. . Lintuharrastajan päiväkirja Birders diary . .

In the end of the week I was studying in Tampere but on Friday after the last lectures I started to drive towards Pori. I was there in time and met Petteri Mäkelä and Markus Lampinen and a big group of young birders in a shop in Länsi-Pori. Most of these youngsters I knew only by name before but it was good to meet Sebastian Andejeff, Ossi Tahvonen, Aleksi Mikola, Tomas Swahn, Teppo Lehtola, Valtteri Salonen, Niklas Paulaniemi and Lassi Kangasmäki.

Everyone else except me and Petteri were going to stay in Säppi island for at least 10 days so there were lots of shopping to do! But somehow we managed to squeeze everything in 3 cars with all the people. And we just made it in time and were in Kuuminainen harbor before 6:30 p.m. when our boat was leaving.

After 30 minutes sea-journey we were in Säppi and carried all our stuff to the old lighthouse-keepers cottage. It was already getting dark but we managed to see some birds too, the best one was a Three-toed Woodpecker that flew over us.

The evening was nice. We put up the mist-nets to the garden and played some owl-tapes, but only heard a Tengmalm’s Owl. After all we went to sleep pretty early as everyone hoped to do some good birding next morning.

On the 10th of October we woke up at 6 a.m. and soon the cottage was full of people doing their breakfast. But pretty soon we were walking towards the shore for morning seawatchng. Markus and Valtteri were going to put up the rest of the mist-nets and do the ringing.

The weather was almost too good so there weren’t many birds migrating. A Shoveler was flying around with Mallards and a Scaup was only better migrating bird. After a couple of hours we decided to start walking around the island. We found some Jack Snipes, a Three-toed Woodpecker, a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, a Redstart, some Chiffchaffs, 6 Gold Finches, 14 Parrot Crossbills, 4 Snow Buntings and an adult Peregrine that landed to Hanhisto. On the mist-nets Markus ringed more than 100 birds but most of them were common tits, good number of Treecreepers were also ringed.

In the evening we played some owls again and managed to catch one Tengmalm’s Owl. Anyway the evening was quite easy after hard birding without bigger prices.

On the 11th of October a Pygmy Owl was calling on the backyard but it didn’t hit the mist-nets. After quickly breakfast we were all except Teppo who was doing ringing walking for the Kräveli and morning-seawatch.

There were more birds moving and divers and scoters with some Long-tailed Ducks, Red-necked Grebes and even Black Guillemots and Razorbills were seen. A Greenshank was flushed from the shore and a Grey Plover was heard. Petteri also found an owl migrating and after a long wait it came close enough so we could identify it as a Short-eared Owl.

While the seawatch Teppo called to Petteri and told that he had heard and seen an Olive-backed Pipit! We thought it would land to Hanhisto meadows and even the younger birders were keen to go there immediately, we had to do the morning-seawatch first. It was a good decision as after 10 minutes we heard clearly an Olive-backed pipit calling and found the bird turning around above us and fly towards south again. While we were still celebrating, I saw a big diver landing in front of us and when I got it to my scope I identified it as a Great Northern Diver! So it was already the 2nd lifer for many of us and a real self-found tick to me! The diver was fishing and also swimming together with a Cormorant for some time and then left towards west, but seemed to land again behind Prakala. Soon Teppo called us that he head seen and also recorded the pipit so it was time to celebrate some more!

Of course there were twitchers coming to the island as the year-tick listers were still missing both of these species. After our seawatch we walked around the island again but couldn’t find the diver nor the pipit. Again we flushed several Jack Snipes, saw the same Redstart, found a Blackcap and Parrot Crossbills but then it was time for me and Petteri to go packing. At 3 p.m. came the boat and we said goodbye to the rest of the group and left towards Kuuminainen.

Just before 4 p.m. I started a long drive towards home where I was finally after 10 p.m. It had been really nice weekend in Säppi!

After a weekend in Säppi, it started to be really autumn in Parikkala. On the 12th of October I counted more than 300 Whooper Swans, 120 Wigons, 90 Mallards and some other common ducks but saw also a Gadwall in Siikalahti. The Gadwall was present also on the 14th day when also 2 Bewick’s Swans were still seen.

