. . Lintuharrastajan päiväkirja Birders diary . .

The first days of the week on the 19th and 20th of April it was raining so I didn’t do much birding. In Särkisalmi I counted 56 Great Crested Grebes and 42 Black-throated Divers and a couple of Red-breasted Merganser and the first Red-necked Grebe were seen too, another Red-necked Grebe was in Siikalahti where were also 3 Gadwalls .

In the end of the week I started to check owl nest-boxes. In Tyrjä I heard a Wren and a Grey-headed Woodpecker and finally the first Ural Owl was found hatching 3 ggs. In a trip to Saari I saw already a couple of hundreds of Barnacle Geese but only better observation was a Short-eared Owl.

On Saturday the 23rd of April was the migration watching day. So I stayed in Siikalahti for 10 hours from 5 a.m. It was very cold day and it was snowing in every hour. Luckily in the afternoon it was very warm when they sun came out behind the clouds. Best birds were 10 Bewick’s Swans, 2 Red-throated Divers, 13 Black-throated Divers, Pallid/Montagu’s Harrier female, a White-tailed Eagle, 6 Rough-legged Buzzards, 60 Curlews, a Whimbrel, 6 Greenshanks, 4 Little Gulls, 2 Chiffchaffs, 27 migrating Jays, 7 Brambling and a Lapland Bunting. The best bird of the day was a Ring Ouzel that Matti Lötjönen found in Kangaskylä. I managed to twitch it and after all I was photographing it from our balcony while it was singing on the top of the nearest perch.

On the 24th day the weather was much better but the migration still the same. I stayed in Siikalahti from 8 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and saw 2 Cormorants, a Grey Heron, 2 White-tailed Eagles, 7 Whimbrels, a Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Little Gulls, a Barn Swallow, 18 Jays and a Linnet.

On the 25th day I saw a Red-throated Diver in Härskiinmutka, and on my lunch-hour I saw a Stock Dove and a Gold Finch in Siikalahti. In the afternoon I went to Saari and saw a couple of Garganeys in Pohjanranta, a Black-tailed Godwit in Rantakylä and a Common Tern in Rautalahti.

On the 26th day I had to go to Lappeenranta and on the way I checked the nest-boxes in Simpele and Rautjärvi, but they were also empty. In Lappeenranta I saw an Oystercatcher and a couple of Little Ringed Plovers.

And on the way back I got a message that there was a Green-winged Teal in Joutseno Suokumaanjärvi so I went to twitch it. The teal was still there and also a Wood Sanpdpiper and a Redstart were seen. I continued birding with Karri Kuitunen who had found the teal and we drove to Kotasaari. It was raining pretty much but we saw 5 Ruffs, 4 Little Ringed Plovers, 5 Slavonian Grebes and when the rain stopped for a while 2 Black Kites were migrating together! But then it started to rain again and soon I had to continue to Imatra where I had the last match of the season.

On the 27th day I did a trip to Saari again but found only 2 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 in Suurenjärvenliete and 1 in Rantakylä. Black Grouses were active on a couple of fields.

On the 28th of April several flocks of Steller’s Eiders were reported around South-Karelia so on my lunch-hour I decided to go to Oravaniemi to see the Lake Simpele. Once I got there I immediately found 7 Steller’s Eiders flying low over the lake and after some 20 seconds the disappeared to the haze. After my work I had to go twitching to Saari Pohjanranta where a male and maybe also a female American Wigeon had been seen, but I couldn’t find it even though I stayed there for a couple of hours. 2 Bewick’s Swans were with 104 Whooper Swans and in Suuri Rautjärvi I saw 3 Common Scoters and 2 Long-tailed Ducks.

On the 29th day it was raining again so went to check the nearest owl nest-boxes. In Kirkonkylä I surprisingly heard a Cuckoo which was my first ever in April. In the afternoon we went to check the furthermost nest-boxes in Melkoniemi ad there we heard 2 more Cuckoos but no owls were found. In Tarvaslampi we saw 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and in Härskiinmutka a Cormorant.

