Buff-breasted Sandpiper
On the 2nd of May, on my birthday, “Potu Suojarinne came to Parikkala in the evening and straight away we drove to twitch the “Richardson’s” Cackling Goose as a lifer for him. But it was already late and it started to rain so that was all we managed to do.
On the next morning we heard a Wryneck on our back-yard, but I had to go to work while Potu went to windy Siikalahti. It was really too windy there so I didn’t miss much.
At 1 p.m. I ended my work-day and soon after that we met with Potu and my brother Pirkka and his friend Allan Hamari at Särkisalmi. Pirkka and “Allu” had been driving the whole morning but anyway we left straight to Saari again. First we stopped in Rautalahti where Pirkka and Allu already got plenty of year-ticks. Then in Akanvaara Tetrisuo we saw a Rough-legged Buzzard and a Hobby and after Pohjasuo we drove to Pohjanranta bird-tower. We had heard that Cackling Goose was missing so we weren’t in a hurry so we decided to check every place very carefully. After we had seen a couple of male Ruffs I noticed a female Ruff kind of bird with Greenshanks. It was facing away but there was something wrong with this bird. Finally it turned it’s head and I realized it looked like a Buff-breasted Sandpiper! Then it turned more and I could see every detail – It was a Buff-breasted Sandpiper! The wind was still strong and the view wasn’t perfect but we all could see this mega rarity well before it flushed with all other waders and we could see the underwing pattern too. Luckily it landed back and even a little bit closer now. The wind also dropped down a little so I managed to get some kind of pictures and video too.
Soon came the first couple of twitchers – Harri and “Rolle” and soon more and more. After we had seen a male Garganey and a female Hen Harrier and got a count of all waders, we decided to keep on birding.
We continued to Suurenjärvenliete where I had hoped to find the Cackling Goose but even though there were lots of Tundra Bean and White-fronted Geese only other geese were 14 Barnacle Geese. But there were also lots of waders and the best ones were 3 Little Ringed Plovers and 2 Black-tailed Godwits. We also saw a female White-backed Woodpecker which was really good bird for Pirkka and Allu. We also checked all ducks very carefully too but then we continued through Jyrkilä fields where we saw only 11 Black Grouses to Tarassiinlahti where only a Willow Warbler was seen.
In Kanavalampi we saw an adult White-tailed Eagle which was maybe the reason there were no geese. Then we still drove to Pohjanranta where the month-tick twitchers were just arriving from Helsinki. The Buff-breasted Sandpiper was still there and the weather was calming down so it was really showing well. But we really needed to go to eat something so we drove to Särkisalmi to eat. It wasn’t a surprise that soon a Marsh Sandpiper had landed to Pohjanranta. We still saw a Common Scoter in Härskiinmutka but the rest of the evening we were watching ice-hockey WC and relaxing. On the next morning we would have to wake up early – it was bird-tower competition day!
J.A.