End of summer
During the week I didn’t hear Savi’s Warbler anymore, but a couple of Corn Crakes and a Spotted Crake were still calling. The same Greater White-fronted Goose, Black Kites, Great Bitterns and Great Egrets were seen daily. On the 14th of July we did duck-counts in Siikalahti and saw the same Greylag Geese family, 5 female and 17 juvenile Common Pochards, a couple of Gadwalls and the biggest surprise 1 female with 2 young Northern Pintails. Also a Grey-headed Woodpecker and a Thrush Nightingale were seen.
On the 18th of July we did a trip to Saari with Pekka Punnonen and in Akonpohja we had a good start when we saw a big flock of Northern Lapwing flying over us and there were 5 Black-tailed Godwits in the flock. When we reached the fields we saw that a soaring Black Kite was the reason why all birds were in flight. We also found a Eurasian Golden Plover, 3 migrating Spotted Redshanks and heard a Whimbrel. In Pohjasuo we saw a couple of Yellow Wagtails and in Pohjanranta a Great Egret and some waders which Dunlin was a new Parikkala year-tick. In Kuposenmäki we saw another Black Kiten and in Ala-Ollukka a third one.
On the 19th of July we were ringing in Kukonkana where we caught a Great Tit, a Sedge Warbler control, 19 Blyth’s Reed Warblers, 2 Willow Warblers, a Garden Warbler, 3 Blackcaps, 7 Common Whitethroats, a Redwing, a Blackbird, 4 Pied Flycatchers, a Chaffinch and a Reed Bunting. We also saw a migrating flock of 30 Common Scoters, 5 Great Cormorants, a Whimbrel and so on. The same Greylag Geese from Siikalahti had learned to fly a couple of days earlier and they landed to the horse-track.
During the week I saw mostly the same birds as on the previous week. On the 20th of July I also saw a White-backed Woodpecker and on the 21st day a migrating flock of 34 Velvet Scoters. On the 22nd day we visited Saari with Erkko Elonen and saw a Spotted Crake in Pohjanranta and a Great Grey Shrike in Jyrkilä but nothing else really. On the 23rd day there were already 10 Great Egrets in Siikalahti and of course the same White-fronted Goose and Black Kited were seen almost daily.
On the 25th day we had SSP-ringing and got a Blue Tit, 4 Sedge and 10 Blyth’s Reed Warblers, 7 Willow Warblers, 3 Lesser and 7 Common Whitethroats, a Robin, a Pied Flycatcher, 3 Common Rosefinches and 1+1c Reed Buntings. In the afternoon we headed to Saari and saw a Black Kite in Pohjansuo, the same Spotted Crake, a Spotted Redshank and a Temminck’s Stint in Pohjanranta and the same Great Grey Shrike in Jyrkilä. On the way back we saw a female Hen Harrier in Kinnarsalmi and then we went to ring a couple of Eurasian Nightjar chicks in Rautalahti.
On Sunday we ringed in Kukonkanta and got 7 Blue and 4 Great Tits, 3 Sedge and 15+2c Blyth’s Reed Warblers and a Common Reed and a Marsh Warbler, a Wood Warbler, 8 Willow Warblers, 5 Blackcaps, 7 Common Whitethroats, a Fieldfare, a Thrush Nightingale, 4 Pied Flycatchers, a Common Rosefinch and 1+1c Reed Buntings. We also saw a Common Cuckoo, a White-backed Woodpecker and heard a Black Woodpecker. Later we visited Siikalahti briefly and saw amazingly a Boheamian Waxwing migrating towards south.
During the week I had the same routines: the White-fronted Goose was seen last time in Särkisalmi on the 28th of July when we also made duck-counts. A Smew, 1male, 5 female and 26 young Common Pochards, a Gadwall and 13 Great Egrets were only birds to mention. On the 29th day we counted already 21 Great Egrets in the evening when a Spotted Crake was still calling. On the 30th day only bird to mention was a Black Kite until in the evening we decided to go twitching with Harri Hölttä and Minna Terävä. We drove to Tohmajärvi Saario where a Lanceolated Warbler was singing actively. Also a Common Grasshopper Warbler was singing so it was good to have comparison.
