. . Lintuharrastajan päiväkirja Birders diary . .

June – Work, rally and some twitching

June seemed to go very fast, we had so much work to do! Counts and guiding took so much time that we couldn’t do any real night singer trips. So the best night singer areas weren’t checked at all this year. That’s a pity because in neighbour counts our friends made good job. But of course we twitched birds that our friends found: from Saari a Quail and from Rautjärvi Änkilä a Booted Warbler. In the beginning of month we heard still Baillion’s Crake few times while making counts in Siikalahti. But the bird was in too difficult place that to arrange any twitchings any more.

6th and 7th of June we had Siikalahti bird rally. The rally wasn’t that big that we had hoped, we had less than ten teams, but of course the competition was very exciting and good! At least the best teams were really good ones, our team Me, Hanna and Harry Nyströn from Lappeenranta of course one of the best teams. Rally area was whole South-Karelia, so Harry gave us good extra species from South. Rally started at 9 to 10 p.m. and it was raining really hard then. We decided to try something crazy, we went to forest because we couldn’t do anything wiser in that weather. Driving in deep forests at night wasn’t very bad idea at all: we got Red-throated Diver, Mistle Trush, Sparrowhawk… At night we found all night singers very easily (of course, we know that well night singers in Siikalahti area). So we heard several Nightjars, Spotted Crakes, Water Rails, a lot of Thrush Nightingales and Blyth’s Reed Warblers and some Grasshopper and River Warblers. But close to the Russian border we heard also three Owl species: Ural/Eagle Owl, Tawny and Tengmalm’s Owl. At mourning we visited Siikalahti pretty quickly, we knew the birds there so well that we didn’t need a lot time there: Little Crake, Great Reed and Reed Warbler, Garganey, Smew, Golden Oriol, Icterine Warbler… and one surprise White-tailed Eagle. After Siikalahti we started to move more South. On the way we got some more species (for example Hawfinch from Imatra), but in Joutseno we made out first good stop. Konnunsuo area gave us Ortolan Bunting, Ringed Plover and a twitched Booted Warbler. In Lappeenranta we made some good stops and the best species were Long-tailed Tit, Red-breasted Flycatcher and Red-necked Phalarope. But we checked the places very fast so we decided to leave back to North because there was still some species lacking. And that was good idea: in last hour we got still five more species and finally we came second in whole rally. Jari Kontiokorpi and Jussi Valonen were done so much work for the rally so they got two more species. But after all we had amazing good rally!

After rally we were relaxing two rainy days in my grandmother’s cottage in Ristiina with my brother’s family. Luckily we saw one Eagle Owl on the way and after 10 minutes on the beach of big Saimaa Lake I saw a migrating Pomarine Skua! I took also some photos, but it was too rainy to get good ones.

12th of June we (with Antti) twitched a Barred Warbler from Joutseno Konnunsuo. The bird was very difficult to digiscope! It was jumping a lot, and we could see it well for several times but always when I focused it was behind a leaf or something. Next two weeks went doing counts. We had duck-, mapping- and night singer counts. Somehow there were much less almost all birds than in normal year.

In mid June came some friends of mine (Tuomo Jaakkonen, Jarno Saarinen and Mikko Ala-Kojola) from Oulu to find some night singers. And like always Tuomo wanted to do some ringing too. First we caught Blyth’s Reed Warbler, then Corn Crake and after that very good ringing tick a Quail from Saari Jyrkilä fields! 24th day we twitched Yellow Serin from Kuopio (actually I went there by train, Mikko was already there and Antti came from Vaasa and we all came after twitching to Parikkala with Antti). Yellow Serin was a lifer number 321 for me (it really is rare in Finland!)

Last counts we made in tight schedule! We were all three working almost around the clock! Reason was that we had friends coming to have some birding with us from Barcelona! Our old friend Oriol Clarabuch came with his friend Toni Alonso to have birding in two weeks in Eastern Finland with us. Eastern Finland VI-VII (The whole trip, already in June Booted Warbler, Blyth`s Reed and River Warbler ringing, Lanceolated Warbler, Great Grey Owl, Ural Owl, Greenish Warblers, Red-breasted Flycatchers…)

May – Working in Siikalahti

Early May came many new birds to Siikalahti. 4th of May we had a traditional Bird tower Competition in whole Finland. Our results were also traditional, we were clearly the best tower in South Karelia and even the second best inner land tower in whole Finland – even it was still very snowy and Siikalahti bay melted just day earlier!

