. . Lintuharrastajan päiväkirja Birders diary . .

On the 1st of February I did the only birding trip further to Lappeenranta. Satu Kuutti from Savonlinna was in same plans so she picked me up early in the morning. We tried to twitch wintering Robin in Parikkala first, but after very cold night it wasn’t awaken so early. A White-backed Woodpecker was seen.

We did a couple of stops on the way in Imatra and saw a Nuthatch in Neitsytniemi. On the same place we saw a lonely Great Cormorant on the ice along the extremely foggy river. And because of there really was no visibility to the river, we continued to Lappeenranta where we picked up Veikka Kosonen and continued birding.

We tried to twitch wintering Jack Snipe and Woodcock but last very cold period had been too much at least in these places as the ditches were almost completely frozen. Then we headed to Toikansuonmäki where we twitched 5 Twites and 2 Shore Larks that were wintering there. Unfortunately these birds stayed quite far so I didn’t try to get any pictures.

Next we walked along Palosuonkatu ditch but found only a Dipper. We were already driving away when I saw some movement on the ditch and there it was, a wintering Water Rail that was a new winter-species in South Karelia for me.

Next we drove south to Luumäki where we tried to twitch a Hawk Owl. We didn’t find it but saw a Three-toed Woodpecker in flight and a small flock of Waxwings.

At last we still tried to see Common Teals on Reijola but found only Mallards, which was a year-tick for me. I really hadn’t been anywhere this winter.

On the 2nd of February I tried to twitch the Robin again but saw a White-backed Woodpecker, a Blackbird, a Coal Tit and then surprisingly the first ever Merlin in Parikkala in February. Otherwise there wasn’t much to see during the week, just Black Grouses, Treecreepers and one Blackbird in Siikalahti.

On Saturday the 7th of February we finally saw this Robin which also was the first in Parikkala ever in February. In Siikalahti we saw Grey-headed Woodpeckers and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tits and again a Blackbird. I still went to Simpele to play ice-hockey and saw a couple of Dippers in Kokkolanjoki.

On Sunday we spent a couple of hours in a hide in Siikalahti and saw again Grey-headed and White-backed Woodpeckers and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tits and a Goshawk. We got some pretty good pictures. In Tetrisuo we saw a Great Grey Shrike and in Punnola a lonely Waxwing.

On the 9th day Minna Terävä called that a Pygmy Owl was staring at her feeder, so I went to see it. It wasn’t easy times for the Robin as there were also a couple of Sparrowhawks visiting the feeder and also the Merlin had been seen a couple of times.

On the 11th day there were a couple of White-tailed Eagles on ice in Härskiinmutka and in Siikalahti I heard a Three-toedWoodpecker. On the 12th day I saw a Black Woodpecker in Tiviä and a Fieldfare in Kangaskylä. Otherwise I saw just Grey-headed Woodpeckers and Black Grouses and so on during the week. At weekend the Robin wasn’t seen anymore. Either cold weather or predators had caught it.

On the 14th of February I tried to search for the last Siberian Jay but it hasn’t been seen after the first days of the year. I saw a couple of Hazel Grouses and maybe because of that I decided to drive towards Saari to check if a forest where Capercaillies have leks every year was still standing as we had seen some signs that there would be some forestry work done during winter. Luckily most of the forest was still standing but I didn’t see any Capercaillies yet but I saw one along the main-road 6 while driving back.

On the 15th day we visited our feeders with Harri Hölttä and saw 5 Grey-headed Woodpeckers and Long-tailed Tits and a Great Grey Shrike in Tetrisuo. Hanna of course had seen more woodpeckers as she had been again photographing them from hides. Hanna spent quite a lot of time in hides in February, especially during her winter-holiday week.

On the 17th day I visited Tarvaslampi and saw a Sparrowhawk and a Coal and a Crested Tit but otherwise I saw just the same feeder visitors during the week.

On the 21st day we were photographing a couple of hours in a hide in Koitsanlahti Pito & Palvelu. Hanna had helped to build a hide there for photographers who can stay in this bed&breakfast and rent the hide to photographs feeder-visitors. We got pictures of Grey-headed and White-backed Woodpeckers and Nuthatches and so on. Then we still continued to Simpele Kokkolanjoki where we saw 6 Dippers and a couple of Mallards.

On the last week of February I saw the same birds; woodpeckers, tits, treecreepers and the only surprise was that a few Goldcrests were still alive. At weekend we did the first owl-trip but didn’t hear any owl. Some other birders had heard quite a few recently.
The first bird observation of March was the same Lesser Spotted Woodpecker on our feeder on the 1st day. But on the 2nd day quickly warmed weather had brought already a Herring Gull to Härskiinmutka. It kept some distance to a White-tailed Eagle. Next day there were 2 of both species and later there were more Herring Gulls every day. On the 6th day there were a couple of Great Grey Shrikes and a Black Woodpecker calling in Siikalahti. In the evening we did an owl-trip with Harri Partanen but in windy weather we heard only a single Boreal Owl in Tyrjä.

On Saturday the 7th of March I did the last winter-bird count. I saw a Hazel and a Black Grouse, 7 Rock Doves, 9 Herring Gulls, 2 Black, a Grey-headed, a White-backed and 8 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 5 Jays, 10 Magpies, 26 Hooded Crows, 5 Ravens, 44 Blue, 62 Great, 5 Willow and 4 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Treecreepers, 2+2 Starlings, 8 Tree Sparrows, 3 Bullfinches, 7 Greenfinches and 10 Siskins.

