Suprises continue

Coal Tit/ musttihane Parus ater. What a smart looking bird. Photo by Tarvo Valker.

Two White-backed Woodpeckes has been encountered today at Kihnu island. Finally we managed to get  photo of this unusual bird at Kihnu island. Photo by Margus Ellermaa. 

Migration in general has been quiet today - seems that most of the late migrants has escaped from the snow and coming winter. Now every next day will be fewer and fewer birds. But still several interesting sightnings has occured during the day:

• Jack Snipe/ mudanepp Lymnocryptes minimus - 1 ind. flushed up from the beach. First record of the autumn season
• Short-eared Owl/ sooräts Asio flammeus - 1ind. migrating on the sea. 1st record for the autumn season. 
• White Stork/ valge-toonekurg Ciconia ciconia - 1 very late individual migrating. First for the autumn season!
• Pine Gosbeaks/ männileevike Pinicola enucleator - at least 2 individuals presented nearby field station most of the day (presumably same ones as yesterday). But birds are still not photographable. 
• Ringed Plover/ liivatüll Charadrius hiaticula - 1 late ind. shortly landed at the beach and when continued migration
• White-backed Woodpecker/ valgeselg-kirjurähn Dendrocopos leucotos - 1 migrating SW and 2nd individual late on shortly feeding at our garden. 3rd and 4th sightning of the autumn season for the White-backed Woodpecker. Also 5 Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers/ väike-kirjurähn Dendrocopos minor has been recorded today. Both species having exceptional invasion this autumn season.
• Black Redstart/ must-lepalind Phoenicurus ochruros - 1 migrating, 2 locals in the field station garden, 1 ind. in the middle of the island. 

/T.V./

1cy White Stork has seen his first snow and ready to start its autumn migration. Photo by Tarvo Valker