June 2006
June
On the 2nd of June I drove to Joensuu where we had a meeting with all the teams that participated to Ilomantsi birdrally. I met also my team, Markus Keskitalo and Pertti Tolvanen from Lieksa. Soon all the teams drove to Ilomantsi where we had 2 hours time to check some places before the rally started at midnight.
We checked the only bird lake we knew – Sonkajanrannanjärvi, which was a good decision: Slavonian Grebes, Marsh Harriers, Smews, Garganeys, Shovelers and so on wouldn’t be in many places.
A little bit before the midnight we decided to try to find some night singers so we could start the rally well. We managed to find Thrush Nightingales, Blyth’s Reed Warblers, Corn Crakes and then on time also several Grasshopper Warblers and a Long-eared Owl – so we had a good start!
Then we drove back to the lake but most of the ducks were gone to sleep. But we found a Spotted Crake so we were happy even though we knew we should come back later.
We continued to north by driving with open windows and heard an Icterine Warbler, saw a Common Buzzard and in Mekrijärvi we got a Red-necked Grebe, Red-throated Diver, Hazel Grouse, Red-backed Shrike, Ortolan Bunting and Pheasant.
Then we drove to Patvinsuo where we tried to twitch a Red-flanked Bluetail without success. We had a Dunnock and a Black Woodpecker on the way before we ended to Ertonniemi where we saw a Capercaillie, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Goosander, Hobbies, 3 migrating Jackdaws and a Cormorant!
The next stop was made to a bog nearby and again we were lucky – a Redpoll, Ruffs, Wood Sandpipers, a Kestrel, a Sparrowhawk and then 2 Barnacle Geese were migrating with one of the flock of Whooper Swans!
On the way to Ilomantsi village we got a message about another Red-flanked Bluetail in Katajikorpi. We were quite close so we decided to try. We had a Jay on the way and then 2 Honey Buzzards and a Greenish Warbler but no Bluetail.
We still got a Yellow Wagtail and Sand Martins before we stopped at Pikku-Aunus fields where we had a Little Ringed Plover, Skylarks and a flock of 30 Bean Geese.
At the village we had plenty of Starlings and Markus found Red-breasted and Great Crested Grebes from the lake. Then we had to hurry to Sonkajanrannanjärvi to get some ticks we knew are waiting.
Marsh Harrier was the only tick we got after all, so we had to continue to Kesonsuo bog to finish our rally.
After a long drive and long walk we ended up to the tower in Kesonsuo just 15 minutes before the end of the rally! But we managed to see Pintails and the best species of our rally only a minute before the end of the rally – a Grey Plover.
After all we got the Grey Plover too late because we had the same amount of species with one another team and they had had their last species 2 minutes before the end of the rally – so we came 2nd because of one single minute!!! Then we had sauna and slept in Patvinsuo with all other teams – which was very good idea.
On the next day we went to twitch some good species that were found in the rally with Ari Parviainen, Pentti Zetterberg and Jari Kontiokorpi but we weren’t lucky to see neither Bluetail nor Montagu’s Harrier. We did find a Red-breasted Flycatcher and then a strange pale eagle which was perched on a tree several kilometres away in the middle of a huge Koivuvuo bog! There had been a fulvescens Greater Spotted Eagle in Ilomantsi and in the beginning we were sure that was the bird, but when it finally flew to the forest there was something wrong with it! After all we weren’t sure what it was!
Finally we drove to Joensuu from where we continued south with Jari. On the way we saw a Long-eared Owl.
On the 5th of June we woke up 3 a.m. and noticed we had got a message from Esko Veijalainen – he had found a Little Crake from Sammallampi. We were in a hurry to go to do counts to Saari but we managed to find the crake even though it was on the opposite corner of the lake than where Esko had heard it. At the count the only better observation was a River Warbler.
At the afternoon we photographed the fledlings of White-backed Woodpeckers and saw a Grey-headed Woodpecker.
On the next day I did a quickly twitch to Pohjanranta where “konza” had found a Terek Sandpiper – very good Parikkala tick! At the evening we helped Kimmo Martiskainen to ring a nestlings of White-backed Woodpecker.