On the 8th day we decided to put one mist-net up to one of our feeders and see how many birds were really visiting it. In 5 hours we ringed 100 birds: 4 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 40 Blue, 40+1 control Great, 3 Willow, 8+1 control Long-tailed Tits, a Nuthatch, a Treecreeper, a Siskin and 2 Yellowhammers.

On the 9th of March I saw the first better bird of the year when I first heard a familiar call from the sky and then a male Bearded Reedling landed just in front of me in Siikalahti. I hadn’t got my camera with me but I managed to get a short video of the bird with my phone. It was already the 3rd observation of this species in Parikkala and Siikalahti in last three years while before that it had been observed only in 1998 and 1999. Hopefully it is getting more common and comes to breed here! Unfortunately this bird wasn’t found later. We also tried to see it in the afternoon but saw only a White-backed Woodpecker. Hopefully 2 Great Grey Shrikes that were also there hadn’t seen it either.

On the 11th day I saw a Sparrowhawk, a White-tailed Eagle and 8 Starling and on the 12th day a Wood Lark was feeding on the side of the road while I was spending my lunch-hour in Siikalahti. I also saw a younger Golden Eagle flying towards east very low.

The 13th of March was the first real spring day as on my short visit I saw 3 Whooper Swans, 3 Lapwings, another younger Golden Eagle, earliest Kestrel ever, a Skylark, Siskins and Redpolls. Atfer work I had to go back and I still saw 10 Lapwings, 2 Sparrowhawks, a Common Buzzard, a Great Grey Shrike, a Skylark, 25 Starlings and a Linnet.

At Weekend we stayed on the dam-road for several hours on both days. On the 14th day we saw 8 Whooper Swans, a Woodpigeon, 4 Stock Doves, 140 Lapwings, 2 Sparrowhawks, a Goshawks, 7 White-tailed Egles, 4 Common Buzzards, 2 Grey-headed Woodpeckers, a Black Woodpecker, a Wood Lark, 28 Skylarks, 30 Starlings, 150 Redpolls, 120 Siskins and 2 Snow Buntings. A Goldfinch was singing in Aittavaara.
On Sunday the weather was still amazing warm and wind was southern. We saw 14 Whooper Swans, a Woodpigeon, 5 Stock Doves, 200 Lapwings, a Sparrowhawk, 5 White-tailed Eagles, 9 Common Buzzards, a Merlin, 20 Skylarks, 50 Starlings, a Mistle Thrush, 20 Blackbirds, 2 Goldfinches, 3 Snow and 2 Reed Buntings.

During the week wind was still southern but it wasn’t as warm but still plus degrees even during the nights. So snow and ice was melting quickly! But for some reason there wasn’t much migration to be seen. On the 16th day I checked some fields but saw only a Capercaillie in Koitsanlahdenkangas. On the 17th day I saw the earliest Common Crane ever in Siikalahti and also a Stock Dove, 21 Snow Buntings and a Reed Bunting. On the 18th day there were no other surprises, but a Kestrel couple was already on their nest-box in Kullinsuo. On the 19th the weather was a bit colder but there were the first 3 Mallard in a small open water area in Siikalahti. Only birds migrating were a flock of 5 Snow Buntings. On the 20th day there was a Canada Goose in still quite small open water area in Särkisalmi.

At weekend we were in Lahti in BirdLife meetings. We went there by train. Only birds we saw were some House Sparrows and a Rook that flew over the railway station.

J.A.

Once I got back from Costa Rica on the Independence Day the 6th of December the very cold period that had visited Finland was over. So I still did some birding on my free time. On the 7th day we saw a Hazel Grouse, a Great Grey Shrike, a couple of flocks of Long-tailed Tits and a big flock of Siskins. It was already getting dark when we stopped in Härskiinmutka and surprisingly saw a flock of 5 Red-throated Divers leaving to migration. It was a new Parikkala winter-species for us.

On the 8th day I still saw some Common and Herring Gulls in Härskiinmutka but on a brief visit to completely open Siikalahti I saw only a lonely Redpoll. On the 10th day we saw a Black-throated Diver in Härskiinmutka and on the 11th day a Velvet Scorer and a White-tailed Eagle in Vartialahti.

On the 12th day I saw a Great Grey Shrike in Tetrisuo and 5 Whooper Swans, a Greater Scaup and a White-tailed Eagle in Vartialahti and the biggest surprise was a Rough-legged Buzzard in Tiviä – it was another new Parikkala winter-tick.

At weekend the weather started to get much colder but on the 13th day the Rough-legged Buzzard was still on Tiviä and we saw a Velvet Scoter flying around over freezing Vartialahti as a White-tailed Eagle had scared it. We also saw several Nuthatches and a Sparrowhawk too. On Sunday we found one more Nuthatch, a Great Grey Shrike, a Grey-headed Woodpecker, a Hazel Grouse, Black Grouses and then surprisingly saw a Capercaillie in Tetrisuo.

During the week I still saw a few Great Grey Shrikes and a flock of Redpolls. In the end of the week the weather changed warm again and there were even 13 Herring Gulls and a couple of White-tailed Eagles on the wet ice in Härskiinmutka. At weekend our long-awaited winter-holiday started and we headed to Uganda.

