Hanko 26-27.1.2013

What a nice weekend we had in Hanko.
On my way to Hanko i saw Grey-headed Woodpecker, Hazel Grouse, some Black Grouses and one Great Grey Shrike. We started the meeting about at one a clock in afternoon and lot of good decisions were made.
I don´t actually what happened, but soon the clock was something like 6pm. Time flies when you have something interesting and important on going.
Soon we had super nice sauna and rest of the evening was just hanging with the super nice people and i really had super time!
I went little bit too late to bed, after midnight, so next morning was little hard.
We took a part of Finlands biggest birding event, backyard watch. Last year over 15000 people took part of this event. I guess this year was at least that good.
Place where we stayed had little bird feeding in their yard so that was our place. First birds were Blue and Great Tits. Soon some Black birds and Bullfinches came to eat some seeds.
From the yard you could also saw some open sea so we tried to check it also.
Petteri and Janne saw some duck swimming in open spot, so we went closer and we found some Goldeneyes, Mallards, many Mew Gulls, Great Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls.
We noticed some Herring Gull movement quite near and soon Petteri yelled, Glaucous Gull, Glaucous Gull!!
Beautiful 2cy bird flew near our place. After Glaucous Gull we had lonely Whooper Swan and that was third year-tick for me on this trip. Nice ending.

Our chairman Kalle Larsson shows some things there.

Relaxed atmosphere of the meeting.

After birds we continued the meeting and finished it after noon. Many good things also today.
Soon after meeting i start to drive back home. I had driven about 15min when i saw White-backed Woodpecker from the car window. Fortunately, i was stopped and i was able to look it trough binoculars. Nice male bird! Always nice to see this scarce Woodpecker.
Thanks to Janne, Visa, Kalle, Juha, Ina, Annika, Heikki, Jösse and Petteri for good company. And thank you all for warm welcome to join in this great people.
Hope we have more these nice meetings in the future.
So, that was my weekend. Hear you soon.

best.

-Tomppa-

Quick twitch. 25.1.2013

I woke up late afternoon because i was working all night. I checked some sightings from Helsinki and one jumped above others. Four Twites very near where i live.
It was already late afternoon but i was lucky with the light. Sun was still shining a little bit.
I arrived to Jätkänsaari and soon i found some other guys watching some birds. I asked them what they see and they told me there is two Shore Larks.
I saw Shore Lark earlier in same place but this time i got little bit better photos. Soon we saw flock of four birds coming on our direction, but we did not see them landed. I continued walking with some older guy and i was actually quite happy with these four birds we saw flying but other guy said that he did not saw any evidence that these four birds were actually the Twite flock.
So we continued our search and just before i decided to leave, some guy yelled that the flock was very near.
I took my camera and start to walk, but flock jumped in the air. I got only photos of flying birds, but you can ID Twite from the photo :) That was the major point.

Twite. 

One Shore Lark.

Two Shore Larks.

Twite was my year-tick number 60 and good specie here in Helsinki. Not my first but not many sightings.
Tomorrow i go to Hanko, so hear you soon.

Best.

-Tomppa-

Slow. 23.1.2013

Sorry for lazy posting.. I´ve spent most of the time inside and that´s normally means less birds.
There is full winter in Southern Finland, not much birds and very cold.
One day i saw Eurasian Eagle Owl from my car window and it has been best bird recently.
Im just hoping this winter will be over soon :)
Next weekend we have board members meeting of  Finish twitching association in Hanko and i hope i can check some places before and after the official parts. Im quite excited about this boardmember thing and i hope we have nice weekend there.
So maybe some text from the Hanko comes later.
Today i walked to my car and i saw Brambling in Ruoholahti! That was weird sighting, but it looked happy in House Sparrow flock.

So, i try to be more active and that´s a promise.
Here is a photo of Ruoholahti, place i live. Hope it gives you some spring feeling or something else.

Sunset.

Best.

-Tomppa-

Winter. 15.1.2013

I did some birding again today. Weather was bad. Cloudy, dark and only few birds.
I start from Etelä-Haaga and i successfully twitched White-throated Dipper. Nice year tick for me. Impossible to photo but i saw the bird twice before it went under the bridge and disappeared.

