. . Lintuharrastajan päiväkirja Birders diary . .

After Eastern there still weren’t many birds around. On the 7^th of April I saw an Oystercatcher in Kangaskylä and on the 9^th day a Great Crested Grebe in Särkisalmi and a couple of migrating Tundra Seans in Siikalahti, 10th day a couple of Curlews and a Merlin and so on in Siikalahti. We checked quite a few owl nest-boxes but they were empty, a couple of Capercaillies were seen and a Boreal Owl female was found in the same nest-hole as in several previous years.

On the 11th of April we were in Siikalahti for several hours and saw a Greylag Goose couple, heard at least 6 Water Rails and a Bittern, saw 7 Cormorants, Hen and Marsh Harriers, White-tailed Eagles and a Rough-legged Buzzard. In the evening I still saw an early Red-breasted Merganser and a Black Kite. We checked some nest-boxes again but again just saw a Capercaillie and found one actively calling Pygmy Owl.

On the 12th day I saw a Wren singing and also found a Nuthatch couple in Siikalahti. In Saari we found a Wood Lark in Akanvaara Tetrisuo and a Lapland Longspur in Uukuniemi Suurenjärvenliete. Then we checked some empty nest-boxes again.

On the 14th day I saw a Greylag Goose in Härskiinmutka and an Osprey in Siikalahti. There was now an Oystercatcher couple in Kangaskylä. On the 15^th day my long-awaited spring holiday started and I headed to Kirkkonummi.

I was birding in Kirkkonummi for a couple of days with my father. On the 15^th day we visited Norra Fladet where we had Song Thrushes, a Dunnock, Little and Common Ringed Plovers and on the way I saw a Grey Heron. On the 16^th day we started at Porkkala where we saw Common Eiders, Long-tailed Ducks, Mute Swans, Great Black-backed Gulls and migrating Red-throated and Black-throated Divers. In Espoo Finno we found Horned Grebes, Shovelers, Gadwalls and Moorhens and in Laajalahti Caspian and Common Terns, Common Redshanks and a Chiffchaff. So I got plenty of year-ticks but noting better was seen.

On the 17th of April we still visited Saltfjärden but saw just some common raptors. During the day I headed toward west and stopped in Salo where I found one Collared Dove after some searching. After all I was in a hurry and did the last shopping in Nauvo before drove to Pärnäinen where I got to Utö-ferry.

I stayed at the deck for whole trip to Jurmo and saw a Hen Harrier, some Velvet Scoters and a flock of Common Scoters. Finally I was on Jurmo island and together with Petri Puolakka we walked to bird-station and soon we had everything ready and went to sleep.

On the 18th of April ringers Petri and Mikko Kormilainen headed to mist-nets very early and when sun started to rise we were watching migration with Vesa Virtanen. There wasn’t much migration except hundreds of small thrushes, mostly Song Thrushes. Also a Bar-tailed Godwit, Common Shelducks and Razorbills were seen. During the day we walked both routes, in west and east. We saw a Golden Plover, a Whimbrel, a Dunlin (schinzii), 60 Purple Sandpipers, a Red-necked Grebe, a Parasitic Jaeger, a Short-eared Owl, a Rock Pipit and a Jack Snipe. We also saw 5 Horned and 6 Great Crested Grebes, a Rook and a Hawfinch and also Petri and Mikko had work to do as they caught for example 422 Robins.

On the 19th day also Teijo Saari had arrived. We saw again plenty of thrushes in the morning and later we saw the first Northern Wheatears and also a male Pallid Harrier. There were now a couple of “schinziis” and even 235 Purple Sandpipers in west. Ringers caught still 242 Robins and so on.