When we were back from Uganda on the 6th of January the first year-ticks were seen in Helsinki-Vantaa airport – a Jackdaw and a Hooded Crow. But soon sun set and nothing else was seen.

The winter had really arrived to Finland and In Parikkala there had been very cold! So there weren’t many birds around. On the 7th of January I visited Siikalahti and our feeders and saw a White-backed and a Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jays, Magpies, Blue, Great, Willow and Long-tailed Tits, a Nuthatch, Tree Sparrows, a Greenfinch and Yellowhammers. On the 8th day the only year-tick was a Black Grouse and on the 9th a Treecreeper.

On the 10th of January it was time to do winter-bird counting again. The weather forecast was completely wrong and it was very windy and snowing almost all the time and also -10 degrees. Anyway I walked and skied around Siikalahti and saw 4 Hazel Grouses, a Rock Dove, a Goshawk, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 4 Jays, 5 Magpies, 13 Jackdaws, 3 Hooded Crows, a Raven, 31 Blue, 40 Great, a Crested, 6 Willow and 11 Long-tailed Tits, a Nuthatch, a Blackbird, a Fieldfare, 4 Tree Sparrows, 37 Greenfinches, 10 Redpolls, 28 Siskins and 5 Yellowhammers. There were fewer birds than ever on my route but also the weather was the worst ever.

On the 11th of January we twitched a wintering Robin in Siromäki and also saw Bullfinches and a Coal Tit there. In Särkisalmi we saw a Blackbird and in Tarvaslampi a Sparrowhawk and a couple of Coal Tits.

During the week there really wasn’t anything new. The only year-tick was a Great Grey Shrike in Tetrisuo. A Fieldfare was seen a couple of timed in Kangaskylä, a White-backed Woodpecker was visiting out feeder and I saw a flock of 15 Redpolls.

On the 17th of January we did a short walk in forest in Eskola Lähdekallio and managed to find a Three-toed Woodpecker couple. We also saw one Goldcrest which seems to be rare this winter. We also went to fill our feeders in Siikalahti and saw a Grey-headed Woodpecker, a Nuthatch, Long-tailed Tits, a Bohemian Waxwing and a few Siskins.

On Sunday the 18th we saw a White-backed Woodpecker in Särkisalmi and a Dipper in Tarvaslampi. Then we continued to search fore the probably last Siberian Jay but couldn’t find it. It was very quiet in the forest but again we found one Three-toed Woodpecker and also a couple of Red Crossbills. On the way back we stopped in Tarvaslampi again and saw 2 Coal Tits. In Kangaskylä we saw 3 Fieldfares and 2 Blackbirds.

During the wee only better bird I saw was a male White-backed Woodpecker on our feeder. On the 24th day we spent a couple of days photographing bird on our feeder. We got pictures if a White-backed and a Grey-headed Woodpecker and Long-tailed and Willow Tits. We also saw a male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. We also participated to Garden Twitch. On Sunday Hanna went to photograph to our another feeder but I decided to drive around in some forests. And it was worthy as I found a Ural Owl in Yrttitarha. In the afternoon we did Garden Twitch in Koitsanlahti where we saw a White-backed Woodpecker and a Nuthatch and so on.

The last week of January the weather was very cold so I didn’t really do much and saw nothing. On Saturday the 31st of January we surprisingly found a Three-toed Woodpecker in Siikalahti and then saw a Dipper again in Tarvaslampi. Then in the afternoon before a ice-hockey tournament in Rautjärvi Simpele I stopped in Kokkolanjoki and saw a male Common Goosander, 2 female Goldeneyes and a Dipper in a small open water area near the main road. In the evening we surprisingly heard a Long-eared Owl in Oronmylly.

J.A.

At November our tradition Parikkala & Rautjärvi bird-race started. I started by doing winter-bird count from Kangaskylä to Siikalahti and back. Autumn had been very warm so there were still plenty of birds around and therefore I had probably the best count ever. I saw even 55 species: 66 Whooper Swans, 88 Greater White-fronted and 100 Tundra Bean Geese, 10 Long-tailed Ducks, 4 Velvet Scoters, 34 Goldeneyes, 7 Goosanders, 35 Tufted Ducks, 3 Shovelers, 1 Gadwall, 23 Mallards, 42 Wigeons, 2 Teals (I must mention that most of Siikalahti is not visible on my route but I also see a part of Lake Simpele), 4 Hazel Hens, 3 Black Grouses, 4 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Feral Pigeons, a Common Crane, 5 Common, 10 Herring and 1 Great Black-backed Gull, 12 Black-throated Divers, 56 Great Cormorants, 2 White-tailed Eagles, 4 Grey-headed and 10 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a Great Grey Shrike, 14 Jays, 18 Magpies, 90 Jackdaws, 3 Ravens and 7 Hooded Crows, 181 Blue, 201 Great, 2 Coal, 2 Crested, 19 Willow and 13 Long-tailed Tits, 40 Bohemian Waxwings, 22 Goldcrests, 4 European Nuthatches, 9 Treecreepers, 4 Blackbirds, 141 Fieldfares, 19 Tree Sparrows, a Brambling, 4 Chaffinches, 55 Bullfinches, 36 Greenfinches, 210 Redpolls, a Red Crossbill, a Goldfinch, 2 Snow Buntings and 39 Yellowhammers.