On the 30th day I was in Siikalahti with many friends from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and the weather was amazingly warm! Of course the first hours it was still cold but in the afternoon it was almost too hot! The migration was still not very good: a flock of 27 Bewick’s Swans, 2 Cormorants, 2 Hen Harriers, 3 Rough-legged Buzzards, a Little Ringed Plover, a Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Ruffs, a Spotted Redshank, a Wood Sandpiper, a Redshank, 2 Common Terns, a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Tree Pipits, a Yellow Wagtail, a 2 Willow Warblers, 28 Jays, 200 Bramblings, the earliest Bluethroat for me ever and the best bird was a Greater Spotted Eagle ever that came to soar right over us! From the pictures we could see that there wasn’t everything OK with the bird and it has some Lesser Spotted Eagle genes.

On Sunday the first of May I went by bike to Siikalahti again and again with almost the same people we stayed there from 7:30 a.m. until 2:15 p.m. The weather was still very warm and we saw about 600 geese, 2 Cormorants, 2 Grey Herons, a White-tailed Eagle, 2 Hen Harriers, a Hobby, a Peregrine, 17 Golden Plovers, 14 Ruffs, a Spotted Redshank, 18 Greenshanks, a Redshank, a Cuckoo, a White-backed Woodpecker, 3 Barn Swallows, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 10 Waxwings, the same Bluethroat again and a Whinchat. While biking back home I still heard a Wryneck and after an empty evening nest-box round we still heard a Common Sandpiper and a flock of Common Scoters from our garden.

J.A.

On the 2nd of April we participated to Wilderness bird-race again. Last year we hadn’t got enough teams but luckily now we got all parts of Ruokolahti and Rautjärvi filled. Our area was islands of Äitsaari, Härskiänsaari and Salosaari. Together with Hanna and Miika Soikkeli we spent night in Pitkäjärvi and then at 1:45 a.m. woke up and soon were driving towards Äitsaari.

We made a couple of stops in Salosaari but started the race soon after 3 a.m. when we saw a Rackoon Dog. In this race points were given also from mammals and different numbers of points were given from wilderness birds.

We stopped very many times to listen to owls but heard none until finally just before the sun was rising we heard 3 Pygmy Owls and a Hazel Hen. But they were the only ones we heard even though there was lots of good looking biotope.

We spent the morning in Äitsaari and found 11 Canada Geese, a Marsh Harrier, 2 Skylarks, 6 Starlings, a Robin and more importantly wilderness species that gave us lots of points: 4 Grey-headed Woodpeckers, 3 White-backed Woodpeckers, 6 Black Woodpeckers, 13 Mistle Thrushes, a Sparrowhawk and 13 Long-tailed Tits. In Härskiänsaari we found a Wren, a Three-toed Woodpecker and one more Black Woodpecker. Altogether we found 16 Common Buzzards, 26 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 5 Goldcrests, 23 Willow Tits, 6 Crested Tits, 12 Jays, 10 Ravens and 54 Bullfinches. 2 Woles, a European Hare and a Red Fox were also seen. The end of the race we spent in Salosaari and found a Goshawk, a Coal Tit, one more White-backed Woodpecker and 7 Rock doves but the wind was too strong to find anything else.

The results were given in Pitkäjärvi and while eating I saw a strange white bird in flight through the window. Luckily I saw it landing and it was a leucistic Pheasant. The three best teams had of course had good areas but they had all also spent much more time walking and cycling so they really deserved their prizes.

On the 3rd of April I spent several hours in Siikalahti where were quite a few other birders too. 20 Tundra Bean Geese, 7 White-fronted Geese, 2 Canada Geese, a Bittern, a Water Rail, a Black Grouse, a Hen Harrier, a Goshawk, 3 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Coots, 7 Cranes, 2 Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, a White-backed Woodpecker 20 Chaffinches, 2 Stock Doves and a Short-eared Owl were observed. In Särkisalmi I still saw some Goldeneyes, Goosanders and Mallards and in Lemmikonsalmi a Canada Goose.

On the 4th day I heard a Gold Finch in Särkisalmi and 4 saw Canada Geese and a Common Gull. In Siikalahti I saw some geese again and a Hen Harrier, a Goshawk, some Cranes, a Linnet, a Redwing and 3 Meadow Pipits.

