June 2009
June
The 1st week of June went in Kuusamo where I was preparing to a bird race. The weather was very bad, windy and cold! Unfortunately my preparations weren’t very successful. On the 1st day we went to Oulanka together with Jukka Salokangas and found only a Willow Grouse, a Rough-legged Buzzard, a Kestrel, a Merlin, a Wryneck, a Dipper and then a Ural Owl that was flying far in Russian side of the border. On the way back to Ruka we saw a Jackdaw in Juuma.
On the 2nd days night we were checking many different small lakes east from Kuusamo with Jaakko Aarniala, but found only a couple of Garganeys, 2 Shovelers, Willow Grouses, a Rustic Bunting, a Starling and then near the city we found Tree Sparrows.
On the 3rd of June we had gone to check some places for a Bluethroat and were about 40km north from Kuusamo when I checked from internet by my phone if there were anything seen in Finland and realized that my brother Pirkka had found a Great Northern Diver in Kemijärvi – only 100km from us! The problem was that Jaakko wasn’t very interested to stop preparations so I drove him to Kuusamo where he had planned to bike around whole morning before I could start my way to Kemijärvi.
After all I managed to get to Kemijärvi about 2 a.m. and the bird was there waiting on Pirkkas scope. Unfortunately it was very far and it was sleeping, so it was hardly possible to identify. So we tried to get closer from the other side of the bay but it seemed to be impossible. Luckily Pirkka had a permit to go inside a big factory-area and from there we managed to see this bird much better, but it was still just sleeping.
I decided to drive back to Kuusamo so I could do my planned preparations and after a half an hour I got a call from Pirkka and he told that the diver was gone! I still had time to check the planned places but found only a Jack Snipe and some Red-necked Phalaropes. After I had picked up Jaakko we still saw a Rook, a couple of Temminck’s Stints and Common Scoters and a Great Crested Grebe nears the city.
On the 4th day ”potu” Suojarinne was also visiting in Kuusamo so we went together to Valtavaara where we heard some Red-flanked Bluetails, Wrens, Chiffchaffs and saw Siberian Jays. In Ruka we saw a Grey Wagtail but that’s it. We were in Konttainen parking place and again listening to one Bluetail when we got a message about a Lesser Spotted Eagle that was coming straight towards us. We and also the rest of my rally-team (except Jukka) drove to Virkkula hill to wait for it to come. And after some waiting we did find a good looking eagle, but it never came close. We just saw that the shape was good and then very pale coverts. Later in the evening we heard that there had been possibly 2 eagles – first a Lesser Spotted Eagle and then this eagle that we had been seen, which had been photographed from another place and it seemed to be a Eastern Imperial Eagle! Only after a couple of days I also saw the pictures of this bird and it never was a Lesser Spotted Eagle! But after all it seems that it has probably been a pale half-fulvescens Greater Spotted Eagle. That would fit perfectly to that what we saw, even though we saw it really far. But let’s see what a rarity committee says…
But on 5th day the rally started at 9 a.m. Our team was me, Jaakko Aarniala, Andreas Lindén, Jukkas Salokangas and Vesa Jouhki. The weather was really horrible! The wind was very hard and it was SNOWING! After twenty minutes in Valtavaara we had 3 species: a Willow Warbler, a Chaffinch and a Brambling – what a disaster start! In Konttainen we heard a Red-flanked Bluetail and then we managed to find a Jay and a Ruff before we drove to Ruka to see a Grey Wagtail. When we continued only 3 of us saw a Honey Buzzard so we couldn’t count that. In Vuotunki we saw Bean Geese, Red-necked Phalaropes and after that a Rough-legged Buzzard and so on. After a Lesser Whitethroat and a Blackbird we continued to Kuntivaara which had been a good place for raptors.