After the competition we took some free from Siikalahti which means of course that we went birding somewhere else. This time we guides (Me, Hanna and Antti Vierimaa) went to Saari and to new high Vaaramäki tower trying to see some raptors. After some sky scanning Antti found an eagle soaring far from North. We got the bird to our scopes… First we thought it was White-tailed Eagle (wings were extremely long, and fingers too, upper coverts were pale yellowish brown. And the shape of the bird has nothing to do with Spotted Eagles.) When the eagle flew closer we recognized it was a Steppe Eagle! Sub-adult Steppe left (after some attacking from Buzzard) gliding to South and it glided from half a kilometre from us. When it flew over some lakes (4 km from us) it soared a little and landed. We decided to go after it but we didn’t find it anymore. We got only some photos of Great Grey Shrike. When getting back to Parikkala we found a Mute Swan which was breeding two last summers in Parikkala but now it was alone. So no Mute Swans breeding this year.

In the beginning of May we started also bird counts in Siikalahti. So we spent time mostly doing counts, watching migration and of course guiding groups and people. Worst days were more than 15 hours long and sometimes we had only an hour to sleep at night if there was a night singer trip for a group and at 2 a.m. we had to wake up to do bird counts! We built also a fence to a track to new bird-hide, so birds won’t fly away if someone goes there.

Small rarities…

Early May we hadn’t any very good rarities. 10th of May we had a Montagu’s Harrier, Black-tailed Godwit and a flock of White Storks. Of course there was a lot to digiscope! At mid May it started to happen: First when I was Southern side of Siikalahti digiscoping an Icterine Warbler there was again two White Storks flying over me, then Antti called me there was Black Tern close the tower. I hadn’t seen Black Tern earlier in Siikalahti so I rushed there to twitch. (First twitched Siikalahti tick to me.) But next day there was four of them. Then Hanna had A BirdLife course and when she came with a group to Siikalahti she found Marsh Sandpiper feeding close the track. I got some good photos of that Sandpiper. At same evening we “twitched” also Pomarine Skua. Jari Kontiokorpi called us there was Pomarine Skua coming from Simpele (20km south), so we went to Särkisalmi hoping to see it. And we were lucky!

… and better ones!

20th of May was THE DAY! At midnight I was with Antti counting some night singers at Siikalahti. There were only some Water Rails, amazingly only one Spotted Crake (in normal year tens). When we were in our last place we heard some strange voice from the small reeds. Yes, we knew the voice; we had heard it once earlier with Antti! It had been the only twitched bird for me and Antti together – Baillion’s Crake! We tried to get closer the bird but it was too wet. Antti managed to sit down to the water so we decided to wake up Hanna by phone and go to get her to hear the bird too. At home we listened some CD too before getting back. When back Baillion’s Crake was still “singing”. At last we managed to go to sleep at 4 a.m.

After few hours sleep phone ringed. Jari Kontiokorpi was telling that Geese were coming! When eating breakfast (and waiting for Antti to get us all to Siikalahti), we saw the first Barnacle Geese, flock of 500 birds with more than 30 Black-throated Divers. So we were in hurry! In Siikalahti we saw Geese quite much before the wind turned them to migrate too east to Russia. Over 30000 Geese included mostly Barnacles but also thousands of White-fronted and rossicus-type of Bean Geese. Also we saw few Brent Geese and one Pink-footed Goose. But we saw a lot more too! Nine White Storks, one or two 2 cy male Red-footed Falcons, female Little Crake was shouting all the day. But after Hanna left home (to prepare to go to Helsinki to get a group which wanted to get information about the area while sitting in a bus) it happened! I found a big bird very close over the reeds. Female Marsh Harrier which was attacking this bird seemed small. I realized this is good one – Red Kite flew just over us and continued north. I had seen Black Kite in Siikalahti about 40 times, so this was something I had been waiting for! At night we arranged for twitchers a possibility to twitch Baillion’s Crake because it was in protected are. And we managed to hear and also record the bird. So can you wait more for one day? (Next night we couldn’t manage to hear the Crake anymore. It was moved too far to protected area, so we didn’t arrange more group twitchings.)