In the evening we visited Harri Hölttä’s birthday-parties but after that I still went to check some fields with thermal-camera. I found even 30 Woodcocks, 3 Short-eared Owls, a Long-eared Owl, 3 Snow Buntings and a Skylark.

On Sunday we went to Saari but didn’t find as many birds as we had expected. Better ones were 70 Greater White-fronted and 10 Tundra Bean Geese, a couple of Common Scoters, Smews, a Pintail, 5 Teals, a flock of 5 Hazel Hens, a flock of even 153 Black Grouses, a Sparrowhawk, 2 Goshawks and the best birds were a Great Egret in Lahdenpohjajärvi, a Red-necked Grebe in Muukkosenselkä and 3 Mistle Thrushes in Pohjasuo. On the way back we still checked Tarvaspohja where we found a Coot.

In the afternoon I still went to check southern parts of Lake Simpele but found only a few Greater Scaups and saw a Redwing on the way.

I had estimated that it could be possible to see 60 species during the weekend but I got my 60th species only at Monday morning when I saw a Black-headed Gull in Härskiinmutka.

Thanks to stupid clock-changing it was again dark before and after work so all birding I could do during the week was on my lunch-break. As Siikalahti was still open, I visited there almost every day. On the 3rd day I saw 4 Long-tailed Ducks, 3 Smews, 3 Shovelers, 6 Pintails and still some hundreds of Mallards and Wigeons. In the evening we had our Birdclub photo-evening where we showed pictures that we had taken in this area.

In the late evening we still went to check some fields and it paid off when we caught and ringed a couple of Snow Buntings. We also saw 15 Woodcocks but ringed only 2 of them and also a Skylark was still seen.

On the 4th day I saw only the same birds than before but again I went out at night and saw 2 Woodcocks, 1 or 2 Short-eared Owls, a Snow Bunting and on the way back still a Tawny Owl.

On the 6th day I saw again 11 Greater White-fronted and 5 Tundra Bean and 8 unidentified geese. And on the 7th day I saw 3 Gadwalls and a Pintail. The same Crane was still on the same field too and on our garden I saw a Redwing. Then after work I hurried to Lappeenranta Kourulanmäki where a Northern Shrike-type of bird had been for some days already but now some better-quality pictures had been available and it really looked much better than any previous ones I have seen. After 30 minutes searching I managed to find the bird but it was very mobile so I couldn’t really look or photograph it very well. I hope this bird will be caught and positively identified.

On the 8th of November we were checking Lake Simpele from every corner but saw only 155 still migrating Greater White-fronted Geese, a couple of Red-throated Divers and the same duck-species we had already seen. A surprise was seen from our garden when I saw a Grey Heron flying above the lake. In the afternoon Birdclub was doing some collectivework in Siikalahti but meanwhile I was doing the last duck-count. Most of the ducks were hiding or gone but I still saw 2 Canada Geese, 3 Gaswalls, 3 Pintails and also a Common Snipe.

On the 9th day we did a forest-trip but found only a lonely Siberian Jay. Also other birders had seen only a single bird there lately which is very worrying. We have to hope that this is just the bird which had been alone also earlier and the couple is just visiting somewhere… Then we went to Tyrjä where we saw a Rough-legged Buzzard and found a new couple of Nuthatches. And of course we still visited Siikalahti where we saw again more ducks with a Shoveler, 3 Gadwalls and 4 Pintails amongst them. And the same young Crane was still feeding on the same field.

But then came the second cold nights of the autumn (the first ones had been when we were in Hanko). Siikalahti was partially frozen but still on the 10th day I saw a couple of Gadwalls. Most of the birds were gone, even the Crane which was never seen again.

During the week I still did short visits to bays but even though the weather was warmer again, it was very windy and rainy. So I didn’t really find anything new.

Finally I had to give up and count that in the first half of November I had seen 77 species. It was very close to my November-record (79) and I could have easily brake it with some missing species like Barnacle Goose, Red-breasted Merganser, Capercaillie, owls, Black, White-backed, Lesser Spotted and Three-toed Woodpecker, Dipper, House Sparrow and so on. But at weekend, when it was getting cold, I was going to once again to Costa Rica.

J.A.

On Friday the 17th of October we could start our autumn-holiday early and already at 11 a.m. we started driving towards west. Our goal was to get to Eurajoki Luvia Verkkokari early enough to see a Whiskered Tern that had stayed there for some days before it leaves somewhere as it had disappeared between 5 and 6 p.m. on the previous evenings.

We didn’t make any stops on the way and at 4:20 we parked to Verkkokari. There were couple of twitchers who soon told us horrible news – the bird had left just 5 minutes earlier.

We waited for some time but the tern wasn’t coming back, so we decided to go to search for it to other places nearby. But of course the bird wasn’t found and it actually never came back to Verkkokari. A couple of days later it was seen on an island nearby but never since. This was already the third time that I missed a Whiskered Tern by minutes – it seems to be my bogey-bird.

We continued our long drive towards south and of course we got one ticket on the way even though we had no hurry anymore. We also had at least one tire leaking but when we stopped to fill it we found out that we had 3 tired a bit too empty. Finally after 800km driving we were in Hanko where we parked to Halias bird-observatory parking place. Luckily other birders were still awake and they had mist-nets open for owls.

