The year 2015 begins

Before the New Year it was time to plan the traditional “the First of the first” trip. This time it was difficult as there were 2 good option – in Oulu area there were a Black-throated Accentor and a Moorhen but then nothing else and in Western coast 2 Firecrests and some other good winter-species. We had to wait until the last afternoon to get information that Firecrests had survived the last cold days and once I contacted our old friend Kalle Larsson, it was clear that we’d got to western coast as we could stay the night in Kalle’s apartment. And it was easier also because of Hanna was working in Tampere Nature museum and I could pick her up from Riihimäki which was easily reachable by train.

So after my work I had still many things to do but after 5 p.m. I left to drive. At 9 p.m. I picked up Hanna and finally about at 11 p.m. we were in Salo. We celebrated New Year with Kalle and his 2 girls and finally got to bed about at 1 a.m.

On the first of January we woke up early and soon Marko Kaukinen picked us up and we started to drive towards Uusikaupunki. After 8 a.m. we were in the meeting place and before 9 there were about 100 birders! The Firecrests had been wound only recently and they were in a bad place for twitching so this was only second time they were twitched. Twitching has been organized by the finder Pekka Alho who is in Bongariliitto TVK as I am. It’s our job to organize situations like this. Pekka had made a big work and everything went smoothly. When the Firecrest had been seen waking up all twitchers were lead to a place where they usually come to feed. So soon there were 100 birders standing quiet next to a reedbed. And soon we heard the calls of the Firecrests and found 1 bird feeding on the snow inside the reedbed with a couple of Goldcrests. We were lucky to see this very mobile bird well right away so pretty soon we were ready to continue as the day is so short that we had to hurry. Other birds we had already seen were Hooded Crow, Yellowhammer, Fieldfare, Raven, Great Tit, Waxwing, White-tailed Eagle, Bullfinch, Green Finch, Jackdaw, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Blue Tit. While walking back to our car we saw some Great Black-backed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Goldeneyes, Mallards and Goosanders.

Next we drove to Pitkäluoto and were surprised to find out that a male Pochard was still there with some Mute Swans. Then we headed towards Naantali and saw a Jay on the way. I also noticed that a Hen Harrier had been seen on the way in Mynämäki Mietoistenlahti and we tried to find it. We scanned foggy fields for some time but managed to find a Merlin instead. In Nantali Luolala we met other twitchers but the bird was missing. After seeing Rock Pigeons, House Sparrows, Blackbirds and scanning many Yellowhammer we finally saw a Wood Lark briefly.

Then we heard that a Stock Dove had been seen in Askainen and decided to drive there. On the way we saw a Sparrowhawk in Mynämäki. The Stock Dove was not found but we could stay there only a couple of minutes as we heard that a Knot had been found again in Pori Yyteri. It was a crazy tick for the 1st of January so we decided to go twitching! It was a long drive and on the way we saw only a White-tailed Eagle. Once we got to Pori, we heard that the Knot had been missing already for some time. We asked information from local birders and headed to search it from beach near golf. It was already getting late and we weren’t happy to get only Common Gulls as a year-tick. But soon we heard that the Knot had been found again very close to us. So we run back to our car and then after some difficulties managed to find the right place and there the Knot was just in front of some lucky birders that had found it. It was great to end the daylight like this!

But our day wasn’t over. We had planned to drive a long way to twitch a Shoveler in Heinola. The bird was in a small pool with Mallards and there were so many lights around the pool that it was possible to see the birds during the whole night. But we had a problem as my car was in Salo and we counted that only way that I could get to work on the previous day was to drive to Salo first to pick my car too. It was again a long drive but when we got to Salo we heard that the Shoveler had been missing for a couple of hours. So Kalle and Marko decided not to go there if there is not new information coming.
But I had to start driving. I dropped Hanna to train in Riihimäki again and continued to Heinola where I was at 10 p.m. But the Shoveler wasn’t found even though Mallards were happy to get some bread. In Lappeenranta I stopped to see an Eagle Owl and I was finally at home before 2 1.m.

