Rarities – even lifers
After my trip to Lapland we did a short trip to Siikalahti at night on the 10th to 11th of June. We saw a Long-eared Owl, heard a Corn Crake and 3 Spotted Crakes. We also heard a Savi’s Warbler that Matti Lötjönen found.
On the 12th day we did a long night-trip to Saari and in Akonpohja we heard 3 Great Bitterns, in Pohjansuo we saw a Long-eared Owl and heard a Marsh Warbler. In Suurenjärvenliete we saw a Short-eared Owl and a Goshawk in Jyrkilä we saw 2 Short-eared Owls and a Long-eared Owl and heard a Golden Oriole. In Karinmäki we found a River Warbler, 2 Golden Orioles and a Stock Dove, in Kanavalampi one more Golden Oriole and in Pohjanranta 2 Spotted Crakes were heard. Altogether we had heard 14 Corn Crakes, 7 Thrush Nightingales and 38 Blyth’s Reed Warblers. In the evening we did a run in Tarvaslampi with Miika and heard 5 Chiffchaffs and saw a Capercaillie.
On the 13th day we headed to forests with Miia and Elissa and managed to find one of two Red-flanked Bluetails that had been found earlier. After some trying we managed to catch it and it was the first ever ringed in South Karelia. We also ringed 7 young Pygmy Owls from our nest-box and we also managed to catch the male with mist-net. Then we still ringed a young Woodcock that we found along the road. We also heard a Greenish Warbler, Crested Tits, Common and Parrot Crossbills and a Green Sandpiper.
Then we went to ring more owlets and there were 8 Pygmy Owls in this nest-box. We tried to catch male again but only female came to alarm-call above the net. But then we heard a familiar alarm call and soon saw a female-looking Red-flanked Bluetail close to the net. Unfortunately we couldn’t catch this bird, but it really seemed that it was breeding nearby!
We still went to ring 5 nestlings of a Common Kestrel and some tits in Tarvaslampi and saw also a Black Woodpecker there.
During the week the weather was really hot so not much was seen. A family of Canada Geese and several families of Barnacle Geese were in Kangaskylä grasses.
Baillon’s Crake
On the 18th of June we got a message early in the morning that our friend Karri Kuitunen, who was counting birds in Saari in the same areas where we were making duck-counts, had found a Baillon’s Crake! Soon he also called and told that the bird sounded very strange so we should go to listen to it. But he had also managed to see it and even photograph it and it clearly was a Baillon’s Crake. The place was extremely difficult so we had to go to find out if it was possible to twitch it with more people as there hadn’t been a single Baillon’s Crake in Finland for 11 years!
Soon we were listening to the bird and it really sounded strange! In Xeno-canto there was a recording that claimed to be a female Baillon’s Crake and this sounded exactly the same. I also took some recordings but of course Karri had got much better ones as he was in a canoe. I was in a hurry to get to work but luckily we found the land-owner and managed to get permits to arrange a twitch for the next night. While listening to the bird and arranging the twitch we had also observed Barnacle Geese, a Bean Goose, a Corn Crake, a Spotted Crake and a Black Woodpecker.
After midnight we were driving back to Saari again. Surprisingly we saw an Eagle Owl on the way on one field. Then at 1 a.m. we were in Pohjanranta parking place and there were more than 30 twitchers. Soon we continued to a farm where we could park our cars and continued by feet next to a summer-cottage to listen the crake which luckily started calling. It was quite far from this place where we had got permits to go but after all everyone heard it if not with bare ears then with my microphone.
On the way back home we decided to check one place if the Eagle Owl that we had seen on the way had youngsters and surprisingly we heard one young Eagle Owl begging food there! It was our first ever found breeding of an Eagle Owl in Parikkala.
On the 20th of June we did a day-trip to Lappeenranta. On the way we saw 65 adult and 25 young Barnacle Geese and a White-fronted Goose in Joukionsalmi. Then we drove to Korvenkylä where it took some time to find a Booted Warbler but finally it was found and both heard and seen briefly. Also a Wryneck and a Hen Harrier were found there. A European Serin was far easier as it was singing continuously in Rakuunamäki. It was hard to get photographs but after some trying we managed to get some pictures.
Then we continued to Askola pools where we saw an Oystercather and Little Ringed Plover families, some more Little Ringed Plovers, 8 Common Redshanks, 2 Spotted Redshanks and Wood Sandpipers, 6 Dunlins, 18 Ruffs, 7 Curlews, a Common Sandpiper and 96 Lapwings.
After some shopping we still twitched a Grey Wagtail that was seen briefly in Imatra kaupunkipuro.
On the 21st day a Common Redshank was seen in Siikalahti and on the next day I saw a Heuglin’s Gull there.
On the 24th day we arranged the second Baillion’s Crake twitch which was successful. More than 20 twitchers were happy to hear the bird that was calling more normally now.
On the way back home we heard the same young Eagle Owl again and this time it was so far from the previous place that we could be sure that it was already flying. Then we still went to twitch a Quail that Elissa had found in Tarvaslampi. Then Hanna went to do counts that she had agreed to do and I had to go to work.
