Among the dabbling ducks, the smallest ones – the Eurasian Teal Anas crecca and the Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata – are the first to reach the peak of the autumn migration, usually during the third week of August. However, likely due to persistent westerly winds and warm weather, the migration of Teal and Shoveler was delayed by a whole week. According to weather models, the southerly winds began to subside on September 1st and turned north around 10 a.m. in Karelia, and this is precisely what the dabbling ducks (and we) had been waiting for. Already from the early morning, Shovelers were the most numerous in mixed flocks of dabbling ducks, and the migration culminated at 8 p.m., when flocks from further afield arrived very high in the sky on the landward side, where long rows were seen, the largest of which contained nearly 200 Shovelers. Considering how quickly they arrived (9 h), it can be estimated that their previous gathering site was no further than the lake of Onega. In the last 1.5 hours of the day, we counted over 700 Shovelers, bringing the day’s total to 1,945!

The peak of the Teal migration started a day later and was more scattered, with the culmination occurring on September 3rd, when 3,455 individuals were counted. Compared to those of Shoveler, the Teal flocks were more modest (the largest containing 85 individuals), and given the more dispersed and later migration peak, perhaps the Eurasian Teals came from more distant areas where larger gatherings had not formed. Somewhat unexpectedly, the persistent tailwinds also set the Common Scoters Melanitta nigra in motion, with a three-day total exceeding 150,000.

Teal and Shoveler (c) Annika Forsten Shoveler (c) Annika Forsten Shoveler (c) Annika Forsten

Ujupartidest saavutavad sügisrände tipu esimesena kõige väiksemad – piilpart ja luitsnokk-part, enamasti augusti kolmanda dekaadi alguses. Ilmselt püsivate lõnatuulte ja soojade ilmade tõttu hilines piilpardi ja luitsnoka ränne aga terve nädala jagu. Ilmamudelite järgi hakkas 1. septembril lõunatuul vaibuma ja pöördus kella 10 paiku lõunal Karjalas põhja ning just seda olidki ujupardid (ja ka meie) oodanud. Juba hommikust saati olid luitsnokk-pardid ujupartide segasalkades kõige arvukamad ja ränne kulmineerus kella 8st õhtul, mil saabusid kaugemalt tulnud parved ning maismaa pool oli kõrgel taevas näha pikki rivisid, millest suurimates oli ligi 200 luitsnokka. Arvestades, kui kiiresti nad kohale jõudsid (9 h), võib arvata, et eelmine koondumispaik ei olnud kaugemal kui Äänisjärv. Päeva viimase 1,5 h vältel loendasime üle 700 luitsnokk-pardi ja päeva lõppsumma oli 1945!

Piilpartide rändetipp algas päev hiljem ja oli hajusam ning haripunkt saabus 3. septembril, mil loendati 3455 isendit. Võrreldes luitsnokk-pardiga olid piilpardi parved tagasihoidlikumad (suurimas 85 isendit) ja arvestades hajusamat ja hilisemat rändetippu, võib arvata, et piilpardid saabusid kaugematelt aladelt, kus suuremaid koondumisi ei toimunud. Pisut ootamatult olid püsivad pärituuled liikuma pannud ka mustvaerad, kelle kolme päeva summa ületas 150 000.

Pelle