We were too tired to do owl-rounds but luckily we were awaken up a couple of times as 4 Long-eared and a Pygmy Owl were caught at night.

On the 18th of October we started working the station-routines. Hanna left to mist-nets early and at sunrise we climbed to “bunker” with Petro Pynnönen. Luca Hasel and Juho Tirkkonen stayed near the station and searched for birds there and visited also the bunker later.

There were some migration but the best number was even 290 Tree Sparrows. 3 Great Egrets were moving and 2 more landed to Gåu. Also raptors were moving so it wasn’t a surprise that Dick Forsman arrived to bunker too. And of course he spotted first a youngish Golden Eagle and then young Greater Spotted Eagle above the Hanko-spit. Luckily the spotted eagle was showing for a long time so everyone managed to see it. We also counted 19 Common Buzzardsm 21 Sparrowhawks and 11 Goshawks. Also a Black, 4 Grey-headed, a Three-toed and even 24 Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers were seen. Other good numbers were 185 Mistle Thrushes and 12 local Greater Scaups. Also 7 Barn Swallows and a Wood Lark were seen. Hanna had a couple of busier moment on mist-net but nothing better was caught.

In the evening we saw a comet and auroras that are not common this South.

On the 19th day we spent 4 morning-hours at the bunker again but there weren’t so many migrants. Hanna showed us a Siberian Chiffchaff which she had caught and then Aleksi Mikola who had arrived to the station earlier found a big flock of Purple Sandpipers migrating over the sea. The flock was very far but we estimated about 100 birds, which was easily the biggest flock ever seen in Halias. Also a Great Egret, 4 Gadwalls and a Black Guillemot were seen. During the day Luca, Petro and Taiga had left and Kimi Nurminen and Aki Aintila had arrived.

On the 20th day a Great Egret and a Hawfinch were seen migrating and we also counted 247 Bullfinches and saw 2 Barn Swallows and so on. During the day we had to visit Hanko as one of our tires was really leaking. Luckily Late Mäenpää who was visiting the station had all the equipment we needed to fill the tire. Juho left to a short holiday.

On the 21st day the weather was much worse so nothing much was seen. A couple of thousands of Long-tailed Ducks and 262 Common Eiders were counted and a Common Ringed Plover, a Razorbill and a Peregrine Falcon were also seen.

During the day we visited Hanko again and managed to get a temporary tire to our car. We had to buy 2 new tires which had to be ordered.

In the evening the weather was getting even worse and on the 22st day the wind was so hard that mist-nets weren’t opened at all and the morning seawatch was made from the southern forest. It was pretty quiet on the sea but for example 11 Purple Sandpipers, a Common Guillemot and a Barn Swallow were seen.

In the afternoon we went to count birds on Gåu with Hanna. It was surprisingly sheltered from the wind and we found 2 Shovelers, a Gadwall, 2 Grey Plovers, a Dunlin, 4 Common Snipes and 2 Barn Swallows. And of course we were as far as possible from the station when Kimi called that he had opened some mist-nets around the station and had just caught a Firecrest! So we didn’t see the best bird of the trip even though we of course tried to relocate it in the evening.

On the 23rd of October the weather was better but still there weren’t as many birds as we had hoped. Kimi saved the morning as he caught now 2 Firecrests from the same mist-net. The yesterday’s bird had brought his friend too. Only better bird from the bunker was a Hawfinch.

At midday we hurried to Gåu with Aki and Aleksi as the rain was coming. We managed to check the area well and found 2 Common and 3 Jack Snipes and one more Barn Swallow again.
On the 24th day we counted 7786 Long-tailed Ducks and also tits, Chaffinches, and Bullfinches were moving but it was still quiet on the mist-nets – only surprise was a late Garden Warbler. We saw that there were several Gadwalls on Gåu but otherwise nothing special was seen.

Finally we had to hurry to Hanko to change two new tires and then we still drove back to the station to pack and clean up. Then it was time to say goodbye to everyone.

As we still had weekend free, we decided to book a room from a familiar Skyline hotel near Helsinki-Vantaa airport. We ate well and fell as sleep early.

On Saturday the 25th of October we visited several car-stored in Vantaa as we have planned to do some car-shopping in the near future. It was good to see some models live and not only from internet.

As there was nothing special to twitch around Helsinki, we drove to Järvenpää Tuusulanjärvi Vanhakylänranta where we twitched and photographed a long-staying young Caspian Gull. It was really showing well so it didn’t take too long.

In Kouvola we bought some food for winter-birds and after 30 or so more kilometers I got a message that locals had been twitching a possible Raddes’s Warbler in Kouvola Lappalanjärvi for several hours already. We made a quick U-turn and drove fast to Lappalanjärvi where we soon found Hanna’s sister Elissa, the founder of the bird Antti Vänskä and Teo Ylätalo. The bird had been heard several time but seen only very briefly and there was only one picture which people had different opinions.

We stayed there until the dark and heard a few times very promising calls but couldn’t see the bird at all. It was a little bit too windy so I couldn’t get any recordings either. Anyway we had the feeling that there really was a Raddes’s Warbler so we decide to stay night at Elissa’s apartment and come back early on the next morning.