Mid-summer twitching
I ended my day at midday and then we left to a long drive to Hanko with Hanna and Elissa. There had been several extremely rare birds in Finland recently but I hadn’t been able or then I had just been too tired to go twitching. But now it was Midsummer so I had one extra holiday so we went twitching. There were no updates of the bird for several hours and Teo Ylätalo who had organized the boat was almost going to cancel the whole trip but finally we got information that Bimaculated Lark was still in Kemiönsaari Morgonlandet. The last group of twitchers hadn’t found the bird in time but they had bought an extra hour from the captain and in last 10 minutes they had finally seen the bird in flight a couple of times. So we could continue driving to Hanko Itäsatama.
We were in harbor very early but there were several friends coming to the same boat so the time went fast. And finally at 7 p.m. we, 14 twitchers, left towards Morgonlandet, 14. On the way we saw an Arctic Skua, a Razorbill and a few Black Guillemots. And once we got to Morgonlandet we started to walk towards the highest point of the island as we hoped to see the bird also in flight. We had walked maybe 50 meters when I heard a soft “Brruii” call from the sky and found the Bimaculated Lark flying! We all managed to see it immediately!
So we had plenty of time and after some time we found the lark again but it was flushed to the sky and then it landed to a place where all the terns were breeding so we couldn’t follow it. But soon we found it with our telescopes and we could follow it for a long time and we really saw it well. But it was too difficult to get pictures. Later we still saw the lark in flight a couple of times when it was flying with some Starlings.
When we still had 30 minutes left on the island, we decided to walk a little bit around the island with Teo. We found a Marsh Warbler but really nothing else. But other birds we had see during our stay on the island had been a Rock Pipit, some Black Guillemots, a family of Turnstones, some Arctic Skuas, a Whimbrel, some Dunlins, Ruffs, a Red-necked Phalarope and so on.
Finally it was time to leave and on the way back to Hanko, we still saw some Razorbills and Black Guillemots. Then we drove a little bit to Tvärminne and found a place to put up a camp.
We slept until 5 a.m. and at 6 o’clock we were in Vedagrundet. There was almost nothing moving on the sea but a couple of Waders were seen on the shore and some Arctic Skuas were on the islets. Mika Teivonen came there too so we spent some more time watching to the sea but saw only a Rock Pipit and a Black Guillemot on one island and a couple of Common Shelducks and heard a Redpoll flying past.
Then we decided to continue to Uddskatan where we walked a long way until we were on the place where a Collared Flycatcher female had been seen earlier visiting a nest-hole. With some by phone we finally were in a right place and then immediately heard the bird calling and soon found it visible too. And after a long wait we saw it visiting the hole that a male Pied Flycatcher had visited already a couple of times. So there will be interesting-looking flycatchers in the future.
We continued to the tip of Uddskatan to do some more seawatching but again saw just a couple of Rock Pipits, a Black Guillemot, 4 Razorbills and 3 Velvet Scoters. While walking back we heard a Marsh Warbler.
Then we twitcher a Moorhen youngsters in Haaga Park before continued to Talholmarna where were too many people already, so we continued to Svanvik. There we saw 9 Caspian Terns, a couple of Shelducks and heard again a Marsh Warbler. In Kobben we saw 2 Spotted Redshanks and a Yellow Wagtail and then we decided to start a long way back to home.
In Helsinki we still twitched one more month-tick that was breeding but it was not clear if the youngsters were hybrids or not. I have to keep the species as a secret so it can stay safe without too many photographers. After we had seen still a Goshawk we continued our driving.
In Imatra we still twitched a Grey Wagtail in Tainionkoski and saw also an Oystercatcher there.
Another twitch
On the 26th of June I had to go twitching again as an Eastern Imperial Eagle was seen first in Helsinki and then in Sipoo and it seemed to continue along the coast to east. I drove to Hamina Hevoskallio where I managed to get right on time when the bird was expected to arrive, but even though it had still been seen in Loviisa and Pyhtää, it was never seen anywhere more east. We did see a White-tailed Eagle and always nice Lesser Spotted Eagle, but of course they weren’t what we had hoped.
When I finally gave up, I still went to twitch an Arctic Warbler in Summa, which was a good year-tick and always a very good species in Southern Finland.
On the 27th day we organized one more Baillon’s Crake twitch but the bird wasn’t heard anymore which was of course a disappointment for us and 20 twitchers. On the way back, we twitched a Quail again in Tarvaslampi which was a lifer for young birders from Kerimäki – Veikka Kosonen and Oskari Saunisto. Then we continued to SSP-ringing again which was still very quiet. Only 2 Blackbirds, a Song Thrush, 2 control Sedge Warblers, 1 c Common Whitethroat, a Willow Warbler and 3 Reed Buntings were caught.
And again a lifer-twitch
On the 29th of June I left to a long twitch to Kajaani where a White-tailed Lapwing had been found on the previous evening. There were no updates of the bird after 1 p.m. but I kept on driving and finally arrived to Vuolijoki Otanmäki pool after 8 p.m. There were about 30 twitchers scanning the pool and its islands. I decided to scan the skies instead and after 1.5 hours I found a flock of Lapwings flying high on the sky and there it was – a White-tailed Lapwing with 12 Lapwings.
I shouted as loud as I could and the birders who were close to me found the bird immediately but after all other birders that were around the pool didn’t find it even though it was flying on the sky for several minutes before the flock continued towards south as far as we could see with our scopes.
On the way back home I stopped in Joensuu Vehkalahti where I heard a male Little Crake after some waiting. Finally I was back at home at 2:30 a.m. And after a couple of hours sleeping, I had to go to work.
J.A.