Matsalu National Park, Estonia
Matsalu National Park is the most famous coastal wetland in Estonia. It was established in 1957 mainly to protect nesting, moulting and migratory birds and in 1976 it was included in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
Matsalu National Park covers a total area of 188 square miles and comprises Matsalu Bay, the Kasari river delta and surrounding areas. 87 square miles of the protected area is terrestrial and 101 square miles is aquatic. The varied habitats include open sea, grassy and rocky islets, sandy and stony shores, saltmarsh, reedbeds, flooded meadows, pastures, arable land, mixed woodland and birch copses.
Matsalu Bay is shallow, brackish and rich in nutrients. It is 11.2 miles long and 3.7 miles wide but has an average depth of only 5 feet and a maximum depth of 11 feet. Shoreline length of the bay is about 102.5 miles. The bay's shoreline lacks high banks and is populated mostly with shingle shores with reedbeds in the innermost sheltered parts.
Nearly 300 species of birds have been recorded, around 175 species have nested and around 35 are migratory wildfowl. Matsalu Bay is one of the most important wetland bird areas in Europe due to its prime position on the East Atlantic Flyway. Huge numbers of migratory ducks, geese and waders use Matsalu Bay as a staging area in spring and autumn. The Kasari river is the biggest of several rivers that run into Matsalu Bay and the alluvial meadow of the delta (15 square miles) is one of the biggest open wet meadows in Europe.
Date: 11th May 2016
Location: Haeska, Matsalu National Park, Estonia
Matsalu National Park covers a total area of 188 square miles and comprises Matsalu Bay, the Kasari river delta and surrounding areas. 87 square miles of the protected area is terrestrial and 101 square miles is aquatic. The varied habitats include open sea, grassy and rocky islets, sandy and stony shores, saltmarsh, reedbeds, flooded meadows, pastures, arable land, mixed woodland and birch copses.
Matsalu Bay is shallow, brackish and rich in nutrients. It is 11.2 miles long and 3.7 miles wide but has an average depth of only 5 feet and a maximum depth of 11 feet. Shoreline length of the bay is about 102.5 miles. The bay's shoreline lacks high banks and is populated mostly with shingle shores with reedbeds in the innermost sheltered parts.
Nearly 300 species of birds have been recorded, around 175 species have nested and around 35 are migratory wildfowl. Matsalu Bay is one of the most important wetland bird areas in Europe due to its prime position on the East Atlantic Flyway. Huge numbers of migratory ducks, geese and waders use Matsalu Bay as a staging area in spring and autumn. The Kasari river is the biggest of several rivers that run into Matsalu Bay and the alluvial meadow of the delta (15 square miles) is one of the biggest open wet meadows in Europe.
Date: 11th May 2016
Location: Haeska, Matsalu National Park, Estonia
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Also in: Estonia
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