Last week i had plans to go Estonia with my uncle but those plans were cancelled. I was thinking what to do and i called my good friend Petteri who lives in Pori SW Finland. I asked if i could come and in five minutes we decided to do some birding around Pori area. Later i got text from Markus Lampinen and he had same plans, so we had nice group there.
My buss arrived at 3 pm and Petteri was there waiting with he´s wife Matleena. We dropped my stuff and quite soon we got alarm message of three Dotterels flying near Yyteri.
Dotterel is one of those Finnish breeding birds what i have not seen in Finland, so we went to check if the birds would show up in Yyteri area. We walked to the new bird tower and started to check around.
Lots of shorebirds around including two very nice species like Red Knot and Sanderling. Both very good species for Helsinki dude. We also counted 22 Dunlins, 57 Little Stints, 4 Curlew Sandpipers, 139 Ruffs, Merlin and long stayer escape Lesser White-fronted Goose.
Later we picked Markus from buss station and we had nice peaceful evening.
Next morning we started from Toukari but most of the time there was thick fog.. Red-throated Pipit was best bird there.
Because fog stayed we decided to pick Jaakko Esama and then drive to the Hallavaara dump to have some Gull watch. Last week Petteri and Jaakko had Yellow-legged Gull there, so we had some expectations.
Sadly this time there was only few hundreds big gulls and almost all of those were "normal" Herring Gulls. Few Greater Black-backed Gulls also around.
Few raptors migrated, 500 Starlings and Black Woodpecker were seen.
Our next stop was in Nakkila and more specifically in Leistilänjärvi. Place is famous because some dude found Isabelline Shrike from there.
This time we had three Common Swifts, Hobby, Whinchat and Stock Dove.
Later we dropped Jaakko back to hes car and we went to have short coffee break in Petteris house. I photographed one Rook from Petteris backyard.
After coffee we went to Fleiviiki to check if the Great Snipe would show up for us.
We walked huge area with Markus and after few Common Snipes we flushed one Great snipe! Great Snipe and great feeling. Three Red-throated Pipits and Black Woodpecker also there. Here is photo of the Fleiviiki meadow so you can have little idea how big the place is.
After we walked the area we had little raptor watch. Nice numbers of White-tailed Eagles, Hen Harrier, Marsh Harriers, Hobbys, Ospreys and majestic male Peregrine Falcon.
Last but this time the best place was Yyteri. Markus wanted to see Sanderling because it was missing from his year-list.
Huge numbers of birds and this time we counted about everything. Here is some numbers.
Common Ringed Plover 99 Whooper Swan 81 Herring Gull 175
Little Stint 49 Great Crested Grebe 186 Golden Eye 2050
Dunlin 27 Red-necked Grebe 3 White-tailed Eagle 5
Temminck´s Stint 1 Slavonian Grebe 12 Lesser White-fronted Goose 1
Red Knot 2 Barnacle Goose 3495
Curlew Sandpiper 10 Canada Goose 17
Sanderling 2 Greylag Goose 154
Ruff 209 Eurasian Wigeon 270
Spotted Redshank 1 Eurasian Teal 280
Common Greenshank 1 Pintail 8
Common Snipe 25 Common Tern 1
Bar-tailed Godwit 1 Caspian Tern 2
In last light Petteri found funny looking hybrid goose from the Barnacle flock. My opinion is hybrid between Barnacle and Canada Goose
Our evening ended with beautiful sunset.
Next morning there was so much fog so we just woke up late and just before our buss we twitched local Grey Partridges from Pinomäki.
What a weekend with great company. Thanks Petteri, Markus, Matleena and others for company! Next month we have our annual Säppi island trip, so very soon back to SW Finland.
-Tom-
My buss arrived at 3 pm and Petteri was there waiting with he´s wife Matleena. We dropped my stuff and quite soon we got alarm message of three Dotterels flying near Yyteri.
Dotterel is one of those Finnish breeding birds what i have not seen in Finland, so we went to check if the birds would show up in Yyteri area. We walked to the new bird tower and started to check around.
Lots of shorebirds around including two very nice species like Red Knot and Sanderling. Both very good species for Helsinki dude. We also counted 22 Dunlins, 57 Little Stints, 4 Curlew Sandpipers, 139 Ruffs, Merlin and long stayer escape Lesser White-fronted Goose.
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| Most of the birds are way too far for photographing. |
 |
| Part of the 2500 Barnacles. |
Later we picked Markus from buss station and we had nice peaceful evening.
Next morning we started from Toukari but most of the time there was thick fog.. Red-throated Pipit was best bird there.
Because fog stayed we decided to pick Jaakko Esama and then drive to the Hallavaara dump to have some Gull watch. Last week Petteri and Jaakko had Yellow-legged Gull there, so we had some expectations.
Sadly this time there was only few hundreds big gulls and almost all of those were "normal" Herring Gulls. Few Greater Black-backed Gulls also around.
 |
| Herring Gulls. |
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| More Herring Gulls. Bottom one had almost nice looking tertials. |
Few raptors migrated, 500 Starlings and Black Woodpecker were seen.
Our next stop was in Nakkila and more specifically in Leistilänjärvi. Place is famous because some dude found Isabelline Shrike from there.
This time we had three Common Swifts, Hobby, Whinchat and Stock Dove.
 |
| Leistilänjärvi view. |
Later we dropped Jaakko back to hes car and we went to have short coffee break in Petteris house. I photographed one Rook from Petteris backyard.
 |
| Rook is common in Pori. |
After coffee we went to Fleiviiki to check if the Great Snipe would show up for us.
We walked huge area with Markus and after few Common Snipes we flushed one Great snipe! Great Snipe and great feeling. Three Red-throated Pipits and Black Woodpecker also there. Here is photo of the Fleiviiki meadow so you can have little idea how big the place is.
 |
| Fleiviiki meadow. |
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| Common Hawker. |
After we walked the area we had little raptor watch. Nice numbers of White-tailed Eagles, Hen Harrier, Marsh Harriers, Hobbys, Ospreys and majestic male Peregrine Falcon.
Last but this time the best place was Yyteri. Markus wanted to see Sanderling because it was missing from his year-list.
Huge numbers of birds and this time we counted about everything. Here is some numbers.
Common Ringed Plover 99 Whooper Swan 81 Herring Gull 175
Little Stint 49 Great Crested Grebe 186 Golden Eye 2050
Dunlin 27 Red-necked Grebe 3 White-tailed Eagle 5
Temminck´s Stint 1 Slavonian Grebe 12 Lesser White-fronted Goose 1
Red Knot 2 Barnacle Goose 3495
Curlew Sandpiper 10 Canada Goose 17
Sanderling 2 Greylag Goose 154
Ruff 209 Eurasian Wigeon 270
Spotted Redshank 1 Eurasian Teal 280
Common Greenshank 1 Pintail 8
Common Snipe 25 Common Tern 1
Bar-tailed Godwit 1 Caspian Tern 2
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| Escaped Lesser White-fronted Goose. |
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| Markus in Yyteri. |
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| Petteri in Yyteri. |
In last light Petteri found funny looking hybrid goose from the Barnacle flock. My opinion is hybrid between Barnacle and Canada Goose
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| What do you think about this? |
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| Sunset in Yyteri. |
Next morning there was so much fog so we just woke up late and just before our buss we twitched local Grey Partridges from Pinomäki.
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| Two Grey Partridges in Pinomäki. |
What a weekend with great company. Thanks Petteri, Markus, Matleena and others for company! Next month we have our annual Säppi island trip, so very soon back to SW Finland.
-Tom-