Oulu area Rally

After some days we left to Oulu with Antti to join Oulu area bird rally (The best Rally I know!). Mikko Ala-Kojola was our third team mate. We had only one day to prepare the rally, so after driving 500km to Oulu we went directly to find some Owls with Pentti Hukkanen. Next day we checked places in Liminka and Siikajoki areas. We saw a male Montagu’s Harrier in Lumijoki Sannanlahti tower, Hawk Owl or two in Lumijoki Varjakka and nice flock of Dotterels in Siikajoki Sääri fields. We digiscoped Dotterels together with Harri Taavetti and Finnature group.

Next day we started the rally traditionally from Hailuoto Island. First we felt the rally was not going very well, and after all other teams started to find rarities which we had to twitch. We had to twitch pair of American Wigeons and three mail Ruddy Ducks in Pöllänlahti. Other good birds we found were Icterine Warble, Moorhen, White-fronted Goose, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope, White-tailed Eagle, Gadwall… All the time phone was getting more messages from other teams, but we couldn’t find any rarities. After getting to land we continued twitching: Citrine Wagtails in Kempele Sarkkiranta, Marsh Sandpiper in Oulu Oritkari. At night it started to go better. Maybe we had heard so many night singers in Siikalahti (which is the best night singer area maybe in whole Europe) so we had to hear them in North too? Our first stop gave us Corn Crake and Grasshopper Warbler at Kempele Teppola. Later we got Water Rail, Spotted Crake, Thrush Nightingales, Short-eared and Long-eared Owl… Morning gave us also many new birds so at the end we got 158 species in 24 hours! We were 3rd, which was pretty well – we hadn’t been birding in Oulu area at whole spring! When we were checking rally results we got a message about the rarest bird ever in Finland Oriental Plover, but we were far too tired to go twitching!

We drove back to Parikkala little longer way, because Antti needed to get some stuff from her girlfriend from Vaasa. At Kalajoki we spent an hour at Letto, and we found some better birds: Little Terns, Red-throated Pipit, Sanderling, Little Stint, some Red-necked Phalaropes… Some nice pictures too.

Late May it didn’t happen anything special (well I saw a possible Long-legged Buzzard, but too far). Biggest thing was maybe solar eclipse. While working I hadn’t much time to photograph, best “shoots” were maybe White-backed Woodpeckers on their nest. Luckily I got even some photos; because my scopes ocular took some water inside and I had to sent it for Zeiss to be cleaned. And after 3 months it is still there!!! Luckily M-Opto in Helsinki gave me another one until I can get my own back. Thank you, thank you and thank you!

April – Waiting for the spring

In the beginning of April it was very cold and snowy. First arrived migration birds left back to South. So I didn’t find much to photograph. On the 5th of April Timo Kauppinen called me that he has a Ural Owl sitting in his backyard. Owl had been sitting there and watching the traffic of the feeder. So I decided to leave there on my lunch-hour. After some searching we found the bird and soon it flew to sit over the feeding place. Of course the Owl was in a bad shape, it was hungry and that was why it was so brave. So I could take tens of good pictures of it.

After some back-winters I was digiscoping some Woodpigeons in my mother-in-laws backyard in Tarvaslampi. Pigeons were there eating under a feeder because of there was nothing to eat elsewhere yet. With Hannu Siitonen we visited also in Siberian Jay forest, but the birds were not easy. In Tarvaslampi Yellowhammers were very easy to photograph. I Digiscoped them inside, I just opened the window, so birds didn’t flush.

On the 11th of April I left to Oulu to move the rest of our stuff to Parikkala. Hanna was still there studying while I had been working in Parikkala for two months already. On the beginning of my Way I saw a beautiful male Capercaillie standing in a forest. I managed to get just one picture before it flew to the deeper forest. Close to Oulu in Liminka I digiscoped a Roe Deer eating in a snowy field. But in Oulu there wasn’t much to photograph. In Rusko rubbish tip there were just some funny looking Rooks.

Next week I had only time to photograph a Wood Lark which was singing loudly in Sounio, south from Siikalahti, before we left to spent whole Eastern in Varanger North Norway! Norway Varanger IV/2003 (Whole trip report: Yellow-billed Diver, Great Northern Diver, Fulmars, Gannets and very good time!)

