visible migration as well. It is suprising that even so late in October, more than 100 000 migrating passerines has been counted. Especially good day for the passing Bramblings/ põhjavint Fringilla montifringilla 20 850m (best for the autumn season). There has been very few daily counts of this species, exceeding over 20 000 indviduals, so Kihnu island has shown again its importance for the passerines on migration. The most common passerine has been Chaffinches/ metsvint Fringilla coelebs again with 74 650 migrating individuals (+ passeriformes 10 000). Finally - first Waxwings/ siidisaba Bombycilla garrulus - a flock of 40 individuals has been encountered on migration. 

/T.V./

Our first Tengmalm's / Boreal Owl (karvasjalg-kakk)

Tarvo is holding first time in hand the Boreal Owl

Crazy Bramblings and Chaffinches flying en masses very low over the sea waves against the strong wind and rain spells

Few flocks of Cranes passed and had serious trouble to fly against wind

Dramatic autumn colors with the yellow Ash tree leaves and rain cloud background

It has been very rainy day and it continues to rain in the evening and ...