Beginning of March: winter-bird count, owls and so on
On the 1st of March it was a little bit colder again, about 0 degrees, so I didn’t expect to see any new migrants. Anyway I did a short visit to Siikalahti where I found out that there was a tiny open water area where 2 Whooper Swans were already swimming. Also 2 Long-tailed Tits and a flock of 9 noisy Ravens were seen.
Next day I did a short field-trip and saw a familiar Whooper Swan family in Lahdensuo, a Hawk Owl that I had seen only once in autumn in Kullinsuo and a Great Grey Shrike in Moskuunniemi. Later I still saw a Starling in our own garden and heard Herring Gulls from the lake. They had arrived to get some fish from the ice-fishers. At night I did a owl-trip to Tyrjä and heard a Long-eared Owl, 3 Ural Owls and a Tengmalm’s Owl.
On the 4th day I did a winter-bird count. It was a tough 18 kilometers walk to a patient like me, but I took it very easy. And luckily there was almost no snow at all, so it was easier to walk than ever. I saw altogether 2 Whooper Swans, 2 Black Grouses, 3 Herring Gulls, 2 Hawk Owls, 2 Rock Pigeons, 2 Grey-headed Woodpeckers (and again no other woodpeckers), a Goldcrest, 33 Blue Tits, 179 Great Tits, 2 Crested Tits, 4 Long-tailed Tits, a Treecreeper, a Great Grey Shrike, 11 Jays, 23 Magpies, 37 Jackdaws, 21 Hooded Crows, a Starling, 4 House Sparrows, 17 Tree Sparrows, 34 Green Finches, 8 Bull Finches and 2 Yellowhammers.
Next a couple of days weren’t that good. I didn’t see any new migrants except an adult White-tailed Eagle that probably was a breeder nearby behind the border. On the same 6th day I saw also 2 Grey-headed Woodpeckers and a couple of Common Crossbills in Siikalahti. Otherwise I saw only same swan, Starling and so on.
On the 9th of March we were some hours in Siikalahti and saw a Grey-headed Woodpecker, a White-backed Woodpecker, a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and a Black Woodpecker, a Starling, a Great Grey Shrike, a female Goshawk, altogether 45 Whooper Swans, 2 White-tailed Eagles, 4 migrating Common Buzzards and 4 Lapwings and 3 Stock Doves that were heading towards south.
Then the weather cooled a bit but still some birds were coming and on the 10th day I saw 3 Lapwings, on the 11th day 11 Lapwings and a couple of Goldeneyes.
On the 13th day the weather was really good again, but the wind too western. Anyway 22 Lapwings, 4 Skylarks and a younger Golden Eagle were seen. The best observation was maybe a Brimstone butterfly. Then on the 14th day the wind was north-western but still 4 Lapwings and a White-tailed Eagle were seen. And then on the 15th day the weather turned really bad, it was snowing and windy.
So the next 5 days were pretty boring: Only a White-tailed Eagle, last Lapwings for several days, Whooper Swans, Mallards, only 1 Common Buzzard, a Sparrowhawk, some Blackbirds on feeders and the same noisy Grey-headed Woodpecker. But then finally the spring came…
J.A.