First we ticked a Little Bunting and a Wren and then with some time we managed to find White-tailed Eagles, a Golden Eagle, 2 Black Kites and a Sparrowhawk. Then we headed to city where we saw a Great Crested Grebe, good surprises a Hobby and a Peregrine and also Common Scoters and from rubbish tip we found a Starling. In the evening it was snowing very heavily so we weren’t very lucky and we got only some well prepared species like a Goshawk, an Osprey, Siberian Tits and so on. Later we were having even worse times and had only a Slavonian Grebe (surprisingly in 2 places) and at night from Oulanka we had only a Woodcock.
During the early morning we found Siberian Jays, a Great Grey Shrike and a Tengmalm’s Owl and once we were back near the city we got a Willow Grouse and heard a Garden Warbler singing even though it was snowing very hard!
Finally in morning everything started to go better. When we were in our traditional places in south the weather changed better for an hour which was enough. We go a Three-toed Woodpecker, a Treecreeper, a very good Red-breasted Flycatcher, a Wryneck, Red-throated Divers, a Jack Snipe, Broad-billed Sandpipers and a Golden Plover. Then we headed to city again and after all gad our last species a Temminck’s Stint only 2 minutes before the end of the rally.
After all we had only 119 species even though during the preparation week we had found 144 species. Anyway it was enough to come 2nd in the race. The winner team had 127 species so we weren’t even close.
On the 7th of June I had a short visit in Konttainen but it was still too windy to record a Red-flanked Bluetail. So I continued to Vuotunki where I recorded a Rustic Bunting that we hadn’t found in a race and then continued to Kuntivaara to record a Little Bunting. After that I started my very long way to south. In Hyrynsalmi I decided to make only one stop and I was extremely lucky to find a Grey Wagtail in Ukkohalla – a new self-found bird! After a very long drive I was in Kirkkonummi in my parents’ home at late night.
On the 8th of June I was sleeping very late. In the afternoon I went to birding and visited Espoo Laajalahti to see some waders and hear a Reed Warbler and also Finno where I saw once again lots of Gadwalls and Moorhen but also a hybrid male between Tufted Duck and Pochard and heard a Marsh Warbler.
On the 9th of June we left with Hanna and 9 other birders to Spitsbergen. The tripreport can we read here: Spitsbergen: 9th to 15th og June 2009. (For example Ivory Gulls, a Sabine’s Gull, Grey Phalaropes, Little Auks, a Green-winged Teal and Polar Bears, Walruses and Arctic Foxes.)
On the 16th of June we were back from Spitsbergen. Hanna had to continue back to Parikkala to work but I still had 5 days holiday left. There was a White’s Thrush found and finally identified only a night before and there were hundreds of twitchers now in Kalajoki. I left from Helsinki about 1 a.m. and after a long drive I was in Kalajoki Holmanperä about at 6.30 a.m. There was nobody else around but after 10 minutes I heard a strange tuneless whistling from the forest – there it was a White’s Thrush! The bird was moving all the time and never came closer and then I saw it flying over the forest and that’s it.
I was very tired when I met some birders that had been sleeping somewhere nearby. Soon I drove to Vihaspauha parking place where I saw some Arctic Skuas and Little Terns before started to sleep in my car. I woke up in the afternoon and went to eat and shopping. On the way I saw a Stock Dove. And then went to sleep again. I woke up at 10 p.m. and slowly went again to Holmanperä where were now about 50 twitchers. I was just going to talk with some friends when I heard a White’s Thrush again! Most of birders didn’t hear it but soon it started again. After some hours listening and recording I went to a gas-station nearby to eat and there I met some friends from Oulu. It was about 3 a.m. when I went once more to record this thrush and now there were again nobody else. So I finally managed to get really good recordings without anybody talking on the background. White’s Thrush singing (mp3, 721kb, 45sec).
Finally I decided to leave Kalajoki but I had no idea where to go next? I had planned to go to Oulu but I had forgotten that my brother Riku and his family were just going to leave to Rhodes on next day. So I decided to drive home. There were plenty of birds waiting to be found in Parikkala. In the beginning I still saw some Short-eared Owls but later in the mid-Finland nothing. In Ruokolahti I had to sleep for a cople of hours before I continued to home.
