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Overview
A large, shallow bay in Estonia where the Kasari River meets the sea, a Ramsar site with an internationally important nature reserve. The habitat consists of numerous rocky islands fringing the bay, extensive reedbeds, saltmarshes and flooded meadows in the delta and woodland and grazing pastures and hay-meadows further inland.
Birds
Notable Species
Almost 300 species have been recorded with 170 known to have bred including many wetland birds such as Great Bittern, crakes and various ducks, waders and warblers. In addition a small number of Barnacle Geese have bred since the 1980s and in the 1990s Temminck's Stint bred here for the first time in Estonia.
Raptors are well-represented with Golden Eagle, Marsh Harrier and Montagu's Harrier. The forests host Wryneck and Grey-headed Woodpecker, Black Woodpecker]], White-backed Woodpecker and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Spotted Nutcracker and Eurasian Eagle Owl.
Despite the large number of breeding species the area is perhaps more important as a staging post during passage periods. In spring and autumn large numbers of swans and geese, about a million diving ducks and waders, and thousands of Common Cranes visit the area. Divers also pass through in tens of thousands in spring and autumn. Lesser White-fronted Goose is regular in small numbers.
Check-list
Birds you can see here include:
Red-throated Diver, Black-throated Diver, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Black Stork, White Stork, Mute Swan, Bewick's Swan, Whooper Swan, Tundra Bean Goose, Taiga Bean Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, Lesser White-fronted Goose, Greylag Goose, Barnacle Goose, Common Shelduck, Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Common Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Greater Scaup, Common Eider, Common Scoter, Velvet Scoter, Common Goldeneye, Long-tailed Duck, Smew, Red-breasted Merganser, Goosander, European Honey Buzzard, White-tailed Eagle, Western Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Montagu's Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Rough-legged Buzzard, Common Buzzard, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Golden Eagle, Osprey, Northern Hobby, Water Rail, Spotted Crake, Little Crake, Corn Crake, Eurasian Coot, Common Crane, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Pied Avocet, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Eurasian Golden Plover, Northern Lapwing, Dunlin, Ruff, Common Snipe, Great Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Curlew, Spotted Redshank, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Ruddy Turnstone, Little Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Caspian Tern, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Little Tern, Black Tern, Eurasian Eagle Owl, Eurasian Wryneck, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Black Woodpecker, White-backed Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Wood Lark, Eurasian Skylark, Barn Swallow, Northern House Martin, Meadow Pipit, Tree Pipit, White Wagtail, Thrush Nightingale, Eurasian Robin, Eurasian Blackbird, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Common Grasshopper Warbler, Eurasian River Warbler, Savi's Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Barred Warbler, Wood Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Marsh Tit, Crested Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Common Treecreeper, Eurasian Nuthatch, Red-backed Shrike, Great Grey Shrike, Common Jay, Common Magpie, Spotted Nutcracker, Eurasian Jackdaw, Rook, Hooded Crow, Northern Raven, Common Starling, House Sparrow, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Eurasian Linnet, Common Crossbill, Common Rosefinch, Hawfinch, Yellowhammer, Ortolan Bunting
Other Wildlife
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Site Information
History and Use
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Areas of Interest
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Access and Facilities
Permits are required to visit the reserve, available from the headquarters at Penijoe on the south-east shore.
Matsalu Bay is reached by the A207 road from Tallinn towards Virtsu.
Contact Details
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External Links
Content and images originally posted by Steve
