Oulu area bird-race

On the 27th of May I visited Siikalahti on my lunch-hour and saw a Black Kite soaring low above the bay. After my work I drove 1.5 hours to Juva where I met Miska Loippo and together we continued towards Oulu.

Miska was driving a long way and we stopped only in Siilinjärvi Raasio where we saw 26 Dunlins, 25 Broad-billed Sandpipers, 2 Temmnck Stints, 1 Little Stint, 100 Little Gulls and so on. Only other interesting bird on the way was a female Red-backed Shrike in Siikalatva Piippola.

Finally we parked to Kempele Vihiluoto Airport Hotel and soon met my brother Pirkka there. We got a good room and then had perfect dinner in Spanish style restaurant. From the restaurant window we saw a Waxwing and a Pheasant. In the late evening we still visited the bird-tower where we saw 2 Black-tailed Godwits, a Dunlin, a Red-necked Phalarope, Shelducks, Gadwalls and heard a Bittern. About at midnight we were ready to sleep.

On the 28th of May I woke up after 7 a.m. when a Collared Dove was calling outside our window. Pirkka tried to find the bird outside but found only a Common Whitethroat. After breakfast Harry Nyström arrived and we decided the plan for the 24 hours bird-race. I had got an idea what to do while I had been listening snoring.

After visiting a shop we headed to Oulunsalo where we checked Akionlahti and then continued to Mustaniemi where is a good view to the sea and to Kammonkari and Kutukari islets. There weren’t many waders, but soon we realized that we had to start the race there as it was already the time. So at 11:30 a.m. we started when we saw a Garganey, 2 Red-throated Divers and a Barnacle Goose in same time. Luckily we still saw an Arctic Skua and a Sparrowhawk and of course many common species. And while walking back to our car, we had Spotted Flycatcher, Wood Warbler, Garden Warbler and so on.

Next we continued to Nenännokka where we had a couple of Arctic Skuas more and luckily also a Broad-billed Sandpiper, some Shelducks and the target species a Crested Tit. The weather was almost too good, but the water-level was perfect so we hoped to see more waders later.

In Pajulampi we saw only a couple of Wood Sandpipers and in Riuttu some Mute Swans and Cormorants. Soon we were again in Akionlahti where Coots were found immediately but Smews had gone missing. Luckily a Bullfinch was singing in the forest.

When we got to Kempele and Vihiluoto it had started to get windy and so the sea-level had risen pretty much! So there were no waders, just a Little Ringed Plover and 2 Black-tailed Godwits. But luckily a flock of Smews were found on the sea. Also a Pheasant was heard.

In Teppola we heard another Pheasant, Chiffchaff and Common Whitethroat and saw a White-tailed Eagle. Soon we continued to Rajakorpi where we hoped to hear an Ortolan Bunting but we found a Kestrel and then I noticed a big raptor on the eastern sky and once we got it to our scopes it was easy to identify as an old Greater Spotted Eagle! Pirkka got a lifer! After some soaring the bird continued towards North-East.

We continued inland to check a nest-box of a Tengmalm’s Owl but it was empty! The chicks had just left the nest and of course they weren’t found. Luckily the stop was good anyway as we heard an Ortolan Bunting and saw a couple of Red-backed Shrikes and a Stock Dove. Soon we stopped to see another owl and a Ural Owl was perched on a pine next to its nest where 3 chicks were still in.

While we were driving towards Liminka I found a distant raptor from the sky and after a kilometer driving we could identify it as a male Hen Harrier. In Liminka we saw Rock Doves and a single Collared Dove.

In Virkkula we saw a Wryneck on the parking place and from the tower we couldn’t find anything new easily. Of course some Garganeys, Black-tailed Godwits and White-tailed Eagles were seen.
But after some searching we found a Great White Egret that had been there for whole morning. It was extremely far but soon flew closer so we could see it pretty well. Then we saw a flock of 2 Broad-billed Sandpipers and a Little Stint and soon after that a Grey Plover was migrating over the bay. Other good ticks were a Rough-legged Buzzard, Yellow Wagtail and a Caspian Tern.

In Lumijoki Kari we had nothing but in Sannanlahti we saw a Hobby and a Short-eared Owl. One more Arctic Skua was seen again but Gull-billed Tern that was once again in very distant Lamukari islet wasn’t seen.

After some U-turns we finally found to Karvonlahti where we had a Spotted Redshank. And on the drive to Siikajoki we had a couple of Short-eared Owls more. And one more was posing on a pole in Sääri when we parked there. In Sääri we had also a Turnstone, a Golden Plover, 2 more Spotted Redshanks, 20 Mute Swans, 2 Garganeys, a Black-tailed Godwit and a Brambling.

