August 2008
Rainy August
The August was very rainy. On the 2nd of August we were birding with Mikko Ala-Kojola and the best observations were 2 Two-barred Crossbills in Uukuniemi and 2 more in Melkoniemi. Also the Siberian Jay friends were seen again.
On the 3rd day Esa Sojamo found a Greater Spotted Eagle in Siikalahti. This 3 c-y bird was sitting on a dry tree on the northern side of the bay. And on the next day it wasn’t the only eagle around as an old White-tailed Eagle was back again. A Great Reed Warbler was singing the last song of the year and in the afternoon we went to Savonlinna and Kerimäki to try to find orchids and managed to find more than 10 species.
On the 6th day we were birding together with 2 catalans. Dani Burgas and Ponç Feliu were old friends but they didn’t know at all they both were in Finland in same time. It was funny when they met each other in a deep forest near the Russian border in very early morning. Soon we found 2 young Ural Owls and also the Greater Spotted Eagle was found easily but later the forest birds were totally hiding too well. Only a Two-barred Crossbill was heard briefly. It was too late summer for many forest-specialities.
On the 10th day we participated to a plant-trip in Savonlinna and we managed to find 60 Ghost Orchids and some other rare plants. Only better bird was a autumn-singing Wood Warbler.
On the 11th day I made one of my poorest twitches ever when I went to see a Sanderling to Lappeenranta. Anyway I haven’t seen any Sanderlings for 3 years and it was a South Karelia tick to me. Also 3 Curlew Sandpipers, 3 Temminck’s Stints, 20 Dunlins and 24 Great Ringed Plovers were on the pools.
On the 15th of August I drove to Joutseno where I picked up Sampsa Cairenius and we continued to Helsinki where we met Esa Valsta. We took a taxi to harbour and soon we were on the way to Estonia. Together with other teams that were going to Estonia Open bird race we talked and searched the sea from the deck but only Eiders and later in Estonian waters a Black Guillemot were seen. In Tallinn we got our car and soon we were driving towards Pärnumaa. In Pärnu we found the last member of our team Gustaw Nordenswan and still we drove almost a couple of hours to our hostel.
On the 16th day after 3 hours sleeping we woke up when the race was actually starting. In 45 minutes we were out and ready for the race. In the beginning it was very quiet and only some Song Thrushes and Redwings were heard – but surprisingly they were the only ones in a whole day! In the deep forests we found a Ural Owl, a Tengmalm’s Owl and at least 6 Pygmy Owl and some Nightjars.
In early morning it started to rain so we decided to drive through the rain to the coast. There we birded for several ours and found about 30 Great White Egrets, a Slavonian Grebe, a Little Grebe, 2 Scaups, 2 flocks of Long-tailed Ducks, a Velvet Scoter, an Oystercatcher, a Curlew Sandpiper, a Knot, 4 Broad-billed Sandpipers, 3 Sandwiched Terns, 6 Little Terns, a Black Tern, a Kingfisher, Bearded Reedlings, a Common Rosefinch, 2 Hawfinches and much more.
During the day we moved on to inland to forests, fields and bogs and a Lesser Spotted Eagle, a Red-breasted Flycatcher, Marsh Tits and other forest-birds, 2 White-backed Woodpeckers, a Turtle Dove, some Nutcrackers and 2 Great Grey Shrikes were seen. After all we managed to find 145 species and we came 3rd in the race. On the morning of the 17th day I found a Grey-headed Woodpecker on the backyard of the school where we had a breakfast. Also a Whimbrel was heard. On the way to north we saw a Montagu’s Harrier, a Lesser Spotted Eagle, 4 Turtle Doves, Black Woodpecker and Bullfinches. We birded some time in Matsalu Keemu birdtower where lots of Greylag Geese and White-fronted Geese were found. But soon we had to hurry to Tallinn and to the ferry. In Helsinki we went to twitch a Lesser Grey Shrike before we started our long way back to home. In Lappeenranta Askola we still twitched a Shelduck even though it was already dark. I was home at midnight.
On the 18th day I managed to find a family of Black Redstarts that Jari Kontiokorpi had seen briefly in Kullinuo. Jari had seen 1 or 2 birds but when I managed to find the building where they had been breeding I found 2 adults and 3 young birds. In Lahdensuo I saw a Curlew Sandpiper with 20 Lapwings, 3 Golden Plovers and 2 Ruffs in a wet field. During the next days I saw several time both the Black Redstarts and the Greater Spotted Eagle. Lahdensuo fields seemed to be the best place to find waders in Parikkala where normally it’s almost impossible to see local waders at all. Other birds were just some migrating raptors of common species.
On the 23rd day I twitched a White Stork in Imatra Jäkkö. This was the 1st young White Stork for me in Finland. Then I continued to Lappeenranta Askola where a flock of 3 Bean Geese were found. On the 24th day we birded in Lappeenranta with Pekka Punnonen. A young Shelduck was again in Askola as were a Little Stint, 6 Temminck’s Stints, a Common Sandpiper, and 2 Caspian Terns were migrating. In Luukkaansalmi we saw pretty good raptor-migration: 28 Sparrowhawks, 25 Common, 15 Honey Buzzards, 2 Kestrels, Merlin and 3 Ospreys. Also a Cormorant and a White-backed woodpecker were seen. In Tuosa we saw a flock of 7 Shelducks migrating, heard a White-backed Woodpecker and found several late passerines.
On the 25th day after work we drove together with Pekka and Anniina Tiainen to Virolahti Kellovuori because of a Short-toed Eagle had been seen 4 times during the day there. Unfortunately we managed to get there too late and we had only an hour before it started to rain again. Only raptors we saw were 8 Marsh Harriers.
On the next day, 26th of August we decided to make another try and a couple of hours earlier we managed to get to Kellovuori. Right away we found a White Stork and soon a Black Kite passed the tower. The rest of the birders were still looking at the kite when I found a Short-toed Eagle rising to the sky. This stunning bird was soaring for 15 minutes before it started to fly towards the Russia. We could see it flying straight to Russia for 30 minutes before it disappeared. What a great lifer!
On the 29th day I saw again some Great Ringed Plovers and a Ural Owl in Lahdensuo, And on the 30th day a Stock Dove and a Cuckoo in Siikalahti but in Saari only some Hen Harriers and an Ortolan Bunting were found.
On the last day of August we saw a Rough-legged Buzzard and 7 Bean Geese migrating in Siikalahti. A Lapwing, a Little Stint and a Great Ringed Plover were local. In Lahdensuo 10 Great Ringed Plovers, 5 Little Stints, Dunlin and 2 Parrot Crossbills were seen.