KAAS

Publication supported byEnvironmental Investment Centre

ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITYEnvironmental Board

Hiiu-Lääne-Saare Region10 Kiltsi Rd., 90403 Haapsalu

Phone +372 472 4720laane@keskkonnaamet.ee

www.keskkonnaamet.ee

ARRANGEMENT OF VISITSWest-Estonian District

Nature Management DepartmentState Forest Management Centre (RMK)

Phone +372 676 7180nova.looduskeskus@rmk.ee

www.rmk.ee

Compiled by: A. Huugen, I. Lepik, M. Erit, E. Puurmann

Front page photo: Bearded tit, K. KaiselLayout by: Akriibia Ltd

Printed by: Aktaprint PLC

© Environmental Board 2012

THE SILMA NATURE RESERVE with its territory of 4,795 hectares is located in Noarootsi and Oru Rural Municipalities, Lääne County. The reserve was founded in 1998 in order to protect the relict lakes, reed beds and coastal meadows as well as the birds stopping or nesting here. In 2010, the Silma Nature Reserve was entered into the Ramsar List of Wetlands of the International Importance. The emblem bird of the reserve is the black tern.

The shallow-watered creeks and extensive reed beds are good stop-over and breeding sites for numerous species of birds. The nature reserve together with Haapsalu Bay is one of the Special Protection Areas of international importance. In this area, 225 species of birds, including 119 species of nesting birds, have been observed. About 40,000 water birds stop here at the same time during the spring migration and up to 100,000 birds during the autumn migration. The spring migration period lasts from early March to late May; the peak of the autumn migration period is in October. The most numerous species of migratory birds who stop over here are the Eurasian wigeon, coot, barnacle goose, tufted duck, common pochard, tundra swan, mute swan, gadwall, Northern pintail, mallard, goldeneye, crane, greylag goose and bean goose. The white-tailed eagles are inseparable companions of this region.

HAAPSALU BAYThe nature reserve covers the following parts of Haapsalu Bay: the bays of Tagalaht, Tahu and Saunja, and Lyckholm Bay or the Sea of Salajõgi (Secret River). The bays are very shallow with the greatest depth reaching only 0.5–1.5 metres. The famous curative mud of Haapsalu is found in Tagalaht Bay, in the mouth of Saunja Bay and in the Sutlepa Sea.

Photo: Bird’s eye view of Silma, M. Valker

Photo: The coastal meadows of the Riimi, R. Nellis

Photo: Southern dunlin (Calidris alpina), T. Valker

The major rivers debouching into the bay are the Taebla River, the Salajõgi and the Võnnu Brook. There are about 40 islets and reefs in the bay. Plenty of birds, such as terns and protected little gulls, breed on the islets.

Haapsalu Bay together with its water system is one of the most important freshwater fish spawns in the region of the Väinameri Sea (the Sea of Straits). It is an essential spawning site for the pike and ide, while the Crucian carp has also become numerous.

RELICT LAKES OR COASTAL LAGOONSThe nature reserve includes the area of the former Silmen Strait, which once separated Noarootsi, then an island, from the mainland but disappeared as a result of the natural uplift of the land from the sea in the early 19

th century. Only a range of overgrowing bights

and relict lakes (or coastal lagoons) has preserved. The names of the lakes, such as the Sutlepa Sea and the Vööla Sea, still reflect the connection with the sea. Presently they are connected with the sea only at the times of floods. The Sutlepa Sea with its area of 280 hectares is Lääne County’s largest lake. The most interesting species of plants are the saw sedge, which grows on the southern shore of the Sutlepa Sea, and the holly-leaved naiad in the Vööla Sea. During migration, the lakes are favourable feeding and stop-over sites for many species of birds, such as pochards, ducks, geese, grebes, coots, goldeneyes, cranes, and barnacle geese.

REED BEDSThe reed beds make up 24% of the area of the Silma Nature Reserve. This is the second largest reed bed area in Estonia after Matsalu Bay. A reed bed is relatively poor in species because the reed as a fast-growing plant displaces other vegetation.

