Quiet midsummer time
After birding 8 days in Eastern Finland with my British friends I was absolutely tired. On the 13th of June I visited Espoo Laajalahti where I saw a Barnacle Goose hybrid and some common waders and in Suomenoja where I saw a Moorhen which was a new year-tick. I had planned to go birding Oulu-area but my car was still not ok. So I had to drive it back to service. Luckily I got it back after one day and I didn’t need to pay anything more.
But anyway I managed to relax an extra day in Kirkkonummi before on the Friday evening I left to Helsinki-Vantaa airport to pick up Hanna who came back from England where she had been on 4 days painting course. Together we drove to Ähtäri where Hanna went to celebrate 40th birthday of the zoo, where a new main building was opened and there was Hanna’s paintings. After night in Hotel Mesikämmen, I continued towards Oulu.
In the afternoon I stopped in Kärsämäki where I managed to twitch a Marsh Warbler as a North Bothnia tick. Then I drove to Liminka Virkkula where I saw a Curlew Sandpiper flying in a flock of Ruffs. I also visited Temmesjokisuu bird-tower but saw nothing. In the evening I drove to Oulu Hietasaari where my parents arrived too and they had rented a cottage. We also met my brother Pirkka’s family and together we walked a little in Nallikari beach and saw a Little Tern and 2 Shelducks.
On Sunday we celebrated my brother Riku’s son Eetu’s confirmation parties. It was late afternoon when I had to start a long way back to Parikkala.
After my holiday I went biking every day. On the 18th day I heard a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in Punkaharju Laakkii and in the evening we went to ring Pygmy Owl nestling together with Hanna, Harri Partanen and Antti Peuna who had come to birding for one day and night to Parikkala. There were only 3 nestlings anymore.
In the evening we left birding with Hanna and Antti. First we twitched Great Snipes, then heard several Nightjars and even saw one of them really well. In Kontiolampi we heard a Grasshopper Warbler and in Kukonkanta 2 Marsh Warblers. Blyth’s Reed Warblers and Corn Crakes were still everywhere. Then we left to Siikalahti to count its birds, we found 3 Bitterns, 8 Water Rails, 2 Spotted Crakes, 2 Thrush Nightingales, a Reed Warbler and Great Reed Warbler. Antti had got even 5 lifers during the night! He hadn’t been birding much in South-Eastern Finland before. He still got his 6th early next morning when he saw a couple of White-backed Woodpeckers.
In Siikalahti we saw a rare red rainbow which forms from red light that curves sharper in atmosphere than other light when the sun is still behind the horizon. The light bent in small drops so that also inside the rainbow was red.
The next days biking trips weren’t productive. In Midsummer festival day we visited Siikalahti where we saw 2 White-fronted Geese, some Bitterns and Slavonian Grebes. Also the first Poplar Admirals were seen.
On the night of 23rd of June I heard 2 Grasshopper Warblers in Tetrisuo and the first time ever a well calling Short-eared Owl. On the next day I saw 2 Badgers on my biking trip. Altogether I biked 380 kilometers in 9 days but that was it then. On the 26th day I drove to Helsinki to surgery. In December I had been in same inner ear surgery but it hadn’t been successful, now it was time for the second try. I hope this time everything goes fine! When I was driving to Helsinki I twitched a Lanceolated Warbler in Ruokolahti. In the evening I had the surgery and the next day I was in the bed.
During my sick-leave I did a couple of trips to Northern Finland
And Hanna was leading a trip to Georgia
J.A. (& H.A.)