After the trip to Varanger I started my work as a bird-guide in Parikkala Siikalahti (the best birding lake in Finland). (I had been waiting for that!) In the end of April Siikalahti was still almost totally frozen! Only small water areas where Coots and Goldeneyes could swim. Other ducks were only few. Some Slavonian Grebes brought some colour. During the last days of April the spring finally came! Migration birds were every day more and more. Every day I could find new species to digiscope. Light was still pretty bad and the weather wasn’t very good but still I managed to get some good photos.

J.A.

March – Trip to Lappeenranta

First weekend of March I was birding and digiscoping in Lappeenranta area with Harry Nyström. I got pictures for example of Hawk Owl at Lappeenranta Askola and White-backed Woodpecker at Imatra Salo-Issakka. But the funniest thing that happened was in Lappeenranta Vainikkala. We were searching for Owls that other birders had seen in the area when I noticed a Duck (or something) starting to land to a snowy field. And it happened, a male Goosander landed to snow and smashed deep in it. Perhaps it had too cold or it was too tired to fly anymore. And there was no open water in about 20 kilometres. We tried to catch the bird but it wasn’t that tired.

Before arriving back at Parikkala I had another try to scope the Black-throated Thrush. Now I managed to get better pictures. I got also wonderful pictures of a Waxwing which was trying to swallow a big frozen berry about 15 metres from me.

Beginning of March went mostly in work. When I had time I was photographing somewhere in Parikkala. The biggest work I made trying to get Grey-headed Woodpecker pictures. Finally I got them from backyard of Hannu Siitonen.

On the 14th of March I left to a weekend trip to Oulu where my wife Hanna was still making her studies. I was on a trip with Hanna’s aunt and almost the whole weekend I was a driver for her, Hanna and Hanna’s sister Elissa. But while they were shopping I managed to have some twitching. From Äimärautio I managed to get wonderful pictures of Crested Lark (which is very rare in Finland), from Oulu-river (Laanila) I got Little Grebe and from Rusko rubbish tip Shore Lark pictures. I was trying to find a Lark for about an hour and finally when I found it a worker came to shout me that the rubbish tip was closed already! I managed to get two photos before I had to rush. It’s possible to get left behind the locks with your car. At Sunday I had time to digiscope a Great Grey Owl in Hietasaari and Nutcrackers in Välivainio before leaving back to Parikkala which is 500km from Oulu.

On late March I visited my parents in Kirkkonummi (Southern Finland) but it was still so cold and so snowy that I didn’t manage to get good pictures. Last trips of the month I made by bike to Siikalahti. Not many pictures were taken but if you try hard enough, some days you are lucky! Once I was leaving Siikalahti after a poor trip and I decided to bike around Siikalahti bay. I took even my scope on my shoulder, so I would be ready if something founds. After scoping a Yellowhammer I continued biking. Suddenly I saw some animal walking on a snowy field. I jumped of my bike (bike was still moving and went to ditch) and in 10 seconds I had my scope and camera ready. I focused and I got some pictures of a LYNX! It was already dark and snow was steaming but at least I got something!

J.A.

February – I got my Nikon Coolpix

Many times I have had very good possibilities to get good pictures of birds, but I have got one big problem – I haven’t got a camera! Finally I found a way of photographing which seemed perfect to me – Digiscoping. I didn’t want photographing to take too much time from other birding. I wanted to get good photos just while birding. And digiscoping was the way.

After joining a digiscoping weekend in Joensuu I was sure I have to get a camera, soon. At same Monday I called to Mikko Kataja (FotoFennica) and ordered Nikon Coolpix 4500 camera. After a few days I could get my camera with adapter to my Zeiss 85 scope, two batteries, two 128mB memory cards and electric wire-snapper.

After I got the batteries loaded, I left to photograph some birds right away. I took my scope on my back and camera hanging to my neck and left by bike to Siikalahti (The best bird-lake in Finland but of course totally frozen in these days). It was freezing (more than -20 degrees). But of course I found some common birds to “shoot”, first one was a Magpie which was having some sun on the top of the spruce. Other birds I digiscoped were Bullfinch, Hooded Crow and Waxwing.

At the last day of February I had a change to loan my father-in-law’s car and have whole weekend just birding and digiscoping. So I decided to start my trip at Simpele where was a Black-throated Thrush wintering.

