Weekend in Ähtäri and action on the evening sky
At weekend from 15th to 17th of March we were in Ähtäri. Hanna is making all paintings and info-texts to the zoo so we met some people there and planned what else than paintings should be done and which paintings should be done before the opening of the new main building where would be Hanna’s expedition too.
On the way to Ähtäri we stopped to see a Hawk Owl in Pieksämäki Inkilänkylä and it was found very easily. There were plenty of voles on the field and we saw the owl catching 2 voles in 5 minutes.
After a long drive to west we finally where in Ähtäri where we had a huge hut for us where we had sauna before we went to sleep.
On Saturday morning it was freezing cold (-27 degrees) but luckily it soon got warmer and sun was shining from the blue sky. We met the zoo people and walked around the zoo and checked what should be done to many building around the park. Of course we saw many animals too. At 11 o’clock we met some journalists next to a Wolverine fencing. At 12 o’clock we continued to the Bear cage where Bears got out for the first time after their long winter sleep.
In the afternoon we were walking around the park with Hanna and in the evening we met the intendant of the zoo again and went to eat and discuss about what to do for the zoo in the future. Later we just relaxed in our huge hut and had sauna before going to sleep.
On Sunday it was cold again and Wolves were howling in the zoo. After a good breakfast in the hotel we went to Zoo again and walked and photographed animals for an hour. It was good to be in the zoo before it was opened for the visitors – many animals were very active.
During the day we visited a huge Tuuri shopping center before started a long drive back to home. On the way we stopped in Äänekoski Piilolanniemi where we tried to see an overwintering Great Crested Grebe but it was hiding too well. We did see the first Common Buzzard for Center Finland this year. Then we managed to meet my brother Riku and his family in Varkaus as they were driving from Mikkeli to Oulu.
It was about 8 p.m. when we noticed that there were very beautiful northern lights on the sky! We stopped to photograph them in Punkaharju but Hanna didn’t have a good lens with her. So we drove home and picked up a tripod and the lens and continued to Siikalahti to photograph more northern lights. Before 10 p.m. the sky faded and we drove to home.
On the 21st of March in the evening at 8 p.m. Hanna decided to go out to the shore to see if she could find Comet PanSTARRS from the western sky. She found it and called me to see it too. This comet is so far it was almost impossible to find with bare eyes but with a scope it was nice. Hanna took pictures with her camera and I tried to digiscope it too.
J.A.