Committees and Study Groups

The BirdLife Estonia has standing committees and study groups that are composed of volunteers who contribute their time and expertise to the benefit of the society and ornithology as a whole. If needed ad hoc committees for a specific task are formed. For questions that are directed to a specific committee, contact the individual committee chairs or secretaries.

The Bird Conservation Committee
The Bird Conservation Committee is engaged in consulting and finding solutions for immediate and long-term problems of bird conservation in Estonia to consult the board, council and project managers.

Members: Veljo Volke (Secretary, veljo.volke@eoy.ee), Indrek Tammekänd, Andrus Kuus, Vilju Lilleleht, Aleksei Lotman, Kaja Peterson, Urmas Sellis, Mati Kose, Aivo Klein, Liis Keerberg.

The Bird Monitoring Committee
The Bird Monitoring Committee was founded in 2010. It develops systematic field monitoring methods and improves the requisite bird monitoring programmes of the BirdLife Estonia.

Members: Jaanus Elts, Hannes Pehlak, Margus Ellermaa, Rein Nellis, Indrek Tammekänd, Leho Luigujõe, Urmas Sellis, Andrus Jair, Jaanus Elts, Joosep Tuvi.

Estonian Rarities Committee
The purpose of the Estonian Rarities Committee is to collect and verify independently the records of rare birds observed in Estonia. The committee keeps a record of bird species and subspecies sighted in the territory of the Estonian Republic. It was founded in 1977 and acts according to the principles of the Association of European Rarities Committees (AERC).

Members: Margus Ots (Chairman, margus.ots@eoy.ee ), Mihkel Metslaid, Jan Nordblad, Uku Paal, Ranno Puumets.
Additional members: Indrek Tammekänd, Triin Kaasiku, Tarvo Valker, Vilju Lilleleht, Eerik Leibak.

Estonian Bird Names Committee
In Estonia, terminology-creating work started actively in the 1920s, and the first complete list of the names of birds in Estonia, Nomenclator avium Estiae, was published in 1922. Since 1991 BirdLife Estonia has had its own Bird Names Committee in order to give all the birds of the world proper Estonian names, to keep the database of these names, to create new scientific terms and to organise already existing terms.

Members: Eerik Leibak (Secretary, eerik@elfond.ee), Mall Hiiemäe, Olav Renno, Elle-Mari Talivee, Liis Keerberg, Mihkel Metslaid.

The Raptor Study Group
The group is dedicated to the research and conservation of Estonian raptors and its aim is to maintain the diverse raptor community in Estonia. The most important task of the study group is the annual monitoring of numbers and breeding of raptors in permanent study plots. They also conduct various inventories and research projects on raptors and contribute in their conservation. The Raptor Study Group cooperates closely with Kotkaklubi (Eagle Club), which promotes the research and conservation of eagles, a part of the raptor community. The group also participates in the pan-european network programme Research and Monitoring for and with Raptors in Europe, EURAPMON.

Chairman: Ülo Väli (ulo.vali@gmail.com).

The Wader Study Group
The BirdLife Estonia Wader Study Group was founded in 2006 and brings together scientists and amateur ornithologists interested in wading bird conservation and study.

Chairman: Hannes Pehlak (hannes.pehlak@eesti.ee).