On the 2nd of January I had to wake up to go to work. On the lunch-hour I drove to Moskuunniemi where I saw Coal Tits and a Nuthatch easily and in Särkisalmi I heard a Chaffinch. Then I headed to Siikalahti where the first bird I saw was a male White-backed Woodpecker. Not many other birds were found but a Starling that was flying with a flock of Fieldfares was a surprise. After the shorter day at work I still walked around the village and saw 4 House Sparrows and 2 Starlings – so the wintering 3 Starlings were all still alive.

On the 3rd of January I we went birding with Hannas brother Miika. The roads were in bad shape in Melkoniemi forests but we managed to get to another Siberian Jay place and soon found a Crested Tit, a Goldcrest and 2 Siberian Jays, also a Capercaillie flushed from the trees next to us. In Särkisalmi we saw nothing new and in Moskuunniemi the same Nuthatch was seen easily. Then we headed towards Simpele and saw a Redpoll on the way. In Kokkolanjoki we found 10 Whooper Swans, a Mallard, a Goosander and a Dipper and in Lahnanen we saw some more Mallards and heard a Black Woodpecker. In Kangaskoski we heard a flock of Common Crossbills and the found a nice flock of 8 Haw Winches!

On the 4th of January we headed to Punkaharju Laukansaari with Miika and Hanna who was back at home. On the way we saw a flock of 12 Pine Grosbeaks but too briefly to get a lifer for Miika. It was colder and very windy but anyway we found a big flock of 40 Coal and 20 Willow Tits and soon 10 more Coal Tits. A White-backed Woodpecker was seen in flight and a Black Woodpecker was calling. The first flock of Two-barred Crossbills were found soon and soon another flock, altogether 20 birds. They were calling actively but disappeared too soon to take any photographs. Later we still saw plenty of Common Crossbills, a flock of Redpolls with an Arctic Redpoll and 2 Treecreepers. While driving back towards Parikkala we stopped to check a river in Putikko but found no Dippers, but a nice flock of 13 Piene Grosbeaks that were finally showing well. Then we still saw 3 Black Grouses before we were in Tarvaslampi where 2 Long-tailed Tits were found from the feeder.

On the 5th of January I was at work again and it was extremely cold out! Anyway the sun was shining so nicely that I decided to go to Siikalahti ny nike on my lunch-hour. I managed to find the Three-toed Woodpecker that I had found in winter-bird count and also an Arctic Redpoll that was in a flock of Redpolls.

On the 6th day I went to forests again with Pekka Punnonen. On the way we saw a Hazel Hen and soon we found out that the roads were in perfect shape now. So we had to walk only last hundreds of meters to the traditional Siberian Jay place. They were found soon and also a White-backed Woodpecker, a Three-toed Woodpecker and some forest-passerines again. We also went to see another couple of Siberian Jays and were happy to see them too. I hope these old birds are still are able to breed in spring.
At midday I headed towards Imatra but stopped in Kokkolanjoki on the way and saw 8 Whooper Swans and a Dipper again. In Vuoksi I saw 8 Cormorants, a male Smew and a Goshawk and of course many Mallards and Goldeneys and some Goosanders. In the afternoon I went to buy gasoline to Russia Svetogorsk again and managed to make it very fast, so I had a boring evening to wait for our rinkbandy game as the shops were closed in Epiphany.

On the 7th day I went to see a Dipper in Tyrjä. I also drove to Rautalahti where I saw footprints of a swan on ice and a Great Grey Shrike on the field nearby.

On the 8th day it started to feel like normal mid-winter. There were no more thrushes and actually absolutely nothing else either. Only bird I saw was a male White-backed Woodpecker in Siikalahti. On the next day I saw another White-backed Woodpecker, a Great Grey Shrike, a Blackbird and 10 Fieldfares.

J.A.