On the 26th day there were about 20 twitchers in Lappalanjärvi but again the bird was missing. Once we heard a short song, but it was pretty chaotic situation and we couldn’t be absolutely sure if someone had played the song.

Finally we had to leave and start driving to Parikkala where we had planned to do duck-counts in Siikalahti.

After all it is easy to say that our autumn-holiday had been the worst if thinking of luck with rarities but at least we had got some rest from the work.

J.A.

In the end of September there weren’t many bird-observations to mention. On the 23rd day I saw a flock of 650 and on the next day 165 Brent Geese. There still weren’t other geese around.

I visited Helsinki for a couple of days and on the 25th day we managed to do short morning-twitch with my father – and after quite a long search we managed to see a Crested Lark briefly in Espoo Vermo.

At weekend we were once again ringing and there really weren’t many migrants around anymore. On Saturday the 27th of September we caught 57+2c Great, 19+3c Blue, 1 Willow and 16 Long-tailed Tits, 11+2c Chiffchaffs, 2 Willow Warblers, 3 Goldcrests, 5 Dunnocks, 10 Robins, 21 Chaffinch, 1 Siskin, 9 Yellowhammers and 1+1c Reed Buntings. We also saw thousands of migrating Barnacle Geese and the migration continued whole day. In the afternoon we did duck-counts in Siikalahti but only better birds were 5 Gadwalls and a Red-throated Diver and 4 Common Scoters that were outside the counting area.

On Sunday the 28th we were in Lietteenlahti and caught 4 Blue, 18+1c Great and 5 Long-tailed Tits, 10 Chiffchaffs, a Treecreeper, a Wren, 16 Robins, 8 Dunnocks, a Chaffinch and 2 Reed Buntings. On the way back home there was a flock of 113 Whooper Swans in Huhmarinen. During the day we went to Saari where we counted 7000 Barnacle Geese in Pohjanranta and 2000 in Akonpohja where we saw also one leucistic bird. Otherwise we saw only a couple of Great Egrets, a Merlin and so on.

On the 29th day there were 3 Tundra (Bewick’s) Swans on the same swan-flock and in Siikalahti I still saw a Marsh Harrier. In the evening we visited fields which were still too dry so only 3 Woodcocks were ringed and on the way we saw a Tawny Owl looking owl briefly. Auroras were extraordinary beautiful!

On the last day of September I saw the first 6 Greater White-fronted Geese but otherwise there were still nothing else migrating. In Liuharanta I saw some 2000 Barnacle Geese and a late Tree Pipit.

On the 1st of October the last Osprey with a blind eye, finally left. Also 5 White-tailed Eagles were soaring on the sky and waited for geese to come finally. 3 Golden Plovers were in Huhmarinen. On the 2nd day there were 2 Pochards, 6 Gadwalls and 8 Great Egrets in Siikalahti. On the 3rd day I found a Nuthatch couple in Raikanniemi.

At weekend we were in Kukonkanta and on the 4th day we caught 13+1c Blue, 44+11 Great and a Coal Tit, a Treecreeper, 4 Chiffchaffs, the first Siberian Chiffchaff for Parikkala ever, 2 Redwings, 12 Blackbirds, 10 Robins, 2 Dunnocks, 2 Bramblings, a Siskin and a Yellowhammer. A very late Tree Pipit was seen. In the afternoon we went to Saari again but saw almost nothing. There still weren’t more geese. In Pohjanranta we saw 5 Great Egrets, in Jyrkilä a couple of Hen Harriers and 2 Kestrels and some Great Grey Shrikes here and there.

On Sunday it was much more quiet: 7+1c Blue and 9+7c Great Tits, 4 Chiffchaffs,a Treecreeper, a Wren, a Robin, a Brambling, 2 Siskins and 3 Yellowhammers. Only other birds seen were a Barn Swallow, 4 Woodpigeons and a Starling. In the evening I visited Siikalahti and still saw a Pochard, a few Gadwalls, and the found a nice surprise a Little Grebe!

On the 6th of October there were still 9 Great Egrets in Siikalahti but otherwise on the next days I saw only a couple of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers and Rough-legged Buzzards. Southern winds were still keeping geese somewhere north. On the 9th day I saw the same Little Grebe again and a young Dunlin was trying to find a place where to land in Siikalahti. At Kangaskylä there were still at least 6 Barn Swallows flying around. On the 10th day we did duck-counts again but only a couple of Long-tailed Ducks, 3 Greater Scaups and still a couple of Pochards were birds to mention.

On the 11th day Hanna was at work even though it was Saturday. I was hoping to go to twitch anything anywhere but of course exactly on that day there were nothing to twitch. So I checked some fields and other places nearby but found nothing. So on the 12th day we decided to make one more try in Kukonkanta and caught 39+8c Blue, 36+17c Great, 2 Willow and 16 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Chiffchaffs, 4 Goldcrests, 4 Robins, a Bullfinch, a Siskin, a Reed Bunting and 2 Yellowhammers. But still we have never caught a single Yellow-browed Warbler or any other better species from east. We saw some thousands of Barnacle Geese, 8 Red-throated Divers, 12 Woodpigeons and 7 White-tailed Eagles. In the afternoon I still went to Saari but it was raining and I really saw nothing.

