I am now focusing on photographing birds in flight. Unfortunately, the weather hasn’t been in favor of my project, as thick clouds covered the sun on many days. To perfectly freeze the flight of birds, very short shutter speeds are required. The tips of the wings only become sharp at 1/8000-second exposure times. These very short exposure times require a lot of light, which hasn’t always been available. Additionally, the energy needs of the birds are lower during milder winter days, and they do not visit the feeding stations regularly. On the other hand, mild weather allowed for 8-10 hour long shooting days. In normal February temperatures, it would have been impossible to stay outside for such long periods. The photography tent protects from the wind, and it is a couple of degrees warmer inside than outside. Thick winter clothing is essential, as are properly insulated winter boots. Hand warmers based on oxidation are a good addition during long shooting sessions.

The birds visiting the feeding stations are not afraid of the photography tent, as long as the photographer remains as quiet as possible and the tent is stationary. Fortunately, modern cameras are silent, so the birds only notice the aperture narrowing and perhaps the movement of the shutter. The lens should be aimed at the bird as slowly and calmly as possible to ensure that the bird approaching the feeding station is not startled by erratic movements. Winter is a harsh time for birds, and photographing them should not interfere with their feeding. When the birds do not see the photographer, they can visit the feeding stations relaxed and without additional stress.

This winter, at least nine different White-backed Woodpeckers, eleven Gray-headed Woodpeckers, at least twelve Great-spotted Woodpeckers, and one Lesser-spotted Woodpecker have visited my feeding stations. Some hundreds of tits, small groups of Long-tailed Tits, Blackbirds, Jays and Magpies overwinter using these feeders. The numbers of seed-eating birds have been unusually low. There are only small flocks of Yellowhammers, Bullfinches and Tree Sparrows.

H. A.

Anyway on the 30th of October I visited Tyrjä where I found a Bewick’s Swan and a Tundra Bean Goose in a big flock of Whooper Swans. I also tried to find a Dipper but it wasn’t there yet.

On the 31st day I visited Moskuunniemi and I was talking with Harri Partanen while we were watching his feeder when I noticed a Marsh Tit. It was visiting the feeder briefly but I managed to get some pictures which helped me to be sure about the identification. Then Harri remembered that he had seen a couple of Willow Tits on the previous day and another one had been browner. He went to pick up his camera and there were pictures of this Marsh Tit already from the previous day. While we were following this tit visiting the feeder, we saw also a Nuthatch.

On the 1st of November started the November bird-race that was in our Bird-club’s area in Parikkala and Rautjärvi. I started by visiting Moskuunniemi where Marsh Tit was soon seen. Usually I should have gone to Siikalahti but it had been frozen for some time already. So after I had seen Cormorants in Härskiinmutka, a Black Woodpecker in Kirkonkylä and a Common Scoter in Kirkkolahti I headed towards Varialahti. On the way I saw a Goshawk in Siikalahti and found probably the same Whooper Swan flock in Kaukola and both the Bewick’s Swan and Tundra Bean Goose were still on the flock. A Grey-headed Woodpecker flew over me and a couple of White-tailed Eagles were soaring on the sky. Then in Vartialahti I found 5 Barnacle Geese, a Wigeon, 4 Tufted Ducks, a Greater Scaup, a Common Scoter, Goldeneyes, a Great Crested Grebe and so on. The driving weather was awful as there was already lots of snow.

Then on my luch-hour I visited Rautalahti but saw only Goosanders and a flock of Black Grouses. After work I visited Vartialahti again but found nothing better.

On the 2nd of November there were Marsh Tit, Nuthatch and also a Blackbird in Moskuunniemi. In Särkisalmi I saw Fieldfare and some Rock Pigeons were in Kangaskylä. On my lunch-hour I went to check southern side of Lake Simpele but only Mallards, Goldcrests and some other common species were ticked.

On the 3rd day I found a Black-throated Diver and saw also Herring Gulls with Common Gulls in Härskiinmutka. On my lunch-hour I checked other parts of Lake Simpele but found only some Cormorants. Only ticks were Yellowhammer, Common Crossbill, Coal Tit and Treecreeper. In the afternoon I headed to Saari but all the bays were completely frozen and only a Wigeon and a couple of Great Grey Shrikes were seen.

On the 4th of November I did a twitching trip by plane to Inari Ivalo. I stood there in -20 degrees watching to one garden for several hours then ate pizza and flew back. Dusky Thrush that had been there for 3 weeks, wasn’t there anymore.

On the 5th day we tried to catch Nuthatches in Satumäki but soon continued to Moskuunniemi to catch tits. But neither Marsh Tit or Nuthatch weren’t caught. But we saw 3 Goldfinches flying over.

During the day we headed to Kaukola with Harri Partanen as there had been a Golden Eagle near the swan-flock already on the previous day. It had flight behind a forest just a minute before we arrived. We decided to try from Mantilanniemi and luckily saw the eagle flying over Siikalahti. We also found a Nuthatch there and then in Vartialahti we saw a Goshawk that had just killed one of the last Barnacle Geese and also 15 Scaups and so on.

Then we still continued to Tarvaslampi where we saw a Chaffinch and to Soininmäki but it was getting too late so we found only some tits and Goldcrests.

On the 6th day we were mist-netting again in Moskuunniemi and heard a Pygmy Owl calling. Maybe because of the owl many tits weren’t caught. Nuthatch did hit the net but didn’t get stuck. In Savikumpu we still twitched a Canada Goose before we had to hurry to work.

On my lunch-hour I found Smews in Kukkarolahti and saw 10 Long-tailed Tits in Kannas. In the evening I went to check fields with my thermal camera but found no snipes but a nice surprise was a Long-eared Owl!

On the 7th of November I had to rush to Tarvaspohja Kirpunranta when Jouko Rantanen called that he had some rare “phylloscopus” warbler there. The bird was gone but Jouko had pictures and it really looked like a Hume’s Leaf Warbler. I played some tits alarm-calls from my phone and tits started to arrive and after them the warbler finally showed up to a top of tree. I managed to get some pretty good pictures of it and it indeed was the first Hume’s Leaf Warbler for Parikkala and the second for South-Karelia ever!

When the flock was gone I waited for some twitchers to arrive but only Harri Partanen and Merja Laari showed up. After some waiting I played the call again and the same happened again. This time Hume’s Leaf Warbler stayed a bit further but we all saw it well and I got some more pictures. Then I had to hurry back to work (I saw a couple of Waxwings on the way) and even though there were people searching for Hume’s it wasn’t seen again. Until next day one birder saw it or at least something like it but for sure it wasn’t 100% sure observation. But another surprise was seen by twitchers – the saw the latest Chiffchaff ever in Parikkala.

On the 8th day I saw an Arctic Redpoll, 13 Long-tailed ducks, 3 Black-throated Divers and a couple of Velvet Scoters in Rautalahti- After worj I hurried to Saari to twitch a Red-throated Diver in Saarenkylä and a Hawk Owl in Akanvaara Tetrisuo.

