At Matsalu Bay, the barnacle goose is one of the most common migratory birds in April to mid-May and September to October. Over 100,000 barnacle geese stop in Matsalu each spring.
The beach meadows of Haeska, Keemu and Põgari-Sassi host the greatest flocks of barnacle geese. Thousands of barnacle geese also stop at the Saunja and Tahu bays in the Silma Nature Reserve.
The common goldeneye is a common migratory, breeding and wintering bird in Lääne County. In spring and autumn, a large number of common goldeneyes visit Matsalu and Haapsalu bays. Nesting common goldeneyes can be found on raised bog ponds, manor ponds and woodland lakes. Common goldeneyes typically look for a nesting site in an old black woodpecker’s nest hollow.
In winter, common goldeneyes gather in big flocks along the unfrozen sea coast. The most important wintering areas of common goldeneyes in Lääne County are located around Cape Põõsaspea. Occasionally, nearly a thousand birds winter here.
As in other parts of Estonia, the common buzzard is the most common bird of prey in Lääne County. Common buzzards can be found lurking on power poles and at the tops of shrubs and hovering in the skies across Lääne County. They are especially common in the mosaic cultural landscape, which combines small groves with agricultural landscapes.
Common buzzards are most commonly seen between March and October, but dozens of them also stay to winter in Lääne County.
The ruff is a common migratory bird on the coast of Lääne County. Few ruffs nest in Matsalu’s flood-meadows and beach meadows.
The ideal time to see ruffs is between the end of April and the beginning of May, when hundreds of ruffs gather on the beach meadows of Matsalu National Park and Silma Nature Reserve. In Matsalu, the best spots to see the ruff are Haeska and Tahu beach meadow in Noarootsi.
The Western marsh harrier is common everywhere in Lääne County, where there are reed beds ideal for nesting. It breeds most commonly around Matsalu Bay and in the Silma Nature Reserve.
In Matsalu National Park, the Western marsh harrier is frequently spotted from Keemu, Suitsu and Haeska observation towers. It is also good to observe the Western marsh harrier from the observation towers near the Sutlepa Sea.
The hen harrier is an uncommon migratory bird in Lääne County and only some individuals stay here for the winter. Migrating hen harriers can be seen searching for prey in fields and flood-meadows, but they occasionally glide over reed beds.
The observation tower at Rannajõe provides a good view of hen harriers. In September and October, you may see their small-numbered migration in Cape Puise.
Montagu’s harrier is an uncommon breeding and migratory bird in Lääne County. It nests in small colonies in our raised bogs, particularly around Leidissoo and Marimetsa bogs. A few Montagu’s harriers nest in the Matsalu flood-meadow. These birds of prey come to hunt, but they also frequently hunt in the fields.
Montagu’s harriers can often be seen from the Rannajõe viewing platform.
The corn crake is a common breeding bird in Lääne County’s cultivated grasslands and meadows. It is difficult to observe a bird hiding in the high vegetation, but its voice can be heard frequently from May until mid-July. Corn crakes become especially loud at dusk.
In Matsalu, you can hear the concert of corn crakes from the viewing platform of Rannajõe or the Smoke River bridge. The national park’s territory is home to approximately 300 nesting pairs.
The Western house martin is a very common breeding bird and migratory bird in Lääne County. It nests wherever there are suitable eaves for making a nest. In Matsalu National Park, Western house martins nest in considerable numbers near Port Puise and Port Keemu. In autumn, between the end of August and the beginning of September, you can watch the countless Western house martin migrations from the Cape Puise observation platform.
The great egret is now a common migratory bird and an uncommon breeding bird in Lääne County. This Southern heron is a recent newcomer in the bogs of Lääne County, having only become common in the early twenty-first century. Now the great egret outnumbers its close relative, the grey heron, in many regions.
Great egrets can sometimes be found in Matsalu and Haapsalu bays even in flocks of several hundred birds. They’re good to observe from the Haeska birdwatching tower, the parking area at Põgari-Sassi beach meadow, and Sutlepa Sea and Tahu Bay observation towers in Noarootsi. Their breeding colony is also found in the reed beds of the Sutlepa Sea and birds also breed in the grey heron colony near the Laikmaa museum.