The birds in reed beds are mostly hidden from sight and can only be heard. The great reed warbler, sedge warbler and reed warbler have varied songs, the lanceolated warbler chirps evenly, while the creaking sound belongs to the water rail. The great bittern, who

prefers larger reed beds, sounds loud and hollow, like blowing into a bottle. At times, a bearded tit can be seen on its whirring flight over the reed bed or a Western marsh harrier gliding silently, hunting for prey.

Flocks of barn swallows and starlings stay overnight here in autumn, while plenty of Eurasian hobbies, catching dragonflies, can be seen in spring.

COASTAL MEADOWSThe coastal meadows of the Silma Nature Reserve began to

overgrow extensively after the end of the existence of collective farms. When grazing and mowing ceased, reeds replaced the species-rich wildlife of coastal meadows. The gradual resto-ration of the meadows has started by now. The most repre-sentative of them lie around the bays of Tahu and Saunja, on the western shore of the Sutlepa Sea and to the south of the Vööla Sea. Several species of waders, such as the noisy lapwing and redshank, as well as the nearly unnoticeable and rare Southern dunlin are common birds in the nature reserve’s coastal meadows. Flocks of geese, Brent geese, swans and many other birds stop over here during their migration. The rarest stop-over species is the lesser white-fronted goose. The natterjack toad has been re-inhabited in the coastal meadows.

The most typical species of plants are the salt meadow rusk, sea milkwort, sea arrow grass, sea plantain, slender spike-rush and different sedges. The easiest way to see these plants is to walk in the Kudani coastal meadow, which is located just in the place of a former sea strait at the Aulepa-Pürksi Road. The coastal meadow is most beautiful in June when orchids are flowering. 15 species from the orchid family have been found in the reserve. The clear

SILMANature Reserve

spots, noticeable in the coastal meadows, are called salt licks which, due to the soil’s bigger salinity, lack plant cover or have only some halophytic plants, such as the glasswort and seepweed.

JUNIPER STANDS AND FORESTSJuniper stands have evolved as a result of the overgrowing of former meadows. When coastal meadows are not used for grazing, junipers grow into thickets where, due to the lack of sufficient light, flora becomes poor in species or disappers entirely. For that reason, juniper stands need permanent maintenance in the form of grazing.

In sparse juniper stands, the vegetation is often comprised of xerophytic or calcicolous plants, such as the blue moor grass, Breckland thyme, bloody cranesbill, dropwort, lady’s bedstraw. As to birds, a red-backed shrike with its black mask can be seen sitting at the top of a juniper and the chatter of a barred warbler can be heard from inside the shrub. The more common species of avifauna are the whinchat, scarlet rosefinch, greenfinch, linnet, and yellowhammer.

The forests in the nature reserve are not very old but varied. There are swampy woods with standing dead trees, which appeal to the white-backed woodpecker, as well as drier pine forests. As the sea with its plentiful “menu” is nearby, the white-tailed eagle has found suitable nesting place in the older trees.

THE KALEVIPOJA OR TRUUMANNI BOULDERS

There are two erratic boulders on Võnnu Peninsular, which separates Saunja Bay from Tahu Bay. The higher boulder with its height of nearly six metres is the largest rock in Lääne County. The erratic boulders with white-tailed eagles sometimes sitting on them can be well observed from the Saunja bird watching tower.

DOS AND DON’TS FOR VISITORS ● You can move about on private land from sunrise to sunset unless you do damage to the landowner.

● In case the private land is fenced or marked, you will need the landowner’s permission.

● Drive your motor vehicle only on the provided roads and park it only in the car park.

● Put up your tent and make a fire only in the prepared and marked places. For camping and making a fire in a yard, you will need the landowner’s permission.

● At the time of wildfire hazard, making open fire, even on special grounds, is forbidden.

● The use of motorised watercraft is forbidden in the nature reserve, except for supervisory and rescue work.

