. . Lintuharrastajan päiväkirja Birders diary . .

On the 28th of September we woke up early in the middle of a forest-cut. A local store opened already a t 6 a.m. and we had decided to get there at 7 so we hoped that fresh bread was available. Everything else was bought but the bread was a bit oldish. But soon we were ready to drive to Pärnäinen harbor.

We carried our stuff to M/S Baldur which left at 8:30 a.m. towards Jurmo. We stayed on the deck for some time and met some birders that were going to Utö and also 3 gentlemen that were coming to Jurmo for the same time with us. We hadn’t met Juhani and Pekka Virtanen (not relatives) and Kari Tuominen before but soon it was clear that we would get along well. Pretty soon we went to eat to the restaurant and food was extremely good!

It was a long way but finally we arrived at Jurmo where “Jussi”, Pekka and Kari got a ride from a local man so we got both carts for ourselves to get our stuff towards the station. While walking towards the station we already saw a Hobby.

On the station we met Kim Kuntze and Meri Öhman the were soon leaving to the ferry. Also Timo K. Palomäki was of course there and young birder Pyry Laurikka too. After some talking we went to check the mist-nets where Jussi, Pekka and Kari were already working and there were already quite a lot of Goldcrests.

After some time we went to eat something to the station and then left to do counts to western side of the island where is the better route where birds are being counted every day. It was a long way to the beginning of the route and it is very long walk if a visit to Heinäsaari is included. But we were ready to walk a lot!

Like almost always the best birds were found in Heinäsaari where 2 Oystercatchers, a Curlew, a Bar-tailed Godwit, a Ruff, a couple of Dunlins, 12 Purple Sandpipers and a Greenshank were seen. On the route we saw Spotted Redshank, a Long-tailed Duck, one of three Peregrines that we saw during the day and altogether we saw quite a few Grey and Golden Plovers and of course lots of ducks.

It was already getting late when we were walking back towards the station. On the way we saw a Nightjar which was very late record. But there had been quite a few of them around the country, so we hoped to see it later again.

While keeping the daily log we found out that most of the birds we had seen in Heinäsaari, had already been there for some time. Well we didn’t know about them so they had felt much better this way.

Island-competition

On the 29th day we had an island-competition and the main opponent was of course Lågskär. We woke up early and went to watch morning-migration with Timo. It was pretty quiet on the sea but we saw quite a good selection of species like Brent Geese and sea-ducks.

Then we went to walk the eastern route and surprisingly found quite good birds like a Hobby, a Merlin, a Peregrine, 4 Slavonian Grebes, a Jack Snipe and very early young Red-backed Shrike. In west we walked of course to Heinäsaari too and we found again the same waders, the first Pochard of the year for Jurmo and a very late young Cuckoo. Other birds seen on the field and caught from the nets were Blackcaps, Willow Warblers, Parrot Crossbills and so on. Pyry saw a Yellow-browed Warbler in Sorgen and when it was already dark we went to try to find the Nightjar which was found pretty easily but we also saw a couple of Long-eared Owls that Pyry had found and also a Short-eared Owl. Altogether we got 96 species which was the best number in the competition.

Easy day

On the 30th of September we had an easy day between the competition day and the first of October. We did only the eastern route with Teo and saw next to nothing during the day – only new bird was a Common Redstart. Also a couple of Slavonian Grebes, a Hobby, Parrot Crossbills and the same Nightjar was seen again. From the mist-nets we got a few Sparrowhawks but the best observation was maybe a few Queen of Spain Fritillaries that were flying in Sorgen.

October begins

On the first of October we were full of energy as there were some possible month-ticks around. Morning-migration was quite bad maybe because of the misty and windy weather. For the first time ringers had opened mist-nets also on the bog. While sea-watching we could see a couple of nets and there were lots of birds! I called to one of the ringers and asked if they needed help and I got an answer that they were OK. But I left to help them anyway and soon it was clear that all help was needed! Goldcrests were really on the move and nets were full of them! So next few hours we were all helping with the Goldcrests. When we managed to get any mist-net empty, we closed them. And after all only a couple of nets were kept open per ringer. I remember loosing a Lesser Whitethroat and a Tree Pipit from the net too.

Finally the chaos was over so we could go to count the routes. We first walked the eastern route where a Slavonian Grebe and a couple of Jack Snipes were seen, Then we continued west where all the same waders were still around and Curlew was a month-tick. In the evening a Nightjar was seen again and was another tick.

During the day ringers had ringed more than 1200 birds which 938 were Goldcrests!

Something little better

We kept on working hard on the next days too. On the 2nd of October I went again very early to put a Red-flanked Bluetail tape to the mist-net but nothing was there before the routinely ringing started. On the seawatch we saw some flocks of geese and one flock was Greylag Geese. A few Wood Larks were also seen and after 2 hours we went to have “second breakfast” to the station. Then we heard a call from Pyry’s walkie-talkie that a Red-flanked Bluetail had been caught. It was already the second bluetail in hand during this trip but it was again a month-tick! Ringers were very happy as they had never caught a bluetail before – it was good that they got some quality in the middle of thousands of Goldcrest.

In the east we saw a Common Redstart but other birds were just the same. In harbor we saw plenty of Moon Jellyfish that were interesting to see.

Hard work

Every day we walked from 12 to 21 kilometers with Teo depending on if we visited west and Heinäsaari or not. On some days we walked less but anyway we worked very hard to find anything better on the field but nothing better was to be found. On the 3rd day we saw a big raptor migrating over the sea and of course a Red Kite was seen migrating in Uto a half an hour later. It felt bad, but we were sure that we had seen a different bird as we thought our bird had looked most likely a Honey Buzzard. Anyway this Red Kite hadn’t been far either…

White counting in west Crane migration started and we counted 1621 birds. Also a couple of flocks of Scaups were seen and in the evening a Nightjar and a Short-eared Owl were seen.

On the 4th of October early in the morning we saw a Hobby finally as a month-tick but the rest of the day was boring. Only thing to mention was that Pyry left and Tapani Veistola arrived. Then on the 5th day we walked like crazy around the island again and still saw 2 Oystercatchers, a Curlew, a Red Knot, 5 Purple Sandpipers, a Greenshank, a Wood Lark, a Razorbill, a Peregrine, a couple of Willow Warblers and so on. So quite a few nice birds but nothing really good.

