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A preliminary overview of 
monitoring for raptors in 
Estonia 
Predhodni pregled monitoringa populacij 
ptic roparic v Estoniji
Rein Nellis
Environmental Board, Tallinna 22,  
EE–93819 Kuressaare, Estonia,  
e–mail: rein.nellis@keskkonnaamet.ee
Estonia is situated on the eastern coast of the Baltic 
Sea. It has a long coastline and more than 1,500 islands 
and islets. The ground is mostly flat, rich in lakes and 
rivers. Forests cover over 40% and mires ca. 22% of 
the Estonian territory (Leibak et al. 1994). Altogether, 
41 raptor species have been registered in Estonia (21 
species of Accipitriformes, 8 species of Falconiformes 
and 12 species of Strigiformes) of which 21 species 
have large breeding populations or breed regularly in 
few pairs (Elts et al. 2009).
Main players
The Estonian raptor-monitoring programme is 
carried out by members of the NGO Estonian 
Ornithological Society (EOS, http://www.eoy.ee/en) 
raptor monitoring group, NGO Eagle Club (http://
www.kotkas.ee/eagle-club) and some employees of 
the Environmental Board. The coordinator of raptor 
monitoring at study plots is Dr Ülo Väli from the 
Estonian University of Life Sciences, while monitoring 
of eagles alone is coordinated by members of the Eagle 
Club (four coordinators for five breeding species). 
The EOS raptor monitoring group works mainly at 
permanent study plots, whereas Eagle Club members 
carry out their eagle monitoring programme across 
the entire country. During the last 10 years, about 
30 active fieldworkers have been implementing the 
raptor-monitoring programme in Estonia.
Several institutions under the governance of the 
Ministry of the Environment use raptor-monitoring 
results. The Estonian Environment Information 
Centre (EEIC) aims at collecting, processing and 
generalizing data on the Estonian nature and the 
factors influencing it. The Information Centre 
provides reliable environmental information for the 
decision-makers in Estonia, for the public both in 
Estonia and abroad, and for various organizations. 
The Environmental Board works to preserve the 
diversity of nature, to protect natural habitats and to 
ensure favourable conditions for different species (e.g. 
by funding and coordinating national monitoring 
programmes and managing the creation and 
implementation of species action plans).
The results of monitoring are also used by 
ornithologists from the EOS and the Eagle Club for 
estimating the raptors’ population sizes and calculating 
trends (e.g. Lõhmus et al. 1998, Elts et al. 2003, Elts 
et al. 2009), as well as for promoting the conservation 
of raptors in Estonia (e.g. Väli 2003, Männik 2006).
Estonia co-operates with Latvia through the 
European Regional Development Fund project 
“ESTLAT Eagles cross borders”. The partners of 
Estonia in the LIFE project “Arrangement of Spotted 
Eagles and Black Stork conservation in Estonia 
(EAGLELIFE)”, which was implemented in the 2004–
2009 period, were Belarus, Latvia and Lithuania. 
Estonia participates in pan-European colour-ringing 
programmes for the White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus 
albicilla, Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina, 
Golden Eagle A. chrysaetos and Osprey Pandion 
haliaetus. Estonian academic raptor researchers also 
have close contacts with researchers from Finland, 
Sweden, Spain, etc.
National coverage
The Estonian raptor monitoring scheme includes two 
main parts. First, all 21 raptor species breeding in 
Estonia are monitored annually at permanent study 
plots (the minimum size of a plot is 50 km2), which 
are located in different counties over the country. 
There were 16 such plots in 2012, with a total area 
of 1,595 km2 (Figure 1). The number of species, the 
number and locations of occupied territories as well 
as nest-sites and information on their productivity 
are gathered from these particular plots (see Lõhmus 
1999 & 2004).
Second, scarce raptors that occur at permanent 
study plots in few pairs, e.g. eagles and Eagle Owl 
Bubo bubo, are monitored all over the country. For 
this purpose, 25–90% of the known nest-sites of these 
species are visited and locations of known territories 
and nest-sites mapped every year. In addition to the 
nation-wide monitoring, the most numerous eagle 
species, i.e. the Lesser Spotted Eagle, is also studied 
at special monitoring plots, with a total area of 3,205 
km2 in 2012. These plots provide representative 
information on breeding densities and productivity of 
this species for estimating the size and trend of the 
Estonian population (Väli et al. 2011).
Additional information on Estonian raptors is 
gathered through several other projects and national 
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R. Nellis: A preliminary overview of monitoring for raptors in Estonia 
monitoring programmes carried out by EOS: (1) 
Common Breeding Bird Monitoring programme (part of 
the Pan-European Scheme) shows long-term changes 
in the number of Buzzard Buteo buteo; (2) Estonian 
Breeding Bird Atlas (fieldwork was carried out from 
2003 to 2009) gives an overview about distribution 
of raptor species breeding in Estonia; (3) EOS project 
“Bird of the Year” has produced interesting results 
about Goshawk Accipiter gentilis (Nellis 2006) and 
Tawny Owl Strix aluco (see EOS homepage) and (4) 
wintering bird count and wintering raptor count 
give information on the wintering populations of the 
Buzzard, Rough-legged Buzzard B. lagopus and Hen 
Harrier Circus cyaneus.
