On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, the Swiss Estonian Association wanted to donate to Switzerland a hundred nest boxes to protect endangered bird species. An idea was introduced by the video and also appeared on Estonian Television and in the news media. Uptime was the main sponsor of the event.
The Project “100 nest boxes to the Century of Estonia” reached the final destination in March, when the last nest box was erected in Biel-Benken – rare birds can now move in.
Nest boxes were given to Birdlife Schweiz, who will follow them up and take care of them later. The endangered species for which these nest boxes are intended are wryneck and common redstart, about which all participants were given a thorough overview.
According to Birdlife Schweiz, it is expected to see first nesting birds in the nest boxes during next three years. For so long, nest boxes need to be integrated into nature until they are accepted.
Birdlife Schweiz takes care of the maintenance, cleaning and monitoring of bird houses, and keeps the general public up to date. Knowing where, how and what kind of nest is upright can save many generations of endangered birds.
Wryneck and common redstart are insect-feeding migratory birds. Fertilization of fields and reduction of insects have almost eliminated the food table of both birds. The loss of high fruit trees has also reduced the area of rare bird species, and in many places these species have disappeared at all.
But the nest box helps to provide nesting opportunities where it’s otherwise difficult.
The supporters were informed about the location of their supported nest boxes as well.
Follow Ave-Lii’s video overview about the event:
See also a video clip from Estonian TV morning program Terevisioon, where the project was presented by Mirjam Loertscher, President of the Swiss Estonian Association.
Currently, nearly 700 Estonians live in Switzerland, and community life of Estonians has been in existence for over 60 years. As there are few Estonians in Switzerland – just as little as the endangered bird species that it was decided to protect, it seemed symbolic for community to organize 100 nest boxes for rare birds.
The number of donated nest boxes reached the goal in 17 December 2017, followed by finding a suitable location for them. The last nest box was placed on the land of one farmer on March 17 in Biel-Benken, where rare bird species are still nesting.
The project’s main sponsor and supporter was Uptime, which has a joint venture in Switzerland. The nest boxes were built by Peeter Tarmet.