On the 6th of October the weather was really bad so we were keeping rain under trees while trying to make eastern route. We flushed a good-looking pipit that flew up to the sky and never landed. On the next morning an Olive-backed Pipit was found on Utö. Soon we flushed another pipit that landed to trees but our binoculars were absolutely wet, so we couldn’t see it well enough for a long time. But somehow I managed to clear my lenses and identify it as a Tree Pipit…

In west all the waders except Bar-tailed Godwit were still around. In Sorgen we saw a Lesser Whitethroat briefly and mist-nets produced a Blackcap and lots of Chiffchaffs that seemed to be everywhere so maybe there was still something rare to be found?

The last day

But the 7th of October was our last day. The weather was perfect so we decided to leave all routes to other birders and just went to search rarities. In Sorgen we heard “tac” -calls and saw a brown bird flying briefly – it was really good Dusky Warbler candidate, but even though we searched it for a couple of hours, it was never seen again. Just before we had seen the bird a Dusky Warbler had been found in Utö and when we had just stopped searching for our bird, we got a message that another Dusky Warbler had just arrived from somewhere to the same place. We had an idea from where it had probably arrived…

When ringers reported that they had seen a Blackstart near the station, we decided to go to twitch it. It was a stunning adult male bird, but anyway it wasn’t exactly what we had hoped to see. And it was one more bird to the list that we hadn’t found by ourselves. We still found a Tree Pipit and a Common Redstart but really nothing…

A visit at home

Finally we had to start walking towards the harbor where we had already carried our stuff in the morning. In M/S Baldur we ate well again and somehow the ferry-trip went fast. Then we had a very long driving to Kouvola where I went to sleep to an apartment that Teo’s family had empty. Next morning Teo dropped me to the railway-station and I took a train to Parikkala where I had to go to count ducks in the afternoon.

During the count I saw a family of Bewick’s Swans, even 6 Gadwalls, 4 Scaups, a male Pochard and a Long-tailed Duck in Siikalahti. Then I had to do shopping, laundering and packing – our autumn-trip wasnt over yet – not even close! We still had a long trip to Säppi to go!

J.A.

Because of corona every holiday-plans had been moved to the future. We had planned to go to Luvia Säppi with Hanna during autumn-holidays for two weeks and I had also took one extra week free from work, but only 3 weeks before my holiday I got news that my working equipment will get changed and it will take 2 weeks. So I decided to get 2 more weeks free and I had only one week left to plan what to do. I had plans to go to Oulu anyway on the second weekend of my holiday, so it was easy to decide to start in Oulu-area. Teo Ylätalo from Kouvola had been with us in Säppi on the previous autumn and was again coming with us and I knew that he was also free earlier, so I sent my plans to him and soon I got an answer that he would like to join me. So we were first going to Oulu-area for 8 days, then to Jurmo island for 9 days before getting to Säppi for 2 weeks.

On the 18th of September after work I still had to go shopping and pack but soon Teo arrived from Kouvola and of course we had to go birding soon. We headed to Siikalahti where we put up a few mist-nets too. While counting Cranes (670), we saw also 90 Whooper Swans, a Bewick’s Swan, a Peregrine Falcon, 2 Bitterns, 16 Great White Egrets, a flock of 60 migrating Pintails, a Rough-legged Buzzard, 3 Golden Plovers and 5 Gold Finches. Only a Dunnock, a couple of Robins, a Redwing, 2 Willow Tits and a Chaffinch were caught and ringed.

On the 19th day we headed to Siikalahti before the sun was rising and put up mist-nets again. A Black Grouse, a couple of White-tailed Eagles, 2 Hen Harriers, an Osprey, a Golden Plover, a Grey Plover, 3 Ruffs, a Black Woodpecker, a Great Grey Shrike and a flock of 25 migrating Lapland Buntings were seen and a Water Rail and a Common Crossbill were heard. From mist-nets we caught quite a few Bramblings and Chaffinches but also a Goldcrest, a Song Thrush, a Yellowhammer and some Great Tits. Finally we packed everything to Teo’s Volvo and started driving towards Oulu.

Liminka

We stopped only once on the way and finally arrived at Liminka. We knew there had been a flock of Lesser White-fronted Geese for the first time in decades in autumn in Liminka-bay and when we still had some kilometers to Virkkula we saw a flock of geese flying above the road. I counted the birds and there were 23 of them and I remembered that it was exactly the number of Lesser White-fronted Geese that had been reported. We stopped the car and indeed they were Lesser White-fronted Geese! 22 adult and 1 young bird were flying around for some 10 minutes and then left toward inland and never came back – they were seen 3 days later in Kerkini, Greece! Only then we saw plenty of other flocks of geese flying over Liminka-bay, we had been very lucky to find this flock first!

In Rantakylä fields we saw 5 Pink-footed Geese with numerous Taiga Bean Geese and also a Merlin, a flock of 300 Starlings and 3 Linnets. And from Virkkula bird-tower we saw a Greater White-fronted Goose, a Greylag Goose, 29 Pink-footed Geese with hundreds of Taiga Bean Geese, but also 2 Hen Harriers and Peregrines and a Hobby. Finally we had to hurry towards Oulunsalo and Hailuoto-ferry and while driving we still saw a Nutcracker in Liminka-city.

To Hailuoto

Finally we were in Riuttu and soon our ferry left towards Hailuoto. It was almost dark when we arrived to Hailuoto and we decided to drive straight to Koninnokka which we had chosen to be our camping place. Soon I had my tent up and Teo went to sleep into his car where he had a comfortable bed.

On the 20th of September we saw a Sparrowhawk in Koninnokka before we packed our car and continued to Rautaletto parking place. Soon we were walking towards Riisinnokka. After we had seen only a few birds we finally got to Riisinnokka where we saw 20 migrating Bean Geese, 2 Grey Herons, a Hen Harrier, a Peregrine, 10 Grey Plovers, a Bar-tailed Godwit, 4 Spotted Redshanks, 3 Chiffchaffs, a Coal Tit and 4 Dunnocks. After we had walked back to our car, we continued towards north-eastern corner of the island. We met Juha “Jurtsi” Markkola on the way but soon continued to Keskiniemi where we met also some old friends as Meski-family was there. There we saw 5 Grey Plovers, a Sanderling and a Northern Wheatear. In Mäntyniemi we saw 2 Grey Plovers, a Red Knot and 2 Sanderlings and in Virpiniemi 3 Grey Plovers, 2 Golden Plovers and a Little Stint. Then while walking back to car we found a Yellow-browed Warbler. And while driving again we saw a Waxwing.