On the 9th day I saw 2 Black-throated Divers and 15 local and 30 migrating Long-tailed Ducks in Härskiinmutka. While I was trying to see the last House Sparrow of the village, I saw a Siskin and a Goldfinch. In Lahdensuo I still saw a Sparrowhawk.

On the 10th day I visited Rautjärvi Simpele Kokkolanjoki but only tick was a Dipper. In Kivijärvi I saw some Common Scoters and Scaups that both seemed to be more common than ever. In Tähtiniemi I found 25 Red-throated and 2 Black-throated Diver and a young Greater Black-backed Gull so it was really a good visit there!

On the 11th day there was thick fog but I had to do winterbird-count as it was the last possible day for me. Siikalahti had melted again and it was extremely wet everywhere. I took my scope and walked 18 kilometers without using it at all because of the bad visibility. There were tits more than ever – at least Great Tits. Altogether I found 3 Mallards, a Common Scoter, 8 Goosanders, 2 Cormorants, a Hazel Hen, 31 Black Grouses, a White-tailed Eagle, a Goshawk, 10 Common and 2 Herring Gulls, 8 Rock Doves, a Grey-headed and a White-backed Woodpecker, 10 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 17 Goldcrests, 8 Long-tailed, 76 Blue, 269 Great, 5 Coal and 2 Crested Tits, even 7 Nuthatches, 7 Treecreepers, 12 Jays, 10 Magpies, 370 Jackdaws, 33 Hooded Crows, 7 Ravens, 33 Tree Sparrows, 4 Bramblings, 60 Greenfinches, 53 Common Redpolls, am Arctic Redpoll, 10 Common Crossbills and 15 Bullfinches. Strange that I didn’t even hear any Whooper Swans even though the flock was still in a field in Kaukola and I passed them only from a couple of hundreds of meters, but there is a forest between. Unfortunately a Bewick’s Swan, a Canada Goose or a Golden Eagle wasn’t seen either.

On the 12th of November we had given up mist-netting the Marsh Tit and tried to catch it with a Nuthatch-trap – and it worked in 10 minutes. It was nice to get this bird ringed and it is interesting to see if it is going to stay for the whole winter – and maybe find out where it goes after that?

We still got to Kaukola to see the Bewick’s Swan when my phone beeped and ringed at the same time – Veikka Kosonen had found a Gannet in Punkasalmi! We hurried there and luckily Veikka was still there and he knew where the bird had landed to swim. And immediately it was flying again and soon we could follow this young bird fishing on on the lake!

Weather-forecast had told that it was going to rain most of the day but luckily Veikka had decided to come to check Punkasalmi. He had already been about to leave when he had seen the Gannet. Now the weather was just cold and the freezing wind was straight from north but because of that there were birds migrating! We saw altogether 208 Velvet Scoters, 29 Red and 10 Black-throated Divers, 10 unidentified divers, 4 Long-tailed Ducks and a White-tailed Eagle.

When the Gannet had once again dropped to swim and hadn’t been seen for an hour, we decided to leave as the migration had stopped and we were absolutely freezing. There were several twitchers still and luckily they soon saw the bird again. It stayed in Punkasalmi at least a couple of next days and it was seen a couple of days been chased by a White-tailed Eagle. So nobody knows if it continued its journey somewhere or was eaten by the eagle after all.

In the afternoon I still visited Vartialahti and saw 2 Wigeons, 15 Scaups, 13 Tufted Ducks, 3 Velvet Scoters, 2 Common Scoter and a Great Crested Grebe.

On the 13th day there were still 148 Whooper Swans, a Bewick’s Swan and a Canada Goose in Kaukola. In Tyrjä I saw my first ever in November Woodpigeon and after worjk I still twitcher a Redwing in Särkisalmi and also 3 Smews were seen there.

It started to get really cold again so lakes started to freeze again. So next days I saw mostly the same long-staying birds but most of the ducks and soon also swans had gone. On the 16th day I saw a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in Siikalahti and an Arctic Redpoll in Jantusensalo. I also checked some big flocks of Goosanders but found no Red-breasted Margansers at all – just one male Smew was still seen on the 17th day. Then I also twtiched a Golden Eagle in Kaukola and this was surprisingly a young bird. With Harri Partanen we managed to get some really good flight-shots of it. In the afternoon I still visited Soininmäki and finally saw 2 Siberian Jays there.

The 18th and 19th of November we were in Helsinki where BirdLife Finland celebrated its 50 years. On Sunday we had the meeting with assembly of delegates. It was good to see many friend and listen to some interesting presentations.

On the 20th day I finally saw the last House Sparrow and then Veijo Vilska found a very late Grey Heron in Särkisalmi. It stayed for some days but it was so freezing cold that I only photographed it on the first day. All lakes started to get completely frozen – and it was only November!

On the 25th day it was already -15 degrees. Anyway we were birding for the whole day with Arttu Valonen. Our goal was to get 200 Parikkala year-ticks for Arttu. It’s quite a good goal for a birder who lives 300 kilometers from Parikkala! Anyway we started well when we saw an Arctic Redpoll in Tönkinsuo and it was the species number 199. In Tarvasalmi we saw a Blackbird and then in Soinimäki we found 1 or 2 Three-toed Woodpeckers. Then we continued to Peruspohja where after time we finally found a Dipper which was Arttu’s species number 200. Then we drove through many forests trying to find Pine Grosbeaks or better crossbills but saw only Black Grouses, Hazel Hens and so on and headed to Akanvaara Tetrisuo where we saw a Hawk Owl. On the way back to Parikkala we heard calls of a Common Kingfisher but there was also an Otter along the river so we just couldn’t be sure if it had been whistling – Otters had really strange calls. But we coudn’t be disappointed as we found the latest Wren ever in Parikkala. And in the evening with Hanna we still heard a Ural Owl in Lahdensuo. And then a couple of later Arttu found the Kingfisher there and it was calling same calls than we had heard.

On the 26th day it was even -23 degreed but we headed to forests with Hanna and Arttu. We started well with 2 Capercaillies and a Pygmy Owl. The Marsh Tit was still on Harri’s feeder and then we saw the Grey Heron last time. We drove through many forests to Akanvaara where the Hawk Owl was still around. Then we continued until Uukuniemi but even Pyhäjärvi was frozen so badly that we couldn’t see any birds there. After all only birds to mention we saw in hours were a flock of Black Grouses and a female Mallard. In the afternoon we still continued to forests and found 2 Ural Owls but no Pine Grosbeaks or anything else new.

During the week it dark when I went to work and dark when I got away. So I did only short trips on my lunch-hours. I tried to get better observation of a Kingfisher without luck but Marsh Tit and Wren were still around. After all I managed to get 79 species in March and they were all in Parikkala – it was probably a new records to this competition? Unfortunately the end of October and the beginning of November had been so cold that some usual birds were not found. I also had too much other things to do at weekends but birding on lunch-hours and just close to where I live can be surprisingly good still in November.

