Kindergarten children bring 100 great tits to exhibition at RMK  08.02

The 100 great tits on display at the exhibition were crafted by children aged 2 to 7 at Kadaka Kindergarten, Mustamäe, and Ümera Kindergarten in Lasnamäe, and their families. According to Maili Vaarpu, teacher at Kadaka Kindergarten and one of the initiators for the exhibition, the endeavour was aimed at raising awareness about this year’s Bird of the Year, encouraging families and kindergartens to work with one another more and bringing Estonian and Russian children closer together. “The completed pieces were surprising in terms of their variety: the children, and definitely their parents as well, went the whole hog,” commented Maili Vaarpu.

Young naturalists’ interests in great tits and other birds continues. Currently, kindergarten children are putting food for little birds inside bird feeding houses that they themselves have crafted and recording in their birder’s journals what birds they are sighting in the yards of their kindergartens.

The exhibition dedicated to the 2016 Bird of the Year will remain on display at RMK’s Tallinn information desk through the end of February, with the best shots from the Bloodless Hunt photography contest on view alongside until the same date. RMK’s Tallinn information desk at Toompuiestee 24 is open from 9 am to 6 pm, Monday to Friday; admission to the exhibition is free for all.

Estonia is inhabited by eight species of tits. Of these, the great tit is the heftiest one at 15 centimetres in length and weighing 16 to 24 grams. The great tit is readily recognisable by its yellow belly and the broad black stripe bisecting it lengthwise. In Estonia, the great tit is the most common and numerous bird species, at home both near humans in cities and in the woods in the countryside.

It is also the most frequent visitor to bird feeding houses in our parts. Tiit Hunt, zoologist and nature photographer, advises anyone feeding birds to be consistent. “Once you start feeding them, make sure to not let the birds down,” he exhorts. “There should be food at all times, since the birds get used to it and stick around the feeding house also overnight, so that they can snack on something the next morning,” Hunt said.  For example, pork lard with the rind on is a good and cheap treat to buy and hang up for the birds. They are also really fond of sunflower seeds.

Further information:
Maili Vaarpu
Kadaka Kindergarten
Tel: 5342 0697
e-mail: maili.vaarpu@kadaka.edu.ee