In Marjaniemi the wind was already too strong so we saw only a couple of Velvet Scoters. Near village-fields we saw a Woodcock and in Patelanselkä at least 10 Gadwalls. Kirkkosalmi was almost completely empty as only bird to mention was a Grey Heron. In Ulkokarvo Petsamo we saw a Peregrine, a Marsh Harrier and a Blackbird and then a Great Grey Shrike from the car. The last place to visit was Pökönnokka where water was high but still we found 10 Golden Plovers, 4 Jack Snipes and also saw a young Arctic Skua, which was the third year-tick of the day.

Again Liminka-bay and Siikajoki

Soon we were in a ferry again and then in Liminka where we saw again about 1000 Taiga Bean Geese. We continued to Lumijoki Sannanlahti to put up a camp and we still heard a couple of migrating Grey Plovers from the sky before we started to sleep.

On the 21st day morning there was a noisy flock of about 800 Starlings in the reeds in Sannanlahti. But only other birds we saw from the tower were a few White-tailed Eagles. So soon we continued to Varjakka where only a Woodcock and some Common Crossbills were seen. The weather was turning to very bad but still we continued to Säärenranta where a few Ringed Plovers and Dunlins and a ringed Chiffchaffs were seen. The weather seemed to be better in Liminka so we turned back and went to try to twitch 2 Bar-headed Geese that had been seen there in Haaransilta. But only a small flock of Taiga Bean Geese were present. Rooks were seen while we tried to find Collared Doves in Vanha Liminka but we had no luck. We again visited Virkkula too but saw nothing new there. So finally we went to eat and shopping before we continued to Siikajoki Tauvo.

Tauvo

It had been raining for quite a long time but luckily it stopped when we parked to Hietapakka from where we carried our stuff to Tauvo ringing station. There we met Matti Tynjälä who was my old friend and the main ringer of the station. We also found out that Matti had arrived to the station already on the previous day when a big group from Jyväskylä had left. I had somehow thought that the change was today – so we were one day late… Well at least we hadn’t missed anything as the weather had been mostly very poor and we had been able to visit many good birding places which had been just almost empty…

Teo got a bed in the station but I decided to go to another building as I prefer sleep in quite cold. In the evening while checking the mist-nets, we saw a flock of 40 Bean Geese, a Black Grouse and caught some Redpolls, Fieldfares, a Redwing, a Brambling and a couple of Willow Tits.

On the 22nd day we were checking the nets with Teo but caught only 39r+17c Redpolls, 1+3c Bramblings, 14 Fieldfares, 3 Redwings, 1+4c Great, 4+3c Blue and 2+4c Willow Tits, a Treecreeper and 3+1c Reed Buntings. Other birds seen were 15 Parrot and a couple of Common Crossbills, Black Woodpecker, 2 White-tailed Eagles and a flock of 20 Ruffs that was seen from the tower. In the evening I went jogging and run around Tauvo which was exactly 10 kilometers. Then it was good to have sauna.

On the 23rd day the morning started great as on the first round we caught 1, on the second 2 and on the 3rd round 3 Yellow-browed Warblers! We were estimating already how many big record we will make, but then we caught none during the rest of the day.

We also caught 3 Chiffchaffs, Redpolls that weren’t seen in the field at all but somehow they were all hanging on the nets 71+22c, one Lesser Redpoll, 3 Siskins, 4+1c Bramblings, 2+1c Chaffinches, 3+3c Robins, 4 Dunnocks, 3 Meadow Pipits, 12+2c Reed Buntings, a Blackbird, always as nice Great Grey Shrike and of course three common species of tits. A couple of Coal Tits were seen and some flocks of Parrot Crossbills were seen and heard, but almost nothing else was seen while checking the nets.

In the evening we walked around Ulkonokka which was a hard job! We saw 12 Mute and 88 Whooper Swans, 22 Great Crested Grebes, 6 Cormorants, 2 White-tailed Eagles, a Merlin, 3 Grey, 19 Golden and 5 Ringed Plovers, 2 Spotted Redshanks, 25 Dunlins, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, 8 Snipes, 900 Teals, 300 Mallards, 120 Wigeons and 40 Pintails and so on.

On the 24th day we had put a Reed Bunting song to one of the mist-nets and it was very productive – almost too productive. We caught lots of Reed Buntings and Redpolls in the same time so all bird-bags were soon full. Luckily the panic was soon over when the birds stopped moving so strong. Altogether we ringed 61+4c Reed Buntings, 40+4c Redpolls, 9+1c Bramblings, 9 Fieldfares, 7 Redwings, a Song Thrush, 3+3c Robins, again 4 Yellow-browed Warblers, 7 Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler, a Yellowhammer, same tits again but also 17 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Dunnocks, a Goldcrest and a Treecreeper. In the evening I did a short run again before sauna. And finally also a Tengmalm’s Owl was caught before we went to sleep.

The morning of the 25th of September was warm, it was almost 15 degrees and even at night it had been 12,5 degrees. Even a Mourning Cloak butterfly was seen flying. But during the day it started to rain. Reed Bunting and Redpoll were still the most numerous birds in mist-nets but there weren’t many of them. But like so often the quality is many times more interesting than quantity. I had woken up very early in a couple of mornings to clean the mist-nets and put some bird-songs to the mist-nets. And one song had been a Red-flanked Bluetail. So on the first round the first bird on the first mist-net and right next to the tape was a beautiful young Red-flanked Bluetail! It had been a record year in Finland for Red-flanked Bluetail so it wasn’t a huge surprise to catch one but anyway it was my first ever autumn record. Also a couple of Chiffchaffs, a Goldcrest, same tits, some Bramblings and Fieldfares, a Yellowhammer, a Dunnock and a nice Pygmy Owl and a stunning Black Woodpecker were caught, so our visit to Tauvo had got perfect ending.

