End of July – a couple of twitches too
After the trip to Lapland the weather stayed amazing good! It was at least +25 degrees every day, even 30 in some days. On the same evening that we had came back home, I visited Kullinsuo and Tetrisuo floods but they were almost dry. Anyway I found 4 Temminck Stints on Tetrisuo and heard a Golden Oriole and in Siikalahti I saw a couple of Red-backed Shrikes. On the next day I still saw one Temminck Stint with a Little Ringes Plover and a Whimbrel. On the 15th of July the floods were gone but a Ruff was standing on a field.
On the night at 16th and 17th of July I went to buy gas from Svetogorsk, Russia as I now had a visa for one year. After that I drove to joutseno Kuurmanpohja and twitched a Lanceolated Warbler there. Then I continued to Taipalsaari where I slept a couple of hours in my car and woke up when an Arctic Warbler started to sing at 4:33 a.m. Then I still drove to Lappeenranta Askola where I saw 3 Curlew Sandpipers, 7 Dunlins, 3 Temminck Stints, an Oystercatcher and a Redshank. Then I drove to work. Anyway I still visited Siikalahti in the afternoon and saw 2 Grey Herons and heard a Water Rail there.
On the 19th of July we visited Siikalahti bird-tower and saw quite a few ducks. Only better ones were a Smew and 2 Pintails. On the 20th day I went by bike to Siikalahti very early in the morning with Harri Partanen but only a Red-backed Shrike, 2 Golden Orioles, a Great Reed Warbler, a Black Woodpecker and a White-backed Woodpecker were seen or heard. In Härskiinmutka we counted 90 Great Crested Grebes. On the 21st day I was jogging for 2 hours and 35 minutes and saw a Wryneck in Härskiinmutka and a Spotted Redshank and 2 Grey Herons in Siikalahti. On the 22nd I ran only a short round in Likolampi where I heard 2 Wood Warblers.
On the 24th of July we left with Juha Honkanen to Lappeenranta by bikes. It was 107 km drive. On the next morning we left with Juha and Hannu Honkanen, Kenneth Eriksson and Jarmo Laukkanen to Ristiina which was 81 km. On Saturday also Kimmo Asikainen joined us and we biked 130 km to Sulkava, but on this day I drove 30 km our service-car. Then on Sunday we drove last 110 km to Parikkala, so in 4 days I was biking 400 kilometers! Not many birds were seen, a Red-backed Shrike in Savitaipale was the best and in Parikkala I heard a Haw Finch. But the weather was perfect and we really had fun!
On the 28th of July I heard a Red-breasted Flycatched calling in Siikalahti and on the next day I twitched a Lesser Grey Shrike in Ruokolahti Utula – it was my 3rd South-Karelia tick of the year. It was raining very hard but luckily I saw the bird a couple of times briefly. When the rain stopped I drove to Imatra and twitched a Bar-headed Goose that was on Vuoksi-river with some Canada Geese.
On the 30th of July I saw 3 Rock Doves in Kangaskylä, 3 Canada Geese in Härskiinmutka and in Tarvaslampi we heard a migrating Golden Plover song from the sky evening sky.
J.A.