The end of summer is the time common cranes start congregating ahead of the big flight south.

All through summer the large birds, which are nearly always seen in pairs or groups, are a common sight on open land even just outside the towns, with their whooping call a regular sound, including early in the morning.

The size of those groups gets much bigger at this time of year. The birds which spent summer — their breeding season — in Estonia are also being joined by those who did so in nearby countries, including Finland and Russia, and are resting before continuing the migration.

"The aim is to build up sufficient energy reserves. For birds, migration is a major undertaking, and to prepare for it they essentially fatten themselves up and try to get into the best possible condition, so that when suitable winds and weather arrive, they can begin moving south," Jaak Tammekänd, a specialist at the Environment Agency, told "Aktuaalne kaamera."

During the winter they can be found in parts of North Africa, Turkey, and Southern Spain, and as far east as China. As for Estonia, there are areas where common cranes are particularly numerous.

"The largest gatherings are unquestionably in the Matsalu area and also on Saaremaa, so in western Estonia, but there are also very large gatherings of common cranes in Lahemaa and Jõgeva County. In eastern, southeastern and southern Estonia, these flocks are very closely associated with larger bogs and wetlands. During the day, they do go to agricultural areas to feed, but they spend the night in the wetlands," Tammekänd went on.

Nature enthusiasts have the opportunity to count and record the birds' locations and enter the number of common cranes into a nature observation app run by the Environment Agency.

The species, Grus grus, has thrived in Estonia over the past few decades, from as low as 300 in the 1970s to an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 pairs in recent summer, a number as noted temporarily swollen with passing birds as the migration gets underway.

The birds are usually all gone from this part of the world by October, and start returning any time from the end of February.

The original "Aktuaalne kaamera" segment can be watched by clicking the video player below.

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