Oulu

In the afternoon we put everything ready for the winter as there was nobody coming to the station anymore which was a pity as the best time of the year was just beginning. Then we drove to Liminka where we did some shopping again and after checking Haaransilta and a Pheasant in Vihiluoto we met my brother Pirkka in Kempeleenlahti. From the tower we saw a couple of Slavonian Grebes but then Teo left towards Virkkula where he had booked night from the hostel and we left with Pirkka to Oulu.

We stayed with my brother Riku’s caravan and in the evening we ate well and had sauna.

On the 26th of September we woke up quite early and had a good breakfast and then we soon were ready for a big test! When corona had started in March I had sent a message to my brothers that it’s time to start training, after 6 months there is a half-marathon in Oulu. Riku had problems with his feet, but Pirkka was ready to join the test. He hand’t been running almost at all ever, but now after 6 months training we were both ready. About at midday we drove to Tuira, walked to Raatti, warmed up a little but and at 1 p.m. the running started!

It was nice to run in familiar places and quite soon running started to feel easy even though my last week preparing hadn’t been very good – I had walked quite a lot with wellingtons in a deep mud and water. Anyway I managed to break my record and managed to get under 1 hour and 50 minutes. But Pirkka did something amazing as his goal was first just to pass the half-marathon, but then we had been talking about something like 2 hours and 15 minutes – but he needed only 1 hour and 56 minutes!

After the run it started to rain heavily so soon we had walked to our car and drove back to Riku’s house where we just relaxed the rest of the day.

On the 27th day we said goodbye to Riku’s family, drove to Liminka where we saw 20 Pink-footed and 40 Barnacle Geese in Haaransilta before in Virkkula we met Teo who had been birding around Liminka. Teo had managed to finally see the Bar-headed Geese in the morning but as the weather was pretty bad, we decided to say goodbye to Pirkka and started driving towards south. Pirkka went to Tyrnävä and of course found the Bar-headed Geese there.

Via Kalajoki towards south

With Teo we drove until Kalajoki Letto where we walked to the beach and after some searching we found some waders. First we saw just Ringed Plovers and Dunlins but then found a Grey Plover, a Little Stint and the bird we had been searching for – the latest ever Terek Sandipiper. There were also a couple of thousands of gulls but we found nothing interesting. So soon we continued to Kalajoki to eat.

After some more driving we surprisingly saw 3 Collared Doves in Vöyri Oravainen and also stopped to check one good-looking bay there but saw nothing special. It was already getting dark when we stopped to do shopping in Pori and then continued until Raisio where we ate well again. We still continued until Parainen Nauvo where we camped in a forest-cut. Long after midnight we finally got to sleep.

J.A.

On the 1st if September I visited Siikalahti a couple of times, on my lunch-hour I saw a couple of White-backed Woodpeckers, a Common Ringed Plover, a couple of White-tailed Eagles and so on and in the evening we counted 578 Cranes and saw 18 Great White Egrets, 3 Grey Herons and still one late Nightjar.

On the 2nd day I heard a Red-throated Pipit and saw a couple of Black Woodpeckers and in the evening I counted the biggest number of Cranes ever in Siikalahti – 858 birds. 18 Great White Egrets were again flying towards Sokkiinselkä to roost, a Woodcock flew over and still 4 Water Rails were calling. On the 3rd day 6 Hobbies were still hunting and young Common Ringed Plover was flying around the bay with a young Dunlin.

On the 4th day I saw the first flock of Whooper Swans that had arrived from somewhere and surprisingly there was an adult Bewick’s Swan with them. It was an early record. 3 Golden Plovers and a Hen Harrier were also seen on my lunch-hour and after work I twitched a Common Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail in Simpele Kokkolanjoki Lahnanen. Then in the evening we were working hard to make Saari Pohjanranta a better place for waders in the future.

On the 5th of September we started trying if there were any Rustic Buntings moving in Siikalahti and put up a few mist-nets. We caught 3 Dunnocks, 2 Robins, a Redstart, 2 Blackbirds, a Redwing, 4 Lesser and 2 Common Whitethroats, 2 Garden Warbler, 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Blue, 5 Great and a Willow Tit, a Treecreeper and 2 Chaffinches but not a single bunting. From the dam-road we saw also 4 Cormorants, 2 young Honey Buzzards, 2 White-tailed Eagles, a Hen Harrier, a Merlin, a Common Ringed Plover, a Stock Dove and 14 Gold Finches.

On the 6th day we caught a Dunnock, 2r+1c Robin, a Sedge Warbler, 2 Blackcaps, a Goldcrest, 2 Great Tits, a Chaffinch, a Reed Bunting and 4 wonderful Rustic Buntings. At least 3 more Rustic Buntings were calling around the mist-nets and we also saw a Hen Harrier, a couple of Rough-legged Buzzards, a Merlin, 19 Golden Plovers, a Common Ringed Plover, a Stock Dove, 3 Sand Martins, a Bluethroat, 3 Red-throated Pipits and the best bird of the day was a migrating Black Kite.

After I had done a 2 hours run, we still went to Siikalahti to count ducks. We saw a Greylag Goose with 3 Tundra and 1 Taiga Bean Goose, 783 Wigeons, 49 Teals, 592 Mallards, 14 Pintails, 2 Shovelers and so on. The best bird I saw was an eagle that I saw very briefly but it looked like an almost adult Golden Eagle but I couldn’t rule out the same age Eastern Imperial Eagle… Luckily a man who lives next to the place where I saw the bird saw the bird too and he happened to photograph a lot and he got some pictures of it and from the pictures I could identify the bird as a Golden Eagle – but I still don’t understand what such an old bird is doing here in this time of year?

On the 7th day a Bewick’s Swan was still in Huhmarinen with the same geese but on the next day it was gone. Then I counted 578 Cranes, saw a migrating flock of 60 Common Scoters and now 20 Great White Egrets.

The next few days were quiet, but on the 11th day I saw a Great Grey Shrike and the first migrating Coal Tit. In the evening we tried mist-netting again and caught a Redstart, a Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Garden Warblers, a Blue Tit and a Chaffinch.