On the 17th of October I did October count around Siikalahti. Altogether I saw more than 300 Whooper Swans, 616 Barnacle Geese, 70 Wigeons, 111 Mallards, a Pintail, a Hazel Grouse, 3 Black Grouses, 13 Great Crested Grebes, 7 Black-headed Gulls, 20 Rock Doves, a Wood Pigeon, 2 Great Grey Shrikes, 9 Long-tailed Tits and so on. In the afternoon I still twitched a Slavonian Grebe and a Red-necked Grebe in Vartianlahti and on the way there saw a Nutcracker in Muttelinmäki.

On the 18th of October we drove to Helsinki and left to Icelandfor a week!

J.A.

It was again that time of the year that we were going to Hailuoto to participate the bird-race. We were this time Janne, ”Jassi” Kiljunen ”Potu” Suojarinne and Miska Loippo from east, Antti Vierimaa and Antti Peuna from Oulu-area and Pirkka from Kemijärvi.

On the way with Jassi we twitched the Mandarin Duck in Savonlinna. Then we picked up Potu and Miska in Juva and then drove a long way to Kempele, where we visited a shop and soon continued to the ferry.

It was a bit after 8 p.m. when we got to out cottage in Hailuoto Santonen where Peuna and Vierimaa were already. Pirkka came an hour alter and then we were eating a lot of pizza, having sauna, having lots of fun and planning a little bit the race.

On Saturday the 3rd of October we woke up at 5:15 a.m. and pretty soon we were driving towards Riisinnokka. Our team was me, Pirkka, Potu and Miska. We saw 3 Woodcocks and lots of thrushes on the way even though it was still very dark. Soon we saw a flashlight flashing on the road in front of us and it was our second team. They had found an active Pygmy Owl and they knew it was a new species for most of is in Hailuoto, so they kindly showed it to us too. It was calling and flying very close to us when we whistled a little. But it was still 30 minutes to the beginning of the race. Unfortunately it disappeared after 15 minutes so we continued towards Riisi.

The race

At 7 a.m. we started with lots of thrushes and got even Blackbirds and a Song Thrush that usually have been difficult species for us. Also Goldcrests, a Treecreeper, Common Crossbills, Bull Finches, lots of Great Spotted Woodpeckers, first White-tailed Eagles, a Sparrowhawk and even a singing Wren were found.

We still saw a couple of Swallows before Rautaletto and there we found a Chiffchaff, some Dunnocks, a Coal Tit, another Wren, Mistle Thrushes, Waxwings and a White Wagtail but unfortunately only 2 of us saw a Woodcock and 2 Snipes.

In Riisinnokka one team was already leaving but our second team was still there. Soon we saw Mute Swans, 2 Black Grouses, even 11 White-tailed Eagles, ducks, gulls, a Cormorant, Common Scoters, a Velvet Scoter, a Merlin, Long-tailed Tits and so on, but no waders at all! After some time I found 2 waders flying far over the sea and immediately another bird looked interesting. They landed and it was easy to tell that another bird was a Dunlin but even though we were looking them for a long time we weren’t sure if the second bird was a dark and big Dunlin or a Purple Sandpiper. We also saw a flock of 5 divers that we weren’t sure which ones they were, so it was pretty frustrating. Luckily we soon heard a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and found a flock of 5 Red-throated Divers.

We continued back along the forest and visited the shore a couple of times and found 2 Shovelers, some Scaups and a Long-tailed duck. Then close to the parking place I found a big wader flying towards us from the sea. It immediately looked like a godwit but it was a huge surprise that it was a Black-tailed Godwit! They should migrate in July! After it had showed itself pretty well it landed behind Isomatala-island. But this was something that we really needed after several missed birds and some identification problems.

On the way to Kirkkosalmi, we found 2 Arctic Redpolls while trying to find a Woodcock. In Kirkkosalmi we saw only 2 Coots, another Shoveler, Jackdaws and only good birds -2 Nutcrackers. In Järventakusta we saw 5 migrating Black-throated Divers, a Great Grey Shrike but no geese at all.