After one rainy day and night there were lots of birds in Siikalahti on the 6th of April. 3 Marsh Harriers, 3 Kestrels, a Golden Plover, a Green Sandpiper, a Snipe, 50 Black-headed Gulls, 10 Common Gulls, 30 Blackbirds, 10 Redwings, 25 Fieldfares, 2 Song Thrushes, 2 Gold Finches, a Linnet and 72 Snow Buntings were seen on short visits. On the 7th day there were a couple of Teals, a White-tailed Eagle, a Hen Harrier, 4 Rough-legged Buzzards, 2 Merlins, 22 Coots, 2 Curlews, a Green Sandp
iper, 5 Snipes, 10 White Wagtails and some other migrants that had been seen on the earlier days too.
On the 8th Wigeons were already numerous, 20 birds were with a flock of 240 Mallards, 75 Teals and 2 Pintails. Also Smews, Tufted Ducks, Pochards, a Greylag Goose, 3 White-tailed Eagles, 2 Grey Herons, nice and very early Black Kite, already 6 Marsh Harriers, Heuglin’s Gull, a Baltic Gull and so on were seen.

Next night brought numerous Robins that were singing everywhere, also 4 White-tailed Eagles, 13 Rough-legged Buzzards, 16 Sparrowhawks, 5 Ospreys, a Peregrine, very early Northern Wheatear, a Gold Finch, a Linnet and 35 Snow Buntings were seen.

On the 10th of April we did a trip to Saari but saw only a Merlin, some Pintails, a Woodcock and some flocks of displaying Black Grouses. In Siikalahti we saw 2 Pink-footed Geese, a Greylag Goose, 2 White-tailed Eagles, 7 Ospreys, a Hen Harrier, a Merlin, a Northern Wheatear and a Linnet.

On the 11th of April the weather was bad, but I visited Siikalahti anyway and saw a Black-tailed Godwit. On the next day it was still windy and rainy so only birds I saw were 2 Great Crested Grebes in Särkisalmi and a Dunnock in Tetrisuo. On the 13th day 2 Barnacle Geese, 2 White-tailed Eagles and a White-backed Woodpecker were seen in Siikalahti and on the 14th day I visited the main tower and surprisingly the bay was almost completely open! A Slavonian Grebe, 31 Pochards, 9 Tufted Ducks, 15 Smews and 2 Long-tailed Tits were seen. I also tried to twitch a Grey Wagtail in Rautjärvi KAngaskoski but I didn’t find it.

On the 16th of April I cycled to Siikalahti very early and spent there 8 hours and saw a Pink-footed Goose, 2 Barnacle Geese, 4 Pintails, a Garganey, 5 Black-throated Divers, 3 White-tailed Eagles, 5 Rough-legged Buzzards, stunning Greater Spotted Eagle, 15 Green Sandpipers, 35 Snipes, a Great Grey Shrike, a Linnet, a Black Woodpecker, a White-backed Woodpecker and so on. After a short brake I came back by car and met Mikko Kataja from FotoFennica as they had come to sell birding equipment for the evening. We still saw 17 Barnacle Geese and so on.

On the 17th of April we headed to Siikalahti early again. Until midday we had seen 31 Rough-legged Buzzards, a White-tailed Eagle, a Black Kite, 2 Grey Herons, 3 Shovelers, 2 Greenshanks, 2 Redshanks, 20 Bramblings, a Great Grey Shrike and heard a singing Chiffchaff. Then we decided to go to Saari to show new places to Mikko and Johanna but after 5 minutes we were called back to see a stunning Greater Spotted Eagle that flew beautifully right over us!

In Saari we had a good time too and found altogether 3 Redshanks, 4 Greenshanks, 23 Barnacle Geese, 3 Hen Harriers, 10 Golden Plovers, a Stock Dove, a Jack Snipe, 2 extremely early Yellow Wagtails, a White-backed Woodpecker, a Merlin and a flock of 8 Linnets.

Then the weather turned bad and it started to get windy and rainy. So spring really hit the brakes on…

J.A.

After a trip to Åland the next days I saw only some woodpeckers, but luckily including White-backed, Grey-headed and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers.

On the 4th of March I did a winterbird count again and had a White-backed Woodpecker, a Black Woodpecker, altogether 16 Long-tailed Tits, a Crested Tit and so on. Only 18 species were found and total number of birds was the second lowest ever. It was the first count ever I didn’t see any Yellowhammers.

On the 5th day I went to Moskuunniemi by bike and managed to twitch a Nuthatch. A Herring Gull was heard and 6 Siskins were seen too.

On the 10th day we did a couple of hour’s owl-trip with Hanna. We heard a Ural Owl in Siikalahti and in Kolmikannankangas. On the next day I saw a Goshawk in Siikalahti. Next night we did a longer owl-trip to Uukuniemi with Harri Partanen but heard only 2 Tengmalm’s Owls.

