From the gray to the glorious day

This was another good day of songbird migration. Although the morning movement started later than usual and flocks often did not went straight out to the sea, some 7000 Chaffinches / metsvint Fringilla coelebs and 2300 Siskins / siisike Carduelis spinus and first 6 Bramblings / põhjavint Fringilla montfringilla, has been recorded.

The first flock of Coal Tits / musttihane Parus ater with 12 individuals appeared today’s morning and to our surprise, wasted no much time and started the flight over the sea. So far we have not yet seen any flocks of more common tits starting to the sea crossing. Could it be indicating strong influx of these blackish tits?

During the last night, our radar system, especially vertical radar has recorded intensive night time migration of probably insectivorous songbirds. As proof of the existence of the songbirds night shift, we have observed quite some late long distant insectivorous songbirds around our field station: Common Redstart / aed-lepalind P. Phoenicuros 2 -3, Willow Warbler / salu-lehelind Phylloscopus trochilus 2, Whitethroat / pruunselg-põõsalind Sylvia communis 1, Lesser Whitethroat / väike-põõsalind Sylvia curucca 1, Spotted Flycatcher / hall-kärbsenäpp  Muscicapa striata 2 and even 2 Whinchats / kadakatäks Saxicola ruberta.

At the sea there was the best activity of Arctic waterfowl during the last week – we have counted 172 Velvet Scoters/ tõmmuvaeras Melanitta fusca , 52 Common Scoters / mustvaeras Melanitta nigra and 35 unidentified Scoters/ vaeras  Melanitta sp. in migration.

Sudden light burst from the strip of clear sky during the sunset forced me to grab a gear and run out to catch the on of the best best light I have seen in Kihnu 

The low angle sun has not created just the rainbow, but it reflected back from the some surface (probably the sea) and created surreal upward rays of light (in the left side of the background). It is very rare phenomena, I have photographed this just second time in my life!

The flock of Dunlins hase set to roost at the very top of he cape. I have managed to sneak in and took some photos of the resting birds with the dark blue sky in the background. My new Canon D 1X has proven to be valuable tool with spot focusing option and high ISO quality. This image has been taken with ISO 6400

There was quite some insectivorous songbirds dropped down around our station in the morning. Spotted  Flyctacher sitting in the branch of the rowan tree.

The Dutch travel and lifestyle journalist dr. J. Splunter collecting material on the Kihnu culture and lifestyle

and meet at the moment with the Mare Mätas form the Kihnu cultural heritage foundation