Today I drove with my sons around Ikaalinen and Hämeenkyrö in northwestern parts of Pirkanmaa county. We tried to find Snow Buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis), but had no luck with them. Instead we found two flocks of Whooper Swans (Cygnys cygnus), 11 in the fields of Kilvakkala in Ikaalinen and 48 in the fields of Sarkkila in Hämeenkyrö. One of them had a neckring "7S34", an old bird that I have met already couple of times during years. If I remember right, that bird is already 12 years old. In addition to Swans, we found one male Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) from lake Kirkkojärvi in Hämeenkyrö.This winter has been odd - very warm indeed, thanks to La Niña. Currently it looks like it's April outside, but something is missing - most of the birds are still somewhere south. Well, if the weather stays this warm, we'll get lots of records during this spring!
