Local Celebrity

There you go, I did it, I got published in the local newspaper. Yayyy :P

Rufous Hummingbird

I believe that this is Rufous Hummingbird. This was my first time seeing such bird and this is the only photo I have ever managed to snap of hummingbird flying. Quick and almost like a dream-like bird. It is hard to believe, but this little birdie can flap their wings possibly as high as 200 times per second, which is a bit out of this world, don't you think. Oh and if any of you is wondering what this hummingbird is trying to eat, the answer is sugar water, which they absolutely adore and with what it is easy to allure them to your porch.

That is not a fun fact about Estonia, but there are no hummingbirds in my country.

Barn swallow

At that farm I saw lots of wildlife happening, as forest and fields were near. I was able to notice some barn swallows there, which appear a bit different than the ones with the same name in Estonia.

Barn swallow is Estonian national bird. Read more about the Estonian National Symbols HERE.

Baby rabbit

I went with my hosts to a farm near Brighton and the family there had found a few days earlier little injured baby rabbit. This is the cutest baby I have ever seen.

Alpaca shearing

Never I dreamed of seeing animals called Alpacas and more than this who would have imagined I get to see how they are getting sheared. Here is a mammoth post about how it is done. 

Firstly the animal is put on a custom-made table. It takes at least five people to do that. 

When the body has been sheared, a person who is responsible for the head, tries to keep the animal as still as possible to avoid any cuts to the skin.

When one side of the body has been done, the neck will be taken care of. It takes some skills to hold alpaca still and fleece at the same time.

In no time animal is free from the torture and all the wool has collected.

A batch of fresh wool from alpaca.

Waiting for its turn.

A little bit more about Alpaca's from wikipedia.org:

Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of southern Peru, northern Bolivia, Ecuador, and northern Chile at an altitude of 3,500 m to 5,000 m above sea level, throughout the year Alpacas are considerably smaller than llamas, and unlike llamas, they were not bred to be beasts of burden, but were bred specifically for their fiber. Alpaca fiber is used for making knitted and woven items, similar to wool. These items include blankets, sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, a wide variety of textiles and ponchos in South America, and sweaters, socks, coats and bedding in other parts of the world. The fiber comes in more than 52 natural colors as classified in Peru, 12 as classified in Australia and 16 as classified in the United States.

In the textile industry, "alpaca" primarily refers to the hair of Peruvian alpacas, but more broadly it refers to a style of fabric originally made from alpaca hair, but now often made from similar fibers, such as mohair, Icelandic sheep wool, or even high-quality English wool.[citation needed] In trade, distinctions are made between alpacas and the several styles of mohair and luster.

An adult alpaca generally is between 81 and 99 cm in height at the withers. They usually weigh between 48 and 84 kg.

Lilacs

The area, where I stayed produces the most wonderful photography opportunities in spring, when the lilacs are in bloom. I tried to test my creativity and visited different places in the area to get these wonderful shots.

Lilacs are very characteristic to Estonian spring, you get them in big bushes everywhere.

Perks of volunteering

Remember the tea room I mentioned not so long ago, what I helped my Eric to renovate. While working there in a windowless room, I saw a raccoon mother with few babies wandering around. One got left behind from the group, so I got my long lens on and ran out. The best shots I have ever gotten of a raccoon so far.