. . Lintuharrastajan päiväkirja Birders diary . .

There is not much to tell about the beginning of February. It was hard winter and motivation to go out wasn’t high. On the 1st of February I saw a flock of 200 Waxwings.

On the 4th day I drove to Helsinki-Vantaa where I made a PCR-test and next night I got negative results. On the 5th day I twitched a possible Northern Grey Shrike in Asikkala Anianpelto and saw it after 9 hours searching! Now we haw to wait for the result of DNA-test.

On the 6th day I twitched a probable female Bunting in Kirkkonummi Masala. It had good DNA but it still not accepted in Finnish Rarity committee. Also Bramblings and 2 Herring Gulls were seen there. We still visited Hammas and saw a Dipper with my father before he drove me to Helsinki-Vantaa airport again and there I met the group with we were going to birdwatching and mammal trip to Tanzania (the full report can be found from the link)!

I got Covid as a souvenir from Tanzania so I wasn’t birding much in the end of February. It was still full winter too. On the 20th day we saw some Redpolls and a couple of Siskins while we were putting food to our feeders. On the 24th day I saw 2 Herring Gulls that had arrived to ice-fishing holes to Lake Simpele.

On the 25th I found a noisy flock of 17 Gold Finches in our garden and they stayed there for a long time. On the 26th we saw a Blackbird in Tarvaslampi and a Grey-headed Woodpecker in Särkisalmi.

On the 27th we drove to south with Sampsa Cairenius and Teo Ylätalo and in Helsinki Tokoinranta we saw 3 Canada Geese, a Coot, some Common Gulls and so on. Then we headed to Espoo Soukka Kasavuori where we managed to twitch an overwintering Greater Spotted Eagle! Soon we saw the bird flying towards east and it never came back! There we also saw White-tailed Eagles, Common Buzzards, Great Black-backed Gulls, Whooper Swans, Stock Doves and a Starling. We also twitched an overwintering Common Kingfisher, saw a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and then a Rough-legged Buzzard in Helsinki Tuomarinkylä.

March started with a Tengmalm’s Owl in Moskuunniemi on the 4th day. On the next day I did winter-bird count and saw a Hazel Hen, 6 Rock Doves, 4 Grey-headed Woodpeckers, 10 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 1 White-backed Woodpecker, 2 Blackbirds, 83 Blue, 161 Great, 1 Coal and 6 Willow Tits, a Treecreeper, 5 Jays, 13 Magpies, 73 Jackdaws, 23 Hooded Crows, 13 Ravens, 24 Tree Sparrows, 12 Greenfinches, 18 Gold Finches, 91 Common Redpolls, 27 Bullfinches and 33 Yellowhammers.

On the 6th day I saw a Great Grey Shrike in Joutseno Korvenkylä and twitched a Hawk Owl in Lappeenranta Heimosilta. Also the familiar teals and an Eagle Owl were seen once again. Next morning I heard a Grey-headed Woodpecker and during the week Gold Finches were still singing in our back-yard.

On the 11th day a Great Grey Shrike and 11 Waxwings were seen in Siikalahti and at night we did an owl-trip to Melkoniemi and heard an Eagle Owl and a Ural Owl. Next day I saw already 9 Whooper Swans, a migrating Common Buzzard, a Great Grey Shrike, a Grey-headed Woodpecker, a Siskin and a Gold Finch in Siikalahti. In the evening I twitched a Great Grey Owl in Joutseno and the same Hawk Owl in Heimosilta.

On the 13th of March we were a couple of hours in Siikalahti but only 2 White-tailed Eagles, a Goshawk and 6 Herring Gulls were seen. So we went to put up a mist-net to our feeder but caught only 3 Blue Tits and a beautiful but extremely noisy male Grey-headed Woodpecker.

On the 14th day a Skylark had arrived to dam-road in Siikalahti. It stayed there for several days as it was only place without a meter of snow. 4 White-tailed Eagles were soaring on the sky. On the 15th day I saw a Stock Dove flying back to south and on the 17th a noisy Lapwing was flying north – it was probably cursing what it was doing here already?