On the 12th of September we were ringing whole morning and caught 5 Robins, a Lesser and a Common Whitethroat, a Garden Warbler, 2 Blackcaps, a Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warblers, 3 Goldcrests, 3 Blue Tits, a Treecreeper, a Reed Bunting and because of pretty good migration 17 Chaffinches and 3 Bramblings, but again no project-species. We also saw 11 Bean Geese with an early Pink-footed Goose, 10 Cormorants, a Hen Harrier, stunning young Pallid Harrier, 2 Goshawks, a Rough-legged Buzzard, nice flock of 20 Bar-tailed Godwits, 10 small waders that probably were Dunlins, a Little Stint, a Yellow Wagtail and a Nutcracker.

On the 13th day a Bewick’s Swan was found in Särkisalmi with Whooper Swans, 78 Barnacle, 58 Canada and 3 Tundra Bean Geese. In the evening 20 Great Whites, 3 Grey Herons and a Bittern, 580 Cranes, a Whinchat and a Nutcracker were seen. On the next day only new birds were a Red-throated Pipit and 3 Coal Tits.

On the 15th day we did duck-counts again and counted 1019 Wigeons, 393 Mallards, 24 Shovelers, 6 Pintails, 35 Teals, a Gadwall, 22 Barnacle Geese and so on. In the evening we put up the mist-nets but caught only a Robin and a Blackcap. But we estimated 750 Cranes and 20 Great Whites and a Bittern were seen again.

On the 17th day there were already 1000 Barnacle Geese and 250 Tundra Bean Geese with 4 Greater White-fronted and at least 1 Taiga Bean Geese in Siikalahti and I still heard a Water Rail calling. On the next day there were already 3000 local and 3000 migrating Barnacle Geese but better were 1450 Brent Geese in 3 flocks. Also a Lapwing and a couple of Ruffs were seen during my lunch-hour.

J.A.

The change of the month was spent with friend on Lake Saimaa. We still didn’t see any Saimaa Seals but in Taipalsaari I saw a Little Stint and on the way back I saw a White-tailed Eagle and a Grey Heron in Lappeenranta.

On the 4th of August I saw a young Temminck Stint and on the next evening a Great White Egret. a Grey Heron and a Great Bittern. Then on the 6th day I saw a couple of Stock Doves.

On the 8th of August we were ringing in SSP-project again. Bushes were wet so birds weren’t moving much. We caught a Whinchat, 4 Sedge Warblers, 8 Lesser and 2 Common Whitethroats, a Chiffchaff, 7 Willlow Warblers, a Blue and a Great Tit, 2 Red-backed Shrikes, a Common Rosefinch and 2 Reed Buntings. A Golden Oriole was singing still shortly and we heard a bird that was calling like a Red-flanked Bluetail but we never saw it. Luckily soon after this mysterious bird had disappeared we heard a Grey Plover calling from the sky so at least one good bird was ticked.

In the evening we did duck-count in Siikalahti and there weren’t much to tell – 305 Mallards. There seemed to be more Great White Egrets so we stayed until the evening and after sunset saw 10 birds leaving to roost. We also counted 80 Cranes and heard at least 6 Water Rails.

On the 9th day we headed to Saari where was as quiet as we had expected. In Pohjasuo we saw a Linnet and a Gold Finch. Then I Suurenjärvenliete I had just said that: ”I wonder if we will see any single bird”, when I noticed a big raptor flying over us – it was a 2nd year Greater Spotted Eagle! Soon the eagle left towards south and luckily Juha Vesaoja saw the bird in Saari Selänne continuing towards Russia. I still saw a Nutcracker briefly but nothing else was seen later.

On the 10th of August a couple of Nutcrackers were in Kangaskylä and on the 11th day there were quite some raptors in Siikalahti. A couple of Hen Harriers and White-tailed Eagles were seen but I had only my lunch-hour so nothing better was seen.

On the 12th day a couple of Goshawks and again 10 Great White Egrets were seen. It was already dark when we were on the way back home and in Muttelinmäki we flushed a Nightjar from the road. On the next evening I saw a Temminck Stint, already 320 Cranes and heard a Nightjar.

It was quiet on the next days too and on the 15th day a visit in Saati was extremely quiet. Only 5 Meadow Pipits and 214 Cranes were seen – and a Nutcracker in Kangaskylä.

On the 16th f August we were ringing again and caught a Dunnock, 2 Common Redstarts, 2 Sedge Warblers, 8 Lesser and 2 Common Whitethroats, 3 Garden Warblers, 7r+2c Willow Warblers, a Great Tit control, a Greenfinch and a Reed Bunting. In the evening I did along run in Melkoniemi forests and saw a few Black Grouses, a Hazel Hen and a female Capercaillie.

On the 17th day I saw a White-tailed Eagle and a Ringed Plover and on the 18th there were 94 Great Crested Grebes, 10 Cormorants and a White-tailed Eagle in Härskiinmutka. In Siikalahti we saw a Smew, 9 Great White Egrets and on the way back home we saw a Nightjar.

On the 20th of August the duck-hinting started so I was in Siikalahti waiting for ducks to come there to safety. Some small flocks arrived during my lunch-hour. Also 15 Cormorants and a Ringed Plover were seen. In the evening we did duck-counts to see if there were more ducks but only 148 Wigeons, 97 Teals and 416 Mallards were numbers to mention.

On the 21st of August I was running a long run in Melkoniemi again and saw a male Capercaillie. In the evening we tried to catch migrating Nightjars but only one bird was heard calling shortly.

On the 22nd day we stayed in Siikalahti dam-road for a few hours and saw a couple of Nutcrackers, a White-tailed Eagle, a Stock Dove and a flock of 12 Long-tailed Tits. It was till very quiet! On the next day I was running again and saw a Common Redpoll in Kangaskylä, a White-tailed Eagle in Härskiinmutka, a Hazel Hen in forests and a Hen Harrier in Tetrisuo. In the evening we saw another Hen Harrier, 8 Great White Egrets and the last Swifts of the summer.

