Slow birding and Lesser grey shrike 20.7.2020

After my last vacation week my birding has been very slow, basically zero. Summer is a bit boring here and migration is still waiting its best. Some shorebird migration of course, but there is no too many good places for those in Helsinki area.
Here is few pictures during the last ten days and most of them are not birds at all. I had nice evening in Valkosaari where my good friend Otto Yliperttula, alias Yotto gave us amazing performance. I also visited Suomenlinna with my friends and there I had only common species, including Common Redstart and huge flock of Swallows, Martins and Swifts hunting together.

juvenile Common Gallinule. I found three chicks and two adults from small pond near our house. Photo taken with my phone Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. 

Midnight in Helsinki from Valkosaari.

Party. 

On 19th we had very nice time with my mother and together we went to pick up blueberries from the near woods just less than a mile from our doorstep. Kids had great fun to just eat straight from the bushes and we picked about two litres for pie. Later we wen to buy a new coach, because Julius destroyed the old one...

Here is Domestic Sparrow and Willow Warbler from that trip.

Willow Warbler is very common bird in Finland.

Domestic Sparrow.

Today after work we had some plans to go shopping ans stuff when I got an alarm of Lesser grey shrike from Viikki area! Reijo Viherlehto noticed the bird at home from his pictures and soon it was relocated from the same spot. We took our time at the stores and after all that we went to see the bird. It was very far a way, but with telescope there was no problems to see and ID the bird.

Me and Julius watching the shrike. Maybe Julius had to wait another, cause he looks in the wrong direction...

So far, but so beautiful bird. 

Also Red-backed Shrike in the same tree. It mopped the larger cousin and tried to drive it away.

Finally Lesser grey shrike was the only bird in the tree. 

What a great surprise this bird was and nice start for the week. New job is just around the corner and so is autumn migration, so I can´t wait. Hopefully more birding coming in the near future, but this week is going to be busy.

-Tom