But then the weather turned bad with northern winds and sun was shining from blue sky. So there really wasn’t birds in mist-nets anymore and not much to see anywhere else either. With “Vesku” we were ticking day-ticks for me as I had never been anywhere on the coast on these dates. So even Mute Swans, common ”seaducks”, Common Shelduck, Bar-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Parasitic Jaeger, Razorbill, Rock Pipit and so on were ticks every day. Of course we hoped to find some early migrants but there really weren’t many birds at all.

On the 20th day most thrushes were Fieldfares and in the afternoon the first Pied Flycatcher was caught and I finally saw the first Tree Pipit. We saw altogether 3 Lapland Longspurs and also a Ruff. Mikko left so Petri was now alone checking empty mist-nets.

On the 21st day the island was almost empty but finally the first Black Guillemot was seen and again one Lapland Longspur. On the 22^nd day we saw an Arctic Tern, a Wood Lark, a Great Grey Shrike, heard a Twite that flew right over us and the best bird was a Caspian Gull that Vesku found and the rest of us saw just poorly in flight. On the 23^rd day Santeri Hiltunen arrived and the only year-tick was a Common Greenshank and only other birds to mention were 5 Red-necked Grebes.

Because of the island had been so empty I decided to make my stay even worse and stay much longer than I had planned on the island. So on the 24^th day we had to visit mainland and go shopping with Vesku. In Parainen we visited Petteby and Mattholmsfladan bird-towers and heard a Bittern and saw a Ruff, a Caspian Tern and a Barn Swallow. We also did some birding in Nauvo forests but found only some tits and a Parrot Crossbill. In the evening Ohto Oksanen and Inga Gröndahl was in the same ferry.

On the 25th day there were more mist-nets and even some birds in them. Right away in the morning a Long-eared Owl was ringed and later also a Blackcap. It was pretty good day otherwise too as in the morning we counted even 12238 Common Scoters which was the record in Jurmo. Also a couple of Greater Scaups and a Common Guillemot and 31 Bar-tailed Godwits, 42 Razorbills, 17 Parasitic Jaegers, a Common Redstart and a couple of Great Grey Shrikes were seen during the day.

But the next days were again very poor. There were more than 500 meters of mist-nets but almost no birds. On the 26^th day we saw a 2nd calendar year Pallid Harrier but nothing else really. As ringers had nothing else to do the put up some effort to catch a Jackdaw that was visiting the feeder in the garden and finally it got ringed. Then on the next day there really was nothing new happening.

On the 28th of April we counted 54 Razorbills and 11 Rock Pipit and Petri Vainio arrived. On the 29^th day I finally saw a Common Sandpiper and a Common Buzzard was also a new Jurmo-tick for me. Also a Wood Lark was seen. Juha Honkala and Timo Kuusikko arrived and on the next morning Petri and Inga left. It really hadn’t been the best time for Inga to visit from Ivalo.

Finally all hopes for new April-ticks were left to the last possible day but it still didn’t look promising as the wind was still from north. We really tried hard again anyway. In the morning we saw more than 1300 migrating thrushes and later we saw plenty of the same day-ticks as every day. But finally in west we saw a Little Tern which was a month-tick for me. Also a Little Gull and a Turnstone were seen. And finally there were also some insect-eater like 23 Pied Flycatchers and 8 Common Redstarts and also 17 Waxwings.

On the 1st of May the wind was finally turning but still there weren’t as many birds as we had expected. But at least there were some year-ticks. In the morning we saw a Wood Sandpiper and when we were walking towards east with Vesa and Timo, we heard a Hoopoe calling! Then Timo saw the bird on the ground and then flying straight to one of the mist-nets. I hurried after it but it wasn’t stuck at all and escaped when I still was about 20 meters from it. We still saw it once in flight and then some tourist heard it in east and Juha heard it from the bog but after that it was never found again. Other year-ticks were Whinchat 4, Willow Warbler 15 and a Yellow Wagtail. Other birds to mention were a pale-backed Lesser Black-backed Gull, a Caspian Tern, 3 Little Terns, a Marsh Harrier and 77 Chiffchaffs, 20 Waxwings, 38 Pied Flycatchers, 19 Common Redstarts and again we had seen some thrush-migration in the morning.