On the 12th of March we visited Kokkolanjoki in Simpele with Hanna but saw only 7 Whooper Swans, 3 Mallards, 3 Dippers and the only short distance migrants a Goldeneye and a Goosander. On the way back home we saw 3 Whooper Swans flying in Koitsanlahti.

On the 13th of March a Skylark had landed to Siikalahti dam-road and it was the first real migrant! On the next day I saw 3 Whooper Swans there and on the 15th day there were already 5 swans on their territories. The Skylark stayed on the road for several days and a Grey-headed Woodpecker had started to call actively.

On the 16th day there were 2 Skylarks but they both disappeared during the day. A Stock Dove was flying south and a White-tailed Eagle was soaring on the eastern sky. On the 17th day only 7 Herring Gulls were seen.

On the 18th of March we drove to Kirkkonummi and on the next morning we drove early to Helsinki Fastholma. After 30 minutes waiting we found the Azure Tit. It was staying on the tops of the trees and visited the feeder only very briefly so we didn’t get any good pictures. Some Canada and Greylag Geese were seen, a Goshawk flew over us and the same Tawny Owl was again roosting on its favorite place.

We picked up Janne Koskinen from Viikki and continued to Turku where we celebrated TLY that had been active for 50 years and then on Sunday we had BirdLife meeting. On the way back we saw a Great Grey Shrike and 2 Wood Pigeons in Viikki.
After a short colder period the next migrants were seen on the 24th of March when 4 Lapwings, 4 Snow Buntings and a Common Buzzard arrived to Siikalahti.

On Friday the 25th of March was a holiday and we stayed a couple of hours in Siikalahti with Miika Soikkeli. We saw a Golden Eagle, a Common Buzzard, 2 Snow Buntings, same 4 Lapwings and a Crested Tit. In Raikanniemi we saw 2 Long-tailed Tits.

On Saturday I was more than 3 hours in Siikalahti and saw 2 White-tailed Eagles, 2 Common Buzzards, 20 Lapwings, 2 Skylarks, a Starling and a Linnet.

On Sunday I twitched a Nutcracker in Särkisalmi very early. Then I headed to Siikalahti again and as the weather was perfect, I stayed there for more than 7 hours. Lots of people visited Siikalahti as it was Eastern holiday and we saw 120 Lapwings, a Stock Dove, a Wood Pigeon, 18 Skylarks, 23 Blackbirds, 12 Starlings, 18 Snow Buntings, a Canada Goose, a Goldeneye, 9 Common Buzzards and the best birds were 2 Golden Eagles.

And on the second Eastern day on Monday I stayed in Siikalahti again more than 7 hours. The weather was still perfect but maybe there was still too much snow on the ground. Anyway a White-tailed Eagle, a Goshawk, a Sparrowhawk, 6 Common Buzzards, 3 Bean Gees which 2 were Tundra and 1 Taiga, a Greylag Goose, 2 Grey Herons, a Black-headed Gull, a Stock Dove, 8 Wood Pigeons, 2 Fieldfares, a Great Grey Shrike, 2 Rooks, 35 Starlings, 3 Gold Finches and 2 Reed Buntings were seen.

During the week the weather stayed good for a couple of days but migration was quiet. On the 29th day I saw only a Cormorant and on the 30th day 2 Hen Harriers, a White-tailed Eagle, a Sparrowhawk, a Mistle Thrush, 3 Reed Buntings and a Bittern on my lunch-hour visits and a couple of hour visits after work.

On the last day of March it was rainy so there was no migration at all. My lunch-hour visit was worthy anyway as I heard a Water Rail calling from the reedbed. It must have been wintering somewhere nearby as it was at least 3 weeks early and a new March-tick to me. A Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was calling actively and 24 Snow Buntings migrated over me.

J.A.

On the 26th of February we left towards south soon after midday. We stopped once and after 4 p.m. we picked up my brother Pirkka on Helsinki-Vantaa airport. Then we continued towards Turku and stopped once on the was to try to twitch some wintering White Wagtails on the greenhouses in Piikkiö, but it was already too late. Soon we were in Turku railway-station where we picked up Mikko Ala-Kojola and after visiting a shop we drove to harbor to wait for the ferry.

Soon Viking Grace left towards Åland and there we ate extremely well on buffet. Of course we planned for the next day’s bird-race too.

