01 October, 2009

Weather gets cold

While I'm writing this, Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) is calling in our backyard! Nice surprise, it's a long time since there has been any owls close to our home.

But back to what I was originally writing: During last weekend I saw still some insect-eating passerines, like European Robin (Erithacus rubecula), White Wagtails (Motacilla alba), Dunnocks (Prunella modularis) and Common Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita), but after the weather turned cold, they all disappeared. Well, that's how it goes, but still I miss the summer...

I haven't had much time for birding lately, works at office and home have took so much time. Last real birding trip I had was on Friday the 25th of September, few hours before sunset. Not bad trip at all, I saw birds like Rough-legged Buzzard (Buteo lagopus), Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus), Whooper Swans (Cygnus cygnus), Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) and a big flock (ca. 200) White Wagtails (Motacilla alba), Long-tailed Tits (Aegithalos caudatus) plus many others.

On Monday the 28th Common Cranes (Grus grus) left Finland. During whole day I received messages of thousands and thousands Cranes migrating south in Western Finland. Unfortunately I missed the whole migration... last flock I personally saw, was 6 birds in Pirkkala on Saturday.

And at the same time started the migration of Geese in Eastern Finland. Now there is tens of thousands Geese resting and feeding in the fields of East Finland, biggest amounts in Tohmajärvi where is right now about 60 000 birds, all of them Barnacle Geese (Branta leucopsis). Also one or two Red-breasted Goose (Branta ruficollis) has been observed. I just hope that the Geese will take the western route when they leave....



Whooper Swans in the fields of Tarttila, Valkeakoski last Friday evening

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