Then we continued to the eastern side of the island. On the way we got House Sparrow and Tree Sparrow easily and in Potinhamina we saw that there were teams in Pökönnokka, so after we had found a Red-necked Grebe and a migrating flock of 19 dark geese, we continued to Huikku. There we saw a Goshawk and a Canada Goose and after that we drove to Pökönnokka.

In Pökkö we saw another Chiffchaff and then walked around the big meadow and finally saw a Skylark, a Snipe, a Ruff and a Snow Bunting.

In Ojakylänlahti we saw nothing new and also Ulkokarvo was a disappointment. On the road to Pöllä we saw finally a Jay but Pöllä and Kuivasäikkä had nothing new.

In Patelanselkä we saw nothing but in Marjaniemi we saw that our second team was there so we stopped a little bit different place than usually. It came a draw as we missed a long-stayer Eider that was in front of them but we saw a Golden Plover that they missed.

The last hour we spent in Keskiniemi and hoped for waders but even there were none! We had only 3 Skylarks there. We also heard a “tacking” bird that never showed itself – I hope it was nothing very rare like a Dusky Warbler…

The results were given in school. After all there were only 4 teams and we won with our 83 species. Our second team came 2nd with 81 and Juha Markkola and Tuomas Herva were 3rd with 79 species. Family Hohtola had taken the race pretty easy but still they had seen some species that other teams hadn’t seen. Altogether 100 species had been seen.

In the evening Pirkka left to Kemijärvi but the rest of us stayed in our cottage, ate pizza, drank a little, had sauna and had a good time!

Still a morning trip

On Sunday the 4th of October 4 of us left early to Riisinnokka again. It was pretty windy and almost no new birds were seen. 2 Golden Plovers, the same Marlin, a Red-throated Diver, the same Woodcocks on the way and one new Wren were something to mention. In Kirkkosalmi we saw the same Shoveler but in Järventakusta we now found 2 Greylag Geese with much more Whooper Swans.

In Marjaniemi we twitched that same Eider and it was a new Hailuoto-tick for me. Then on the way back we stopped in Potinhamina where we found the same Red-necked Grebe but also 2 Brent Geese.

Once we got back to our cottage, Jassi and Vierimaa had already cleaned everything. Antti left to twitch the Brent Geese and we packed everything and soon we all were in the harbor.

In Oulunsalo we said goodbye to Vierimaa and followed Peuna to Raahe rubbish tip where had been a big pipit. We hoped for a Blyth’s but didn’t find anything else than a Pheasant, 35 Gold Finches and some Meadow Pipits so on.

Then it was time to say goodbye to Peuna and start driving towards south-east. It was a long drive and only surprise was the flash-of a speed-camera a kilometer before Juva! Potu was driving so we hope we get only a warning…

I was finally at home a little bit after 10 p.m. but once again it had been a really good weekend with very good friends!

J.A.

On Friday the 25th of September I visited Siikalahti a couple of times. There were some my friends too and together we saw 3 Bewick’s Swans, 200 Brent Geese, an Osprey, a Peregrine, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a Nutcracker and altogether 10 White-tailed Eagles! In the afternoon we went to Saari with “Jassi” Kiljunen and saw a Merlin, 10 Golden Plovers, 14 Lapwings and 2 Great Grey Shrikes in Akanvaara Tetrisuo, a Grey Heron in Pohjanranta and 10000 Barnacle Geese and 100 grey geese in Jyrkilä. There were also 100 swans which 6 of them were Bewick’s Swans.

On Saturday I did birding only in the morning without any special observations. In the afternoon we drove to Savonlinna and twitched a Mandarin Duck and then continued to Mikkeli to my grandmother’s funeral. She was the probably the biggest reason, why me and my brother started to watch birds in early 80’s.

On Sunday the 27th of September we woke up and drove to Siikalahti already at 6:30 a.m. Soon there were also Harri Partanen, Jassi and Merja Laari, but it was so foggy that we started to walk around. We had planned to try to see as many species as possible during the day in Siikalahti.

Right away we saw a White-backed Woodpecker and heard a Water Rail. From Raikantie we found a Wren, a Crested Tit and a Black Grouse. At 9 a.m. we were back at the dam-road and now Pekka Punnonen had arrived too.