After 1 a.m. we were finally in Åland and we still had a half an hour drive to Mariehamn Solhem where we had a room. We had the same room as on our previous visits and after we had prepared everything ready for the morning we were finally ready to sleep.

On the 27th of February we woke up early at 5:30 a.m. Soon we were having breakfast with 4 other teams that had arrived already earlier. After the breakfast we headed towards Jomala Kasberget where had been reported a calling Eagle Owl a couple of weeks earlier.

At 6:35 we finally heard the Eagle Owl so we had to wait for 10 minutes when the race started. The bird was moving further and there was more traffic but luckily we still heard it then! So we started our race with an Eagle Owl and Jackdaws that were also calling. Soon we were heading towards Eckerö.

We drove until the road towards Styrsingsudden and stopped there a couple of times. It was still very early, but a White-tailed Eagle was seen and Goldcrests, Great Tits and Whooper Swans heard and a couple of Common Crossbills were seen and heard singing. Soon we parked to the end of the road and walked to the shore where one team was already seawatching.

Soon we saw Goldeneyes, Long-tailed ducks, Black Guillemots, Great Black-backed, Herring and Common Gulls, Goosanders, Red-breasted Mergansers, Cormorants, Jackdaws and Mallards but anyway it was pretty quiet. Only Long-tailed ducks were numerous in migration. Finally I found a distant Common Eider and soon after that also a Razorbill that we managed to get to our list before they flew too far. Then it was very quiet for some time and we had only a Hooded Crow and a flock of Tufted ducks to our list. So we gave up and continued our race.

Along the Styrs road we heard only Blue Tits and in Skeppsvik we got Coal Tits and a Crested Tit, Siskins and a Black Grouse. In Torp village we had Magpies, Ravens, Blackbirds, Tree and House Sparrows, Bull Finches, Yellowhammers, Green Finches, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a flock of Waxwings. While driving towards Degersand we saw a flock of 70 Smews and a Black Woodpecker but in Degersand the light was so badly against us that we soon gave up.

In Storby we had a Chaffinch and in Postbryggan a very distant flock of 12 Common Scoters. In Käringsundby we got only a Jay. After all we continued to Hammarland where we stopped only in Hammarvallen where a Dipper and a Treecreeper were found easily.

Then we headed to Jomala where we had a Great Grey Shrike in Ödanböle and in Gottby fields we saw a Lapwing in a flock of Whooper Swans, a distant flock of 35 Snow Buntings and a lonely Fieldfare. In Kungsöbatteri we had 3 Stock Doves and a Woodpigeon. Then we headed towards Hammarudda and saw a Parrot Crossbill on the way. But in Hammaruda we had nothing new in a bad light again.

In Ramsholmen I walked along the shore while the rest were searching for Nuthatches. Luckily I walked long enough to see that the bay wasn’t completely frozen and there were lots of Tufted Ducks in bad light and very distant. Anyway I managed to find a Pochard with 3 Scaups easily and soon we had both species on our list. Soon we found also 2 Nuthatches so we continued to the other side to see the airfield where a Common Buzzard was found easily.

In Maarinahamina we had nothing in fish-harbor, but a Coot was found in Western harbor. In the city we saw a flock of 3 Rock Doves and in Solhem we had again 2 Wood Pigeons.

Then we decided to start driving towards north. We had several different options but we thought Salvik Haga fields were best of them. In the border of Jomala and Finström we saw 3 Grey Herons and in Haga fields we found immediately 34 Greylag Geese. Then we went to see if Pheasants were in the same place as 2 years earlier and luckily found one male without getting out of the car. The last 15 minutes of the race we were just driving around the fields but saw nothing new. At 5 p.m. the race ended.

Back in Solhem we ate and then the results were given. After all the winners were a local Team Falcon with 67 species. Second was also local Seagulls with 60 species and we had also 60 species but Seagulls had several “aces”, species that no other teams had seen. Anyway we were the best team from the continent and it really seemed that these 2 local teams had done lots of preparations for the race!

So we were extremely happy and we really had done well and most importantly we had really had fun! Anyway soon after the results were given we had sauna and were ready to go to sleep.

On the 28th of February we left after very early breakfast towards Eckerö again. We had got some tips from other teams, so we started twitching a Common Snipe and also saw a Wren in the same place.