On the 2nd of May it was my birthday and of course plenty of ticks to be found as the wind was finally good. There were indeed more birds in mist-nets too but again all the ticks were the same as every day.  Birds to mention were 115 Greater White-fronted Geese, 22 Common Shelducks, 48 Golden Plovers, 32 Whimbrels, 56 Bar-tailed Godwits, 40 Purple Sandpipers, a Spotted Redshank, 5 Turnstones, 2 “schinzii” and “alpine” Dunlins, 4 Little Terns, 8 Wrynecks, a Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 138 Chiffchaffs and when I was absolutely tired and just back in the station Santeri found a Collared Flycatchers from the eastern woods. With Teijo we decided to go twitching of course. Luckily Vesku stopped us in the garden and we first looked into his telescope to see a Ring Ouzel that he had just found. We hurried with Teijo and after some searching we managed to see a stunning adult male Collared Flycatcher briefly. But soon we had to hurry back to the station as we still had a log to do. Ohto had left in the morning but Lauri Kokkala had arrived.

On the 3rd of May new arrivals were a House Martin, a Hobby and then with Santeri we found an early Red-backed Shrike from west and later also a Sedge Warbler. We also saw a female Smew, a Long-eared Owl, 14 Common Sandpipers, 120 Purple Sandpipers, 11 “alpine” Dunlins, 4 Little Terns, 40 Whinchats, 120 Blackcaps, 147 Common Redstarts, 53 Pied Flycatchers, a Hawfinch and even 7 Ring Ouzels! Timo and Petri left so there weren’t too many birders in the station. Luckily with Santeri we had been able to stay longer than we had planned.

On the 4th day we found the first 9 Common Whitethroats and in west we saw a Great Egret flying over us. In pine-forest we heard a Cuckoo calling and while we were already walking back to the station we found a female-plumaged Black Redstart. Other birds to mention were even 883 counted Velvet Scoters, a Greater Scaup couple, 5 Little Terns, 2 Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, a Great Grey Shrike, 83 Blackcaps, 11 Lesser Whitethroats, 50 Common Redstarts, 31 Whinchats and 52 Northern Wheatears.

On the 5th day Juha caught an early Garden Warbler which we of course went to see. While we were walking back, we saw an interesting looking bird hanging on the next mist-net – a Common Reed Warbler. Altogether we saw 140 Loons in migration. In west we heard calls of a Grey Plover from the sky and in the evening there was a Thrush Nightingale hopping in the grass in the garden. Altogether we counted 45 Oied Flycatchers but still there weren’t more Collared Flycatchers. A couple of Horned Grebes, 12 Spotted Redshanks, 9 Turnstones, 21 “alpinas”, a Little Gull, a Hen Harrier, a Ring Ouzel and a Tree Sparrow were seen.

On the 6^th of May it was the last day but still we worked hard. In the morning we saw 180 migrating Loons, and 46 Whimbrels and later 150 Purple Sandpipers and a Ring Ouzel. Petri came back and right away climbed to a nest of a Raven so we got 4 nice young Ravens to ring. Then with Santeri and Juha we had to walk to harbor where we still found a Black Redstart. With Santeri we till spent time on the deck but saw nothing new. From Pärnäinen we drove to Kaarina where I dropped Santeri to wait for a bus and I still had a long drive ahead.

Finally in Lappeenranta I was so tired that I decided to drive to Joutseno Kotasaari to sleep. On the 7^th of May I woke up at 5 a.m. and heard a Moorhen right away. I spent a couple of hours by the pools and saw a Black Kite, a couple of Citrine Wagtails, Sand Martins, Garganeys, a Temminck’s Stint and heard a Black-tailed Godwit. I also saw several old friends. Then I drove the last hour or so to Parikkala where I still did some birding after good naps. In the evening I still ticked Great Snipe and Spotted Crake. And late at night my brother Pirkka arrived to spend a traditional bird-tower competition weekend.