J.A.

On the 12th day new arrivals were Wigeons, Pintails, a Water Rail. a Golden Plover, a Curlew, a Green Sandpiper and a Wood Lark. In Särkisalmi I saw a Smew couple and in Tetrisuo there were 3 Hen Harriers chasing voles. Next day in Siikalahti I saw a Song Thrush and in Tetrisuo a flock of 10 Lapland Buntings. On the 14th day a Merlin was in Siikalahti and in Tetrisuo a Greylag Goose and a Brambling and it seemed many species were getting more numerous.

We had high expectations for the weekend but after all the weather wasn’t as good as the forecasts had been. Saturday started well with a Peregrine and a Barnacle Goose in Tetrisuo and in Siikalahti better birds were a Pochard and a Wood Lark. Then I drove and checked several places nearby but found almost nothing. I even went to check Capercaillie lekking place but there were some people nearby and saw only 3 males perched on the trees. One of them was more active and I could get some distant pictures. In the afternoon we saw again a Nuthatch in Kannas and in Lahdensuo we found a strange-looking shrike which probably has again some Northern Shrike genes?

On the 16th day a Bittern was already calling and a couple of Grey Herons were migrating. There were already 8 Marsh Harriers and 13 Rough-legged Buzzards migrated but otherwise it was quiet in Siikalahti. So we headed to Saari where in Akanvaara Tetrisuo we found 9 Twites in a flock of Linnets. And then in the same place we found also 2 Shore Larks! These both species are very rare here in Parikkala. But then we checked all the other places and only better bird was a Rook in Kanavalampi. In the evening there was still a flock of 4 Greylag Geese in Tetrisuo.

During the beginning of the week I saw just the same species as before but we spent some time in Tetrisuo photographing Hen Harriers and Rough-legged Buzzards that were staying there because of numerous voles and northern wind. Also Skylarks and some Lapland Buntings were seen on the field. On the 19th day the only new species was a Dunnock and on the 20th day there were a couple of Great Crested Grebes in Särkisalmi and in the evening we saw a Greenshank and a couple of Woodcocks in Tetrisuo.

On the 21st of April a Black-throated Diver was in Särkisalmi and after the work we went to Saari. In Akonpohja we saw a Greylag Goose and an early Garganey. In Uukuniemi Suurenjärvenliete we found 3 Black-tailed Godwits, in Kanavalampi a Gadwall and in Riionsalmi we heard a Hawfinch. There was still some snow in Saari and the floods weren’t big yet but there were really lots of Green Sandpipers. We saw altogether 130 Green Sandpipers and in best place there were even 65 birds!

On the 22nd day we were in Siikalahti from 6:30 to 12. The weather was again much worse than had been promised and the wind was from north-east. But it was still very warm and therefore there were lots of people in the tower. 10 Cormorants, a female Pallid Harrier, 24 Rough-legged Buzzards, a Barn Swallow and a Hawfinch were the best birds. Also a Common Ringed Plover was found on one flood and a Peregrine we seen chasing pigeons and ducks.

Then we still headed to Saari with Veikka Kosonen and Oskari Saunisto but all the better birds had moved on and nothing new had arrived. The second Peregrine of the day was in Akanvaara Tetrisuo and again we counted more than 150 Green Sandpipers.

23rd day was colder and wind was northern so there were now room in the dam-road tower. I saw 2 Shovelers, 7 Cormorants, a Grey Heron, 14 Rough-legged Buzzards, a Wood Sandpiper and a Barn Swallow. Then together with Matti Lötjönen we saw a nice young Golden Eagle that was soaring right above us and while we were taking pictures of it, we suddenly saw another eagle coming to the picture! It was very pale and it really looked like a Lesser Spotted Eagle to me. It was quite high and soared only once when it was already very far but I thought I had seen enough for the positive identification. But in the evening while I was checking the pictures the bird started to look big-billed and also very long-winged. I sent pictures to some friends and got comments that it looked more like a fulvescens Greater Spotted Eagle. And after checking books I think that’s what it was.

Hanna had stayed one full day in a hide next to one flood in Saari and tried to get pictures of ducks and waders. In the afternoon I went to pick her up and then we checked all the best places again. The best birds were 3 Bewick’s Swans, a Black Kite and 3 Barn Swallows in Suurenjärvenliete, 2 Bewick’s Swans, 2 Common Redshanks and a migrating young Pallid Harrier in Pohjanranta and still there were lots of Green Sandpipers – 40 in the best place.

In the evening we still went to Siikalahti bird-tower and most of the bay was already open. There was a Slavonian and a Red-necked Grebe and then surprisingly a Greater Black-backed Gull with other gulls. An early Little Gull was also seen and there were already 42 Tufted Ducks too.

On the 24yh day on a morning visit in Särkisalmi I saw a Gadwall couple, 4 Common Scoters and already 20 Black-throated Divers. During my lunch-hour I saw only a Ruff and twitched a couple of Little Ringed Plovers in Kukonkanta. In the evening we went to change tires and on the way we saw a Northern Wheatear in Kukonkanta and in Särkisalmi we saw 9 Common Scoters and heard a Wren. At night I still went to Siikalahti and heard 2 Jack Snipes and a Ural Owl. Moor Frogs were already very noisy too. But the funniest observation was a migrating Gadwall that I heard calling from the sky.

On the 25th of April in Särkisalmi I saw a Black-tailed Godwit that was on the ice with many ducks. In Siikalahti we saw a Common Sandpiper. On the 26th day the only year-tick was a Spotted Crake and on the 27th a Slavonian Grebe had moved to Särkisalmi and I heard also a Pied Flycatcher. On my lunch-hour I saw a Black Kite and a migrating Black-tailed Godwit and in the evening we made a trip to Saari with Harri Hölttä. In Akonpohja we heard a Willow Warbler and saw 2 male Pochards and a Heuglin’s Gull, in Akanvaara Tetrisuo 365 Golden Plovers, in Jyrkilä a Stock Dove, in Suurenjärvenliete a Black-tailed Godwit and a Common Redshank and in Tarassiinlahti a couple of Rooks.

On the 28th day in Härskiinmutka I saw 73 Common Scoters and also a Common Tern and a Hobby. During my lunch-hour I checked some other open-water places but found no Steller’s Eiders. Some parts of Lake Simpele were still frozen. I heard a couple of Tree Pipits in Oravaniemi. In the afternoon I heard a Whimbrel in Kullinsuo and in the evening we had to go to count ducks in Saari. There were lots of Pintails everywhere and also 5 Gadwalls in Kanavalampi. Only other good bird was a Peregrine in Pohjanranta. Hanna spend next 26 hours in hide tent photographing ducks.

Hanna had a cold night. Flood pools froze and even Lapwings had frost on their feathers. Later during the day Hanna photographed ducks, waders and adult and young White-tailed Eagles.