Soon we were in Styrsingsudden again and there was the same team again with a couple of twitchers that had came to try to get a Common Guillemot as a winter-tick. It was pretty similar morning again but after 9 a.m. more Razorbills started to move. Then after 8 Razorbills Pirkka noticed a couple of auks in front of us migrating partly behind the waves and when I found the birds I immediately shouted that the second bird was a Common Guillemot! Birds were difficult to find and unfortunately Hanna and another twitcher missed the right bird.

We still continued for some time and saw altogether 20 Razorbills, 3 Greyag Geese, 2 too distant geese, a Common Scoter, a few Common Eiders and about 1000 Long-tailed ducks.

Then we headed near Storby to twitch a Woodcock but managed to find only footprints from the race – both the winners team’s and bird’s footprints. But while searching we saw a stunning young Golden Eagle, a Redpoll and heard a Grey-headed Woodpecker.

Next we headed to Gottby again but saw only 145 Whooper Swans. In Kungsöbatteri we saw 6 White-tailed Eagles in a flock and heard a Stock Dove calling. In Hammarudda we turned to a road the lead to the fields where had been a Mistle Thrush for whole winter. We soon found a flock of Fieldfares and then the Mistle Thrush with them. From the shore we saw a couple of Teals and a distant Goshawk. We also saw a ringed Black Woodpecker there.

On the ordinary place in Hammarudda we saw only 5 Smews and a Great Grey Shrike than was on a tiny island in the middle of the sea. We also saw an amazing early butterfly but didn’t manage to identify the species as it disappeared too soon!

While driving back towards Mariehamn we saw a couple of Grey Herons in Jomala Fagerkulla and once in Solhem the sun had already set. Pirkka anyway went to the beach and soon called that we should come there. He had found a Little Grebe! And even better, the bird started to call and it was the first time I heard this species in Finland!

It had been a great day again and soon we headed to the city to have good pizza. And soon we were ready to go to sleep again.

The Leap day, the 29th of February: A day that is every 4th year is of course a day to try to see as many species as possible. Many birders are keeping their Leap day lists in Finland, so as we were in the best place in Finland for seeing good number of species, we had to give a try. So after an early breakfast we were once again heading to Styrsingsudden. Most of the other teams had already left on the previous day, but anyway there were all familiar faces in Styrs.

There were now more Long-tailed Ducks migrating but otherwise it was very quiet. Of course almost all species were new Leap day ticks. Black Guillemots we only few and the saw only one Razorbill leading a flock of Long-tailed ducks. The best bird was a Peregrine that Jyrki Normaja found. Other birds were 4 Common Scoters, 8 Red-breasted Mergansers, a Crested Tit and a Parrot Crossbill along the road when we continued elsewhere.

After a Goldcrest and Coal Tit we twitched the same Common Snipe and Wren and saw also a Black Woodpecker. Then we headed to Degersand where we now had good light and luckily saw a flock of 100 Purple Sandpipers easily.

On the way to Käringsundby we photographed a White-tailed Eagle that was perched on ice and saw also a couple of Grey Herons. On the feeder we saw only lots of Blackbirds so soon we continued to try a Dunnock that winner-team had seen in Marby. But only a Wren was heard singing shortly there.

In Gottby we saw a flock of 40 Redpolls and in Kungsöbatteri we saw 3 Stock Doves, a Great Grey Shrike, Waxwings and a Lapwing. Then we headed to Hammarudda where on the first fields there was a Greylag Goose with Whooper Swans and on the coastal fields we found Fieldfares and a Mistle Thrush again. Also some Gold Finches were seen and a Treecreeper was heard.

In Ramsholmen we found even 3 Common Buzzard which one of them was a nice migrating “börringe”. Then we heard calls of Bearded Reedlings and soon saw a male with 2 females! On the forest we found 2 Nuthatches again but the bay was almost completely frozen so only some tufted Ducks were seen.

So we drove to the other side of the bay to Möckelö where we climbed to the rocky shore to see to the sea. We found good flocks of Tufted Ducks but only one Scaup and one Smew but no Pochard. A Grey Heron and a Gold Finch were seen too.

Then we headed to Mariehamn where a Woodpigeon flew over us and in Berggatan we managed to twitch a Collared Dove. Also a flock of 12 Rock Doves were seen in the harbor. In Western harbor we saw 5 Coots and lots of Tufted Ducks with only one Scaup.