On the 18th day I saw 2 White-tailed Eagles, a Sparrowhawk, a Common Buzzard and the same Skylark on my lunch-hour. In the afternoon I stopped in Rautjärvi Kokkolanjoki where 2 Goldeneyes, 3 Goosanders and a Dipper were seen. Then in Imatra I saw some Cormorants and in Lappeenranta 45 Herring Gulls. Then I had a final of 1-division rink-ball and we managed to win. So I got one more gold-medal in very late of my career.

J.A.

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.

On the 30th day we drove a long way to Oulu where we met my brother Pirkka in Kemira’s small open water place where we twitched a Brent Goose that was wintering with lots of Mallards as a winter-tick.

On the 31st day we woke up before 7:30 a.m. and before 8 o’clock we headed towards Oulunsalo harbor. At 8:30 a.m. the ferry left towards Hailuoto and between the icy sea we sailed to Hailuoto and after 30 minutes we were driving towards Marjaniemi.

In Marjaniemi Pirkka knew the feeder where in the past he had been twitching a Black-throated Accentor. There were people in the cottage and soon we met the owner who was kind and we discussed about twitching both now and on the next day when there would be more twitchers. Owner was putting more food to the feeder and soon after she had left Yellowhammers started to arrive. And almost immediately Pirkka noticed a European Serin that had also arrived next to the feeder. Soon it flew inside one of the feeders where it was impossible to see.

When the Serin left after Yellowhammers we tried to get a bit closer with Hanna to get better pictures but once the birds started to come back, they were a bit too shy so soon we walked back to our ordinary position. And then Serin arrived again to the ground under the feeder. When it left again, we decided to leave too.

Back in Oulunsalo we saw a flock of Black Grouses in Riuttu and a Pheasant in Pajuniemi. Then we twitched a Common Crane in Kempele Alakylä and then headed to Oulu to search a Siberian Tit that had been seen about a week earlier. But we didn’t find it. Then we headed to Tyrnävä to search any new birds but found only some flocks of Yellowhammers. While we were already leaving we saw a male Merlin with a prey in flight.

In the afternoon we did some shopping and then went to buy some food. In the evening we watched a movie and relaxed.

Fireworks started at 6 p.m. and at 11:15 p.m. we left to check if Brent Goose was still in Kemira. Of course there were fireworks there too and only 3 Mallards were present. Soon some other first of January tickers arrived but there was nothing to see. Just before midnight we drove to Kemira pools to see that there were about 100 Mallards flying in the dark sky. So soon we went to sleep.

We woke up at 6 a.m. and soon we were again in Kemira and checking ducks but there were only about 200 Mallards and no Brent Goose. So we soon continued to Riuttu where we caught 7:30 a.m. ferry. Other twitchers were also on the ferry and soon we were driving towards Marjaniemi again. There we again met the owner of the cottage who must have thought that we are crazy as it was still completely dark. But in few minutes we heard several Yellowhammers arriving to feeder. After 10 or 15 minutes Markku Santamaa arrived and told that he had heard Serin on the way from the parking place.

And after 10 more minutes at 9:15 Serin arrived next to the feeder where it was easily seen by everyone before it flew inside the feeder again. We had got the first tick of the day but still we talked with some friends and saw Great Tits and a Blue Tit as a year-tick before decided to start driving back towards harbor.

We stopped in the village shortly but saw just some Tree Sparrows and then on the way to harbor we saw some Magpies, a Willow Tit, a Red Crossbill and some Great Spotted Woodpeckers. On the ferry we saw a beautiful sunrise while talking more to some friends and saw no birds at all.

In Huikku we saw the same Black Grouse flock again and in Oulunsalo we saw some Jackdaws. The Crane was hiding somewhere but some Hooded Crows and a Greenfinch were seen. As there was still no reports of Brent Goose, we decided to drive towards Liminka. In Kempele Honkanen we saw 4 Collared Doves easily and on the way we saw a Raven. In Virkkula we met some other twitchers. They had heard that a flock of Grey Partridges had been seen flying behind the information center, but they hadn’t seen them at all. We waited for some time until I decided to walk to the field and check if they were in vegetation behind one long ditch. I could see something on the snow about 150 meters from me and called the rest to come and take a scope with them – and there they were – at least 4 Grey Partridges.

