July birding
In the mid July there was still at least 1 Great White Egret in Siikalahti. It stayed all the time in the reeds on the northern side of the dam-road and was seen only in flight very briefly. I also visited Imatra again and saw this time a couple of Grey Wagtails in Tornansilta. Other birds seen in Siikalahti were a male Hen Harrier in Siikalahti on the 13th and 2 female plumaged Smews on the 14th of July.
On the 15th of July we drove to north-west and stopped in Siilinjärvi Raasio where we saw 5 Ringed Plovers, a Ruff, 2 Red-necked Phalaropes, 2 Curlew Sandpipers, 2 Temminck Stints, 4 Dunlins, 1 Little Stint and 1 Sanderling. We continued until Siikajoki Tauvo where we put up the tent at 2 a.m.
On the 16th of July we woke up after the heavy rain finally stopped at 11 a.m. We walked to Tauvo Ulkonokka where we saw a Bittern, 16 Ringed Plovers, 24 Curlew Sandpipers, 3 Sanderlings, 120 Dunlins, 4 Little Stints, a Temminck Stint, a Spotted Redshank, 7 Little Terns, 2 Arctic Skuas, a Caspian Tern and so on.
Then we continued to Sääri where we counted 192 Mute Swans! In Lumijoki Sannanlahti we saw nothing interesting and in Liminka Virkkula only 2 White-tailed Eagles. Finally we were in Kempele Vihiluoto where we had booked a room. In the evening we met my parent and my brother Pirkka’s family and ate well together.
On the 17th day we visited Oulunsalo Kemepeleenlahti and heard a Spotted Crake. During the day we celebrated my brother Riku’s daughter Oona’s confirmation parties. Unfortunately we had a long way back home so we had to leave in the afternoon. On the way we stopped in Raasio again and saw 6 Little Ringed Plovers, 10 Curlew Sandpipers, 2 Temminck Stints, 144 Dunlins, 2 Little Stints, a Sanderling, 2 Common Sandpipers and a Green Sandpiper.
On the 21st day I counted 116 Barnacle Geese in Joukionsalmi and saw a White-tailed Eagle in Siikalahti. During the weekend I was sailing in Saimaa with my friends and we camped in a big tent in islands. Only better birds were a couple of migrating flocks of Common Scores and a few Cormorants.
On the 25th of July a Nutcracker had arrived again to Kangaskylä. We get every autumn some birds from Punkaharju Metla. In the afternoon we visited Siikalahti and found a young Pygmy Owl roosting in the middle of bushes. An angry Garden Warbler helped us to find the owl.
On the 29th day I saw a young Hen Harrier in Siikalahti and during the next days we found some families of Red-backed Shrikes. It is amazing how this species can be hiding until the youngsters are leaving their nests. On the 31st day a visit to Saari wasn’t good but we had the first flock of Common Crossbills in Parikkala for whole year! And in the next days I saw some more Common Crossbills. Only a couple of Grey Herons were seen, nothing else really.
J.A.