On the 29th day a Common Redstart was singing in our garden and in Härskiinmutka I saw a couples of Velvet Scoter and Red-breasted Merganser. In Moskuunniemi I heard a n early Blackcap. On my lunch-break I saw a couple of Gadwalls in Siikalahti and also a Pergrine, 21 Barn Swallos and 9 House Martins. It was very warm – even 20 degrees! In the afternoon I still did a trip to Saati where I saw 4 Gadwalls and a Redshank in Kanavalampi, a Whinchat and a couple of Northern Wheatears in Karinmäki and a Black Kite in Ollukka.

On the 30th day weather had changed completely and it was freezing cold wind and raining. I slept longer but when I woke up I found Veikka Kosonen and Oskari Saunisto from our garden. They had already started a young birders bird-race very early and had 57 species on their list. Last year they hadn’t got driving license yet so I had been helping them to win the race so they wanted me to join them again. The weather was poor so we started to try some more difficult birds but in this weather some of them weren’t seen, but we had a Little Ringed Plover in Kukonkanta, a Black-tailed Godwit and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in Siikalahti and then went to twitch 2 Great Egrets that Matti Lötjönen had found in Kirkkoranta. Then we checked some fields but found only another Little Ringed Plover. Then it was time to go to Saari and on the way we saw a couple of Slavonian Grebes in Valkialampi and a Capercaillie in their lekking place. In Akonpohja we found a Spotted Redshank, a Yellow Wagtail and another Little Ringed Plover. In Jyrkilä we saw a beautiful leucistic Black-headed Gull, in Suurenjärvenliete 3 Bewick’s Swans, a couple of Hobbies and Spotted Redshanks and even 72 Greenshanks, in Kanavalampi 4 Gadwalls and a Common Redshank, in Tarassiinlahti a Linnet, a Cormorant and a couple of Red-throated Divers and in Pohjanranta a Heuglin’s Gull. On the way we saw a Tenglmalm’s and a Ural Owl on their nests and in the evening we still headed to Siikalahti where a couple of Jack Snipes were lekking and also a Long-eared Owl was heard. during the day boys had got already 102 species.

On the 1st of May the weather was a little bit better so we started with a Common Redstart in our garden and a Blackcap and a Wood Warbler in Moskuunniemi. Then we saw a Nuthatch in Kangaskylä and then we headed to Siikalahti. We stayed on the dam-road for several hours and in northern wind there was not much migration but of course some new species were seen. A Grey Heron, a Black Kite, 3 Hen Harriers, a Rough-legged Buzzard, a Common Sandpiper, a couple of Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, a Wood Lark, a flock of 10 Waxwings, a Linnet and a Goldfinch were birds to mention. In the afternoon we headed to forests but only new species we found was a Crested Tit, also a couple of Hazel Hens were heard. Then boys still continued to Savo to try to find more species from their home-ground. But they managed to get only a few species and after all they got 124 species and they came 4th in the race. Winner had got some more but two other teams had got the same number but they had more so called ace-species.

The weather turned really bad again so on the next day I slept a lot even though it was my birthday. Only new birthday-tick was a Common Ringed Plover that was migrating in Siikalahti. There was a Hoopoe in Rautjärvi and a White Stork in Saari but I slept too long. But on the 3rd day I woke up early and went to see the White Stork in Akonpohja. On the way I saw also a Pink-footed Goose in Lääviensuo. During my lunch-hour I saw a Sand Martin and a couple of Stock Doves and in the afternoon a Common Redshank. On the 4th day winter was coming! It was snowing in the evening but anyway we were to Saati to fix Hanna’s hide that had been collapsed in storms. In suuranjärvenliete we saw 4 Gadwalls and then we still twitched a Bar-tailed Godwit in Kanavalampi.

J.A.

After trip to Oulu February continued like normal winter. Usually there are no bird-surprises this time of the year. In Tetrisuo I still saw a Hawk Owl almost every day and a Great Grey Shrike a couple of times. Only surprising observation was a flock of 20 Redpolls that the Great Grey Shrike tried to attack and after that they were gone.

I drove every day shortly in forests and tried to map forest tits and also Goldcrests that were still surviving. I of course saw also flocks of Black Grouses, some Hazel Hens and even a couple of times Capercaillies: on the 10th day a female and on the 22nd day a couple of males.

On the 11th of February I visited Simpele Kokkolanjoki briefly and saw a Little Grebe and 4 Whooper Swans in Lahnanen. On the 12th day we heard a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in Siikalahti and found surprisingly a flock of 10 Waxwings in Tarvaslampi. And in Tetrisuo we saw the same Hawk Owl watching a young Golden Eagle migrating towards north. On the 13th day in Lahnanen I saw a Little Grebe again, 5 Whooper Swans and in Härskiinmutka I saw a White-tailed Eagle waiting for winter-fishers to leave some fish.

On the 16th of February Merja Laari found a Great Grey Owl in Siikalahti and it was really showing well. This adult bird was hunting voles and a couple of times it flew very close to me. We of course didn’t try to get close to the bird so we didn’t disturb its hunting. The problem is that usually photographers think that the owl is tame and doesn’t matter but mise and voles do disappear if people are too close. But anyway this time I was lucky and the owl flew a couple of times very close to me and I managed to get some good pictures. We also saw a Black Woodpecker.

On the 17th day a couple of White-tailed Eagles were sitting together on ice and in Simpele I saw 6 Whooper Swans, Goldeneye and Goosander couples and a Great Grey Shrike. On the 18th day we went to try to see the wintering Collared Dove in Saari Selänne with Pekka Punnonen but in very bad weather we saw only a Sparrowhawk and a Pygmy Owl that came to see if there was a Yellowhammer, a Tree Sparrow or a tit to catch from the feeder.

On the 19th of February we were lucky when we arrived to Tarvaslampi – a Pygmy Owl had just attacked to a Yellowhammer and was killing it on the snow under the feeder. Soon it flew to a branch were it still finished the bunting. Luckily we both had cameras with us!

There were a good selection of woodpeckers visiting our feeders around Siikalahti and when Hanna had a week winter-holiday she was photographing there a lot. She even had 2 British protogrpahers with her for a few days. Hanna had built a new hide that was easy to put up anywhere. They also spent some time in a hide in Tarvaslampi and visited Kokkolanjoki and did some forest-birding and so on.

On the 24th and 25th day I saw both Hawk Owls – in Tetrisuo and in Järvenpää. In Tiviä we saw a Goshawk and also a couple of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers were found and of course also Grey-headed and White-backed Woodpeckers. A Couple of Nuthatches had arrived to their territory in Kannas.

On the 26th day we went skiing to Saari and of course we tried to see the Collared Dove in Selänne. It was cold and windy and we didn’t see the bird in the first visit but after skiing we went back and after some waiting the bird finally arrived. On the 27th day Hanna photographed nice aurora borealis!

On the first of March I visited Simpele and saw a Whooper Swan and a Goosander couple and in Siikalahti 4 species of Woodpeckers and a Nuthatch in Kannas. On the 3rd day the first Herring Gull of the “spring” was on the ice close to fishers.

