On 17 January, the water level of the Kasari river rose 228 cm above the zero level of the gauging station, flooding an extensive flood-meadow area downstream of the river. This year active snowmelt coincided with frequent showers already appearing in early January. Usually, the flood meadow is impressive during the spring snowmelt period, when high water levels persist for a few weeks.
At the beginning of February, students and alumni of the Tartu Students' Nature Conservation Circle got together on their 25th anniversary hike of the Snow Lynx (Lumeilves). Nearly half a hundred hikers skied on the twenty highest peaks of Estonia in the Haanja nature park.
Last week, the white-tailed eagle webcam installed by Kotkaklubi (Eagle Club) went live in Matsalu national park: https://www.youtube.com/live/9r0luregAMY?feature=share
It is one of the oldest known breeding territories of white-tailed eagles in Estonia (the first reports date back to 1870). It is a very suitable habitat for white-tailed eagles, with another pair nesting less than a kilometre away. A total of 30 eaglets have taken flight from this nest between 1996 and 2020.
Last weekend the Junior Rangers of Alutaguse came together in Iisaku. The seminar focused on the owl and woodpecker species of Estonia which were introduced by Tarmo Evestus. Among other things we learned how owls locate their prey and how they fly without making a sound. Also how a drumming woodpecker manages to avoid headaches. We then tested our newly gained knowledge in a game of Jeopardy.
On World Wetlands Day, February 2nd, the Environmental Board awarded ten Estonian nature tourism businesses from the regions of Matsalu, Soomaa and Lahemaa national parks with international sustainable tourism recognition - European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (ECST Part II) certificate. This certificate enables local businesses working in partnership with the protected area authority to recieve recognition as sustainable partners.
Visiting national parks is well worth your time, even now in the winter. The natural scenery is dressed up in white and, in the magical snowlight, the views are unlike any other time of the year.
Each national park is unique in its nature and cultural heritage.
The conservation objective of the Nabala-Tuhala Nature Reserve is to protect springs, springy areas and karst formations, including subsurface streams and the hydrological regime of the karst area with the Tuhala Witch’s Well, the area’s bog and forest ecosystems, biodiversity, endangered and rare species, the habitat types specified in Annex I of the Habitats Directive and the species and their habitats specified in Annex II as well as the species and their habitats specified in Annex I of the Birds Directive.
The landscape of the Nabala-Tuhala region has been shaped by karst. Into the crevices of rocks, groundwater has burrowed beds of subsurface streams, caves and other karst formations. During high water, all underground gaps and beds of subsurface streams fill with water and water surges even in areas that are normally dry. The best-known sight is the Tuhala Witch’s Well, which ‘boils’ in periods of high water.
There are three hiking trails to learn about the natural and cultural values of the protected area.