On the 25th of August a flock of 5 Bean Geese were flying around and on the next day I saw a Short-eared Owl flying high over Siikalahti. On the 27th day a 2nd year White-tailed Eagle was seen and elsewhere an adult and young were still visiting the nest. On the 28th day I heard a Brambling, saw a young Hen Harrier and 2 young Honey Buzzards. In Kangaskylä I heard a Redpoll again.

On the 29th of August we had the last ringing in Papinlahti. We managed to do all 12 ringings. We caught a Dunnock, a Bluethroat, 2 Sedge and 2 Blyth’s Reed Warblers, a Lesser and a Common Whitethroat, 3 Willow Warblers, a Blu Tit, 2 Greenfinches and the best bird we had ever caught in this place – a young Red-breasted Flycatcher! During the day we drove to Simpele Kangaskoski to twitch a Common Kingfisher. Hanna managed to see it briefly but the rest of us only heard it calling. Also a Gret Wagtail had been found so we twitched it too in Ritakoski. It flew to Lahnanen where we managed to see it better and get some pictures too.

In the evening we did duck-counts and the also crane and egret-count. 223 Wigeons, 96 Teals, 550 Mallards, 15 Pintails, 26 Canada Geese and so on were counted. I also saw a Ural Owl and heard a Moorhen. In the evening we counted exactly 700 Cranes and 15 Great White Egrets, 2 Grey Herons, 3 Bitterns and also saw 3 Lapwings, a Woodcock, 5 Hobbies, 5 Bean Geese, a Greylag Goose and then 3 small dark geese which one was very small. Maybe they were 2 Greater and one Swedish Lesser White-fronted Geese that had been seen in Parikkala earlier in summer? We also heard altogether 11 Water Rails.

Next evening I spent again in Siikalahti and counted cranes. It was very cloudy so birds were difficult to count even though they arrived earlier. I managed to see 669 Cranes and even 18 Great White Egrets. Also 305 migrating Wigeons and 10 Golden Plovers were seen but nothing else. And then on the last day of the month only bird to mention was a Hen Harrier.

J.A.

After trip to Lapland we went to sleep early as we had to wake up very early on the next morning. And on the 28th of June we were putting up the mist-nets when the sun was rising. It was still pretty quiet and we caught only a Robin, 2 Fieldfares, 2 Redwings, a Song Thrush, 4r+4c Sedge Warblers, 1+1c Garden Warblers, 2 Willow Warblers, 2 Pied Flycatchers, a Blue Tit, 9 Great Tits, a Greenfinch and a Common Rosefinch. Only better bird seen during the ringing was a migrating Whimbrel.

After sleeping we still went to count ducks in Siikalahti and had 8ad+10pull Whooper Swans, 52 Wigeons, 22+6 Teals, 198+12 Mallards, 4 Pochards, 5 Tufted Ducks, 17+33 Goldeneyes, 2 Black-throated Divers, 4 Great Crested and 10 Red-necked Grebes, 4 Grey Herons, 15+21 Coots, some common waders and only a handful of gulls and terns without any young. Only other bird to mention was a Red-backed Shrike.

On the 29th day I saw a Black Kite flying around the bay and later I heard that the nest that I had found in spring had been abandoned for some reason.

On the 1st of July we counted 160 adults and 50 young Barnacle Geese in Joukio and found that one birds had a satellite on its back. We soon found out that it was a Dutch bird that had been visiting Siberia on previous summer but now it was with breeding birds in Joukio. We visited the farmers on both side of the road and got permits to catch geese later. We actually noticed that the antenna wasn’t well attached on the goose’s back and we agreed with Dutch people that it’d be good to get the satellite off from this bird. On the 2nd day I also counted 6 adult and 15 young geese in Kangaskylä.

On the 3rd day I still saw both Black Kites on the bay and in the evening we went to ring nestlings of Wryneck that were on one nest-box in Särkisalmi. These birds were very big and after a couple of days they left their nest-box.

On the 4th day we had ringing morning again and caught 2c Sedge Warblers, a Blyth’s Reed Warbler, 2 Common Whitethroats, 2r+1c Garden Warblers, a male Blackcap, 2 Willow Warblers, a Pied Flycatcher, a Blue Tit and 4+1c Great Tits, a Common Rosefinch, 2 Yellowhammers and 4 Reed Buntings. Long-eared Owl fledlings were calling whole morning on a spruce-forest nearby and a couple of Golden Orioles were singing.

On the 5th day I heard a couple of Two-barred Crossbills while jogging and then on the 6th day we went to catch Barnacle Geese with a few friends. And like almost every time nothing went as planned but after all we managed to get between water and a quite a big flock of geese. Then we put up the fences and the trap and walked the flock to the trap. When we had just managed to get whole flock to the trap we noticed 2 grey geese swimming with a big flock of Barnacle Geese. There was a Greater White-fronted Goose but another bird looked promising. Juho Saukkonen took some pictures of the bird and from the pictures we could identify it as a Lesser White-fronted Goose! But we were in the middle of chaos with lots of Barnacle Geese in the trap so we had to concentrate on ringing them.

When the first adult was caught all birds that were able to fly tried, and mostly succeeded, to escape. But still we had lots of adult and young birds to ring. After all we ringed 13 adults and 32 young birds and controlled 2 birds that we had ringed a couple of years earlier.

When we were ready we noticed that grey geese were closing the shore and soon walking towards the field. We waited for them to go further from the shore and then with Juho we ran between them and the lake. Unfortunately Greater White-fronted Goose was flying well but after a quick run, I managed to catch the Lesser White-fronted Goose! Unfortunately it was again a Swedish ”plastic-goose” with color-rings.

Anyway we took quite a lot of pictures of our exotic goose and then released it to follow its companion that was different species. I hope they are not going to do anything more together…

In the evening we visited Saari Pohjanranta briefly and hoped to see some waders but saw only some Wood Sandpipers.

On the 7th of July I saw a Nutcracker in Kangaskylä, which was a year-tick. On the 8th day I checked Pohjanranta again but saw only a few Greenshanks and Wood Sandpipers. In Joukio both grey geese were still around. And in the evening we went to check that a Grasshopper Warbler that had been heard in Papinlahti was really that species.

On the 9th day we went to catch geese again with a bit smaller group of friends and managed to catch only a small flock which surprisingly many adults were able to fly and in the chaos also some young geese managed to escape. Anyway 2 adults and 11 young birds were ringed and again we controlled one 2 birds that had been ringed 2 years ago. On the other side of road all birds were already running when they saw our car, both grey geese with them.