In Solhem feeder we saw another Nuthatch and then Jyrki called us and told that there had been a Yellow-legged Gull near the harbor. Of course it sounded crazy but we hurried there. The place was actually in the middle of the city and we found no gulls nearby either. There was actually no age or any other info about the bird so soon we let it be.

Then it started to get dark so we headed to have pizza again. So after all we were back in Solhem soon and managed to go to sleep early as the next day would be very long.

Altogether we had seen 60 species which 30 of them were new Leap day ticks to me.

On the 1st of March we had decided to have a little bit easier day. There were no more new month-ticks or Leapday-ticks so we had breakfast at 7 a.m. and then left towards north. In Gällby we saw 2 Lapwings on the field and in the border of Finström and Sund we saw 600 Mallards on ice. Soon we parked to the parking place of Kastelholma castle. We walked around the castle tasking some pictures but soon walked to check the reedbeds. We saw 4 Gold Finches, a Pheasant and a Grey Heron but nothing else. So soon we headed towards Salvik Haga fields again.

In Haga we found 48 Greylag Geese and counted altogether 128 Whooper Swans. Other birds we found were a Great Grey Shrike, a Treecreeper, 2 Woodpigeons, 2 Stock Doves and a flock of 106 Fieldfares with a single Starling. Then we headed back to Mariehamn again.

We still had some time so we headed south to Lemland Järsö but saw nothing there or on the way. Then we relaxed a bit in Solhem before headed to the ferry-harbor.

On the terminal we saw a flock of 22 Rock Doves which is probably a record number in Åland. Once we got to Viking Grace, we climbed to the sun-deck but the ferry was already moving so we missed the Pochard that had been on the flock of Tufted Ducks on the previous day.

We didn’t see many birds from the deck but before Lemland Nyhamn I saw the only Black Guillemot of the day and then in Nyhamn we saw a flock of 54 Razorbills! In Vitfågelskär we saw a Shelduck that Jyrki’s group had found on the previous day. Unfortunately it wasn’t that good bird anymore, it was March now.

We stayed on the deck for some time but saw almost nothing. So once we gave up, we went to eat well and the rest of the long trip we just relaxed and did some shopping. Finally at 8 p.m. we were in Turku where we dropped Mikko to the railway-station and continued towards Helsinki. There we dropped Pirkka to a hotel next to the airfield and then continued with Hanna towards Parikkala. In Imatra I saw a Ural Owl flying over our car and finally after 2 a.m. we were back at home and I had only some hours before going to work – Hanna still had holiday for the rest of the week.

We had really enjoyed our short holiday in Åland. The weather had been perfect and we had seen even 77 species there. Now it’s easier to wait for the spring to arrive!

J.A.

From 11th of February I still saw 3 Herring Gulls in Lake Simpele for a few days. On the 12th day I found the first Goldeneye in Simpele Kokkolanjoki and 5 Whooper Swans, 4 Mallards and 2 Dippers that have been wintering there were also seen. In Suomaankorpi I saw a flock of 28 Black Grouse.

On the 13th of February I saw 13 Herring Gulls in Imatra Vuoksi and in Lappeenranta I saw a Teal in Reijola and in the evening I saw the familiar Eagle Owl that was also calling actively.

The weather changed a little bit colder and it was snowing pretty heavily for a couple of days but still there wasn’t very much snow on the ground. On th16th day I saw a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and a White-backed Woodpecker in Siikalahti and a White-backed Woodpecker, a Treecreeper and a couple of Siskins in Moskuunniemi. In the evening there were stunning northern lights on the sky. On the 17th day I saw a Gold Finch flying over our house.

On the 19th and 20th of February we were putting some more Great Grey Owl nest-platforms to the

On the 21st day I saw 10 Mallards in Kokkolanjoki and in Imatra I saw a Fieldfare. In Lappeenranta Suni I twitched a flock of 4 Linnets and a Twite. I had to walk a lot before I found them right next to my car. The weather was extremely bad but with my new camera I managed to get some pictures.

On the next days I saw only a couple of White-backed Woodpeckers.

J.A.

Real winter weather

On the 6th of January we did a morning trip to forests and found only 1 Siberian Jay. It seems that this bird has lost its companion and there is only one couple left with their youngster and then this lonely bird. We also saw a Three-toed Woodpecker, 2 Crested Tits and a Goldcrest.