Finally the fog cleared and we saw a Bluethroat, a Marsh Harrier, thousand of Barnacle Geese flying around, but not real migration. Only Woodpigeons were really moving and we counted 590 birds. Then Merja found a Bittern standing on the reeds and soon we saw it catching a fish and then hiding back to the reeds.

During the day we saw a Honey Buzzard, 3 White-tailed Eagles, a Hen Harrier, an Osprey, 2 Goshawks, 14 Sparrowhawks and a Merlin. 382 Cranes were migrating and 220 still just flying around.

In the afternoon it came quiet but we still saw a Grey-headed Woodpecker, a Gold Finch and a Lesser Whitethroat. At 4:30 p.m. everyone else had seen enough but I moved to the main bird-tower. There I counted 77 Bean Geese, 14 White-fronted Geese, found a Pintail, 11 Shovelers, a Long-tailed Duck, a Smew, 11 Scaups and 42 Tufted Ducks with about a thousand Mallards and Wigeons. Then I suddenly heard a high call close to the tower and saw briefly a compact bird flying to one reed-bed. I didn’t see any colors but I knew it had been a Common Kingfisher! I put the news out and soon I heard it again and then saw it landing to a willow pretty close to the tower. But I couldn’t find my camera and when I finally found it and managed to start scoping, I just got a few seconds video of the bird before it caught a bird and flew behind the reeds with it.

I stayed in the tower until 6:30 p.m. and once I realized that I had been in Siikalahti for 12 hours already, I left back to home. There I counted that we had seen altogether 83 species during the day in Siikalahti.

J.A.

On the 23rd of September I had been birding only on my lunch-hour and seen almost nothing, so I was having nice nap after my work. When I woke up I had got a message that there was a Hoopoe in Rautjärvi Änkilä. I had planned to go to visit a gas-station in Russia anyway and Änkilä was on the way so I left immediately.

The Hoopoe had been seen about an hour before I arrived to Änkilä and I had got some instructions to the right garden, but they were pretty badly wrong. I had told to drive 1 kilometer from one house, but it was close to 3 kilometers before I finally found a garden that looked right. And already from the moving car I saw a Hoopoe standing on the short grass in the middle of the garden. I got out from the car, put up the scope and took some digiscoping pictures and videos, but soon another car was passing by and the bird flushed to the forest behind the buildings. Anyway I had got good pictures, so I left towards Imatra and Svetogorsk.

But this wasn’t the whole story yet! On the next day, on the 24th of September, I went to Siikalahti bird-tower on my lunch-hour. I had planned to scan all the masses of ducks and Barnacle Geese and managed to find 2 Pochards, a Scaup and a Long-tailed Duck. Also a Marsh Harrier, a Common Buzzard and a Goshawk were seen. I was of course scanning the sky too with my binos and once I was doing that, I saw briefly a thrush or woodpecker-like bird disappearing behind Läähättäjä-island. I was thinking of a Grey-headed Woodpecker but waited it to come from the other side of the island and finally found it with my scope and it was a Hoopoe! I followed it flying across the bay and then landing to a field to Aittavaara. It was already so far that I decided to put the news out with my phone and once I had done that I couldn’t find the bird again, but it wasn’t a surprise the distance was so big.

So I walked to the parking place and drove Aittavaara and walked to check the field but I couldn’t find the bird anymore. But I was in too bad hurry to go back to work, so I really couldn’t check the field well enough. Anyway I had got the first self-found tick for the year and also a new Siikalahti-tick!

J.A.

I had been birding a lot in Parikkala without finding anything special so it was time to do something else. We decided to go once again to Siikajoki Tauvo for the weekend. On the way we tried to twitch a Mandarine Duck in Savonlinna bit it was raining pretty hard so we didn’t find it. In Iisalmi we saw a flock of Barnacle Geese and in Pyhäntä a Great Grey Shrike.

We were finally in Tauvo before 10 p.m. and met Pirkka who had just arrived too. Antti Peuna had arrived earlier and also Matti and Annikki Tynjälä had came to help us to put up the mist-nets. Soon we were all putting up the nets while Tengmalm’s Owl was calling from the speakers. Soon we had 2 owls to ring but then it started to rain and Matti and Annikki left to Oulu and the rest of us wet to sleep.