During the week I still saw 2 Barn Swallows on the 14th day and in Siikalahti there was one poor-looking young Crane which could fly at least pretty well but for some reason it had left behind the others. Finally the winds turned and on a couple of days there were geese migrating but very high and on wide area. Anyway I saw several thousands of Barnacle and also Tundra Bean and Greater White-fronted Geese but only other observation was a Rough-legged Buzzard. On in the end of the week it really started to feel that there weren’t any bird anywhere anymore, a White Wagtail was still on our garden but that was it…

J.A.

In the end of August we kept on doing same thing as earlier. On the 23rd day we were ringing in Kukonkanta and caught 72 birds; a Tree Pipit, 3 Dunnocks, a Robin, 4 Sedge and 8 Blyth’s Reed Warblers, a Common Reed Warbler, 4 Lesser and 7 Common Whitethroats, 16 Garden Warblers, 7+1c Blackcaps, a Chiffchaff, 15 Willow Warblers, a Goldcrest, a Blue Tit and a Red-backed Shrike.

On the 24th of August we had the last SSP-ringing of the year and it was very quiet. We caught only 2 Robins, 1+1c Common Whitethroats, a Willow Warbler, a Common Rosefinch, a Yellowhammer, 3+1c Reed Buntings and then the savior of the morning, a Common Grasshopper Warbler. In Siikalahti we saw even 52 Great Egrets coming to roost. We also had a couple of mist-nets up but caught only 6 common birds,

During the weed I saw only a Nuthatch in Kangaskylä, a family of Greylag Geese in Kaukola and then we did one night-trip to fields where we caught a couple of Woodcocks, a Great Snipe and 5+1c Skylarks. On the 29th day we visited Saari where we saw only a Gadwall, 2 Hen Harriers, 3 Great Grey Shrikes and a tame and photogenic young Common Ringed Plover.

On the 30th of August we were ringing in our new place in Lietteenlahti but unfortunately in a wet weather we caught only 35 birds; 2 Tree Pipits, 2 Wrens, a Dunnock, 8 Robins, 2 Sedge and 2 Blyth’s Reed Warblers, a Lesser and 3 Common Whitethroats, 6 Garden Warblers, 2 Blackcaps, a Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warblers, 2 Blue Tits and the first Rustic Bunting of the autumn. A couple of Rustic Buntings were seen migrating too. In Punnola we still counted local 101 Barnacle Geese but a couple of days later there were only 2 birds left and soon they were gone too.

On the 31st day we were in Kukonkanta and caught 60 birds; a White Wagtail, a Blackbird, a Redwing, 12 Sedge, 6 Blyth’s Reed and 3 Common Reed Warblers, a Lesser and 2 Common Whitethroats, 10 Garden Warblers, 8 Blackcaps, 3 Chiffchaffs, 4 Willow Warblers, 12+3c Blue Tits and a Red-backed Shrike. Only Rustic Bunting was just heard migrating. We also heard a Grey Plover calling couple of times from the sky. On the way back home we saw a flock of 20 Common Scoters in Härskiinmutka. In the evening we did duck-counts in Siikalahti and found already 109 Bean Geese which most of them were Taiga Bean Geese but there were at least a couple of Tundra Bean Geese families too.

On the 1st of September the Greylag Geese were again in Kaukola and in the evening we saw a few Great Snipes but they were too shy to catch. Only 2 Woodcocks, a Common Snipe and 2 Skylarks were ringed.

On the 2nd day I still saw the same Greylag Geese and the counted 480 Cranes and 48 Great Egrets. On the 3rd day I was studying the Bean Geese again and saw a Bluethroat. In the evening I saw 7 Gadwalls in Siikalahti.

On the 4th day we caught 2 Woodcocks, a Great Snipe, a Common Snipe and 2 Skylarks. On dry fields there weren’t many birds and most of them were much shyer than normally. I also caught a Bluethroat from one bush and a couple of Short-eared and a Long-eared Owl were seen.

On the 5th of September I visited Saari and found a couple of Red-throated Pipits as a year-tick. Also 4 Golden Plovers, a Great Grey and a Red-backed Shrike and a flock of 40 Linnets and so on were seen. In Siikalahti I saw 47 Great Egrets, 450 Cranes, a Short-eared Owl and a Nightjar which seemed to be common this autumn.

On the 6th of September Hanna was visiting Helsinki so I had time to do some twitching. Together with Minna Terävä and Merja Laari we drove to Kotka to twitch a Short-toed Snake Eagle. We didn’t have to wait for long in Ristinkallio until I found the eagle perched on a distant tree. It flew a couple of times and was hunting and even caught one small snake but unfortunately it never came any closer so I didn’t really get pictures of it. Then we visited a few birding places in Hamina but saw only a Gadwall, some Great Egrets, a Nuthatch and heard a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. In Rautjärvi we still stopped in a couple of spots along Kokkolanjoki and saw 6 Grey Wagtails which one young had a ring.

On Sunday we were again in Kukonkanta and caught 92 birds; 3 Tree Pipits, a Wren, 2 Dunnocks, 6 Robins, 4 Bluethroats, 2 Sedge and 2 Blyth’s Reed Warblers, a Common Whitethroat, a Garden Warbler, 8 Blackcaps, 13 Chiffchaffs, 3 Willow Warblers, a Goldcrest, 14 Blue, 3 Great and 2 Willow Tits, 2 Chaffinches, a Brambling, 16 Siskins, a Rustic and 16 Reed Buntings. We still saw a Red-backed Shrike and a Sand Martin too. In the afternoon I saw a Great Egret through our kitchen window. In the evening Hanna went to photograph the lunar eclipse, I was happy to see it from our balcony.

