Bird ringing information and bird observations

Please notify us of any bird recoveries (found dead, caught and released, found remains, etc.):

• by e-mail at [email protected] or
• by regular mail at Matsalu rõngastuskeskus, Penijõe, 90305 Lääneranna vald, Pärnumaa or
• by telephone at +(372) 585 45828.

You should note down all the information on the ring, specify the location and the time of discovery of the ring and the bird species (if possible) the ring was found from / seen on. If possible, the ring can also be sent to the ringing centre. Please additionally forward the contact details of the person who found the ring so we can specify the catching circumstances and place, if necessary, and send ringing data to the finder.

Kabli Bird Station

A majority of birds are ringed at the Kabli and Häädemeeste bird stations. The number of recoveries of ringed birds is up to 1500 per year. The furthest place birds ringed in Estonia have been recovered is South-Africa. The Kabli bird station (58.01431N 24.44942E) is located in Häädemeeste parish, Kabli village. The bird station was created in 1969 with the purpose of researching and monitoring bird migration. The main method is the marking of birds caught from the migratory flow with Heligoland traps and mist nets, the evaluation of their physiological state and visual observation of migration. In addition to birds, the migratory flows of bats, odonata and diurnal has been researched during the recent years. The Kabli bird station operates regularly every year from mid-August till early November. To facilitate visual observations, an observation tower was set up on a dune in 1997. A coastal observation platform for watching sea birds was added in 2005. Starting from 2002, the data from different bird watchers (including hobbyists) was collected through an on-line database available on the bird station’s website. In 2011, the Kabli bird observation database was transferred to the eBiodiversity bird observation database and the further bird observation data collection is done in the eBiodiversity environment. The Kabli database (migration monitor) now only includes data from the Kabli and Pulgoja bird stations.

As of 1979, the migration of migratory birds has also been researched at the Pulgoja reed bed in the Luitemaa Nature Reserve, where mist nets are used in late July and in August to catch birds. The purpose of the Pulgoja migration research point (a reed bed branch of the Kabli bird station) is to research the migration of reed bed species and monitor their numbers.

The Kabli bird station is surrounded by the Kabli Nature Reserve. The nature reserve is governed and the work of the bird station is organised by the Estonian Environment Agency. The nature reserve includes a 1.8 km discovery trail which begins at the Kabli Nature Centre and is maintained by the State Forest Management Centre.