On the 19th of September we woke up before 7 a.m. and soon we were making the first net-round. The weather was luckily better than the forecasts had told so there were some birds moving and already on the second round we heard a Yellow-browed Warbler calling. We had hoped to get this species from the nets as it was the best autumn ever for this species.

But we caught only Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs, tits with a flock of Long-tailed Tits, Robins, Reed Buntings, Redpolls, 2 Meadow Pipits, Goldcrests, Bullfinches and Chaffinches and a Brambling, a Song Thrush and a Bluethroat. We heard and saw altogether at least 4 Yellow-browed Warblers, but caught none. Between the net-rounds we were of course spending time in the bird-tower and saw a Lapwing, 8 White-tailed Eagles, 11 Bean Geese, 10 Long-tailed Ducks, 7 Common Scoters, a Velvet Scoter, a Red-throated Diver and a Cormorant. On one of the rounds we saw a Peregrine Falcon.

In the afternoon it started to blow very hard and there were no birds in mist-nets at all, so we headed to Ulkonokka. The walk was long and hard but there were quite a few waders! 200 Dunlins, 35 Golden Plovers, 9 Grey Plovers, 3 Sanderlings, 3 Ringed plovers, 2 Knots, 2 Spotted Redshanks, 3 Snipes and a Jack Snipe were seen. We also saw 6 Willow Grouses, a Merlin, a Yellow Wagtail and 4 Lapland Buntings. In the evening we played owls from the speakers again and caught one Pygmy Owl.

On the 20th of September the weather was much better but it was even quieter on the mist-nets. New species were a Lesser Redpoll, a Coal Tit, 2 Yellowhammers, a Lesser Spotted and a Greater Spotted Woodpecker, a Fieldfare and a big and dark adult male Northern Wheatear – leucorhoa? While walking the mist-net rounds, we had at least 2 Yellow-browed Warblers again and a Hazel Hen was calling. From the tower we saw some flocks of Mute Swans, 8 White-tailed Eagles, 270 Barnacle Geese that are not usually seen this west, but the wind had pushed lots of them to Lapland and Western coast too, 6 Bean Geese, 11 Cormorants, 50 Golden Plovers, 5 Black Woodpeckers, 2 Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, a House Martin, 200 Redpolls, 20 Common Crossbills and the best ones were 2 late Caspian Terns.

At 4 p.m. we had packed, cleaned and closed the mist-nets. Matti and Annikki were again helping us as they had arrived in the morning and walked around Ulkonokka. Soon we were ready start a long drive back to Parikkala. On the way we saw a Hen Harrier in Vihanti and a flock of Barnacle Geese in Vieremä. We were finally at home about at 11 p.m.

J.A.

On the 27th of August there was a bird-race in Rantasalmi that I participated together with “Potu” suojarinne and Miska Loippo. We started in Vaahersalo and managed to get a Woodcock and a Song Thrush and some other species before there was light and then in a couple of hours some of the better species we got were a Red-necked Grebe, a Wren, a Snipe, a Black Woodpecker, a Lesser Whitethroat and a Sedge Warbler.

In Kosulanlampi we saw a migrating Honey Buzzard and heard a Red-throated Pipit. In the village we saw House Sparrows and after a short stop in Putkilahti we continued to Putkisalo which was really good, so we stayed there for more than a couple of hours. We saw 2 Ruffs, 5 Ringed Plover, 39 Canada Geese, a San Martin, 10 Starlings, quite a few migrating Honey Buzzards with a White-tailed Eagle and the best surprise 3 Bar-tailed Godwits.

We didn’t know any other good places to visit so we decided to visit all places for the second time. In Putkilahti we had a Goshawk and in Vaahersalo we found 2 Common Whitethroats, a Red-backed Shrike, Blackbirds and the last species which was one of our best, a migrating Arctic Skua.

with our 74 species we were 3rd best team and altogether teams had found 106 species. So South Savo is not that bad place for birding at all!

In the evening my brother Pirkka came to Parikkala so the next morning we started early. In Siikalahti we saw a Hen Harrier, a White-backed and a Grey-headed Woodpecker, an early Lapland Bunting, a Little Stint, a Grey Heron and a White-tailed Eagle. Water Rails were calling, some Dunnocks migrating and from the bushes we still found a couple of Garden Warblers and 3 Long-tailed Tits.