Next we drove back to Kempele Alakylä where the Crane was now present and saw a Jay and some Rock Doves on the way.

And then we headed to Oulu where we ticked a Rook in Raksila and then in Hartaanselkä we saw a couple of Goldeneyes but nothing else. We hoped that the goose might have moved there. In Hietasaari we heard some Bullfinches and when the sun was already setting, we headed to Kemira where only the same amount of Mallards was present.

It was already getting dark when we headed again to Hietasaari to try to see a Pygmy Owl but only year-tick was a Blackbird.

In the evening we got food from Sauraha Nepalese restaurant and checked once again Kemira. And after we had watched a movie we went to check it again and now there were more than 300 Mallards but still no Brent Goose.

After all I got only one first of January tick – Serin. My goal had been 2 so I would have got my 150th tick which is so big number that I could have retired but now I must continue at least one more year.

On the 2nd of January we woke up before 8 a.m. and soon we were ready to go to Kemira again. Now there were about 1000 Mallards but still nothing else! Then we said goodbye to Pirkka and left driving toward Kajaani.

On the way we saw a flock of 12 Pine Grosbeaks in Vaala, 30 Common Redpolls in Paltamo and some Black Grouses and so on. Finally we were in Kajaani and Ämmänkoski where we met some other birders too. But unfortunately there was no sign of Mandt´s Black Guillemot. It had been seen still on the previous day but now it was gone. We saw only 3 Whooper Swans, some Common Redpolls, Red Crossbills and 4 Otters. We went to eat and still came back to check the river but before it was getting dark, we decided to start a long way back home. On the way we saw no birds at all and finally we were at home pretty tired.

J.A.

It was cold winter in December so I wasn’t too excited to do much birding. Fieldfare flocks were still around and after very cold days there seemed to be more and more Blackbirds too here and there.

On the 11th day we were photographing Yellowhammers and other birds in Tarvaslampi in our hide when I noticed a grayish bird. I took pictures and realized that the birds looked like a Pine Bunting! It disappeared soon but from the pictures we could see that there was some yellowish color on its breast – so maybe it was just a hybrid even though otherwise it really looked good. Unfortunately the bird was never seen again even though we visited the hide a few times later during the month.

On the 12th day I stopped in Imatra Vuoksi briefly and saw a Red-breasted Merganser. Also some Cormorants and so on were seen also on other visits when I was going to Lappeenranta to play. But Little Grebe managed to avoid me.

On the 13th day I saw a Hawk Owl and a Sparrowhawk in Kaukola where the big Yellowhammer flock was still around. A White-tailed Eagle flew over me in Kontiolampi and on the 15th day I saw a Whooper Swan in Tyrjä.

On the 18th day we freed a Goshawk that had been living with us for almost 2 weeks. It had been found on the road so it had probably hit by a car. In Kannas we saw 2 Nuthatches and a Treecreeper and on the next day I saw a flock of 13 Gold Finches flying over our house and in Ristimäki I saw a Goldcrest.

On Christmas Eve we did a winter-bird count with Miika Soikkeli. We saw altogether 22 Black Grouse, a Sparrowhawk, 12 Rock Doves, 6 Great Spotted and 2 White-backed Woodpeckers, 87 Waxwings, 4 Blackbirds, 277 Fieldfares, 2 Goldcrests, 65 Blue, 75 Great, 4 Willow and 2 Crested Tits, a Nuthacth, 4 Treecreepers, 15 Magpies, 4 Jays, 38 Jackdaws, 30 Hooded Crows, 48 Tree Sparrows, 7 Greenfinches, 5 Gold Finches, 5 Siskins, 52 Common Redpolls, 54 Bullfinches and 6 Yellowhammers.

On Christmas Day we visited relatives in Punkaharju and saw 2 Nuthatches and a Treecreeper in Laakkii and a Sparrowhawk in Tarvaslampi.

On Boxing Day we headed to Simpele and there were even more thrushes and Waxwings than in Parikkala. Altogether 6 Dippers and 7 Whooper Swans and 3 Mallards were seen on the river. We also saw 2 Sparrowhawks and in Siikalahti on our feeder there were 2 Great Spotted, 2 White-backed and a Grey-headed Woodpecker.