On the 18th of June I had been resting enough so at night I went to twitch lekking Great Snipes in Kullinsuo. At least 2 birds were heard, but they were too far to see or record. A Quail wasn’t found in Koitsanlahti but a Blyth’s Reed Warbler was singing. Then I got a message that there were young Tawny Owls in Ristimäki. Thanks to Matti Lötjönen I saw and recorded these funny small owls that unfortunately were already flying, I had all ringing equipments with me.
On the 19th day I went to Siikalahti by bike and I was just biking towards the dam-road tower when I saw a familiar-looking bird perched on a tree on the northern side. A Greater Spotted Eagle was back again! The same bird had been perched on the same tree so many times in 2 last summers too. This bird was now possible to identify as a 4 c-y also from the plumage.
On mid-summer day on the 20th of June we had a short trip with Hanna. We went to listen to Great Snipes and now also saw 3 birds lekking. Of course we went to see the Tawny Owls too.
On the 21st of June we did a 42 kilometres biking-trip with Hannas brother Miika. We started at midnight and soon we heard the Tawny Owls and some Blyth’s Reed Warblers. On the way to Kolmikanta we heard many Corn Crakes and also a Nightjar and a family of Black Grouses. But unfortunately then it started to rain and even though we were for an hour in Kullinsuo we didn’t hear or see Great Snipes. Then we continued to Siikalahti and on the way we heard a Chiffchaff, a Wren, a Crested Tit and other common morning singers. In Sounio we counted all the Sand Martin nests and saw a Wheatear before continuing to dam-road. A Bittern was heard and saw and Water Rail and Great Reed Warbler heard and a flock of 32 Common Crossbills seen, but even though we visited the main tower, nothing interesting was found. After all we saw 82 species during the trip.
Next night we had a short trip with Hanna and Mikko Ala-Kojola. Great Snipes and Tawny Owls were seen and heard, but then only Water Rails, Blyth’s Reed Warblers and Nightjars. Anyway they were all good for a birder from Oulu.
On 23rd day Pekka Punnonen managed to talk me to Lappeenranta to twitch an Arctic Warbler. It was good because of this bird was very interesting! It was singing actively but also calling a lot. It had several strange calls but it also was drumming with its wings when it was flying. It didn’t open its wing completely but was hitting its wings against sides. But soon we had to drive back to Parikkala where we went to a night-trip with Hanna, Mikko and Daniel Burgas. Again Great Snipes and Tawny Owls were seen and heard, but also Short- and Long-eared Owls and lots of Corn Crakes and Blyth’s Reed Warblers, a Spotted Crake, a Nightjar and a Grasshopper Warbler were heard.
On the 25th of June I found a nest of Wryneck and then my friend ”kile” Huotilainen called me that there was a tiny young Whooper Swan on the middle of his field. I went to catch this cute animal and decided to carry it to Tiviänlampi where a Whooper Swan was nesting. Of course there were also 3 pairs in Siikalahti but I thought that in Tiviänlampi it’d be easier to find a family. After a couple of days we saw a Whooper Swan family there so I think everything turned good.
In the evening I heard that there was a Booted Warbler found in Rautjärvi Lahnanen. So I drove there immediately but the bird was quiet. But on the next morning I went there again at 6.30 a.m. and the bird was singing beautifully. Also a White-backed Woodpecker was seen.
In the evening I went once more to try if the Great Snipes would be closer but only a single bird was heard and it was far. Then I continued to Lappeenranta Joutseno where 3 Quails were twitched in Ravattila and a Turtle Dove in Perä-Ahola. I also found 2 Ural Owls, probably young birds and lots of Corn Crakes but nothing really interesting.
On the 29th we were again on a night-trip with Hanna but we found only a Grasshopper Warbler in Koitsanlahti. In Kullinsuo we heard the Great Snipes and saw a couple of Short-eared Owls. Otherwise it was again really quiet. Only a Great Reed Warbler was heard in Siikalahti. This was for sure the worst ever June for night singers in Finland!
During the last days of June it was raining again.