In Karinkanta we stopped briefly and it was worthy as we flushed 2 Grey Partridges. In Varessäikkä we had hoped to see some arctic ducks on evening migration but only flocks we saw were too distant to identify. 100 Cormorants were on the rocks and luckily 4 Common Scoters came close and then we saw a nice flock of 14 Red-necked Phalaropes migrating. We also followed 4 Elks first walking and then swimming towards Hailuoto. When they finally had to start swimming one of the Elks turned back.

Then it was time to hurry towards Tauvo. Once again we were there at midnight. While walking on the most beautiful beach in Finland we surprisingly heard first a Corn Crake and then also a Water Rail! The wind was dying again and the water very low. So it was a long walk before we finally found 2 Red-necked Grebes, 3 Little Terns and one single Temminck Stint but nothing else new. A Red Fox was walkin in Ulkonokka and it must be one reason to the absence of the waders. Once we were walking back towards our car 2 Bitterns started to call and we saw one bird flying on the sky.

But the best bird was found while driving again when a Great Grey Owl flew in front of our car and landed to a tree pretty close! Säikänlahti was too misty but on the way from there back to the main road we saw another big owl – an Eagle Owl!

Then we continued to Raahe and Pitkäkari. Some Canada Geese and Velvet Scoters were seen and a Thrush Nightingale was heard. In Aittalahti we heard one more Bittern and in Varvi another Thrush Nightingale. Kaijanaro had one more nightingale and a Corn Crake. In Hietakarinlahti we had another Water Rail and along the road back we heard some morning singers like a Wren, Blackcap and Treecreeper.

In Teerelänpuhto we had nothing new, but in Eteläinen penkkatie we had a Blyth’s Reed Warbler and a Dunnock.

Then it was time to head to Elävisluoto for morning seawatch. It was pretty good again and 15 Red-throated Divers, a Black-throated Diver, 4 Red-necked Grebes, Cormorants, Velvet Scoters, Common Scoters and even 15 Razorbills were seen. But we didn’t see any Long-tailed Ducks and only better wader was a Turnstone.

After all we had to continue to Vartti forests. After some driving there we saw a stunning male Capercaillie and our first stop was extremely good as we heard a Black Woodpecker drumming, a Three-toed Woodpecker and a Wryneck calling and a Mistle Thrush singing. Then we headed to a place where we had seen a Montagu’s Harrier in 2012 (2 males) and 2013 (1 male) and surprisingly we found a male again! Also 2 Whimbrels were heard there.

After some stops we continued to Alhonmäki where we immediately had a Linnet and a Wood Lark. So we decided to continue to check Sääri again. Unfortunately the haze was already very bad,
so only waders we could identify were the same we had seen already.

We still had some time left so we contiunued to Virkkula. There had been Pallid Harrier, Gull-billed Tern, Citrine Wagtail and many other birds seen there in recent days. An hour before the end we climbed to the tower and there we were told that a male Pallid Harrier had just disappeared. Luckily Miska found it soaring far on the sky with prey on its feet. And soon I noticed 2 female harriers flying towards us and there were a Pallid and a Hen Harrier together! The visibility and sea-level were really good, but unfortunately all the waders we had already. Other teams that had arrived ticked Little Stint, Grey Plover and Red-necked Phalarope, but we couldn’t find anything. We really tried to see Citrine Wagtail but found only Yellow Wagtails. Finally Miska found a Goshawk at 11:20 a.m. which was our last new species number 155.

After a hard and very warm race, we were happy to our result. We had found all 80 birds on the common list 1 and 37 of 40 species on list 2. Only missed species were Dunlin, Redpoll and Common Crossbill.

Harry had to still drive us to Vihiluoto from where we continued with Miska and Pirkka to twitch a Terek Sandpiper to Oritkari, but we saw only a migrating Rough-legged Buzzard. Harry still had to go to Virkkula to give the results and after all with Miska we had driven already to Kuopio once Harry called me and gave the results.

Winners were as usual in last a couple of years Petri Lampila, Harri Taavetti, Antti Peuna (was on our team last years) and Kari Soilevaara with 162 species. Second were Heikki Tuohimaa and Tuomas Väyrynen with 159 species and we came 3rd. 4th were Ville Suorsa, Kalle Hiekkanen, Pauli-Pekka Österberg and Jukka Österberg. They had seen a Wolf which was the best observation in whole race! Altogether 191 species had been seen which was much less than normally.

We still had a long drive and Miska drove until he had to sleep and I drove until Juva. There Miska continued to Mikkeli and I still had 1.5 hours to drive to Parikkala. It had once again been a hard trip but it is always so good to do a bird-race in best birding areas of the country with very good friends!

J.A.