On the 28th day we saw 2 Nuthatches in Kannas and altogether even 7 Blackbirds and on the 29th day a Goshawk in Koitsanlahdenkangas.

J.A.

In the beginning of December it was already real winter – all lakes were completely frozen and about 30 cm snow everywhere. Still there were some big flocks of Fieldfares and in Satumäki I saw 200 birds on my lunch-hours.

The 4th day was extremely cold but anyway we went to put up a feeder for woodpeckers to Siikalahti-area. On the way in Kaukola fields we found a flock of 500 Yellowhammers. We of course checked if there were something else but with only binoculars it seemed difficult. But then some birds started to land in front of us to the road and the third closest bird was a Lapland Bunting! It was the first ever in winter in Parikkala and only about sixth in South Karelia – the last one we had found in Joutseno in February 2018. It was my 100th winter-species ever in Parikkala.

In the evening I drove to Kouvola where I got accommodation from Teo Ylätalo again. We still went to search for snipes with headlights but we had no luck.

On the 5th day we left birding around 8 a.m. and same time also Antti Vänskä went to other places to prepare for the next day’s Independence Day bird-race. It was really cold – about -20 degrees and freezing northern wind.

First we saw almost nothing, just a couple of Pheasants and a flock of 40 Goldfinches. In Mustila arboretum we found 2 Nuthatches, Willow and Coal Tits and Treecreepers but nothing else. Then we headed to Elimäki fields where we drove around quite a lot and finally found a flock of 500 Yellowhammers and one single Linnet. But then from the same field we flushed a flock of 20 Grey Partridges! It was my 251st spontaneous species this year which is my record.

A known Hawk Owl was seen easily and then in Ratula we first saw a White-tailed Eagle and then found a green field with of course some snow but it was absolutely full of birds! We estimated about 250 Gold Finches, 100 Chaffinches, 5 Linnets and 10 Brambling before a Sparrowhawk came and chased the flock around. But anyway it was clear that we had to come back on the next day and check the flock more carefully.
We didn’t find anything else but calls to Antti told us that he had managed even better and it started to look very promising for the next day. In the evening we still checked one ditch for snipes before went to eat to a Chinese restaurant together and planned the next day’s schedule.

On the 6th of December we woke up early and before 6 a.m. we left with Teo to search for owls. It was snowing heavily so once again weather forecasts were completely wrong. We didn’t find owls and before 8 we went to pick up Antti and continued to Saksanaho. There we walked to a wet forest to wait. And after some waiting we heard the first Fieldfares, a Blackbird, a Blue Tit, a White-backed Woodpecker, a Siskin, a Treecreeper and then 2 Wrens too. But only Antti heard a Robin and it was not enough as more than half of the team has to identify a species to get a tick in a bird-race. After some waiting I left to drive the car to the other side of the forest where Antti and Teo would walk. But on the way I heard a Robin. I ran back and also Antti had heard a Robin in the same time but from different direction! So we couldn’t count it as we had heard different birds. But luckily Antti and Teo had got a Grey-headed Woodpecker. After we had tried my Robin for some time too, we all walked back toward the car but checked a couple of feeders on the way – and got some common species to our list. Next we continued to one forest-feeder nearby where we saw another White-backed Woodpecker and after some waiting we saw a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. We had really started well!

And next we continued to a place that Antti had found on the previous day. Surprisingly the weather had cleared and sun was shining now. Se we had hopes very high! The place was a small open pool which was full of Mallards. But there were also a family of whooper Swans and when the Mallards flushed we saw also a Teal and a Pintail! And then after some walking also a Grey Heron was seen in flight. And this was not all! In a forest nearby we immediately heard a Pine Grosbeak and after checking some flocks of Common Crossbills, we found 5 Two-barred Crossbills! We also had the first Great Grey Shrike of the day. Unfortunately we missed a Sparrowhawk that only Antti saw but luckily we soon saw a couple of them.

A Velvet Scoter that Antti had seen on the previous day was gone, but a Collared Dove was found quickly. We were even too quickly as we forgot to search for House Sparrows in the same place. Hawfinch was also missing but then in a forest nearby we were lucky again as we found always very difficult Three-toed Woodpecker, a Goldcrest and the second Grey-headed Woodpecker of the day. Soon we ticked Goldeneyes and Goosanders on the river and then headed towards our yesterday’s birds.