While waiting THE Thrush I got one picture of a Blackbird and a Fieldfare each other – very good ones. It was again freezing, but I tried to photo 2 calendar year female Black-throated Thrush about an hour but it was very shy. The Thrush flew every time to eat in the middle of the bush and soon back to deep spruce-fence. So soon I decided to leave more South to Lappeenranta to twitch and photograph some more birds. But that trip was already March…

J.A.

A trip to Enontekiö and Alta begins

After a hard bird-work-summer it was time to start a hard bird-holiday and we left north to Enontekiö where my brother Pirkka lives and from there we continued to Altafjorden and Lyngen.

With Hanna we left from Oulu on the 20th of August by bus and after a couple of changes of buses we were finally in Enotekiö Hetta. We still had time to visit a new Joentekiäinen bird-tower but only interesting birds were some Waxwings and a Hen Harrier. Anyway the scenery was beautiful.

Walking in fjelds

On the 21st of August after a long night sleep we left at 6 a.m. towards Ketomella. On the way we stopped a couple of times and had a Red-throated Pipit in Vuontisjärvi and a family of Great Grey Shrikes in Peltovuoma. Finally Pirkka dropped us to the place where our long walk started; Pirkka had to go to work. We had planned to walk 30 kilometres along Ounas-Pallas National Park trail back to Hetta.

I was carrying my scope and in the beginnig we were walking through some pineforests and small bogs where we saw several flocks of migrating Common Crossbills, some Siberian Jays, lots of Mistle Thrushes and Waxwings and so on. Soon we came to National Park and the forests changed to birch-forest and after some climbing there was no trees at all anymore. There we saw plenty of Lapland Buntings, a couple of Kestrels, Hen Harriers and Rough-legged Buzzards; it seemed there were many Lemming eaters around.

Soon we found the first Peregrine Falcon that was mobbed by 2 Kestrels and a little bit later we found a sub-adult Golden Eagle soaring far over fjelds.

After some climbing along the hillsides of Ounasfjeld we found a family of Snow Buntings from the top of Pyhäkero. There we walked a lot in rocky ground and it was really hard work because of it was getting very warm. But finally we found a couple of families of Ptarmigans, 2 males, 2 females and altogether 13 young birds. Males were calling and somewhere further a third male was calling too. We of course photographed these birds well before we continued walking.

Later we still found a family of Golden Plovers and after 30 kilometres walking we were on the shore of Lake Ounas and we got a taxi-boat to the other side of the lake to Hetta.

To Altafjorden

The next day we were just relaxing after a hard walking day. Of course we visited Sotkajärvi bird-tower in the evening and saw 2 Peregrine Falcons and on the way back to Hetta we saw a Three-toed Woodpecker in Muotkajärvi.

On the 23rd of August we left towards Norway. After we had crossed the border, we started to collect Norway-ticks. I had been in Norway only in spring so there were plenty of new ticks coming: Mistle Thrush, House Martin, Pintail… In Kautokeino we stopped and visited Juhls silver-workshop.

When we started to get near Altafjorden the scenery changed: pine-forest, lush leaf-forests and high mountains. A Black-throated Diver and Waxwings were seen before we finally saw the Arctic Sea in Alta and there we saw Black Guillemots, Red-throated Divers, hundreds of Eiders and so on.

It was already getting late so we stopped only in good looking places. We photographed a tame young Shelduck and the first porpoises were seen on the sea.

Finally we parked to Längenesjolmen (Isnestoften) to a shore where we had on our previous visit seen an Iceland Gull. It was the westernmost spit of Finnmark so Pirkka hoped to get still some Finnmark-ticks there. The scenery was amazing, high mountains were rising straight from the sea around us.

We put up the tent very close to the sea and still walked for some time on the beach. Hanna was collecting seashells but soon the sun set down and we went to sleep.

Around the fjords

On the 24th of August we woke up very early and it took 15 minutes to get out. There was already lots of action in the air! Greylag Geese were calling and Arctic Skuas were mobbing a Peregrine Falcon. It didn’t take long that we were completely awake!

Soon we found the first Kittiwakes, a Long-tailed Duck, Cormorants, 2 Shags, 2 White-tailed Eagles flew over us and we heard Two-barred Crossbills calling from the sky.

