Spring White Water and Cranes Dancing

In this week’s edition:

Rafting on Spring Floods

Eurasian Cranes Arrive

Youth Song and Dance Festival Tickets selling out!

RAFTING ON SPRING FLOODS

After a weekend of snowfall across Estonia, it might seem like spring is running a little late, but it is certainly on its way and with all of that snow and ice about to melt, you will soon have the opportunity to try something exciting and a little unexpected…white water rafting.

Parvetamine – rafting Eestimaa jõgedel ja kärestikel

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Reimann Retked adventure tours offer rafting trips on the Jägala River, only around 30km from the capital Tallinn, in northern Estonia. The Jägala Waterfall (Estonian: Jägala juga) is 8m high, which is Estonia’s highest. The falls freeze over winter, providing a beautifully eerie picture.

Jägala waterfall

During the spring thaw though, the Jägala river fills its banks, and the falls are at their most spectacular with vast amounts of naturally tannin rich water pouring over the wide limestone bluff into the valley below. Rapids form downstream from the waterfall and provide an exciting white water ride. All gear is provided on these trips and an instructor will give a through introduction to rafting as well as accompanying you in the raft. For more information about this and other exciting trips, please visit the Reimann Retked website.

Click here to see a Flickr slideshow of beautiful Jägala Falls images.

Rafting is certainly not the only way to experience swollen rivers and flooding meltwaters. A number of companies across Estonia offer canoe trips for this special time of the year. Soomaa National Park is a favourite destination for canoe trips as flooding in this area is expected every year. This period of flooding has become known locally as the Fifth Season.

Companies offering spring canoe tours include:

Soomaa.com

Ahjamatkad

Veetee

EURASIAN CRANES ARRIVE

Eurasian Cranes (Grus grus) and many other species of migratory birds are beginning to arrive in Estonia. They were spotted this week in Soomaa National Park, where the large areas of protected bogs, fens and other wetland types make it a perfect place to raise a new family.

Cranes arrive in Soomaa

“The Eurasian Crane nests primarily in bogs, sedge meadows, and other shallow freshwater wetland types within Eurasia’s boreal and temperate forest zones. They prefer large isolated wetlands, but the birds have adapted to smaller more disturbed wetlands within intensively cultivated landscapes.”

International Crane Foundation

Eurasian Crane by Rainbirder

Eurasian Cranes are known for their dancing and coordinated calling which is commonly performed during courtship displays. Crane dances include movements such as bowing, jumping, running and wing flapping as well as the tossing of grass and sticks. It is thought that all cranes dance, and that this can occur at any age, not just during courtship. Other reasons for dancing may include it being a way of responding to threats, stress relief and a way of strengthening the bond between breeding pairs. It is also likely to assist young cranes in the development of their motor skills.

Eurasian Cranes by Rainbirder

Click here to watch a great video of Eurasian Cranes dancing.

About 7000 thousands pairs of Eurasian Cranes breed in Estonia every year and this number seems to be increasing. They are also a protected species in Estonia, meaning that the killing of Eurasian Cranes or causing damage to their breeding habitats is prohibited by law. Researchers continue to track the migration routes of Eurasian Cranes with radio and satellite transmitters with monitoring and research coordinated by the Estonian University of Life Sciences.

YOUTH SONG AND DANCE FESTIVAL 2011

Estonia is well known for it’s choral and folk dance traditions and the most public way that these are expressed are via the national Song and Dance Festivals which first began in 1869. These occur every four or five years and for a long time have been an important expression of an Estonian identity, particularly during the years of Soviet occupation.

Photo by Geoff Longhurst

Over the years the festival became so popular with young Estonians that in 1962 a separate youth festival was created. This year, the 11th Youth Song and Dance Festival will be celebrated, and is titled ‘Maa ja Ilm’ (English: ‘The wide world begins in a small land’).

Estonian National Song Festival 2009 and a choir of around 30,000 people. Photo by Windkeeper

In total, around 30,000 young Estonians will be performing in a traditional massed choir and choreographed mass folkdance performances, with all dancers and many choir members wearing their beautiful national costumes.

Photo by the Estonian Foreign Ministry

Tickets for the three parts of this event are still available, but tickets for the best seating and the opening ceremony are likely to sell out soon. For more information, and to purchase tickets, please visit this website.