Migrating birds stopped at coast

 

Jackdaw in feeder today

Spring has started, no doubt about it. First Rooks, Stock Doves, Wood Pigeons, Northern Lapwings and Skylarks have arrived to Finland but almost all of them have stopped to southern coast. Only some waterfowls, gulls and Snow Buntings have continued to inland. Too much snow everywhere, only some open water in streams and rivers.

This means that we will probably have to wait for them still for weeks. But after that there will be a huge rush, and big flocks of birds in all those places where snow has melted away. I'm really looking for "a good old birding spring", like we had when I was a kid. During last 10 or even more years, the birds have disappeared to forests almost immediately after they arrived. Now we may have a chance to see them again in big flocks in fields!

Today I went birding with my younger son Roni. Highlight of the trip was 3 adult White-tailed Eagles on the ice of lake Rauttunselkä, south from Valkeakoski. There was also 3 Herring Gulls stalking at fishermen in Viidennumero. I hope they got something to eat, otherwise they have to return to Baltic Sea soon. Later we saw also a beatiful old male Goshawk. Shame that I didn't get a photo of it, it was so close and so gorgeous.

While waiting for migrating birds, I think I'll concentrate next on nocturnal birding and get out late in the evenings to listen for owls...

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Author

Olli Haukkovaara

email: olli.haukkovaara @ proton.me

Valkeakoski, Finland

Big flock of Lapwings, Cranes, Marsh Harrier...

 

Three new species for this year today; first a migrating male Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus) in the morning, seen from my office window. During work hours I saw also a Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) hunting Common Pigeons (Columba livia) - it's always cool to see Goshawk in action!

In the evening I took my boys Petro and Roni with me and we did a 2,5 hours trip to southern fields of Valkeakoski. In Kannistonvainio there was a big surprise waiting for us - a flock of 290 Northern Lapwings (Vanellus vanellus) ! That's the biggest flock I've ever seen in southern parts of Pirkanmaa county - very nice, indeed. While counting the Lapwings, a European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) started to sing behind us, first for this spring.

From Kannistonvainio we continued to Saarioispuoli and Kuurila, where we hiked around the fields, trying to find passerines, but did not succeed, it was already too late, only one Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris) was found from the bushes. Fortunately a flock of four Eurasian Cranes (Grus grus) came from north and landed in front of us. By the way, Whooper Swans (Cygnus cygnus) are now very common, you can see them almost everywhere; feeding in the fields, resting on the ice, swimming in open water.

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Author

Olli Haukkovaara

email: olli.haukkovaara @ proton.me

Valkeakoski, Finland

Rock Dove? No. Common Pigeon? No. Feral Pigeon... no, but a Rural Pigeon !

 

Rock Dove, Common Pigeon, Domestic Pigeon, Feral Pigeon (Columba livia) - a beloved child has a lot of names. Anyway, what comes to the name Common Pigeon, here in Valkeakoski it's not anymore common, for example Common Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus) is much more common. It used to be common earlier, when big flocks lived in factory areas. But nowadays factories have managed to expel them, unfortunately, as I really enjoyed watching how Northern Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) hunted pigeons. Often the hawks lurked in the top of very high factory pipes, in the height of over 100 meters. From there they dived at the pigeons, and often they were very succesfull. Very spectacular shows indeed.

Rock Doveis also a bad name for this bird in this part of world, because it does not live on rocks here. How about Feral Pigeon then ? Well, this bird was never domestic animal here, so it can not be "feral". 

But definately it could be "Urban Pigeon" in most parts of the world - and here in Valkeakoski it is "Rural Pigeon", as the biggest population lives in countryside.

This particular pigeon was sitting on the top of the barn in Saarioispuoli yesterday. I've never noticed earlier that this bird could be so handsome. Don't know about the sex of this individual, but somehow it gives a very "male look".

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Author

Olli Haukkovaara

email: olli.haukkovaara @ proton.me

Valkeakoski, Finland