We started August in Kukonkanta where we caught a Wryneck, 3 Blue Tits, a Great Tit, 5 Sedge and 14 Blyth’s Reed Warblers, 16 Willow Warblers, 14 Garden Warblers, 4 Blackcaps, 2 Lesser and 11 Common Whitethroats, a Song Thrush, a Redwing, a Thrush Nightingale, 2 Pied Flycatchers, 2 White Wagtails, a Tree Pipit, 5 Common Rosefinches and 3 Reed Buntings. Later we still saw a Black Kite in Särkisalmi.
On the 2nd day we had SSP in Papinlahti again and we got 3 Blue Tits, 4 Blyth’s Reed Warblers, 4 Willow Warblers, 2 Garden Warblers, a Lesser Whitethroat, 6 Common Whitethroats, a Eurasian Nuthatch, a Redwing, even 14 Common Rosefinches, a Reed Bunting and 3 Yellowhammers. After short naps we headed to Saari where we saw a Great Grey Shrike in Akanvaara Tetrisuo, 2 Great Egrets and a female Hen Harrier in Pohjanranta and again a Great Grey Shrike in Jyrkilä.
Duting the week I didn’t see much: White-tailed Eagles, Black Kites, a Goshawk, same egrets and herons and bitterns, a Spotted Crake, Cormorants, a couple of migrating Golden Plovers, a Grey-headed Woodpecker and on a short night-drive to fields some Nightjars and a Long-eared Owl. But on the 6th of August I was on the dam-road again when I noticed a fast-flying dove flying towards us. I got it to my scope and immediately saw it was a turtle dove. Unfortunately it flew past us from +200 meters but I took as many pictures as I could. Then the bird turned towards east and seemed to land to some fields there. But on my lunch-hour I had no time to go after it. Unfortunately the bird had never come any closer but in my pictures there can be some features seen that are better for a young Oriental Turtle Dove than European Turtle Dove. Also the size of the bird had been about the same as a Stock Dove which fits better for an Oriental. Finnish Rarity Committee will decide if this was a new species for Parikkala…
During the weekend we ringed both mornings in Kukonkanta. On Saturday we got 4+1c Blue Tits, a Great Tit, 9 Sedge, 9 Blyth’s Reed, Common Reed and 2 Marsh Warblers, 15 Willow Warblers, 25+1c Garden Warblers, a Blackcap, a Lesser Whitethroat, 10 Common Whitethroats, a Pied Flycatcher and a Reed Bunting control.
And on Sunday we got a Sparrowhawk, 6 Blue and 4 Great Tits, 4 Sedge, 2 Blyth’s Reed and 2 Marsh Warblers, 13+1c Willow Warblers, 30+1c Garden Warblers, 3 Blackcaps, 3 Lesser and 6 Common Whitethroats, a Robin, 2 Pied Flycatchers, 3 Common Redstarts, a Goldfinch, a Siskin and a Reed Bunting. We also saw a Black Kite once again.
On the 10th of August I saw a nice flock of about 30 Bar-tailed Godwits, at least one Grey Plover and one Red Knot on my lunch-break in Siikalahti. All three species were new Parikkala year-ticks and once again I broke 200 year-ticks in my home county – now I have 201. A Black Kite was again seen and in the evening we counted 27 Great Egrets and the same family of Greylag Geese came to overnight to Siikalahti.
Otherwise the weather was very windy so I saw just a Merlin flying over Kangaskylä, a flock of 6 Golden Plovers, White-tailed Eagles, Black Kites, Stock Doves and so on. On the 12th day we were wondering a partial solar eclipse. 13th day we had duck-counts and saw an early flock of 6 Tundra Bean Geese, a couple of Smews, 29 Pochards and 6 Pintails. We also saw a couple of young Water Rails and a young Spotted Crake by the dam-road.
J.A.