On the 10th of July I found a Great White Egret in Siikalahti and after all there were two birds together. Also a Spotted Redshank was heard.

On the 11th day we left early to Joutseno. In Konnunsuo we tried to twitch a Quail but managed to see only a Hen Harrier and a Short-eared Owl and hear an Ortolan Bunting and a distant flock of Two-barred Crossbills. We tried to twitch another Quail too but without luck. Then we headed to Lappeenranta to twitch a European Serin and after an hour I heard a couple of seconds song and then we both heard flight calls that were good for Serin. It would have been a Finnish-tick for Hanna, so she decided not to take a tick as she heard it still quite bad.

When it started to rain, we headed to Toikansuo and twitched a family of Moorhens on the way. On the hill we met Pekka Punnonen and Matti Vanhapelto and after some waiting we had seen only some local waders. But then 10 Dunlins and 3 Temminck Stints landed to feed to the pools. We also saw an Oystercatcher, 2 Little Ringed Plovers and a Green Sandpiper before it started to rain too bad. So we went to visit a couple of shops which was the first time for months because of Covid19.

In the evening I went to check if there were any waders in Siikalahti and found a Black-tailed Godwit again but also 5 Dunlins. And on the next day there were 2 Dunlins and 4 Temminck Stints. So I managed to get my 200th species in Parikkala this year. We visited also Pohjanranta again and there was a young Black-tailed Godwit, a Whimbrel and 3 Temminck Stints.

On the 13th of July 2 Great White Egrets were seen again in Siikalahti and surprisingly there were some waders feeding right under their feet – Wood Sandpipers, a Dunlin, a Temmink Stint and even a Curlew Sandpiper.

On the 14th day in the evening we did duck-counts again and saw 7ad+10juv Whooper Swans, 51+26 Wigeons, 50+12 Teals, 334+11 Mallards, 3 Shovelers, a Pochard, 4+2 Tufted Ducks, 4+22 Goldeneyes, 2 Great Crested and 10 Red-necked Grebes, 2 Great White Egrets, 3 Grey Herons, 8+44 Coots, 71 Lapwings, 15 Common Snipes, 6 Dunlins and again only some gulls and Common Terns which one couple had 3 youngsters.

On the 15th day a female Hen Harrier was migrating in Siikalahti and on the 16th day I counted 67 Rock Doves in Kangaskylä. The white-tailed Eagle was seen last time on the nest – now we are hoping to see it somewhere outside the nest soon.

Next days I visited Siikalahti and hoped for some more waders and on the 16th day I saw 3 Dunlins. Also Golden Orioles were heard here and there – it seems that there are some more than on previous years.

On the 18th day we went to ring again and caught some more birds: 20 Reed Buntings, a Robin, a Blackbird, 2 Fieldfares, a Song Thrush, 5 Redwings, 3 Sedge, 4 Blyth’s Reed and 3 Garden Warbler, 4 Common Whitethroats, 2 Blackcaps, 3 Willow Warblers, a Pied Flycatcher, a Great Tit, a Red-backed Shrike and the biggest surprise was a Jay. But even bigger surprise was a skylark-like ”sriiu” call that we heard from the sky and saw a slim, yellowish wagtail with dark throat flying over us – a young Citrine Wagtail!

In the afternoon we were about to go birding to Saari when I noticed a dead woodpecker on the ground on our neighbor-building – it was a young White-backed Woodpecker… In Saari we saw a Hen Harrier and a Grey Heron in Tetrisuo, 3 more Grey Herons and a couple of Stock Doves in Pohjanranta, a rare midsummer record – a Tundra Bean Goose in Suurenjärvenliete and 2 more Stock Doves in Jyrkilä.

On the 19th of July we were some hours in Siikalahti where 2 Great White Egrets were still around and also a Spotted Redshank, a Yellow Wagtail and so on were seen. The most interesting record was made in our own garden where we saw a family of Common Redpolls.

On the 20th day I saw a Dunlin and again a Curlew Sandpiper and a Stock Dove was calling actively. On the 21st day I saw a migrating Great Grey Shrike which was again one more strange mid-summer record. Actually I had seen 4 species in 3 days that I had never seen before in July in Parikkala.

Hanna spent some time in a hide that she had built for wader-photographing. She had also been hard-working to make the surrounding muddy. She managed to get excellent pictures of Wood Sandpiper and Common Snipes – hopefully there will be also other species soon…

On the 24th day I counted a record of 74 Rock Doves and in Siikalahti a Great White Egret and a Dunlin were seen and Golden Oriole still singing and calling. And on the 25th day I saw again a Curlew Sandpiper.

On the 26th we had ringing again and we had hoped to catch lots of birds but bushes were probably too wet. It was very quiet almost whole morning but on one round we got more than 30 birds. Altogether we caught 24r+2c Great Tits, 7+1c Willow Tits, 3+1c Lesser Whitethroats and Reed Buntings, 2 Blyth’s Reed Warblers and Red-backed Shrikes, 1+1c Sedge Warblers, a Robin, a Common Whitethroat, a Garden Warbler and a Yellowhammer. A Golden Oriole was calling a and a Linnet flew over us. In the evening I saw a Dunlin and a Curlew Sandpiper in Siikalahti.

The end of July went without any better bird-observation even thought I did some birding every day. Great White Egrets were seen every day but only one or two birds. On the 30th day I saw again a Greater White-fronted Goose that had been hiding well for a long time, a Cormotant, a couple of Hen Harriers, probably the same long-staying Curlew Sandpiper, 6 Dunlins and 2 unidentified small stints that probably were Broad-billed Sandpipers but I saw them too briefly.

J.A.

On the first of June it was Monday and once again I headed to Siikalahti on my lunch-hour. Lots of Swifts were flying on the sky and I saw a couple of Hobbies catching one of them as a prey. A Black Kite was seen once again but a Black-tailed Godwit was an unexpected surprise.