On the 4th of March I did a winter-bird count and saw 2 Black Grouses, 4 Herring Gulls, 10 Rock Doves, a Grey-headed, a Black, 16 Greater Spotted and 2 White-backed Woodpeckers, 5 Goldcrests, 6 Long-tailed, 44 Blue, 76 Great, 2 Crested and 1 Willow Tit, 2 Treecreepers, a Great Grey Shrike, 9 Jays, 14 Magpies, 26 Jackdaws, 16 Hooded Crows, 2 Ravens, 20 Tree Sparrows, 7 Greenfinches, my first ever spring-time Pine Grosbeak in Parikkala, 17 Bullfinches and 3 Yellowhammers,

On the 7th day I saw already 8 Herring Gulls but then it came very cold again and it was sure that there were no more migrants coming. Tits and Greenfinches were already singing, a Treecreeper was singing once and even a couple of Siskin were seen in their territory so maybe spring is arriving some day? It was good to see that even it was more than -20 degrees some nights, I still found some Goldcrests but many didn’t survive these last very cold nights. So the only new year tick for a long time was a Tengmalm’s Owl that was singing in Tarvaslampi on the 16th day.

J.A.

On the 2nd day it was raining – I think last time it had been raining it had actually been snowing. So I visited again the wader places in Saari but saw only a Golden Plover in Akanvaara Tetrisuo.

On the 4th day we headed to Savonlinna Punkaharju to Lake Saimaa shore to ring a nestling of a Ural Owl that was in a nest-box close to Tapani Nisula’s cottage. The mama owl was shy so the ringing was easy. But the youngster was so big that it didn’t want to go back to the nest anymore. It had been seen practicing its wings already on the previous day so it was ready to go.

Then Tapani had a surprise for us and together with him and his cottage-neighbors Laura and Harri Helenius we left by boat to Saimaa to see Saimaa Seals that Tapani knew very well as he has been monitoring them for years.

Soon we were checking places where seals used to be but three first places were empty. But then we finally found a nice Saimaa Seal on a rock. It was a little bit wary, so we didn’t try to get close. Also another one was swimming nearby. But then the third pale seal was very curious-looking and we managed to get really good pictures. Here also was another young seal swimming too but it was diving all the time. On the island next to us there was a Red-breasted Flycatcher singing so the atmosphere was really nice!

We crossed bigger open water and saw an Oystercatcher on one rock and then found one more Saimaa Seal on a rock behind some reeds. Then we still drove to see some landscapes before headed back. It had been really nice trip in good company and very nice weather – thanks to Tapani, Laura and Harri!

On the 5th of June we had SSP-ringing again but the result was weak: only 2+1c Sedge Warblers, 1 Lesser and 3+1c Common Whitethroats and 1c Great Tit were caught. We also heard a calling Red-backed Shrike and a singing Golden Oriole.

Karoliina Hämäläinen and Laura Oinas had come from Joensuu to Parikkala to ring birds and their dream was to catch a Golden Oriole. They had been searching for an oriole for whole night but they hadn’t even heard a single bird. So I told them which place I thought might be the best and asked if they can catch an Oriole I could go to see and photograph it. And they really made it and caught an amazing male Golden Oriole! I had less than a kilometer by car to go to see the bird and it really was beautiful. Congratulation to Karoliina and Laura and thanks for calling me to take some pictures.

In the afternoon we still made a trip to Saari and saw 18 Rock Doves, 2 male Gadwalls and a Grey-headed Woodpecker in Akonpohja, a Tundra Bean Goose in Jyrkilä, a couple of Gadwalls in Suurenjärvenliete, a Short and a Long-eared Owl in Ollukka and a Linnet in Tarassiinlahti.

On the 6th day we went to photograph White-backed Woodpeckers and Nuthatches to their nests. We also heard one more Golden Oriole.

And on the 7th day we photographed a Red-breasted Flycatcher that was feeding nestlings. Hanna was on summer-holiday so she had more time for photographing. So in the evening she still went to Saari to photograph Short-eared Owl and managed to get some pictures. And I must say that we of course do all photographing so that we are not disturbing bird at all.

On the 8th day Hanna was photographing Sedge Warblers when she suddenly noticed a Spotted Crake on the reeds. Amazingly this crake came so close that Hanna managed to get good pictures! During my lunch-hour I went to photograph Nuthatches again. In the evening we visited Siikalahti and saw a Common Redshank that left towards south – it is autumn already…

J.A.

In the evening we continued to Kuhmo Jongunsalo where we put up the tent and were soon ready to go to sleep. Next morning we walked about 10 kilometers and visited Hiidenportti. White walking we saw some Common Crossbills, Bramblings and a Waxwing.

Then we drove to Widlife Safari Finland center where we got a room where we still rested for some time before about at 5 p.m. we left with other photographers to hides. We got a private hide for ourselves and organized everything ready while food was put in front of the hide to the shore of a pond. And then we started to wait for animals to arrive.

After 30 minutes Lesser Black-backed, Herring and Common Gulls and some Ravens and a few Hooded Crows arrived. But soon we saw a Grey Wolf standing on the shore!

We of course started to take pictures while the Wolf was moving on the shore. Soon another very similar-looking Wolf followed it and it was easy to see that the first one was a young and the second was an alfa. The first one was moving slowly and carefully and kept its tail between the legs but the second one was relaxed and strong-looking. Another Wolf took a piece of meat when a Brown Bear was getting close and left. But another Wolf and the Bear stayed on the shore for a long time and it really seemed that the Bear was going to eat everything!

Finally the Wolf left with a meat and also Bear had eaten enough. Then we had to follow gulls and corvids for some time. It was funny to see that a Barn Swallow was breeding over a window of one hide where a photographer was inside. They didn’t mind, the parents were feeding the youngsters all the time.

Finally at 8:30 p.m. a couple of big Wolverine males visited and also a small female that stayed much longer. Then it was quiet again until at 9:15 p.m. a Bear was walking towards our hide along the path. It was already very close when I had to move a little bit so it jumped away from the path and went behind our hide and then continued to the other side of the pond to eat.

When it was getting dark we decided to get some sleep as we were now on photographing-trip. It had also started to rain and there hadn’t been any animals for some time.
It was raining very hard. Hanna had awaken once and seen a couple of Bears eating. I woke up at 1:30 a.m. when I heard a Bear coming. Soon it went to the pond to swim and I had to wake up Hanna to see it too. The Bear was swimming around the pond for almost 10 minutes before it got up and walked to the dark forest.

Still at 4:40 a.m. I saw a Bear searching for food. But when we finally woke up there were no animals anymore, just a Goldeneye, gulls and some Yellow Wagtails.

During the day we slept in our room and at 5 p.m. we left again towards hides. This time we went to bog where we saw a Bear already waiting when we were getting inside the hide. So we had to be quick with our equipment. And once the food was ready we soon saw a couple of Bears coming over the bog. Another one was coming slowly but the other one was running.