During the week I visited Siikalahti every day at least on my lunch-hour but it seemed that this year was not my year. On the 10th day evening we went to the fields even though it was full moon. Birds were shy but it seemed that Great Snipes were already so fat that they were easier to catch. I caught 3 Great Snipes and a Woodcock and we still saw a late Nightjar.

On the 11th day we were ringing in Siikalahti while watching Cranes coming to roost in the evening. Hanna had a few students who were seeing ringing first time ever. We caught a Wren, 2 Robins, a Bluethroat, a Fieldfare, 2 Chiffchaffs, 7 Long-tailed and 1 Blue Tit, 2 Chaffinches and 3 Yellowhammer and we caunted 720 Cranes.

On the 12th day I went twitching again with Minna, Merja and Veikka Kosonen. This time we headed north to Nurmes Valtimo Murtovaara where a European Stonechat had been for some time already. It was a long drive but the bird was found immediately. In windy weather it was hiding on the bushes quite a lot but after all I managed to get some kind of pictures. We also heard several Hazel Hens, a flock of 50 Waxwings were flying around and also a Grey-headed Woodpecker was seen. On the way back we saw a Merlin.

On the 13th of September we were in Lietteenlahti again and still the place didn’t pay expectations. A Great Snipe was flushed from the meadow but only 43 birds were caught. a Wren. 6+1c Robins, 2 Song Thrushes, a Lesser Whitethroat, 4 Blackcaps, 2 Chiffchaffs, 4 Willow Warblers, 2 Goldcrests, 9 Long-tailed, 4 Blue, 4 Great and 2 Willow Tits and 2 Reed Buntings were caught. Then in short drive around some fields we saw a probable hybrid between Hen and Pallid Harrier and a stunning “Börringe” Common Buzzard. In the evening we did duck-counts again but only better birds were 9 Gadwalls.

On the 14th day it was again Kukonkanta-morning and we caught 92 birds; a Wren, 9 Robins, a Bluethroat, a Blackbird, a Redwing, 2 Song Thrushes, a Garden Warbler, 7 Blackcaps. 20 Willow Warblers, a
14.9. oli taas Kukonkannan vuoro ja saalis oli taas parempi 92 lintua; peukaloinen, 9 punarintaa, sinirinta, musta-, punakylki- ja 2 laulurastasta, 1 lehto- ja 7 mustapääkerttua, 20 Chiffchaffs, a, Willow Warbler, a Goldcrest, 3 Blue and 6+1c Great Tits, 4 Chaffinches, 3 Rustic and 24+1c Reed Buntings. We also saw a Red-throated Pipit and 3 Rustic Buntings migrating. In the afternoon we visited Saari where in Pohjanranta we saw a flock of 101 Canada and 3 Greylag Geese and also 10 Stock Doves, a Great Grey Shrike and some Linnets and so on were seen.

During the week on the 15th day I saw a Capercaillie flying high one the sky a long distance over Siikalahti. Also the first young Pallid Harrier was finally seen and then in the afternoon in Saari Jyrkilä I saw another one. On the 17th day I saw 4 Red-throated Divers and 5 Stock Doves on the dam-road. In the evening we saw a Short-eared Owl in Kaukola and then caught 2+2c Woodcocks, 1c Great Snipe which was much fatter than 3 weeks earlier when we had ringed it. There was also a pack of about 10 Wild Boars on the field and a Red Fox was trying to catch same birds with me, which made birds pretty shy. Anyway I also caught 3 Meadow and 2 Red-throated Pipits. But then the bird of the evening was caught on another field where only bird I caught was a young Corn Crake!

At weekend we started 20th of September again in Kukonkanta. Again there were several local birders with us and even though there weren’t many birds on the bushes, more especially Chaffinches on the sky, we finally got a nice present. Altogether we caught 2 Dunnocks, 4 Robins, a Fieldfare, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Blackcap, 9 Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler, 6 Goldcrests, 15+2c Blue, 9 Great and 2 Willow Tits, a Chaffinch, 1+1c Reed Bunting and finally a long waited South Karelia (311) and Parikkala-tick (274) – a Little Bunting! Otherwise we saw only a Merlin and 88 Canada Geese. Because of the rain we had to stop ringin a bit earlier than we had hoped. In the afternoon we did a short trip to fields nearby and the only birds to mention were 3 Hazel Hens, 3 Hen Harriers and a Queen of Spain Fritillary.

On Sunday the 21st of September the rain ruined our ringing-plans. After all I left birding at midday with Erkko Elonen. We checked several places in Saari area and found 7 Great Egrets, plenty of Hen Harriers, a Pallid Harrier, 2 Rough-legged Buzzards, a Merlin, 16 Stock Doves, 12 Golden Plovers, plenty of Great Grey Shrikes, a Red-throated Pipit and a Lapland Longspur and so on. In the evening we continued to Siikalahti where we first studied both Bean Geese and then saw surprisingly few ducks from the tower, but 4 Gadwalls and 3 Smews were amongst them. Then we still went to the dam-road where we counted the all time record 1040 Cranes, 23 Great Egrets and saw a very late Nightjar.

J.A.