In the evening we made another try to see migrating waders in Moskuunniemi and the weather was perfect. In an hour we saw only a single Ruff but then Hanna found a flock of waders from the sky – they were Red Knots! And soon I found another flock and in these flocks were altogether 260 birds. On the way back home we stopped in Kukonkanta and heard a Marsh and a Reed Warbler.

On the 2nd of June my lunch-break was even better when I found a 2nd year Lesser Spotted Eagle. Later I heard that this bird had been flying around for whole morning. In the evening we were back in Siikalahti with a couple of eagle-twitchers and we saw an amazing flock of 660 Red Knots! Also a lonely Broad-billed Sandpiper and a White-fronted Goose were seen but only eagle we saw was seen too briefly – all we could say was that it wasn’t a White-tailed Eagle.

The next days I was seeing mostly the same birds – Black Kite and a Marsh Warbler that was singing very beautifully next to the dam-road. On the 4th day we did a short trip to Saari and heard a River Warbler in Akonpohja. In a couple of days Hanna was photographing in Siikalahti and the best she found were fledlings of Long-tailed tits. Then in the evening of 5th day we went to put up the mist-nets and found 2 small Common Snipe youngsters that we of course ringed.

Then on the 6th day we were ringing and caught maybe the biggest surprise ever in these sessions – a Crested Tit. What it was doing in the reeds? We also caught a male Red-backed Shrike, 3 Sedge Warblers, 1+1c Common Whitethroats, 1 Garden Warbler, 1c Willow Warbler, 1c Great Tit, 1 Chaffinch, 3 Greenfinches, 1 Bullfinch and 1+3c Reed Buntings. During the day I managed to see a White-tailed Eagle nestling for the first time in the nest that we had found earlier. In Siikalahti we saw 150 Swifts, a Black Kite again and a couple of Stock Doves.

On the 7th day we had counts again and we started at midnight. I was rowing more than 10 km during the night and morning around Siikalahti. 2 Garganeys, a couple of Smews, 4 Grasshopper Warblers, 2 Marsh Warblers, a Red-backed Shrike, the family of Ural Owls and a couple of Black Kites were seen.

In the evening we went to check a couple of Great Snipe places and heard 2 + 1 birds before it started to rain.

Again mostly the same birds were seen until the 9th of June when we did counting again. Because of the rain we started late, so we did only the northernmost part of Siikalahti. Then we headed to Saari and saw a Black Kite in Rautalahti on the way. We tried to find Ortolan Buntings but didn’t find any – it is really going to extinct. In Pohjanranta we saw only one wader but it was a Marsh Sandpiper! Also a Grey Heron was seen there. Common Crossbills were on the move and flocks were heard and seen everywhere. In Jyrkilä we saw 2 White-fronted Geese, a Stock Dove and a couple of Short-eared Owls. In Karinmäki we still saw a Grey-headed Woodpecker and heard a Golden Oriole like also in Akonpohja.

On the 10th day I did the rest of the count in the northern part of Siikalahti. After the count we headed to Haukmäki and Soininmäki forests and found altogether 4 or 5 Red-breasted Flycathers, a couple of Crested Tits and a nest of a Coal Tit. But still we found no Greenish Warblers.

11th of June Hanna did the last counts and in the afternoon we went to ring the nestling of the first ever breeding pair of White-tailed Eagles in South Karelia. Pertti Koskimies did all the hard work while we were helping as much as we could, but he is so professional that after all there wasn’t much we could do.

On the 12th day I spent my lunch-hour in Siikalahti together with Aki Aintila and we saw 2 Black Kites. In the afternoon our friend Teo Ylätalo came to do birding with us for the weekend. In the evening we made everything ready for the next morning ringing and then visited a couple of places where we found some Great Snipes. We also saw a couple of adult and heard a few young Long-eared Owls.

On the 13th day we started early with ringing and there were also a couple of young birders from Kerimäki with us. It was pretty quiet morning so with Teo we also caught a Corn Crake that was calling nearby. During the morning we got a couple of Whinchats, 1r+1c Sedge Warblers, 3+2c Common Whitethroats, 4 Garden Warblers, 2+1c Willow Warblers, 1c Pied Flycatcher, 1 Siskin, 1 Common Rosefinch and 2+2c Reed Buntings.

But we had a couple of surprises during the morning. First we heard a loud sound like a fighter plane flying over us – it wasn’t a plane but a flock of 10 migrating Red-throated Divers that were rocketing down from the heights lower down. Then at 8:22 in the full sunshine a Nightjar was singing shortly.

After some sleep we went to see a couple of Parikkala-ticks for Teo and then headed to Siikalahti where a day-calling Spotted Crake wasn’t even a big surprise anymore. A Black Kite was seen and Hanna caught a Thrush Nightingale to ring nearby. Then we went to check one more place in Siikalahti where we found a Black-tailed Godwit and even more surprisingly a Caspian Tern! Also a couple of Golden Orioles were singing there.

In the evening we did a short drive in the forests but saw only a Red-throated Diver on its breeding pond in Savo-side of the border.

On the 14th of June we started at midnight and while driving we heard a River Warbler singing even though we had all windows closed. Then we surprisingly found 3 lekking Great Snipes in a new place!

After we had heard a couple of families of Long-eared Owls , a couple of Nightjars, some Corn Crakes, only a few Blyth’s Reed Warblers and one Grasshopper Warbler, we found some more Great Snipes. It seems this is a good year for this species that still some years ago was extinct in Finland.

We still heard a couple of Spotted Crakes, Golden Orioles and some species already mentioned and then in Akonpohja tried to catch some singers to ring but had no luck. But on the way back home we caught the same River Warbler that was singing next to the main road.

After some sleeping we still headed to Siikalahti where the same white-fronted Goose and also the same Black-tailed Godwit was seen again. A flock of 5 Brent Geese was seen migrating so I finally got a year-tick. Also a lonely Barnacle Goose and a Garganey were seen before Teo left towards Kouvola and I went to sleep again.

During the week I saw mostly the same birds every day. Only surprise was on the 15th day a male Hen Harrier in the middle of the night while listening to Great Snipes. Then on the 16th day I saw the first 6 Ruffs that are already on their way towards south.

On the next couple of days I saw only the same familiar birds. And finally on Thursday the 18th of June we started a holiday that we hadn’t really planned much. We headed towards north and Lapland.

J.A.