Also Ravens, gulls and a Black Kite arrived to get some food and we of course tried to get flight-pictures of the kite. It was very fast but we managed to get some pretty good shots. Surprisingly was saw also a Wolverine coming close but it wasn’t brave enough to come to eat as the bears were still there. It disappeared somewhere behind our hide.

When the Bears finally left, we heard a slam behind our hide and there the Wolverine was again. It was probably been in the terrace of our hide waiting for the Beard to leave! It would’ve been quite a surprise if one of us had visited a toiled and found a Wolverine there!

Pretty long we followed Ravens, Hooded Crows, gulls and a Mistle Thrush family until at 7:10 Hanna saw a Wolf briefly but soon it arrived to visible and was showing well for a short time. Then an hour later we heard a Bear grunting somewhere further but it never showed up. But then behind the bog a Bear and a Wolf came together. And this Wolf came really close and even sat in front of one of the hides but unfortunately that hide was empty. Anyway we got lots of pictures and then alfa-male also arrived and walked between the hides. It is good that cameras are completely silent nowadays so animals didn’t hear anything even though we took pictures all the time.

After a long quiet moment we heard a Wolf howling behind us and then answers behind the bog. We guessed that alfa-male was calling the pack. I even managed to record the howling! And soon we could see that we had been right when one young wolf came visible and started to walk towards us. And then there it was; a stunning pale female that we had seen also 4 years earlier. It also walked through the bog and we got pictures even though it never came very close. And then one more young Wolf followed and walked nicely in front of the hides.

Before we started to sleep a Bear still visited a couple of times but it was already too dark to get good pictures.

In the morning we woke up too early but there was thick fog on the bog. We managed to get some nice pictures of a Bear in foggy landscape. But soon it disappeared to the fog. When the sun rose the light was very nice but we saw only some gulls and Ravens.

At center we ate well and loaded our batteries before started driving. On the way we saw a family of Hazel Hens and on one walk in a stunning old forest Hanna found a nest of a Capercaillie. It still had eggs! Finally we drove until Lieksa Rauvunvaara to camp.

In the morning we walked 8 kilometers in Lieksa Patvinsuo Teretti. There weren’t many birds but on Ilomantsi side from Teretti bird-tower we saw a couple of Peregrine Falcon and a Smew.

Pretty early we continued to Erä-Eero where we soon met Eero himself. We had something to eat inside while talking to Eero and waiting for the other groups to arrive. But for some reason two groups that should have come, never arrived.

So after all we left to the hide while Eero still stayed waiting if anyone was still coming. On the way to the hides we saw amazing numbers of Mourning Cloak butterflies and there were more on the hides too. While we were checking which hide to go, we saw a Wolverine already coming, so we chose to stay in that hide where we were then. A male Wolverine came right in front of us and we got good pictures already before there was food at all. As it found nothing, it soon swam over the bay to the other side and disappeared to the forest.

Soon Eero came to bring the food and soon we started to wait for more animals to come. But it took some time and at 6:30 a female Wolverine arrived and stayed for 30 minutes before it left with a big meat. It probably had cubs somewhere? And soon another female came and acted very similarly.

At 7:55 the third female-looking dark Wolverine arrived but it showed only shortly, but soon came again before left with meat.

Then at 8:45 p.m. a female Bear arrived with 3 tiny cubs! They were coming closer very carefully and then mom just picked up the first big meat it found and they all rushed to the forest.
Soon a couple of female Wolverines came again in same time but they were visiting quite briefly. Then at 10:10 p.m. we heard a slam and then some grunting under the hide – a Wolverine was checking if there was meat hidden under the floor! Almost same time, there were 3 small Wolverines on the other side of the bay. Two of them were chasing each other and were probably youngsters but only the third one came closer and was one of the females that we had seen earlier.

At 11 p.m. we still saw the mama Bear with cubs on the other side of the lake but they soon climbed to the hill and disappeard to the forest. Then we saw nothing before we started to sleep.

At 3 a.m. I checked that there was a female Wolverine in front of the hide and after one hour I checked again and saw another small Wolverine on the other side of the bay. But when we woke up there was no action anymore, just some gulls and Mallards. Still at 7 a.m. we heard something turning stone behind the watching-hide. It was probably a Bear but it never came visible. At 8 a.m. we had packed everything and walked to our car.

We still heard a Cuckoo calling and when we were driving we saw first a male Capercaillie and later a female with chicks and then still one young Black Grouse and a family of Hazel Hens. Then we stopped again in Kontiolahti Linnunsuo but saw even fewer birds than on the previous visit. Only birds to mention were a Temminck Stint and a family of Red-backed Shrikes.

Finally we were at home and on the trip we had taken abou 20 gigas of pictures both! And we still take Jpeg-pictures, so we had taken lots of pictures of amazing animals!

J.A.

We planned to start Eastern in Kristiinankaupunki where we had never been birding together, I had only been there a couple of times very briefly.

On the way we saw a Great Grey Shrike in Hämeenlinna and a flock of Bean and White-fronted Geese in Pälkäne. In Tampere we stopped to get some food and when it was getting dark we saw a couple of Woodcocks in Harjavalta and Ulvila. The rest of the drive was made in darkness.

Finally at 11:15 p.m. we parked our car next to Siipyy bird-tower and soon we had found out that the best place for the tent was almost under the tower. Soon we had everything ready and went to sleep.

We had forgotten that summer-time had just started so we woke up an hour too early. But it was good as we heard one or two Tawny Owls calling around us. We still tried to sleep a little but then a car parked to the parking place and the first birder climbed to the tower. So we packed everything, wore lots of warm clothes and climbed up to high tower too.

Ilkka Iivonen was already seawatching and soon also Jukka Koskelainen arrived, both were familiar names but soon we found out that they were very nice birders. Jukka was bookkeeper and soon there were Common Eiders and other birds to book. It really was easy to see why Siipyy is probably the best seawatching place in Finland as the light was really good there. So even the furthest birds were possible to identify. It was still very early when Ilkka shouted that a Common Guillemot was migrating with a couple of Razorbills and we got the first good year-ticks. There was also Black Guillemots flying around their breeding island.

Matti Pajunen arrived soon too and later also Paavo Sallinen, both of them I had met before and they were also very nice people so the morning was really enjoyable – quite a lot of birds and lots of stories to listen and to tell. One very thick snowfall went through but it didn’t stop birds moving as an Oystercatcher was moving high in the sky. Also Common Scoters, Velvet Scoters, Long-tailed Ducks and Smews were seen and the first Rock Pipit and only Meadow Pipit were seen too.

Other birds seen during the morning were Greylag Geese, some Common Shelducks, a couple of Wigeons, Teals and Shovelers, Tufted Ducks, Red-breasted Mergansers and Goosanders, 5 Red-throated Divers, a Kestrel, the best birds was a lonely Shore Lark, a Mistle Thrush, some Starlings, 54 Chaffinches and a couple of flocks of Common Crossbilss. Also another Common Guillemot was seen migrating together with a Velvet Scoter.

