July 2008
July birding
On the first days night we went together with Andreas Lindén to have another look at Swinhoe’s Snipe at Tohmajärvi Niirala. On the way we had some Spotted Crakes, Blyth’s Reed Warblers and a Water Rail in Saari. The Swinhoe’s Snipe was found right away too dark so we decided to continue to continue to Uudenkylänlampi to record a Savi’s Warbler. Unfortunately there were too many mosquitos so the recording was impossible. Then we continued to Värtsilä to try Great Snipes but only Snipes were found. The next stop was in Piilovaara where after an hour searching we finally found the right path to Arctic Warbler that was singing continuously. We had pretty good recording where on the background were totally different species than usually – for example a Blackcap and a drumming White-backed Woodpecker. It was already morning when we continued to Niirala where we met my French friend Pierre-Andre Crochet, who had come to twitch the snipe. Soon the snipe started to display again and we got great recording and luckily it landed to an electric pole so I managed to get amazing pictures too. But this wasn’t still enough; it started to call on the pole so we got also this another call recorded! But soon we had to hurry because I had to be at work soon.
On the 3rd of July we left to south with Hanna and Hannas sister Elissa. We drove until Pyhtää Mäntyniemi where Jonmar’s boat was already waiting for people that had bought a ticket to seabird-trip. The boat came almost too full of people and soon it became clear that we had to be the guides for others because of the real guide was too quiet and a couple of men were shouting wrong identifications all the time. Pretty soon a Caspian Tern, Barncle, Canada and Greylag Geese were found and after we had passed the closest islands the first flocks of Eiders and Black Guillemots were seen. Soon after the first Razorbills were found we saw the target islands Pernaja Apskär. The two bird-islands were absolutely full of birds: on the other island there were 2 Shellducks, Velvet Scoters and many other more common birds and a White-tailed Eagle was flying over it and on the another island there were at least 600 Razorbills and 25 Common Guillemots!
Atfer these islands we were soon back on the coast and we went through thin canal between Loviisa and Ruotinpyhtää and islands where we saw plenty of breeding Ospreys and Grey Herons and heard a Great Reed Warbler and so on.
On the way back to Parikkala we went to see how the Great Grey Owls were doing and finally also the second youngster had left the nest and after some searching we found it and ringed it. Finally our long owl season was over!
After work I drove again south, this time to Kirkkonummi. I was going to Tringa summer bird race to team Takaveto with Jaakko Aarniala, Andreas Lindén, Andreas Uppstu and Jukka Salokangas. On the way I twitched a Terek Sandpiper in Lappeenranta Askola and a Great White Egret in Virolahti Vilkkiläntura. And I went to my parents to sleep.
On the 5th of July the rally-area was raffled and it became Sipoo and Pornainen. At 6 p.m. the race started and next 18 hours we were exploring mostly Sipoo and the last hour or so Pornainen. After all we managed to find 112 species and the best ones were a Ural Owl, 3 Tawny Owls, young Eagle Owls, Nightjars, 2 Blyth’s Reed Warblers, Corn Crakes, 3 River Warblers, 2 Yellow Wagtails, an Icterine Warbler, a Nutcracker, a Water Rail, a Grey-headed Woodpecker and so on. But the race was very tough and we were only 6th.
Almost straight after the race I started my way back home. Somewhere in Luumäki I had to sleep for a couple of hours and at late night I was in Lappeenranta where I went to see the Terek Sandpiper again. The bird looked very different than a couple of days earlier so it probably was a different bird. A little bit before the midnight I drove to Joutseno Konnunsuo Myllärinen where I twitched a Lanceolated Warbler. I had good recordings and continued to another Lanceolated Warbler to Pätilä. I recorded this one too and the bird was calling the alarm call in same time that it was singing so I got good recordings. After all these were the only Lanceolated Warblers in the whole country this year and they both disappeared after a couple of days.
The next couple of days I was resting but and the best bird was a twitched Nutcracker in Kangaskylä on the 11th of July. On the same evening flocks of 6 Barnacle Geese and 13 Grey Herons were migrating in Siikalahti. On the night of 12th day we had a short night-trip to Tyrjä and Kesusmaa and we found 8 broods of Long-eared Owl, 49 Corn Crakes, a couple of Blyth’s Reed Warblers and a River Warbler.
On the 13th day we had an Atlas bird race where we tried to find as many breeding species as possible in 10×10km Atlas-square. From 2 a.m. the next 10 hours we were exploring this square on the western side of Lake Simpele and we found 106 species which quite many of them were made sure they were or had been breeding on the square. The better species were a Spotted Crake, a White-backed Woodpecker, 6 Canada Geese, many Wrens and Chiffchaffs, 2 Long-tailed Tits, 4 River Warblers and so on.
On the next days I woke up at 5 a.m. and went to Siikalahti to see if there were any waders possible to see on migration. On the 15th of July 2 Curlew Sandpipers and 4 Dunlins, 16th day an Arctic Skua, 2 Curlew Sandpipers and a Dunlin (which stayed for more than a week local), on the 17th day 110 Lapwings and on 18th day a Temminck’s Stint were seen. On the 19th day we went to Lappeenranta where Hanna went shopping and I went birding. In Askola a Curlew Sandpiper and a Merlin were seen before we continued to Vainikkala with Pekka Punnonen. There we saw 10 Honey Buzzards before after 2 hours waiting a Black Kite was found. Surprisingly there was suddenly 2 more raptors soaring together with the kite and we found out that they all were similar – 3 adult Black Kites in a same picture!
During the next days I continued waking up early so I had a couple of hours time for birding before work but on 20th day only a Curlew Sandpiper and 30 Ruffs, on 21st day 20 Common Scoters, on 22nd day a White-tailed Eagle and a Smew were seen. Several Golden Orioles were still heard and quite a few raptors were soaring on the sky during the day in Siikalahti.
On the 25th of July we were again in Lappeenranta but the weather was too good for birds. Askola was almost empty so we just went shopping. On the way back we tried to twitch a Montagu’s Harrier in Konnunsuo but only Hen Harriers and a family of Short-eared Owls were seen.
On the 27th day we birded in Saari together with Mikko Ala-Kojola but the best observation was a flock of 5 migrating Rock Doves in Akanvaara Tetrisuo. A White-tailed Eagle was seen in Akonpohja and several breeding pairs of Honey Buzzards were around.
On the last days of July I still went to Siikalahti every day but only Grey Herons and a Great Reed Warbler were found. Only waders were Wood Sandpipers and Greenshanks.