Matsalu Nature Reserve

The Estonia Post has issued  the nature reserve stamp series to devoted the effort to protect the environmental in their country. They issued 2 stamps on January 26, 1995  and introducing the Matsalu Nature Reserve depicts the greylag goose (Anser anser), another the barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis). Matsalu Nature Reserve  or now called Matsalu National Park is a nature reserve and national park situated in Lääne County, Estonia. Matsalu National Park spans an area of 486.1 km2 (187.7 sq mi), comprising Matsalu Bay, the Kasari River delta, and surrounding areas. Matsalu Nature Reserve is the first and so far the only wetland of international importance in Estonia. The shallow Matsalu Bay, small marine islands, extensive reed-beds, flood-plain meadows, coastal meadows and coastal pastures are favourite sites for lots of waterfowl, both as their nesting grounds and as roosting places during the migration.   Matsalu Bay is one of the most important wetland bird areas in Europe, due to its prime position on the East Atlantic Flyway. Large numbers of migratory birds use Matsalu as a staging area.Every spring over two million waterfowl pass Matsalu, of which around 1.6 million are Long-tailed Ducks.

The gerylag goose is a typical breeding bird in the Matsalu reed-bed and, in the past few years, also on the marine islands. About 300 pairs of greylag geese nest in Matsalu every year. Within the migration season, more than 1000 greylag geese stop in Matsalu.

The barnacle goose is the most significant migriting bird in the Matsalu wetland. Every year nearly 20 000 barnacle geese stop here during their spring migration, with the flocks consisting of up to 6000 individuals. Since 1981, the barnacle nests also on the islands of the Matsalu Nature reserve. The number of nesting barnacle geese has increased from year to year, reaching about 20 pairs at present.

 

Matsalu National Park or Matsalu National Reserve is a home for a number of endangered species, many of which are listed in the Estonian IUCN Red List, including the White-tailed Eagle of the highest conservation category, a lot of bird species of the second and third protection categories, 22 strongly protected plant species, the Natterjack Toad, and ten species of mammals of the second conservation category.