At midday it was pretty quiet already so the rest of birders left. We still stayed there on the tower with Hanna and Jacob Wasenius who had just arrived. On the second flock of Common Eiders I found a reddish female which shape was also different. Luckily there was also one female Common Eider on the flock with 10 males and this female King Eider!

At 2 p.m. there were several tourists climbing to the tower so we decided to go cooking some dinner. We still saw a Goldfinch, a Rock Pipit and a local Great Crested Grebe before we left to check some other places nearby.

In Storsjö we saw a color-ringed Crane, some Teals and Wigeons and a Grey-headed Woodpecker. Then we stopped in one bird-tower that was in bad condition and saw nothing interesting. Then in Härkmeri fields we found some Greylag and Bean Geese with 2 White-fronted, 9 Barnacle and one Pink-footed Goose.

In the evening we drove back to Siipyy and decided to put up the tent to the same place again. And it was 9 p.m. when we were ready to go to sleep.

On the 3rd of April the first birder arrived when we had just awaken – and we thought that we were early. Soon we climbed up to the tower when Veikko Forsberg was already working. Soon also Jukka and Matti arrived and we seawatched until midday again but it was more quiet morning. Anyway we counted more than 1500 Common Eiders, 28 Red-throated Divers, 28 Razorbills and new arrivals were a Red-necked Grebe, 7 Northern Pintails, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and also 41 Snow Buntings were seen migrating between the waves. Again also a Kestrel was seen.

But again the atmosphere on the tower was nice and many good stories were heard.

In the afternoon we did almost the same round as on the previous day but saw nothing new.

On the 4th day the expectations were high as the wind was finally turning south, but after all the day wasn’t that good. Veikko was there already before sun was setting which meant that we had soon packed our tent and were climning up too. Jukka arrived also soon and then later also Staffan Blom and Aki Linkolehto.

Again it was nice and productive seawatching and until 12:30 p.m. we had seen 17 Bean, 11 Pink-footed, 138 Greylag and 73 unidentified geese, 17 Common Shelducks, 2350 Common Eiders, 147 Long-tailed Ducks, 758 Common Scoters, 107 Velvet Scoters, 340 Goldeneyes, 7 Smews, 128 Red-breasted Mergansers, 250 Goosanders, 31 Red-throated and a Black-throated Diver, 4 Red-necked Grebes, 708 Cormorants, 7 Oystercatchers, a Curlew, an Arctic Skua, 13 Razorbills, 20 Black Guillemots, 370 Black-headed Gulls, 1645 Common Gulls, 410 Herring Gulls, 18 Great Black-backed Gulls, a Mistle Thrush and so on.

Finally it was time to say goodbye to new friends as they left. Then we packed our car and as the weather forecast was really bad for the next morning, we had decided to start driving toward home but still do birding and sleep somewhere on the way.

We stopped shortly in Merikarvia Lankoski but didn’t see Grey Wagtails that had been there. Pretty soon we parked in Pori Yyteri where were lots of cars. So we started walking towards the towers wearing masks. Luckily people were along the long paths, so towers were almost empty. We visited 3 towers and saw altogether 11 Common Ringed Plovers, 20 Oystercatchers, 30 Shelducks, 3 Snow Buntings and the best bird was a nearly Bar-tailed Godwit. When we were walking back towards our car, we still heard a Common Snipe.

We still walked to Langoura bird-tower that was close to the parking place and found a male Pochard and 2 Great White Egrets with some Grey Herons. Then we started driving but still turned to check one field in Preiviiki where we saw some Bean and White-fronted Geese. And when we saw a sign to Kaarluoto bird-tower we decided to visit there too. The light was really bad but there were lots of ducks. Some Pintails and Smews and quite a few Wigeons and Teals were seen but soon we were driving again and while driving across Pori we still saw a single Rook.

We had first planned to tent in Pori but the weather seemed to be better the more east we drive, but it was soon getting very late. We checked also hotels in Pori, Tampere and Lahti, but they were closed because of Covid19. So after all we planned to drive until Joutseno where we could start birding in Konnunsuo in the morning but after all we decided to drive until home. We were finally home at 2 a.m. and it had been along drive but we were happy to go to sleep in soft bed.

The Eastern trip had been really good and I am sure we will go there again. Maybe it will be an Eastern-tradition?

Because of the tiredness, very hard wind and rain, on the 5th of April we wereonly an hour and half in Siikalahti. We saw 70 Tundra Bean, 5 Taiga Bean, 5 White-fronted and a single Greylag Goose, a Pochard male, a couple of White-tailed Eagles, heard a Water Rail, saw 2 Golden Plovers, a Meadow Pipit and 10 Fieldfares. In the evening I went to check Särkisalmi and Lemmikonsalmi and saw a Common Gull and a couple of Goosanders.

J.A.

Bird-photography must be made so that birds are not disturbed. They get used to camera-sounds quite easily but all movements must be avoided. My Tragopan-hide is green so I had to make a white cover to make it usable in winter too. I also made a small stool that can be used inside the hide.

On the forest-feeder I had also Long-tailed Tits visiting which was very nice. Three different flocks were seen there so it was easy to get pictures of them. Also a Treecreeper was visiting our feeders for the first time.

Several pairs of Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a couple of Grey-headed and White-backed Woodpeckers were there too. While chasing each other and drumming, they also visited the feeder quite often.

Bright late winter days were good for practising passerine flight-pictures. Wings of tits weren’t completely stopped with 1/8000 shutterspeed!

H.A.

On the last day of the year 2011 I started early and drove to Tammisaari where I left my car and continued with my good friend Kalle Larsson. We had still some 15 kilometres to drive when we got a message that our target bird number one, a Hume’s Leaf Warbler had been found again. It had already been a couple of days in Tallholmarna and soon we were there too. There were already more than 20 twitchers so the bird was easy to find with help of them. The warbler was very active and feeding under the bushes all the time. Soon another warbler, a Chiffchaff was found too – it was crazy to see two Phyllosc-warblers in the middle of the winter!

Actually winter wasn’t actually the word to subscribe the view in Hanko, but now it was a couple of minus degrees anyway. Sea was completely open and there was almost no snow at all. So soon we continued to check what birds there were on the sea.

Common Eiders were swimming close to the shore (I had never seen one in December), some Velvet Scoters and Red-breasted Mergansers, Black-headed Gulls and soon I found the next target bird when a Little Gull was flying far behind one spit. Luckily soon another bird was found and also other birders managed to se this very rare mid-winter bird. And soon also an adult bird was flying over us.

Next we continued to Långören where we hammered bushes and flushed a Skylark and a Meadow Pipit. Both birds had been found on the previous day. We of course hoped that they would stay for the next day too when there would be lots of birders on their traditional 1st of January twitch!