Hanna went to walk to the beach but the tide was very high now so she just photographed some Eiders. We stayed there watching to the sea for several hours and saw still a Dunlin, a Merlin, a Common Scoter and a Yellowhammer and so on.

After all we had to keep on driving and we drove around many fjords. In Langfjordbotn (Finnöyra) we saw Bar-tailed Godwits and altogether we saw several Lapwings, Oystercatchers, Ringed Plovers, Dunlins, Spotted Redshanks, Shelduck families and Common Terns. A single Wood Pigeon flew over us too.

We also saw a Herring Gull carrying a huge sea star. Hanna would loved to see the seastar better but all other birds were chasing the gull so after all it flew in the middle of the fjord to eat it alone.

To Tromsø

We crossed to border to Tromsø province and the first spruce-forest producted some species that we hadn’t seen in Finnmark at all like a Robin. From Sorstrammen bridge we saw a couple of Grey Herons and about 20 Greylag Geese.

In Kväenangsfjället the road got higher to the mountains and there we saw a big falcon briefly and we were quite sure it was a Gyr Falcon. Unfortunately we saw it too briefly.

In Rodsund we saw a Bean Goose in a flock of Greylag Geese and then we got to our target place to Lyngen and there we drove to Spåkenes where was a hide for birders.

Spåkenes wader-place

The tide was starting so the waders were still pretty far: 2 Sanderlings, 25 Curlew Sandpipers, 15 Little Stints, 50 Knots, 500 Dunlins, 60 Ringed Plovers, a Turnstone, Ruffs and so on. Also 10 Arctic Skuas, 23 Shelducks, 35 Greylag Geese, a White-tailed Eagle, 3 Kittiwakes, a Merlin and 40 Velvet Scoters were seen.

The tide was getting higher and all waders were pushed closer and closer to us and soon there were only a couple of reefs that were full of birds. Then many birds had to leave to other places or to continue their migration.

We also continued and decided to stop after a couple of kilometres to watch to the sea. After some searching I found a small seabird floating far in the middle of the sea. Luckily it was coming closer slowly and after some waiting we could identify it as a young Puffin. It was a lifer to me and Hanna!

While we continued our way we laughed how we started to get used to mountains. Our last and 74th Norway-tick was a Rock Pigeon in Skibotn.

We crossed the border to Finland in the evening and the mountains changed to lower and more roundish fjelds. In Kilpisjärvi we started to plan where to tent. There we saw a tame young Peregrine Falcon perched no a top of an electric pole.

After all we decided to drive to the eastern part of Lake Siilas to tent. The place was perfect, Red-throated Divers were calling in flight while we fell asleep.

Saanafjeld

The 25th of August. Our last day was spent in Saana. We wanted to find some fjeld-specialities. There had been Ring Ouzels, Long-tailed Skuas, Dotterels and a Gyr Falcon earlier in summer.

We started early and after we had heard a Tree Pipit we started to climb up to Saana. After some walking in low birches, we started to walk in junipers. Pirkka had to go to do morning sit somewhere to bushes and right then we found a female Ring Ouzel! Almost in same time a Peregrine Falcon flew over us and a family of 9 Willow Grouse was running almost under our feet.

After we had photographed the Willow Grouses we found Pirkka and he was a little bit jealous but shit happens! But soon we heard something like a Raven calling from the top of the fjeld and it wasn’t a Raven but a Ptarmigan female with 6 chicks! These Ptarmigans wee very different in colouration than the ones we had seen in Ounaskero. These were much greyer.

From the top of Saana we found a couple of families of Snow Buntings. Meadow Pipits and Northern Wheatears were common; also a couple of Red-throated Pipits were heard. We decided to walk down to Lake Saana and from there we walked back to the Ring Ouzel place. And luckily we find the bird again and Pirkka was happy. Only a couple of Kestrels were seen anymore and after about 20 kilometres walking we were back to Pirkka’s car.

We still visited Kilpisjärvi research station before left to drive towards Hetta. Between Kilpisjärvi and Karesuvanto we saw 13 Rough-legged Buzzards and in Jietajänkä we saw a Great Grey Shrike.

Back to home

Next morning we took a bus to Rovaniemi and there we changed to a train. In Tervola we saw a Nutcracker from a window. It was a long way home but finally we made it in the evening.

Altogether we had seen 94 species of birds during our trip. And we had seen amazing landscapes! So we had really enjoyed!

J.A.