Estonia - Day 7: 11th June 2024 for Oriole Birding

It was a glorious morning  - the first with blue sky and a touch of proper warmth and after breakfast we drove out to Järvselja on the way to the Russian border.  The further east we went the more old USSR co-operative farm barns were seen - all gently decaying back into the landscape.  We stopped on a forest track bathed in sunshine and were immediately surrounded by more bird song than we have encountered all week.  A White-backed Woodpecker drummed and flew in; posing nicely on a dead snag while young Great Spots hung noisily out of a nest hole.

White-backed Woodpecker

Wood Warblers, Robins, Wrens, Crested Tits and Coal Tits were all audible as was a Pygmy Owl.  After a tense few minutes we found it at the top of a Scots Pine glaring balefully at the world and constantly harassed by potential prey.  After a while it got the hump and moved to the top of snag which actually out it even more in the open.  It continued to sing and was soon the focus of bombarding Wood warblers, Flycatchers and Tits before a Great Spot literally displaced it from its perch!  What a great little bird.

Pygmy Owl

Pygmy Owl - Sean Moore

Pygmy Owl - Sean Moore

The Mossies and Hybomita Horse flies were grim and persistent but we had seen a Pygmy Owl and were happy.  Poplar Admirals came down on the path and well marked Pearly Heaths and Mazarine Blues flitted between the White Valerian and Ground Elder.

Mazarine Blue - Sean Moore

Poplar Admiral

Poplar Admiral

Mazarine Blue

Mazarine Blue

Mazarine Blue

Black-veined White

Pearly Heath

Hybomitra sp

Funky dark winged Cranefly

Sericomyia silentis I presume

Xylota segnis or similar

Tufted Loosestrife - Lysimachia thyrsiflora

Red Clover sp

White-backed Woodpecker explorations

On into the village itself which was delightful and rural and brimming with wildlife and although we did not find any Wrynecks we did hear several Golden Orioles, Spotted Flycatchers, Nuthatches, Icterine Warbler and an anxious Green Sandpiper that at one stage was sat in a pine tree next to a Hawfinch – not a combo I have ever had to call out before!

White Wagtail

Hazy Edible Frogs

Green Sandpiper

Green Sandpiper

Suddenly Tarvo called ‘Hazel Grouse!’ as one whizzed low through the trees and soon began to sing.  It crossed over to where we were and we all got a couple of close flight views.  One day I will get to see one on the deck.

On again for the final push to the border alongside the lake in the village of Mehikoorma at which point Russia is just 2km away and the actual watery border in the vast lake, just 1km off shore.  It was quite surreal to sit there on the gently lapping shores of Lake Peipus and stare across to the Russian wilderness beyond.  We all independently said that it felt oddly intimidating with a sense of foreboding and being watched.  

Russia beyond

Russian White-tailed Eagle

The half way buoy

Rose Chafer

There were birds with Common Terns, Goldeneye and Great Crested Grebes on the Estonian side but we were also able to start Russian lists with five White-tailed Eagles, Marsh Harrier, Cormorants, Mute Swans, Lapwings, terns and gulls, corvids and grebes all seen and much commuting  (we called it defecting) of birds from Russia to Estonia.

A pair of White Storks were nesting on the top of the ruined Lutheran village church and Thrush Nightingales and Great Reed Warblers were all to be heard.  Brown Hawkers and Four Spotted Chasers were around a small pond.

From here we headed back towards Tartu and a serious a lakes at Leevijõe in the search for another Savi’s Warbler but it was quiet bird wise but superb for Odonata with Brilliant Emeralds, Green Eyed Hawkers, Lesser Emperor, Scarce Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer, Four Spotted Chaser and Variable and both Red Eyed Damselflies all seen.