The use of sailboards, pedal boats and floating rafts is forbidden on the waters of the conservation zones. Moving about in the water areas of the conservation zones is forbidden from 1 April to 15 May and on the islets from 1 April to 15 July, except for research work in the field and for supervisory and rescue work.

● Keep your dog on the leash while moving about in the nature. ● Fishing in Haapsalu Tagalaht and the Sutlepa Sea is forbidden from the ice melting to 15 May, in ice-free winters from 1 March to 15 May. At other times, fishing is allowed only with the agreement of the Environmental Board.

● It is not recommendable to go to the coastal meadows from 15 April to 1 July because it disturbs birds at nesting.

When you see damage done to the nature or visiting objects, inform the Environmental Inspectorate by phone 1313.

Silma Nature Reserve

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Österbihoiuala

Väinamerehoiuala

Saunjahoiuala

Salajõehoiuala

Ogerna pkr

Riguldi jõgi

Kaevandu järv(Storträske)

Linaleojärv/Linsänketräske

Möldri meri/Menarsvae

Vööla meri(Bysholmsvike)

Karjatse meri(Bäckesjoen)

Hosbu pkr

Sutlepa meri(Sutlepsjön)

Kulani pkr

Saare-mõisalaht

Salajõgi

Nodaskilaht

Klippalõuk

S A U N J A L A H T

Kärbla pkr

TA H U L A H T

Kropi silm

Taebla jõgi

RokkasilmH A A P S A L U L A H T

TAGA LAH T Väike-Roograhu

Suur-Roograhu

Võnnu oja

Hippa-rahu

(Uppa)

Mustassaar(Pleesi saar)

Killaste-rahu

Suur-Nõmmküla/Klottorp

Saunja

Uuemõisa

Väike-Nõmmküla/Persåker

HAAPSALU

Ingküla

Aulepa/Dirslätt

Kudani/Gutanäs

Hosby

Saare/Lyckholm

Niibi

Paslepa/Pasklep

Salajõe

Österby Tahu/Skåtanäs

Vedra

Hara/Harga

Herjava

Sutlepa/Sutlep

Pürksi/Birkas

Järvekivi

Suur Patstein

Väike Patstein(Ristikivi)

Salajõe allikarändrahn

Truumani(Kalevipoja)

kivid

Pöökpuu

Karjatsi-mere

hoiuala

Nõva-Osmussaare

hoiuala

Saarehoiuala Saare

hoiuala

Tahuhoiuala

Riimimeri

Österbi pkr

Võnnussaar(Võnnu

poolsaar)

Keskmise-rahud

Kadrina-rahu

Hertsemaasilm

Vööla meri(Bysholmsvike)

Kudani järv(Nåtan)

Hara laht

Saare vaatetorn

Tahuvaate-

platvorm

Saunjavaatetorn

Dirhami

Linnamäe

Linna

mäe

Tallinn

Haapsalu

SALAJÕEMAASTIKU-KAITSEALA

SILMA LOODUSKAITSEALAPÜRKSI MÕISA PARK

Kudani rannaniit

Sutlepa rannaniit

Kulani rannaniit

Mullamäerannaniit

Salajõerannaniit

Klipparannaniit

Tahurannaniit

Kropparannaniit

Võnnurannaniit

Saunjarannaniit

Kirimäevaateplatvorm

1:40 0001cm kaardil=400 m looduses

Parkla / Parking

Kaitseala piir /Protected area boundary

Kõvakattega tee / Surfaced roadKruuskattega tee / Gravel roadPinnastee / Unpaved roadRada / Path

Vaatetorn / Observation towerRändrahn / BoulderKaitsealune puu / Protected tree

Matkarada / Hiking trail

Hoiuala /Limited-conservation area

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©Geodata 2012

Nõlv / Slope

Roostik / Reed-bed

Rannaniit / Coastal meadow

Matkarada / Hiking trail

Silma Õpikoda /Silma Nature School