In Mustila we heard a Nuthatch immediately and saw a Willow Tit. Soon we found also Coal Tits and surprisingly also a Crested Tit. Next we continued to Elimäki fields and surprisingly a Pheasant was in the same spot in the middle of the field again. Also the Grey Partridges were found again – this time there were 18 birds on the other corner of the field than on the previous day.

We tried two different known Hawk Owls but without luck. So we had to hope that we could find a new one somewhere. Next we went to our green field and saw Gold Finches, at least 250 Chaffinches, 50 Linnets, 10 Bramblings and after some searching we found also a Twite. It was my 252nd spontaneous year-tick. As we still hadn’t seen Hawk Owl, Black Woodpecker or Black Grouse, we decided to drive along a longer road towards our next destination and it was good as Teo found a Hawk Owl perched on a wire on one field.

Next we headed to a rubbish tip where we found Starlings and finally also House Sparrows. Then we continued to Dipper place and after a long wait and search we finally found one.

It was already getting late when we went back to forest-feeder to see if Long-tailed Tits were feeding before they go to sleep. And there they were!

Last hour or so we still tried to find an Eagle Owl but at 4:30 p.m. the rally ended and we drove to a service nearby where the results were given after pizzas. There were 4 teams and after the 25 most ordinary-species we were in second place. Of course some sea-birds like Mute Swans and gulls had been seen on the coast. But soon it was clear that we had seen more species than other teams. And after all we won with our 54 species quite clearly, as the rest of the teams had seen 43 to 45 species. We had been in Kouvola all the time but the race area was whole Kymenlaakso. Our result was the second best in Kouvola ever and it had been real winter now! Antti told that this had been his best Independence race ever. And still we had missed species like Robin, Hawfinch, Black Woodpecker, Black Grouse, Hazel Hen, Redwing, almost all raptors and owls, all gulls and so on. So maybe one day we can get 60 species?

Finally it was time to say goodbye to everyone. Teo dropped me to my car and I had a long drive back to Parikkala. It had been a great visit in Kouvola again! Next serious birding is probably on the 1st of January 2022..

Well I visited the woodpecker-feeder on the next day but it was quiet. A Long-tailed Tit visited trees next to it and on the parking place I saw and heard a Pine Grosbeak when it flew over me.

J.A.

After 2 weeks in Säppi on the 1st ov November I visited Siikalahti and saw a Hawk Owl that Matti Lötjönen had found and also 150 Whooper Swans, Mallards, some Wigeons, 10 Tufted Ducks, 3 Greater Scaups, a flock of Black Grouses, a Coot, a Three-toed Woodpecker flew over me, a Greater Grey Shrike, a flock of Gold Finches and a lonely Brambling with a huge pox-virus tumor. In Härskiinmutka I saw a few Great Crested Grebes. After work I went back to Siikalahti and after some waiting saw a Great White Egret flying over me – it was the latest ever in Parikkala.

On the 2nd day I saw a Black-throated Diver and a White-tailed Eagle in Härskiinmutka and again a Great White Egret in Siikalahti but this was the last time that it was seen. On the 3rd day I saw a Smew, and a Long-tailed Duck in Siikalahti, a flock of 32 Smews, a Common Scoter, 4 Long-tailed Ducks, Waxwings and heard a Nuthatch in Särkisalmi.

On the 6th day we did suck-counts in Saari and still saw Whooper Swans, Mallards and Wigeons here and there, in Pohjanranta we saw a flock of 422 Barnacle Geese and a lonely Tundra Bean Goose and a flock of Goosanders with a Red-breasted Merganser. 5 Goldeneyes, 8 Tufted Ducks and a Greater Scaup were in Akonpohj and a Long-tailed Duck in Nivalahti. Outside the count we saw a flock of 30 Smews, another Red-breasted Merganser and 3 Velvet Scoters. Also some gulls and a couple of White-tailed Eagles were seen.