Later we did a short trip to Saari but only a Great Grey Shrike and a Hen Harrier were seen in Akanavaara Tetrisuo and another Hen Harrier and a Merlin in Pohjasuo. After Pirkka had started his long way to north I still saw a Nutcracker in Kangaskylä.

On the last day of August I still saw a Blyth’s Reed Warbler in Siikalahti and also a migrating harrier that probably was a Pallid, but it was too far.

During September I visited Siikalahti every day and several times on most days. On the first day I saw a Dunlin and heard a calling Red-breasted Flycatcher. In Kullinsuo I saw 2 Golden Plovers, 3 Red-throated Pipits and a Cuckoo and another Cuckoo in Kaukola. In Lahdensuo I saw still a couple of Whinchats and in Kirkkoranta I heard an early Redpoll. A couple of next mornings I saw 350 Cranes, a Black Woodpecker, a White-backed Woodpecker, a Wren, a couple of Grey Herons and a Chiffchaff.

During the weekend I counted 57 Barnacle Geese in Joukio so some of the local breeders had already left. While visiting Lappeenranta I checked Askola a couple of times but saw only 3 Golden Plovers, 2 Ringed Plovers and 21 Lapwings. On Sunday I walked around Siikalahti once again and saw a Hen Harrier, a Black Woodpecker, a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, a Red-throated Pipit, 3 Wrens, 8 Sedge Warblers, a Blackcap, a Chiffchaff, a Nutcracker and 27 Reed Buntings.

On the 7th day there were 6 Red-throated Pipits, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Red-backed Shrike and a big surprise a young Moorhen in Kullinsuo!

On the 8th day on my lunch-hour I saw the first migrating flock of 70 Barnacle Geese and in the evening there were already 1550 birds migrating over our house in an hour. I also saw 2 Cormorants. On the 9th of September a Mistle Thrush was singing in Siikalahti and 450 Barnacle Geese migrating. The best bird was a migrating Nutcracker. With Harri Partanen we found a Bluethroat, 60 Meadow Pipits, a Red-throated Pipit, 8 Skylarks and 15 Lapland Buntings in Kullinsuo and in the evening 412 Cranes came to Siikalahti and while counting we saw an early Bewick’s Swan and heard at least 4 Water Rails.

On the 10th day I saw 3 Coal Tits, a Pintail, a White-backed Woodpecker, 3 or 4 White-tailed Eagles and 70 Barnacle Geese. In the evening we tried to catch owls but only a Tengmalm’s Owl was heard calling a couple of times around the mist-net in Tarvaslampi. On the 11th day I visited Kullinsuo again and saw 211 Barnacle Geese, 10 Lapland Buntings and a Bluethroat, in Vartialahti I saw a flock of 20 Common Scoters. Late in the evening aurora borealis arc was visible on northern sky.

On Saturday the 12th of September we drove to Saari again but only 2 Hen Harriers, a Grey Heron, a few Lapland Buntings and a Grey-headed Woodpecker were seen. But there were already at least 5000 Barnacle Geese. In Kullinsuo we saw a Red-throated Pipit, Lapland Buntings and the same Bluethroat again. 186 Cranes came to Siikalahti and even 7 Water Rails were heard. On Sunday I visited the forests but saw only some Crested Tits and a Grey-headed Woodpecker. It was very quiet in Siikalahti too but the weather was so good that I spend there some time just relaxing and enjoying the sun. In the evening I still visited Saari but saw only a Feral Pigeon in Pohjasuo.

On the 14th I saw 9 Feral Pigeons in Kangaskylä and a late Honey Buzzard and a Bluethroat in Siikalahti. The Bluethroat even sang for a while! On the 15th I saw a Bittern and another late bird was a Swift that was flying around the bay with some Swallows. In the evening I was counting the Cranes again and saw 275 of them. A funny Pygmy Owl was singing and calling there and another Bittern flew over me.

On next days I counted more than 500 Mallards and more than 500 Wigeons in Siikalahti, but nothing else interesting was seen.

J.A.