On the 8th of May we started at Siikalahti bird-tower where we saw nothing special but of course Pirkka got plenty of year-ticks. Then we headed to Saari where still weren’t any floods so there weren’t too many birds. Anyway in Akonpohja we found 4 Horned Grebes, in Ratila we found a Red-breasted Goose and in Tarassiinlahti 2 more Red-breasted Geese and also an early Brent Goose and in Kanavalampi I saw a Black Kite. In the afternoon we went to ring 4 Ural Owl nestlings but on another nest a female was still on eggs. Later we still went to see a Long-eared Owl on its nest.

On the 9^th of May we had the Bird-tower competition “Tornien Taisto”. With 3 Aaltos there were Matti Lötjönen, Miika Soikkeli, Akseli Solasaari and surprisingly also Rami Lindroos and Mika Asikainen – so we got some good reinforcements to the team. It wasn’t the best bird-day so we really had to work hard to get species. So it took 3 instead of normal 3 hours to reach 80 species. Luckily some more pictures were got after that too until it stopped. The best birds in the morning had been a Greylag Goose couple, 4 Gadwalls, 55 Common Scoters, 52 Whimbrels, a Spotted Crake, a Red-throated Loon, a Short-eared Owl, a Black and a Grey-headed Woodpecker, 2 Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers and amazingly only one Coot. Luckily we still managed to see a flock of 7 Velvet Scoters, a couple of Pink-footed Geese, a Goshawk, a 2^nd calendar year Pallid Harrier and a Hen Harrier which was our last and 92th species. This time there were a few towers inland that had got 1 species more than us and of course one of them was Tarassiinlahti.

In the afternoon we visited Saari again but saw nothing new really. In the evening we visited fields and saw some Long- and Short-eared Owls and heard a Great Snipe. On the 10^th day we started at night and counted night-birds in Siikalahti. We heard 11 Bitterns, 24 Water Rails, a Spotted Crake and a Ural Owl. In morning we still twitched a couple of year-ticks for Pirkka, including a Wryneck. We still spent a few hours in Siikalahti and saw 2 migrating Black Kites but finally Pirkka had to hit the road as he had a long way back to Kemijärvi. In the evening we still visited Rautjärvi Simpele Kokkolanjoki where we saw a male Grey Wagtail.

On the 11th of May we did water-bird counts and I also saw good migration: 2 Bewick’s Swans, 1000 Long-tailed Ducks, 2500 Common and 220 Velvet Scoters and 3 Greater Scaups. I also saw a Little Ringed Plover and heard a Common Grasshopper Warbler. In the evening we visited Siikalahti again and it was worthy as we saw a Black-tailed Godwit and a stunning Greater Spotted Eagle!

Then we still went to Papinlahti to put mist-nets ready for the next morning and there we saw a Bluethroat.

On the 12th day we had SSP-ringing and we caught 2 Great Tit controls, 5 Willow Warblers, a Blackbird, 2 Bluethroats, 2 Pied Flycatchers, 2 Chaffinches, a Reed Bunting control and a Yellowhammer. We also saw a few Northern Wheatears and heard a Black and a Grey-headed Woodpecker. During the day we visited Siikalahti and immediately saw 8 Great Egrets that had been found earlier. I still visited the tower and saw 4 Common Swifts.

In the evening I quickly packed my stuff again and hit the road. I soon stopped in Simpele Revonranta and twitched a Red-breasted Goose as a Rautjärvi-tick. Then I kept on driving until Salo where I was so tired that I turned to Omenojärvi to sleep in a car.

On the 13th of May I started scanning Omenojärvi at 5 a.m. and soon found a Garganey, a Gadwall couple, a female Smew, Tufted Ducks and Pochards and after 15 minutes waiting there was some sort of alarm and also the rest of ducks came visible from the gull-island – and a male Ferruginous Duck that is spending already fifth summer here was with them.