Dipper place in Haaga.

Next target was Rock Pipit in Viikki. I arrived there and there was few other birders also. On my way i called to Jari Linjala and he came later there with skis. I spend about hour there and no bird...
Jari continued he´s skiing and i started to walk to my car.
On my way to my car, i saw some bird flying along little ditch. Bird came closer and there it was, Rock Pipit, at last.. It went trough the lake where it´s normal place was. Also two Black Woodpeckers in the area. Second year tick for the day!
After Viikki i went to Seurasaari to check normal feeding places. Many Black Birds (25), Blue Tits (40), Great Tits (30) and few Coal Tits. When i walked back to my car some older guy told me about European Robin in one feeding place. I went there and there it was. Nice winter specie, although it has become semi common winter bird recent years.
Other birds in the island was Black Woodpecker (voice), Little Woodpecker (year tick), two Great-spotted Woodpeckers and Goshawk.

Black Bird.

Great-spotted Woodpecker.

Little Woodpecker painting in Seurasaari.

Blue Tit and Feral Pigeon.

Sorry about boring post. Normal species only in the photos.. I still have few days off work so maybe something coming soon, before my weekend in work.
I have now seen 56 species in Finland in 15 days. I have to save few species for the rest of the winter!

Best.

-Tomppa-

Winter twitching 13.1.2013

It´s rare for me to be whole day out. Today was that kind of day.
Jände picked me up before nine and we drove to the Viikki where Jari linjala waited us.
Our main target for the morning were Great-grey Owl witch was in Fastholma and later in Mölylä yesterday.
Both of those places are very close to Viikki, so we did not have long drive.
We parked our car and near there was little bird feeding. Few Redpolls, Great and Blue Tits, Black birds and Siskins, so nothing special.
It was long walk to the Mölylä from there and after 40min walking we arrived to the area where people saw the Owl yesterday. On our way we saw Goshawk trying to get Brown Hare, but no luck this time.
Area was huge... We walked around there and only what we saw was cross country skiers and some of those were very angry... It seems that the are belongs to the skiers in winter time.. First one guy pushed me and my coffee jumped from the cup to my binoculars... Second time this SAME guy hit me with the ski pole!
I yelled to him but this mother fucker did not have the guts to turn around.. What a pathetic loser..
Only birds there was two Great-spotted Woodpeckers.. Not much.. And no Great-grey Owl...

Our  next destination was Olari where the familiar Western Capercaillie is hanging around.
We found it easily and of course we took some photos. It was even closer than last time.

150mm No crop. 

500mm No crop.

After Capercailie we drove to Eestinmalmi where another familiar bird has been long time.
Black-throated Thrush was still present. Jari and Jände got year-ticks, i saw it earlier so no ticks for me.
This time it was very hard to see and after it finally came, it disappeared very quickly.

Black-throated. 

After this Thrush we dropped Jari back home and our next target was Rock Pipit witch has been in Viikkis water treatment plant for quite some time. I don´t actually know why i have not been there earlier, but this time we did not have ANY luck...
Bird was little bit behind the bushes and some photographer flushed it in the air. Jände saw it very quickly, i was totally blind... It was too fast situation and Jände did not count it because of that.
So also this year tick failed...
When we were walking to the car, i remembered that near my house in Jätkänsaari were Shorelark earlier today.
We decided to try it also and after 20min drive we arrived to the Jätkänsaari.
Some birder flushed it from the stone mound and Jände saw it from the car. We jumped out and there was many familiar faces watching the bird! Jari Laitasalo and he´s girfriend Mirka and Pekka Komi were standing there and Jari had the bird in the telescope. Quick look and there it was, super beautiful bird! I even got some bad photos of it trough Jaris telescope. Also Pekka Rusanen came little bit later and he saw it also.  Very nice ending for the day.

Bad photo, but you can see the specie. 

Only one new year-tick for me today, but it´s okay.
Day was nice and i have to thank Jari and Jände for super company. Let´s have more these days.
Still few days off work, so more there is more coming.

Best.