On the 9th of January I saw a flock of 14 Black Grouses while driving in the forests. On the next day in Simpele Kokkolanjoki I found 3 Whooper Swans in Kangaskoski and of course saw some Dippers. A Dipper was seen also in Tyrjä where also a Black Woodpecker was seen.

Then it started to be too cold for birding so I saved my old car and didn’t use it at all. On the 16th day I decided to try if the engine was still running and then I had to drive to load the battery. So I headed to Siikalahti and surprisingly saw a stunning Golden Eagle flying towards south! In Tyrjä I saw the Dipper again and a Sparrowhawk in Rasvaniemi

On the 17th of January I saw 11 Whooper Swans in Kokkolanjoki and on the way to Imatra I saw a couple of flocks of Black Grouses and a Goshawk in Ruokolahti. Another Goshawk was in Imatra Vuoksi where also Goldeneyes, Goosanders and Cormorants were seen. Altogether 3 Fieldfares and a Grey-headed Woodpecker were also found. Then I continued to Lappeenranra to play but I still visited Tirilä where I saw a Hawfinch easily.

In Hanko

On the 22nd day I drove south to participate Bongariliitto year-planning weekend. On the wasy I visited Joutseno Konnunsuo where I saw a Great Grey Shrike. Also a flock of Redpolls were seen in Joutseno.

The weekend was spent in Hanko Tvärminne and in both mornings we had time to so some birding too. On Saturday we were together with Markus Lampinen, Sebastian Andrejef and Tom Nordblad. In Tallholmarna we found Mute and Whooper Swans, Common and Black-headed Gulls, Long-tailed Ducks, a Red-breasted Merganser and so on. In Vedagrundet we still saw 3 Snow Buntings, 10 Tufted Ducks and another merganser and in Tvärminne there was a Chaffinch on the feeder.

On Sunday morning the weather was warming up and it was raining pretty hard. So we only twitched a Little Grebe in Itäsatama and started a long way back home. Together with Sebastian we twitched the famous Azure Tit on the way in Helsinki Fastholma. Also a White-backed Woodpecker and a Robin were seen.

On the 28th of January a White-backed Woodpecker was already drumming and calling in Siikalahti. On the 29th day a Black Woodpecker was seen in Tarvaspohja and 3 Waxwings in Kangaskylä. On the 30th day I was again in Lappeenranta and twitched 4 Teals in Reijola and 2 Nuthatches in Pappilanniemi.

Garden twitch

On the 31st of January was the traditional Garden twitch. In an hour we saw 12 species in hour “garden”. It was at least a double more than I had expected. 4 Rock Doves, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 7 Waxwings, a Blue Tit, 4 Great Tits, 3 Magpies, 12 Jackdaws, 5 Hooded Crows, a Raven, 5 Tree Sparrows, a Redpoll and 2 Gold Finches were seen.

The beginning of February

On the 1st of February a couple of White-backed Woodpeckers were seen in Siikalahti. On the 2nd day I saw 2 Great Grey Shrikes around the border of Imatra and Joutseno. During the week I saw a Gold Finch, single flocks of Siskins sand Redpolls, on the 5th day 2 White-backed and 2 Grey-headed Woodpeckers were in Siikalahti.

On the 6th of February we went to twitch another Azire Tit. This bird looked 100% pure as Fastholma bird probably had some Blue Tit on its genes and a little bit too little white on its tail and some yellow tone on its breast. So we had to twitch this one for Hanna to make a Finnish-tick sure but also because of Hanna’s brother Miika really wanted to see this bird as it was only 25 kilometers from Joensuu where he live, but he has no car to get there. So early in the morning we drove to Joensuu, picked up Miika and already after 8 a.m. we were in Kontiolahti Nälkävaara, where the bird was already on the top of the garden tree when we parked there. Only I managed to see the bird flying behind the building but luckily it soon came back and was showing extremely well for more than an hour around the garden and feeders.

We also visited Kuhasalo in Joensuu and saw some tits, Treecreepers and a blackbird. On the way back to Parikkala we still saw a Capercaillie in Kesälahti and 2 Black Grouses in Saari.

During the week it came very warm again and it was plus degrees around the clock! In Siikalahti I saw again some White-backed Woodpeckers and on the 9th day I saw the first House Sparrow of the winter in its territory. I have no idea where they go in mid-winter. Then on the 10th of February I surprisingly found 3 Herring Gulls on Lake Simpele and the were the first gulls I’ve ever seen in Parikkala in February! So spring is already on its way!

J.A.