September 2010
September
On 5th of September we saw a young Peregrine Siikalahti and after that we left to Saari with Pekka Punnonen. On the way we saw a Capercaillie, Hazel Hens and Black Grouses but later only a Red-throated Pipit, 8 Lapland Buntings, extremely young Red-necked Grebe youngsters and 4 Rustic Buntings. In the afternoon I still saw a flock of 23 Canada Geese in Siikalahti.
On the 6th day I heard a Red-throated Pipit on our garden, on 7th day I had 2 Nutcrackers in Kangaskylä and had a Rustic Bunting on our garden.
On the 8th day I counted 800 Wigeons in Siikalahti and in Imatra Immalanjärvi I saw 2 Scaups and a Red-throated Diver. Also a Crested lark was still in Linnankoski.
On the 9th day I twitched a Greater Spotted Eagle in Siikalahti where also 3 Red-throated Divers, 7 Lapland Buntings, 2 Rustic Buntings and a Grey-headed Woodpecker were seen.
In September I was waiting for my holiday but of course I did some birding while waiting. On the 2nd day I saw a Gadwall in Siikalahti and on 3rd we still had 3 Redstarts on our backyard. On 4th day I saw again a migrating harrier on Lake Simpele and it really looked like a Pallid but there was something wrong with that bird – it might have been a hybrid with Hen Harrier? In Siikalahti a White-fronted Goose was still waiting for its north migrating friends and in Lahdensuo I saw 3 Bluethroats.
On the 10th of September I saw 16 migrating Barnacle Geese, 2 White-tailed Eagles and also this adult Greater Spotted Eagle was still around. 2 Water Rails were still calling and again a couple of Rustic Buntings and a Bluethroat were seen. In Satumäki I saw the first flock of Waxwings.
On the 11th day there were 10 White-fronted Geese, 709 Wigeons and a Gadwall in Siikalahti. I managed to get good pictures of Greater Spotted Eagle in Tetrisuo and later with Hanna we got even better pictures in Kaukola. The bird seemed to stay away from Siikalahti where 2 White-tailed Eagles were staying. I also had a Red-breasted Flycatcher while I was doing duck-count. Also 8 Red-throated Pipits, 7 Rustic Bunting – they seemed to be much more common than normally – and a nice flock of 472 Starlings were seen.
On the 12th day I saw 56 Barnacle Geese and on 13th 44 Bean and 120 Barnacle Geese. On 14th day in Härskiinmutka I saw 3 Scaups and in Kangaskylä now 3 Nutcrackers which one of them was ringed in Punkaharju Metla in summer. In the evening I saw a Scaup, 5 Red-necked Grebes and 80 Barnacle Geese in Immalanjärvi.
On the 16th day I saw a Grey-headed Woodpecker, 2 Red-throated Pipits and a Bluethroat in Siikalahti and on the 17th of September a flock of 80 migrating Brent Goose in Muttelinmäki. Then it was finally my 5 weeks holiday!
After my work I started to drive towards South. In Lappeenranta I picked up Miika “potu” Suojarinne and we continued to Helsinki where we visited Lintuvaruste and FotoFennica shopes, bought some equipments and souvenirs before went to birding.
We headed to Espoo Laajalahti where we met some birders that told that all birds that we hoped to be there were still there. Soon we found a Red-breasted Goose from a huge flock of 6000 Barnacle Geese and pretty soon also a Broad-billed Sandpiper, 2 Little Stints, a Temminck’s Stit and a Green Sandpiper. All very late birds. There were also 2010 Wigeons and more than 100 Gadwalls! After pizza we headed to Helsinki where we stayed at night in potu’s friends right now empty apartment.
On the 18th of September we woke up at 7 but after slowly start we headed again to Laajalahti where weren’t that many birds. 2 Garganets, 8 Moorhens and so on, in Kirkkonummi Saltfjärden we had a Bluethroat. We ate together with my parents and then with my father drove my car to a service and then continued to Helsinki-Vantaa airport.
Together with potu we headed to 5 weeks birding tour to England, Shetland and also again to Foula. (In September we saw for example Wilson’s Phalarope, White-rumped Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Scottish Crossbills, Pectoral Sandpiper, Puff-breasted Sandpiper, Paddyfield Warbler and much more.)