ESTONIA 25.06.2025
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About the experience of Sopi-Tootsi wind farm: a warning for the future
A recent letter from the Environmental Board to the municipality of Northern Pärnu County brought to the public a problem, which had initially been raised by the Eagle Club: how to protect the black storks nesting near the Sopi-Tootsi wind farm? The Environmental Board forwarded this information along with recommendations to the municipal government. However, the municipal government wiped its hands clean and sent the responsibility completely to the developer - Enefit Green AS.
This case is significant. Not only from the protection point of view of this particular bird pair, but also from the fact that the municipality has decided to approach the assessment of the environmental effects of wind farms superficially.
Actually it was already 2020. this year it will be publicly known that there is a protected black stork nests near Tootsi wind farm. The nest was registered two years after the end of the environmental impact assessment, however, there were no significant changes in the planning following this knowledge. The wind park was given a building permit and information about bird nesting was ignored. Meanwhile, not only the developer was responsible - the responsibility falls on the municipality, whose task is to ensure the fairness of the planning and compliance with the law. Unfortunately, this case showed that economic interest turned out to be more important than environmental obligations and the parish did not fulfill its role as a sufficient accountant for environmental information.
At present, several wind energy plans are in process in Põhja-Pärnumaa municipality. Several areas of development are planned. to go forward in accelerated mode, the environmental impacts are minimally dealt with and in some cases the detailed solution stage is skipped altogether. This means that the environmental impacts – whether they are related to noise, biodiversity or environmental quality – can go unappreciated, be misappreciated, or be viewed just through the fingers, like the management of Sopi-Toots.
If these plans are approved in the same way as Sopi-Tootsi's, the problems of both humans and nature will remain unnoticed in the future. Residents could face low frequency noise, visual disturbances and a drop in property value. At the same time, rare species, such as small frog eagle, hen hawk or just the same black stork, may be in danger and the same pattern repeats - the parish wipes its hands clean and announces that someone else is responsible...
The municipality has the opportunity to do differently. If there is a desire to develop renewable energy responsibly, it must involve a thorough and transparent environmental impact assessment and involving residents and the community. The local government has an obligation to stand up for its residents and the natural environment - not just to build a shoulder and direct all the responsibility elsewhere.
In the case of Sopi-Tootsi, it has already become clear that the environmental impact was inadequate. But who is responsible if these assessments prove to be wrong and the consequences appear only years later? With current plans, there is still a chance to learn from and avoid mistakes, because rushing and reckless action can pay painful revenge in the future.
PS!
1/ Black-stork nest cam is located here
2/ 2020 err article: https://www.err.ee/1149856/tootsi-tuule ... ekure-pesa
3/ 5.06.2025 Environmental Board Letter: https://atp.amphora.ee/pparnumaavv/inde ... uChxbk5T7Q
4/ 20.06.2025 North-Pärnu County's response: https://atp.amphora.ee/pparnumaavv/inde ... jjrkCP7XIg
Discussion to nesting
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marika.solo
- Site Admin
- Posts: 19827
- Joined: 29 Sep 2021, 09:38
Re: Discussion to nesting
July 02
my today communication with AI about the youngest (much smaller) chick on the nest of Kergu and Kerli (Estonia, Pärnu county)
(btw. I like it when AI corrects its statement after my comments and writes additional arguments supporting my objection.
)
QUESTION 1 Why some black stork chicks are still significantly smaller than their siblings, even though they hatched only 2 or 3 days later?
- The size difference among black stork chicks, even when they hatch only 2 or 3 days apart, is primarily due to hatching asynchrony and a biological strategy called brood reduction.
- The older chicks get a head start on growth, which compounds over time.
- The older, larger chicks are better at competing for food.
QUESTION 2: Can rain and cold in the first week after hatching affect the youngest chicks more?
- Rain and cold in the first week after hatching can significantly affect the youngest black stork chicks more than their older siblings — and in some cases, it can be fatal.
- The younger the chick, the less developed its down feathers and body fat — making it more vulnerable to cold and wet conditions.
(In cold or wet conditions, the larger chicks often monopolise the warmth of the brooding parent, leaving the smallest chick exposed. If the parent can’t fully cover all the chicks during rain or cold, the youngest is most likely to be left out.)
- Bad weather may reduce the parents’ ability to forage and bring back food.
- At the same time, chicks need more energy to stay warm, so the youngest — with the least energy reserves — may not survive the combined stress of hunger + cold.
(Chilled or weak chicks often become lethargic. In active nests, they risk being trampled by larger siblings or neglected by the parents.)