Black-tailed Skimmers

Brilliant Emerald

Brilliant Emerald

Scarce Chaser

Green Eyed Hawker

Green Eyed Hawker

Green Eyed Hawker

Hemipenthes maura

Orange Lily - Lilium bulbiferum

We took lunch in a lovely bistro in Tartu and then walked the local public gardens were Greenish and Icterine Warblers sang and Pied Flycatchers flicked out from twigs between cyclists.  There were Fieldfares and Blackbirds on the cut grass and Serin, Goldfinch, Greenfinch and Siskins all singing while a Middle Spotted Woodpecker was mooching around.  I could have happily spent more time there.

Pied Flycatcher

Greenish Warbler

Greenish Warbler

A little later we headed out to our final dinner and said our farewells to the amazing Tarvo who had to head back to Haapsalu for his daughter’s birthday.  Tomorrow his friend Peter would pick us up in the morning for a local birding session before we hit the road back to Tallinn for a bit of later afternoon culture in preparation for our journey back to the lovely Luton that evening.

Lowestoft Life - 22nd - 27th June 2024

Since I got back from Scotland I have been trying to get the nightly mothing going again and it has been very productive with the warm nights drawing in a good selection. In fact I have added over twenty new species to the garden list since the 22^nd!

There have been many micros for which I have needed help but I am getting better at at least giving it a go while amongst the macros I have turned up a couple of local surprises along with a host of Heart & Darts and Heart & Clubs and the start of the inevitable Large Yellow Underwings.  Below is a taster selection...

Aethes beatricella

Anania coronta

Bordered White

Dusky Brocade

Eudonia lacustrata

Flame

A striking Heart & Club 

Small Blood Vein

Spinach

Broad Barred White

Celypha striana

Clouded Border

Mottled Rustic

Ringed China-mark

Sycamore

White Plume

Uncertain

A huge female Privet Hawk-moth was a joy and she even got shown to the neighbours and watching her rev up before departing that evening was a treat as she performed an exaggerated distraction ‘bugger off’ display first while a pink Elephant was in my trap this morning – more smiles.

Privet Hawk-moth 

Elephant Hawk-moth 

The garden has been well tended in my absence and is everything (both front and back) that I could have hoped for.  Trying to picture the height of the planting has worked well and the ‘lawn’ is a drift of grasses, Yellow Rattle, Corncockles, Red, White and Rose Campions, Ox-eyes, Hawkweeds and Sorrell interspersed with the towers of Purple Toadflax, Vipers Bugloss, Foxgloves, Great Mullein, Evening Primroses and Teasels. The Tree Mallow is topping eight feet and the Fennel is not far behind.

A delightful pinky red Evening Primrose

Rose Campion

Feverfew

Fox & Hounds

Great Mullein

Yellow Rattle -  most of mine could be Great... some is 18 inches tall

Weasel's Snout now fully flowering.

Viper's Bugloss

Ox Eye

Having been for a couple of local strolls, I like many others, have been worried about the dearth of insect life; not Butterflies which are in the June lull but there are very few Bumblebees, Hoverflies or other inverts to be found.  A stretch of Hogweed 10 yards long held one Honey Bee and nothing else.

Heriades truncorum in their new home

However, my garden is teeming although again very few Bumbles. There are many Dasypoda hirtipes whizzing around – all males at the moment and they love the yellow composites over everything else.  I have found several budding verge colonies in the surrounding roads.  There are a few Hoverflies with Episyrphus balteatus at last showing along with Syrphus ribesii, Myathropa florea, Merodon equestris, Helophilus pendulus and my first garden H trivittatus.

Dasypoda hirtipes 

Holly Blue, Large White and Red Admiral are the only Butterflies in recent days and the commonest fly is actually the shiny Broad Centurion.  I have never seen so many on one place.

Broad Centurion

I have been trying the moth lure for Red-belted Clearwing but no joy yet but the one for Lunar Hornet Clearwing took just four minutes to work with a stripy beast whirring around my head and the trap.

Lunar Hornet Clearwing

It feels like the warm spell may be at an end overnight but I will stick the trap on as dusk falls and see what appears.