Accessibility

It was lovely to once again meet gardening enthusiasts at the Türi Flower Fair, and our topic – how to avoid introducing invasive species into your garden and, if they are already there, how to control them – proved very popular.

In mid-March, we joined a group of Kassari coastal meadow managers and other interested parties to assess how well nature has recovered following the restoration work on the coastal meadows and what impact the restoration has had on birds and coastal wildlife. The day began in the Aandi-Laheküla area with a guided walk through the recently restored meadow, led by site manager Tõnu Kaptein.

Until recently, it was not possible to fit a GPS transmitter to a common starling due to its small size, but technology has now advanced to the point where the migration routes and habitat choices of common starlings can be studied using GPS, and this is precisely what BirdLife Estonia is doing as part of its ‘ForEst&FarmLand’ project.

The grey partridge is considered a resident bird, remaining on agricultural landscapes in Estonia throughout the year rather than migrating long distances. However, grey partridge habitat surveys conducted by BirdLife Estonia as part of the ‘Nature-rich Estonia’ project revealed that the actual movements of these birds are surprisingly active and more complex than previously thought.

In spring, our partners from the University of Tartu invited meadow caretakers and owners to participate in a survey, through which we collected input for shaping the agricultural policy of the next EU funding period, while also looking for feedback on the advisory service launched by the Environmental Board.

Ten more to go!

Amphibians need small, fishless ponds in which to spawn, but these are disappearing from our landscape. By restoring small water bodies, we are providing a home for amphibians and creating a habitat for many other species, including insects and bats.