QUESTION 3 Are there other known reasons why the youngest black stork chick can be significantly smaller than its two older siblings?
There are several additional biological and environmental reasons why the youngest black stork chick can be significantly smaller than its older sibling:
- The last egg laid is often smaller or of lower quality due to the female's declining energy reserves late in the laying sequence. This can result in the chick hatching with fewer nutrients, giving it a developmental disadvantage from the start.
(The egg of the youngest chick may have received less consistent incubation (especially if it's on the periphery of the nest. This can lead to slower or uneven embryonic development, which contributes to the chick being weaker or underdeveloped at hatching.)
- Studies in some bird species show that younger chicks may have lower levels of growth-promoting hormones, like testosterone or growth hormone. This can result in reduced growth rates, even with the same amount of food.
- If food supply drops right after the youngest chick hatches, it may be starved out while the older chicks get just enough to survive.
- The timing of insect or amphibian availability in the stork’s territory can be critical.
my today communication with AI about the youngest (much smaller) chick on the nest of Kergu and Kerli (Estonia, Pärnu county)
(btw. I like it when AI corrects its statement after my comments and writes additional arguments supporting my objection.
)QUESTION 1 Why some black stork chicks are still significantly smaller than their siblings, even though they hatched only 2 or 3 days later?
- The size difference among black stork chicks, even when they hatch only 2 or 3 days apart, is primarily due to hatching asynchrony and a biological strategy called brood reduction.
- The older chicks get a head start on growth, which compounds over time.
- The older, larger chicks are better at competing for food.
QUESTION 2: Can rain and cold in the first week after hatching affect the youngest chicks more?
- Rain and cold in the first week after hatching can significantly affect the youngest black stork chicks more than their older siblings — and in some cases, it can be fatal.
- The younger the chick, the less developed its down feathers and body fat — making it more vulnerable to cold and wet conditions.
(In cold or wet conditions, the larger chicks often monopolise the warmth of the brooding parent, leaving the smallest chick exposed. If the parent can’t fully cover all the chicks during rain or cold, the youngest is most likely to be left out.)
- Bad weather may reduce the parents’ ability to forage and bring back food.
- At the same time, chicks need more energy to stay warm, so the youngest — with the least energy reserves — may not survive the combined stress of hunger + cold.
(Chilled or weak chicks often become lethargic. In active nests, they risk being trampled by larger siblings or neglected by the parents.)
QUESTION 3 Are there other known reasons why the youngest black stork chick can be significantly smaller than its two older siblings?
There are several additional biological and environmental reasons why the youngest black stork chick can be significantly smaller than its older sibling:
- The last egg laid is often smaller or of lower quality due to the female's declining energy reserves late in the laying sequence. This can result in the chick hatching with fewer nutrients, giving it a developmental disadvantage from the start.
(The egg of the youngest chick may have received less consistent incubation (especially if it's on the periphery of the nest. This can lead to slower or uneven embryonic development, which contributes to the chick being weaker or underdeveloped at hatching.)
- Studies in some bird species show that younger chicks may have lower levels of growth-promoting hormones, like testosterone or growth hormone. This can result in reduced growth rates, even with the same amount of food.
- If food supply drops right after the youngest chick hatches, it may be starved out while the older chicks get just enough to survive.
- The timing of insect or amphibian availability in the stork’s territory can be critical.
-
marika.solo
- Site Admin
- Posts: 19827
- Joined: 29 Sep 2021, 09:38
Re: Discussion to nesting
July 3
youtube chat (nest of Kergu and Kerli, in Pärnu county in Estonia)
5:12 AM Sandro Walach
Something happened at 06:02:25 that I, someone who knows nothing about birds, found interesting. Anyone know what they were up to? Also the part with them throwing the stuff they regurgitated away?
my answers:
In birds, a pellet is a mass of undigested material that birds regurgitate after feeding.
After eating, the bird's stomach separates digestible parts from indigestible ones. The latter are compacted into a pellet in the gizzard and later coughed or spit out through the mouth.
Birds usually expel pellets hours after feeding—sometimes once or twice a day.
youtube chat (nest of Kergu and Kerli, in Pärnu county in Estonia)
5:12 AM Sandro Walach
Something happened at 06:02:25 that I, someone who knows nothing about birds, found interesting. Anyone know what they were up to? Also the part with them throwing the stuff they regurgitated away?
my answers:
In birds, a pellet is a mass of undigested material that birds regurgitate after feeding.
After eating, the bird's stomach separates digestible parts from indigestible ones. The latter are compacted into a pellet in the gizzard and later coughed or spit out through the mouth.
Birds usually expel pellets hours after feeding—sometimes once or twice a day.