Does the sun ever shine in Estonia?
		The sky over Estonia is cloudy for about half the year, and the hilly southeast region experiences up to 750 mm of precipitation due to Estonia's maritime climate. While seven thousand rivers and streams carry rainwater to the sea, bogs and wooded swamplands of different types cover over one fifth of the country - a world index topped only by the northern neighbour, Finland. Various kinds of forests comprise slightly under half of Estonia's territory. Wetlands, together with primeval forests, represent preserved communities which have for the most part been destroyed in Europe. Estonia lies on the southern border of the northern European coniferous forest zone and on the northern border of the deciduous forests typical of central Europe. Scots pine, spruce, birch, aspen and alder are the most numerous species, although there are also oak, linden, ash, elm, rowan etc. Many plant and animal species live in Estonia which are rare or no longer found elsewhere in Europe. The elk, roe deer and wild boar are amongst Estonia's common large mammals. There are also wolves, brown bears, ringed seals and grey seals. Among the 333 bird species recorded in Estonia, are 222 nesting species, including several types of eagle, capercaillie and black stork quite rare in Europe. Large mammal: Wolf Bear Lynx Elk Wild boar Numbers in Estonia: 170 600 900 10 500 13 000 About 10% of Estonia is a nature reserve. The main conservation areas are situated on the coast and islands for the protection of the nesting and transmigrating seabirds. A different group of habitats, large untouched bogs and primeval forests, are protected inland. National parks also play an important role in maintaining the traditional landscape. The smallest among Estonian birds of prey - Pygmy Owl - prefers to inhabit large forests.
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