During the night of 8th and 9th we did a real night singer trip with Ilkka Jarva. At the evening we went to Särkisalmi where we heard Blyth’s Reed Warblers, Marsh Warblers and a River Warbler, then we saw a Long-eared Owl, Grasshopper Warbler and Corn Crakes in Eskola. In Siikalahti we heard more warblers but also Water Rail, Spotted Crakes and Nightjar. At Sammallampi the Little Crake was still calling and the Savi’s Warbler on the other side of Siikalahti was still singing but also alarming – it was probably breeding! At Ylä-Ollukka we twitched a Quail but soon we found another one more from Pohjasuo. Of course more warblers, Golden Orioles, Spotted Crakes, Corn Crakes, Bitterns and so on were seen and heard. At Tyrjänkoski we found a Greenish Warbler and a Wren, but then we had to hurry to Siikalahti where I had promised to be a guide for the weekend. After 7 hours we were really tired, but we had seen Icterine Warbler, Reed Warbler, 5 Honey Buzzards, 8 Hobbies, 6 Smews, a White-backed Woodpecker, a Ruff and so on.
On the next day I was guiding again but nothing interesting were seen, just a Great Reed Warbler, Hen Harrier and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.
On 11th day we did the counts in Saari again, but nothing was found. In the evening I went with Matti Lötjönen to ring one nestling of a Tengmalm’s Owl to Punkaharju Kulennoinen to Ilpo Kuusisalo’s summer cottage.
On the 13th we did the nightsinger count in Siikalahti: 13 Thrush Nightingales, 10 Spotted Crakes, 3 Water Rails, 3 Bitterns, altogether 7 Grasshopper Warblers and 5 Blyth’s Reed Warblers, some Golden Orioles, a Savi’s Warbler were heard and a Grey Heron was seen. Most of the birds were already quiet.
On the 14th day I got a year tick when I visited Punkaharju Metla on the way to Savonlinna. The Nutcrackers were once again very easy to find. On the next day I heard a Grey-headed Woodpecker at Simpele.
On the 18th of June we had a bicycle bird rally! We biked some 60 kilometres with Hanna! We had altogether 98 species but nothing really interesting and some of the common species were not found. Of course there are not so many places where you can go by bike and listen to Blyth’s Reed Warblers, River Warblers, Grasshopper Warblers, Reed Warblers, Icterine Warblers and see Slavonian Grebes, Black Woodpeckers, Ruffs and so on. But both teams in Lappeenranta reached 100 species so next year we have to try harder…
On the 19th day my brother Pirkka and his family came to spend a week in Parikkala. They had a big and perfect cottage from Pistonniemi where we spent several evenings – ate well, had fun with children and of course watched soccer! 7 years old Tuukka did the best bird observation – he found a breeding pair of Barnacle Geese by Pirkka’s scope. The first ever breeding pair in South Karelia!
Of course we did several night singer trips but all other rarities but Quails had stopped singing. All the common ones (I mean Blyth’s, Marsh, River, Grasshopper, Icterine and so on warblers and Spotted and Corncrakes and so on) were of course found.
We celebrated the midsummer with Pirkka’s family and our parents and grandmother who also came to the cottage for a couple of days. Of course we visited Siikalahti too, but only 5 Gadwalls were seen.
After the last night singer trip with Pirkka I managed to sleep for 2 hours when my phone rang – Hanna who had gone to make a count to Saari had found a Lanceolated Warbler! After 30 minutes I found the bird and saw it well!
On the next morning we both did the counts in Saari and then ringed the Lanceolated Warbler. A funny bird – it went three times through the mist net before it got caught and this all happened in 30 seconds!
Only surprise at the next nights count in Siikalahti was that the Savi’s Warbler was singing on the different place than earlier. Maybe it was trying to find another female? Well we still have to try to see the first female…
On 29th of June I drove to Oulu to see my friends but also to have a meeting with my old class from 5th and 6th grade! On the way I couldn’t see anything before in Kärsämäki I went to check one bird tower I had never visited before. Surprisingly the place was really good: 8 Slavonian Grebes, a Red-necked Grebe, a Smew, Garganeys and so on.
At Liminka I year ticked a Collared Dove before I reached Oulu and went to my brother Riku. At the weekend we had really good parties with my friends but anyway I managed to see some birds too – but I saw them on July…