I continued driving along the coast north and turned to Uusikaupunki Pyhämaa and continued along small roads to Liesluoto. There I walked a half an hour almost to the shore and first heard a strangely singing Common Chiffchaff but continued 200 meters more and then heard even strangerly singing bird which was the second ever Iberian Chiffchaff for Finland. The bird stayed on the top of trees so I didn’t get good pictures but I took plenty of recordings. After some studying I walked back to my car and continued my way.

In Lieto I saw a male Pheasant as a year-tick and then in Rauma I decided to go to Unajanlahti bird-tower where I saw a Great Egret. Then I continued to Petäjäs Rientolahti where it was raining but after some searching I found a Firecrest. Then I continued to Pori where I did some shopping and visited Enälahti bird-tower where I met my friend Petteri Mäkelä but only better bird we saw was a Great Egret again. Then it was time to drive to Kuuminainen to Salokankaanranta where I still managed to sleep a little.

Tommi Salokangas came early and soon also Petri Salo, Sebastian Andrejeff and Tomas Swahn arrived and we packed up the boat and left towards Säppi island where I had been 90 days earlier but always only in October, so it was good to go to the island finally in spring too.

On the way we saw a Caspian Tern and on the pier Jan Lundgren was helping us with our stuff. Some Barn Swallows were flying in the garden of the station but soon it was late so we just arranged our things and were soon ready to go to sleep.

On the 14th of May the routines started with morning sea-watching. Then we walked around the whole island. I got plenty of new Säppi-ticks but only birds to really mention were 7 Shelducks, 9 Gadwalls, a hybrid male between a Mallard and a Pintail, a Horned Grebe, 364 Loons (194 Black- and 32 Red-throated), a Cuckoo, 81 Oystercatchers, a Little Ringed Plover, 4 Whimbrels, 38 Bar-tailed Godwits, a Spotted Redshank, 6 Turnstones, 2 Red Knots, a Temmink’s Stint, a Dunlin, 2 Little Gulls, a Hobby, 6 Bluethroats, a Thrush Nightingale, a Sedge Warbler, a Rock Pipit, 2 Yellow Wagtails and so on.

On the 15th day we kept on trying the good bird but only better birds we found were 2 Nightjars which another one came from the sea in the morning, 9 Red Knots, a Honey Buzzard, a Sand Martin, 6 Wood Warblers, 12 Bluethroats and 2 Rock Pipits. And on the 16^th day we counted 3444 Common Scoters and saw 2 Tundra Bean Geese, 2 Horned Grebes, 6 Grey Plovers, a Little Ringed Plover, 36 Temminck’s Stints, 202 Dunlins, 3 Common Murres, 4 Little Gulls, 11 Wood Warblers, an Icterine Warbler, 30 Northern Wheatears, 12 Spotted Flycatchers, 61 Yellow Wagtails, a Rook and the best birds were a Black-tailed Godwit, a Black Redstart and an Ortolan Bunting that I found through the kitchen window in the evening.

On our last day we had time until 3 p.m. In the morning we heard a Common Rosefinch and lots of scoters were moving. We counted 1818 Common and even 1495 Velvet Scoters. It seemed that the island was almost empty from birds but we still saw a Caspian Tern which was my 32nd Säppi-tick of the trip.

Finally we had to pack and clean the station and head to the harbor. Tommi came to pick up right on time and the island was left empty, the next birders would come in the end of the next week.

In Kuuminainen we still heard an Icterine Warbler and then it was time to say goodbye to everyone. I had a long drive back to Parikkala. I stopped only in Rautjärvi Simpele Kaljusenlampi where I twitched a Little Crake male. I also heard a Water Rail, a Spotted Crake and a couple of Corn Crakes.

J.A.