After the count we picked up Elissa Soikkeli and drove to Imatra Immalanjärvi to twitch. Luckily Great Northern Diver was found easily and it was showing quite well. It was my first identified big diver in South Karelia. On the way I saw a Pygmy Owl somewhere in Rautjärvi.

On the 7th of November I did winterbird-count. The weather was worse than had been in forecasts so I was very wet. But there were lots of birds anyway! I saw 95 Whooper Swans, a Wigeon, 4 Mallards, 6 Tufted Ducks, 3 Greater Scaups, 4 Goldeneyes, a Hazel Hen, 22 Black Grouses, a White-tailed Eagle, 36 Common Gulls, 2 Rock Doves, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 36 Waxwings, a Robin which was a new species to my counts, 2 Blackbirds, even 1229 Fieldfares, 2 Redwings, 13 Goldcrests, 98 Blue, 158 Great, 5 Willow, a 2 Crested and a Coal Tit, 2 Treecreepers, a Great Grey Shrike, 8 Jays, 15 Magpies, 163 Jackdaws, 22 Hooded Crows, 4 Ravens, 20 Tree Sparrows, a Chaffinch, 9 Greenfinches, 8 Siskins, 188 Common Redpolls, 17 Common Crossbills, 58 Bullfinches and 15 Yellowhammers.

On the 8th day I saw a Redwing in the village and a Great Crested Grebe, some Tufted Ducks and Greater Scaups and a Common Scoter and a couple of White-tailed Eagles around Lake Simpele. On the 10th day there were 3 Long-tailed Ducks but not many other ducks in Siikalahti anymore. On the 11th day I visited Siberian Jays and saw all 3 birds.

On Friday evening we drove to Kirkkonummi where we stayed with my parents. On the next morning we headed to Helsinki wherein Viikki we released a Starling that had been living with us for a couple of weeks. It had been attacked by Jackdaws and it was in really bad shape but now it was good to go. Then we continued to Fastholma where we tried to twitch a late Rustic Bunting without luck. We heard a Robin and saw some flocks of Bearded Reedlings, a Great Grey Shrike, a Common Scoter and a Smew.

Then we tried to twitch an Isabelline Wheatear in Vuosaari but it was also gone. Last night had been cold and wind had been northern. Then we did some shopping in Itäkeskus and Hanna continued to city to do more shopping but in the afternoon I headed to Lauttasaari to twitch a late Spotted Flycatcher. But I was too late and didn’t find it either. In the evening we went to Stam1na concert.

On the 14th day we drove back to Lauttasaari where we found the Spotted Flycatcher easily. I took some pictures of this bird and somehow it looked a bit brownish. An hour after we had left, we got a message that this bird might be a Mediterranean Flycatcher – or then some strange eastern subspecies. It was caught, measured and DNA was got so maybe soon we will find out what it was. It was also the last time it was seen as next night was very cold.

We still visited Espoo Laajalahti where we saw a young Golden Eagle and a Common Buzzard but no much else. In the afternoon we drove back to Parikkala.

During the week I saw a Blackbird in the village and a Goshawk and a Hawk Owl in Siikalahti. On Friday I did the last duck-count in Saari but there were only some Whooper Swans, 7 Mallards, a Goldeneye and some Goosanders. It started to feel like winter.

At weekend I participated rink-ball Finnish championship tournament even though I had quit playing almost a couple of years ago. But LaPo team from Lappeenranta needed a player and after all I was ready to join them. It was a good tournament and we got bronze-medals!

Next week winter really came! First all small lakes got frozen and it started to snow. On the 23rd day I still saw 5 Canada Geese and a Velvet Scoter in Härskiinmutka and a Hazel Hen in Muttelinmäki. On the 26th a Redwing was in a big flock of Fieldfares in Satumäki. Also some big flocks of Waxwings were feeding rowanberries. In Rautjärvi Kokkolanjoki I saw a couple of Dippers and in Imatra Immalanjärvi a Scaup and on Vuoksi river some Tufted Ducks and Cormorants.

At weekend we visited Siberian Jays and saw 2 of them. Also a Coal Tit and a couple of Hazel Hens were seen. On the last days of November it was snowing a lot and even Lake Simpele got frozen. Still on the 29th day I photographed a Velvet Scoter in Särkisalmi but on the next day even it was frozen!

J.A.