The Estonian Rarities Committee collects and 
independently verifies the records of rare raptors 
observed in Estonia (among other species). The 
activities carried out by NGO “Estbirding” are 
targeted to rare species – all interesting observations are 
collected and published on the web page of this NGO. 
The members of Estbirding have made overviews about 
the Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus influx in 2005 
and Hawk Owl Surnia ulula wintering in Estonia.
There is an open online database for birdwatchers 
and naturalists as a part of a web interface for all the 
taxa found in Estonia (eBiodiversity; http://elurikkus.
ut.ee). Information on the raptors’ regional occurrence, 
wintering, phenology and breeding success is available 
in this database. The Estonian Red List of Threatened 
Species is also available in this interface.
Migration counts are being made at Kabli Bird 
Station (ringing and migration counts since 1969) 
and Sõrve Bird Observatory (established by Finnish 
non-profit NGO Estonian Birding Society in 1999).
Key species
All 21 regularly breeding raptor species in Estonia are 
monitored at study plots, while the most threatened 
(White-tailed Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle A. slanga, 
Golden Eagle, Osprey and Eagle Owl) or the more 
abundant species with a long-term negative population 
trend (Goshawk) are monitored all over the country. 
These species, along with the Lesser Spotted Eagle, 
can be considered the key species addressed by the 
monitoring for raptors in Estonia. 
The main purpose of the monitoring and protection 
activities so far has been to protect populations 
through the conservation of suitable nesting sites 
of these species. National action plans have been 
compiled for these species and all monitoring and 
protection activities are carried out according to these 
plans (e.g. Väli 2003, Männik 2006, Nellis 2006).
Strengths and weaknesses
The main strengths of monitoring for raptors in 
Estonia are a long dataset, experienced enthusiastic 
birdwatchers, the organizations within the framework 
of which they work, existence of the national raptor 
monitoring programme, and academic researchers 
dedicated to raptors.
Raptors have been studied at a few plots already in 
the late 1950s and early 1960s in Estonia (Randla 
1976, Lõhmus 1999, Tuule et al. 2011), but the 
monitoring has been making marked progress only 
since 1989 (Lõhmus 1999). The monitoring of 
the numbers of eagles was embarked upon at the 
beginning of 20th century, while monitoring of their 
productivity started in the 1980s (Randla 1976). 
Raptor monitoring at permanent study plots and 
monitoring of eagles became part of the national 
monitoring programme in 1994 (Lõhmus 1999).
The Estonian University of Life Sciences and 
University of Tartu provide a basis for academic 
raptor research in Estonia. The research interest 
covers different areas of raptor population ecology 
and conservation, such as population dynamics (e.g. 
Tuule et al. 2011, Väli et al. 2011), habitat selection 
(e.g. Lõhmus 2001, Lõhmus 2003b, Väli et al. 2004), 
telemetry studies (e.g. Väli & Sellis 2007, Sellis et 
al. 2007), population genetics and hybridization 
(e.g. Lõhmus & Väli 2001, Väli et al. 2010 & 2011), 
impacts of forestry on raptors (e.g. Lõhmus 2003b, 
2005 & 2006, Rosenvald & Lõhmus 2003), etc.
There is, however, a shortage of information on the 
productivity of some species breeding in low densities 
(Lõhmus 1999 & 2004) and raptor populations living 
in Important Bird Areas (IBAs). These areas probably 
need periodic inventories, as there are no study plots 
Figure 1: All raptors breeding in Estonia are monitored 
annually at permanent study plots (black areas, studied in 
2012)
Slika 1: Vse ptice roparice, ki gnezdijo v Estoniji, so deležne 
letnega monitoringa na stalnih popisnih ploskvah (~rno 
obarvane povr{ine, vrste preu~evane leta 2012)
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Acrocephalus 33 (154/155): 285−287, 2012
for monitoring raptors in most of them. The Ministry 
of Environment is now working, in co-operation with 
the EOS, to fill this gap of knowledge.
Priorities, capacity-building
In Estonia, there is an urgent need to increase efforts at 
study plots, to recruit more observers and/or change to 
more cost-effective methods for assembling adequate 
information on low-density species. There is also a 
need to increase regional co-operation for monitoring 
low-density raptors (specially migrating species), as 
populations of these species should be considered 
and monitored as one at least at the regional level. 
Development of co-operation and research at the 
national and European scales (especially on topics like 
wind farms impact, effects of pollutants, electrocution, 
etc.) should be the main priority of monitoring for 
raptors in Estonia.
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Arrived / Prispelo: 27. 3. 2013
Accepted / Sprejeto: 1. 7. 2013