-Tomppa-

Finally Iceland Gull 11.1.2013

Today was weird.. I promised to Sarina that i go with her to the city center.
Clock was almost two at afternoon and i got this strange feeling... "I had to go to Espoo, there will be Iceland Gull if i go now"
So, you can see there is a problem. I called to Sarina and told her a little white lie, "there is Iceland Gull in Espoo and i HAVE to go now"
I was already driving and soon i arrived to the Soukka Harbor where bird was seen yesterday. So i had no clue...
When i was working last four nights i make a timetable about Iceland Gulls movement. Normally it passed Soukka at two pm or little bit later. Before that, bird usually eat in Ämmässuo Dump, where i was last time, if you remember.
So there i stand with some other guys and waited the gull. Few flocks passed us but nothing there. Finally i found this beautiful gull from quite large flock, and i was surprised how white and how easily i found it from the flock.
I even got some bad photos!

Iceland Gull, 3cy bird.

And with others. 

So, first lifer for the year. Let´s hope there will be few more soon. I don´t know how i got the feeling to go there, but it was something really weird.
I told to Sarina later that i lied to her and i was sorry for that. But hey, tick is a tick like somebody said once.
More postings soon, i have many days off work.

Best.

-Tomppa-

Capercaillie 5.1.2013

Quick Western Capercaillie twitch today. I drove to Olari with Sarina and luckily the bird was easy to see.
It was sitting in a Pine tree having a little siesta.
God lifer for Sarina and year tick for me.

Black Chicken. 

I was hoping a little movement, but it was just sitting there.

Year tick number 45.

Best.

-Tomppa-

Ämmässuo dump 4.1.2013

2cy Iceland Gull has been quite long time in Ämmässuo dump. It was still missing in my lifer list.
I started very early, left home half nine.
It was still dusk when i arrived near place where people saw the Gull yesterday.
I start to walk but soon i noticed that there was many paths and many directions.. After 30minute sweating, very rapid views of Three-toed Woodpecker i found right path.
There was little fog so weather conditions were not on my side.. I saw only 10% of the gulls firs and most of the birds were  behind the thrash mountains.
Soon some guys came and i was because more eyes is always better.
We tried to find the bird but nothing first. Then most of the gulls came closer and suddenly we saw about 60% of those. Soon i saw 2cy Glaucous Gull in flight and some others saw it right after that. Nice specie, but not that what we were looking.
Gulls were really nervous because of Goshawk and Common Buzzard. Always in flight and when it´s little fog, there is no change to see those birds well enough. Lonely Starling was nice year tick, but still waiting the real prize.
Suddenly i noticed my friend Petri Kuhno walking towards us. It was nice to meet again!
After i had spend 2,5h in the area i was ready to go home. I said to Petri that when i am gone, they will find the bird.
So, no Iceland Gull this time either... There is some higher power witch is against me.

Gulls.

More Gulls.

Only good thin today was good test for my new shoes. Water was sometimes very high when i was walking but my feet were still dry. Thank you Sarina.

My new shoes. 

After i came home, i checked the alarm sites. Petri and guys had the Gull 13min after i leave... Is that normal?
Maybe next time... Glaugous Gull and Three-toed Woodpecker were good species, can´t complain.

Best.

-Tomppa-

Here we go again. 1.1.2013

I wanted a good start for the year. Even though there was raining, i went to Espoo where Black-throated Thrush were still present. I spend half an hour there and i saw the thrush, some Tree Sparrows, Redpoll, Siskins and other common stuff. Nice start.

After thrush i went to Olari, where Western Capercaillie was last time. No luck with this huge chicken this time.. There was many birders trying to find it. 

My final place today was Seurasaari, where most of the birds were Blue and Great Tits. 

I found among the tits some Coal Tits, one Willow Tit, Goldcrests, one Tree Creeper, one Great spotted Woodpecker, one Black Woodpecker and Goshawk. 

This was also a test for my new shoes witch i got for Christmas. My feet were try, so it was success.

Total specie count for the day was 33, so nice start i think. 

Sorry for photoless post, but i did not want to wet my camera gear. 

Next time i promise some photos. 

I hope you all had nice start for the year.

best.

-Tomppa-