Some good birds in Helsinki 3.12.2018

December always means that I have to start to check my winter time list. Winter months are Dec-Feb and I have slowly increased my count of species during that time. The number is now 145 and I added two nice ones on that list on third of December.

A first winter female King Eider was found last week and cause I was working, I had to wait until my first change came on Monday morning. I took Vilma to kindergarten and drove to Vuosaari where the bird was seen last evening. I topped to have some coffee and when I arrived to Kallahti I noticed an alarm message of the bird which was positive, the bird was still in the area.
I walked to the most southernmost point of the cape and two guys told me where to look and there is was, what a beauty. Shame the light was bad and wind was strong, so bird was very challenging to watch. Very soon it moved again and flies away. I walked back and checked another place, the place where it was seen earlier, and there it was again.
This time it was in better place and I even got some poor document photos of the bird.

Soon I had to leave, because there was an Turtle Dove near by. I only stepped out of the car and walked short distance and the bird was there. Lots of people around it, so I watched it quickly and left to pick my new camera from Vantaa.
I bought this nice Panasonic Lumix FZ82 super zoom camera and I have to test it next time. With the zoom I have 1200mm reach for the birds, so let´s see what happens in real situation when I have to follow a moving targets.

Here is a short video of the King Eider and few photos.

Place where I first saw the King Eider. 

Bird was far away and light was bad, so very poor photos. 

Typical shape of the head. 

My new Lumix FZ82

-Tom

Hawk Owl and other stuff. 28.10.2018

On 25th me and my uncle Jände had an effort to twitch that long staying, but always some how ephemeral Cinereous Vulture from Kirkkonummi. Bird was sitting there on a tree and was seen by many, but cause we had our duties earlier, we were late of course. During the drive to Kirkkonumi we got message that bird disappeared again and there was no idea were it went. Anyway we went to the birdtower, but late is late and we got nothing. After that there is only some uncertain records of the bird... So no vulture for me..

On 28th I was driving with my family in Pasila, near our house and I spotted an Hawk Owl from the car window. Quick turn and there it was sitting on a tree and then on a lamppost. I parked the car and took some record shots through my telescope.

Smart looking bird! 

Hawk Owls are not so common here in Helsinki and you need serious luck to find one among hundreds of birders. Bird was not seen again in same site, but I´m sure that someone will find it somewhere near very soon.
November is coming and there is less and less birds here in Finland, so let´s enjoy all that we still have.

-Tom

Twitching while working. 13.10.2018

Yesterday Mika-Ilari Koskinen found a Marsh Tit from Herttoniemi, Helsinki. This species was missing from my capital-area list so I was interested. I still had to work today, but I managed to use my time right and I drove to Herttoniemi this afternoon.
There was few people looking the Tit and when I arrived the bird showed Up after five minutes calling and showing all the features we needed. It was feeding on a ground and stopped only for few seconds in a tree.
I did not have my binos or anything else with me, but calling bird is easy catch even without those. I managed to take some very very poor pis of the bird with my phone and here is one.. I feel little bit shame to publish this but who cares!

It just left when I took the photo... 

October is going and good birds show up almost daily. Let´s hope that there is some real monsters coming soon. :)

-Tom

Hunting that bloody Vulture 11.10.2018

This morning I used my last day off for Vulture. I started from home at 9am and I drove to Kilpilahti, where the beast was last seen day before. There was tens of twitchers with same idea and at the end I think we were close to one hundred watchers.
First two hours were slow and most of the time people just talked to each others and only one "big raptor" shouting on that time period. Only three people aw something big flying low and it disappeared quickly, what ever it was.
Temperature was rising and more and more raptors started to move. We had few Common Buzzards, some Rough-legged Buzzards, Sparrowhawks, Goshawks, lone and quite late Marsh Harrier and few White-tailed Eagles. The most interesting raptor was flying quite far away, but Jarkko found it anyway and yelled "Golden Eagle". Subadult looking bird was flying with some crows far east from the cliff where we watched it.
Landbird migration was nice and big flocks of Geese migrated in distance.
After noon we got info that Vulture is flying East from our point, near Porvoo center. I decided to go and try to catch it with the car. I drove like a maniac, but it slipped few times from my fingers.. I was close, but the Vulture was flying so low, that I didn´t see it. At the end I was standing in a point where it was suppose to show up, but nothing.
I had to pick Vilma from daycare so I left after 2pm with only some year ticks with me. I was really hoping to see this, but maybe there is another bird coming in the future.
I have now missed to MEGA birds in short period of time, but maybe my luck will turn, who knows.

Local Great-grey Shrike in Kilpilahti

Distant Marsh Harrier.

-Tom