Rannajõe viewing platform
Rannajõe is located right next to the Haapsalu-Lihula road. The viewing platform offers a good view of the open flood-meadows of Matsalu (the meadow area is flooded for a very short time, mostly in early spring). In the spring and autumn, it is worth going there early in the morning or in the evening before sunset to watch a large number of barnacle geese and geese flying overhead. In autumn, thousands of common cranes gather on the Rannajõe River to spend the night.
During the day, the Rannajõe observation tower is one of the best observation points in Matsalu for watching birds of prey. You can see hen harriers, Montagu’s harriers, common buzzards, lesser spotted eagles and common kestrels while they hunt for food.
- Kõik
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The Northern lapwing is a pigeon-sized wader with a stout body and a unique long thin tuft on its nape. The dark top part of the plumage looks slightly green and purple with a metallic sheen, while the underside is white. The wing tips are impressively wide with white feathers below and dark above. In the summer, male birds can be recognised by their longer tufts and pure black throats and faces, while females have shorter tufts and a smaller black mark on the front of their necks that is slightly mixed with white. In the winter, the feathers of adult birds at the front of the neck and beneath the chin are white, while the top part and covert feathers are slightly cream-coloured at the tips.