Real winter
It was a real old-time winter in Parikkala so I wasn’t too excited to do much birding. Waxwing and Fieldfare flocks were still around in the beginning of January and also Blackbirds were still here and there. Our own woodpecker feeder had also a flock of Long-tailed Tits and a Treecreeper with a ring. It was probably same bird than last winter.
On the 6th of January we visited Siikalahti and Simpele and saw some Black Grouses, 2 Sparrowhawks, a Siskin and of course Dippers – 6 of them in Kokkolanjoki. On Saturday we visited Punkaharju where we ringed a Nuthatch in Laakkii and then continued to Lusto where we walked around but didn’t find any Nutcrackers, just a flock of 15 Coal Tits and a couple of flocks of Red Crossbills. Also a couple of Grey-headed Woodpeckers were seen during the day.
On the 9th day I went to play to Lappeenranta and on the way I stopped in Imatra Kymälahti where a couple of Nuthatches and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker were visiting a feeder. In Vuoksi Itä-Siitola I saw a Little Grebe and some Cormorants. In Lappeenranta I saw a flock of 15 migrating Pine Grosbeaks in Pajarila and after the game I twitched Teals and an Eagle Owl
On the 12th day in Siikalahti I saw a couple of White-backed Woodpeckers and in Kangaskylä I still saw a flock of 65 Fieldfares. On the 13th day a Chaffinch was seen in Kannas.
On the 15th of January went skiing to Soininmäki where we saw the familiar Siberian Jays – 3 of them. Also a couple of Crested Tits were heard and also a Hazel Hen was singing and another one was seen briefly. On the way back I still saw a female Capercaillie flying over. On Sunday we went skiing to Siikalahti and heard a noisy Nuthatch and saw the same flock of Long-tailed Tits.
On the 21st I saw a Sparrowhawk in Siikalahti and on the 22nd day we went twitching with Sampsa Cairenius. We drove a long way to Hartola where we were early in the morning but still couldn’t see a wintering Turtle Dove. Then we continued to Asikkala to twitch a Nothern Shrike that had been seen a couple of days earlier but it seemed that it was gone. A couple of Great Grey Shrikes were seen while but nothing else. On the way back we stopped in Lahti Ali-Juhakkala where we saw 2 Little Grebes, a Goshawk, a Teal and a Cormorant and nearby a Sparrowhawk and a Woodpigeon.
On Sunday the 22st day we went to put more food to our feeders and saw the same birds there again. In Kangaskylä we saw a flock of 30 Fieldfares. In the afternoon I had a game in Lappeenranta again so on the way I stopped in Imatra again and saw a Redwing in, a Little Grebe, a Red-breasted Merganser, a Goshawk and some Cormorants and in Lappeenranta I saw Teals in Reijola.
Observation in the end of January were the same. Still some flocks of Fieldfares were seen here and there and on the 19th day we participated Garden Twitch in Tarvaslampi hide and photographed common winter-birds.
J.A.