. . Lintuharrastajan päiväkirja Birders diary . .

After a trip to Jurmo I didn’t waste my time sleeping as I had to go on the first morning to Saari to twitch a couple of White Storks in Akonpohja. Then I drove back to Siikalahti where I had stayed only some minutes when I found a Greater Spotted Eagle from the sky. This eagle was very worn and it had quite pale stomach. After soaring some time on the western sky it continued towards Särkisalmi where it was also seen. Otherwise Siikalahti was quiet so soon we continued again to Saari with Hanna.

We did some migration watching in Kanavalampi with Arttu Valonen, Juha Kettunen and Arto Laaksi and saw a couple of Honey Buzzards and Swifts and heard a Corn Crake, a Wryneck and a Grey-headed Woodpecker.

On the 16th of May we participated to a Garden Twitch. We started at 5 a.m. and immediately found some Long-tailed Ducks, Common Scoters and even 7 Greater Scaups from the lake. There was almost no migration but anyway we saw lots of species. We continued until 2 p.m. continuously and then had a 1.5 hours brake and went to check that Ural Owl chicks were still too small to ring and we also tried to reliese an adult male Hen Harrier that had been living with us for a week after it had hit a window in Saari. But the harrier was still too weak to go. Then we still continued in our garden and saw the best species: first a Pink-footed Goose was seen migrating with other geese and then a Black-tailed Godwit was flying towards south. Altogether we saw 88 species from our garden.

On the 17th of May we did duck-counts in Saari again. In Akonpohja we saw a Gadwall and a Little Ringed Plover, in Kanavalampi a couple of Gadwalls and in Pohjanranta a couple of Pink-footed Geese and a couple of Marsh Sandpipers that left to continue their migration. In the evening we still twitched a Savi’s Warbler in Akonpohja and went to listen to Great Snipes and heard on bird in an ordinary place.

On the 18th day it was time to go to work again after a good birding holiday. In the afternoon I was planning to sleep a little but then I got a message that there were 2 Red-breasted Geese in Tetrisuo and of course I had to go to see them as it is only a couple of kilometers from our home.

On the 19th day I had a great 15 minutes before my work. First I twitched a Golden Oriole in Moskuunniemi and then stopped in Härskiinmutka where some Brent Geese were seen in flocks of Barnacle Geese and then I found 3 skuas coming over me and there were 2 Arctic Skuas and a Pomarine Skua! In the afternoon we twitched a Quail in Akonpohja and heard also a Blyth’s Reed Warbler. A short stop in Pohjanranta was good too as there was a Marsh Sandpiper.

On the 20th day only bird to mention was a Pygmy Owl in a nest-box with 8 eggs. On the 21st day between the rains I saw 1717 Brent Geese, 450 Long-tailed Ducks, 160 Common Scoters, 20 Velvet Scoters, 141 Black-throated Divers, amazing 340 local Common Terns and a flock of 12 Arctic Skuas in Härskiinmutka. In the evening we finally managed to check the rest of the owl nest-boxes. And once again we had a bad owl-year.

On the 22nd of May we went to duck-counts again to Saari. On the way we noticed a raptor on a field in Akanpelto and stopped to check it and it was a Lesser Spotted Eagle! The eagle was eating something but soon flew behind a small forest and we decided to move on.

The count went without surprises but a Black Kite was seen in Kanavalampi and then in Jyrkilä we found a flooded field where were 4 Broad-billed Sandpipers, a Temminck Stint, 10 Ringed Plovers and then in a big flock of Barnacle Geese there were 2 Red-breasted Geese!

In the evening I had to go twitching as an Avocet had been found in Savitaipale Lavikanlahti. It was good to see a new South Karelia tick but also several old friends! Also a couple of Marsh Sandpipers, a Redshank and a Temminck Stint was seen there.

On the 23rd day we started SSP-ringing in our still flooded site. Only birds caught were Sedge Warbler 1r + 1c, 2 Common Whitethroats, 1c Willow Warbler, 1 Pied Flycatcher, 2 Common Rosefinches and 1c Reed Bunting. A migrating female Hen Harrier was also soon and a couple of Golden Orioles were calling.

On the 24th day I got information that waders were on the move and some had dropped to flooded fields here and there. So on my lunch-hour I drove quickly to Saari Akanvaara Tetrisuo to check this usually best field and found 130 Grey Plovers, 3 Red Knots and 80 Dunlins. Also a Short-eared and a Long-eared Owl were seen. After work I hurried back to Saari but some of the waders were already gone but now a Dotterel was found. In Jyrkilä I found an amazing flock of 670 Dunlins and with Barnacle Geese there were a Pink-footed and a Bar-headed Goose! Dunlins, Ringed Plovers and some Grey Plovers were found in other fields too but no new species. On my third visit to Akanvaara Tetrisuo I saw a Common Shelduck that had been found on the previous day. In the evening we went to check some fields in Parikkala and in Kullinsuo we saw about 100 Dunlins, 4 Broad-billed and 17 Ringed Plovers and in Kontiolampi 21 Ringed Plovers, a Dunlin and a Broad-billed Sandpiper. Some Stock Doves were seen during the day here and there which is nice.

On the 25th of May there were still some waders around and on my lunch-hour I saw 19 Ringed Plovers, 8 Broad-billed Sandpipers and a Little Stint in Kullinsuo. In Kontiolampi I heard and also saw a Marsh Warbler. In the evening we went ringing some nestlings and it started awfully as the forest around our Ural Owl nest had been cut and the nest was empty! A Pygmy Owl still had too small youngsters but Starlings had almost too big ones, some had maybe left their nest-box already? Then our first Nuthatch looked bad too as when I opened the box I first noticed a dead female laying on the bottom! But there were 7 quite big nestling and male seemed to do well with feeding them continuously. So we ringed these nestlings with color-rings and hope to see them in the future again.

On the 26th day I took it easy – and went to run 3 hours and 28 kilometers… On the next day I had to go twitching again and drove to Lappeenranta Joutseno Korvenkylä pool to see a nice female Grey (Red) Phalarope. The light was poor so I didn’t stay there for long – this time a new South-Karelia tick was the most important thing.

J.A.