Kalle was in a hurry to back home so we drove back to Tammisaari where I took my car and continued to Karjaa Lappträsk. There had been a Shoveler but all I found were 35 Mallards, 3 Tufted Ducks, 112 Canada Geese, 200 Mute Swans and 40 Whooper Swans. Also a Common Buzzard, a Great Grey Shrike and 10 Long-tailed Tits were seen.

I still continued to Espoo Laajalahti where I was the last hour of day-light. 5 Wigeons, 59 Coots and 15 Smews were seen. It was already dark and the first fireworks were flashing on the sky when I drove back to Kirkkonummi. There I went to sleep before the year changed.

On the 1st of January 2012 I woke up at 6 a.m. and a half an hour later I was driving towards Tammisaari again. Just before Karjaa I surprisingly saw the first bird when a Tengmalm’s Owl flew over the road.

In Tammisaari I waited for some time before Kalle and Marko Kaukinen arrived and I left my car again and we continued to Hanko. We drove straight to Långören where we met our old friends (my Kuusamo bird-race team) Vesa Jouhki, Andreas Linden and Jaakko Aarniala plus Gustaw Nordenswan. We waited for some time to get some light and then started to check the bushes. The second year tick was Mute Swan – they were easy to see from the sea as they are so bright white. But then the third species was a good surprise – a Redwing was calling from the sky. And soon a Pygmy Owl was found from a tree next to us! What a nice start!

From the bushes we heard a Robin calling but a Skylark and a Meadow Pipit were missing. We had to wait for much more light before a Meadow Pipit finally was found. They seemed to be spending the night somewhere else. Then we got a message that a Hume’s Leaf Warbler had been found again and other birders left immediately. We still waited for some time if the Skylark would be found and saw Siskins, Waxwings, Common Eiders, Tufted Ducks but soon we also decided to continue to Tallholmarna.

The Hume’s Leaf Warbler was easy to find again as there were maybe 50 birders already! I continued immediately to watch the sea as it was now pretty cols (-5 degrees) and some snow on the ground – I had a feeling that there could be anything migrating.

The visibility wasn’t good and there were fewer birds than on the previous morning. Canada Geese and Whooper Swans were migrating but almost nothing else. Long-tailed Ducks and Goldeneyes were also seen but most of them were too far on the sea. A Velvet Scoter and some Red-breasted Mergansers and on bird that probably was a Black Guillemot were seen but the last bird was swimming too far. Also 3 migrating divers were seen too far to identify. We got a message that a Little Gull had been seen in another place so we got some hope that they were still around. Then someone shouted that a Chiffchaff had been found so we almost ran to see another amazing first of January tick!

Most of the birders left after they had seen the Chiffchaff. A skylark had been found in Långören now so also Kalle who hadn’t seen this species before on the first of January left there. I was watching to the sea alone now and saw again one more diver which was close enough to identify as a Red-throated Diver. Meanwhile the birders that were still chasing the chiffchaff saw a Little Gull over the mainland but I didn’t get any information about that.

With Marko we were waiting for Kalle to come back from Långören where he had managed to twitch the Skylark when we got a message that there was a Little Gull now in some harbour. Unfortunately Kalle had some troubles with car so once he arrived it was too late again – the Little Gull had disappeared.

We still stayed for a half an hour in Tallholmarna and saw another Red-throated Diver but no Little Gulls. Then we decided that it was already so late that we had to continue towards west.

We had been riving 12 kilometres from Hanko when we got a message that there was a Little Gull flying around in Stormärsen. So we decided to make one more try. We drove straight there but the bird had already gone 10 minutes earlier. Luckily we found it after 5 minutes again and got this amazing 1st of January tick too. And we were soon on the road again.

In Tammisaari I took my car and followed Kalle and Marko to Salo where I left my car again (but now it was on my way back home). In Meriniitty we saw a Pheasant but no Wood Pigeon. Soon we continued towards Turku and saw a Great Grey Shrike in Kaarina Tuorla. We had already passed the bird when we realized that in that place there had been a “homeyeri” Great Grey Shrike! We decided to check the bird again when we come back from Turku but of course it wasn’t there anymore.

In Turku Laukkavuori we twitched a Hoopoe easily. There were also lots of birders. The bird was feeding on a green grass. Amazing! After a couple of pictures we continued again.

We had heard that neither a Greylag Goose nor a Hen Harrier had been seen during the whole day so we continued to Kaarina Piikkiö Viukkala greenhouses where we easily found 5 White Wagtails. On the way I saw a buzzard or harrier from the car window but when we stopped it had disappeared. Then we got a message that a Merlin had been seen in Paimio Paimionlahti and drove there but the bird had already disappeared a while ago. But soon I found it chasing a flock of Yellowhammers. Another good tick!

We still drove to Paimio Pitkäporras to try to see Wood Pigeons and Stock Doves but it was already getting too dark. What could we still do – of course try owls! We drove to Salo Vuohensaari where after some whistling and waiting a Tawny Owl started to call back to us!

Once we got back to my car we still continued with Vesa, Andreas, Jaakko and Gustaw to Hyvinkää Kytäjä where we tried to hear Ural or Tengmalm’s Owls for more than an hour but without luck. It was already late when I finally started my long way back home. The only bird I still saw was the second Tengmalm’s Owl of the day! Usually it is very rare to see Tengmalm’s Owls and now it had been the first and the last bird of the day!

Finally I was back at home just after midnight. It had been amazing change of the year. I had got 9 new first of January ticks but also 9 month ticks altogether!

J.A.

So the first kilometres we walked in Kangaskylä village and saw corvids, tits, 10 Rock Doves and sparrows. In Saharanta we saw also a flock of 33 Redpolls with an Arctic Redpoll. Then we continued over main road 6 towards Siikalahti.

Jays were common on the way to Siikalahti as always and there in dam-road we heard a couple of Whooper Swans. A farm on the eastern side of Siikalahti had Yellowhammers, corvids and Tree Sparrows, but otherwise the walk around Siikalahti was very birdless. 3 flocks of Black Grouses, a Grey-headed Woodpecker and a Great Grey Shrike were seen, but almost nothing else.

We crossed the main road six again and walked back to Kangaskylä where more tits, a couple of Great Spotted Woodpeckers were seen. Jackdaws were in a big flock because of a Goshawk was chasing them.

Totally we saw: 2 Whooper Swans, 18 Black Grouses, 10 Rock Doves, a Grey-headed Woodpecker, 4 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 105 Great Tits, 28 Blue Tits, 5 Wllow Tits, a Great Grey Shrike, 10 Jays, 34 Magpies, 120 Jackdaws, 28 Hooded Crows, 7 House Sparrows, 14 Tree Sparrows, 33 Greenfinches, 33 Redpolls, an Arctic Redpoll, 3 Bullfinches and 30 Yellowhammers. So 22 species and 430 indiwiduals which is pretty normal number of birds in mid-winter here even though the weather hadn’t been normal.

J.A.