A Quiet One

Last weekend, passed in some ways quietly, in others with much activity.

I started out on Saturday at Suomenoja, walking with Kuura. Lots of activity here, with plenty of Phyloscs, a couple of Lesser Whitethroat and beautiful 1st winter Red Breasted Flycatcher.

From here it was on to Ämmässuo dump. I have a love/hate relationship with this place.

At times it has many gulls sitting on the roof of the waste processing building. Unfortunately, only a few birders have access to the dump for counting purposes so others must be content looking from the hillside opposite. Whilst not great for the gulls, the scrub in this area can be productive, having produced Marsh Tit for me in the past.

On Saturday, most of the gulls were enjoying the sunshine on the dump mound itself. I managed to find one Caspian Gull on the roof before it too mooched over to the hill.

At a distance, several other birds looked interesting, but unidentifiable. It later transpired there were 5 Caspian Gull in there. I need to get my hands on a high vis vest and some wire cutters.

The scrub was largely unproductive save for a few Willow Warblers and Chiffs, but two Rough Legged Buzzard migrating over were tasty.

Woodpeckers seemed to be moving somewhat with 8 Black Woodpeckers flying over noisily at certain points of the morning.

I then had a scour around the fields but there wasn't much on offer here and I called it a day.

Sunday, Kuura and I made our way out west to Inkoo and Siuntio. The fields at Degerby were pretty good, with a few Golden Plover, Red Throated pipits and Lapland Bunting. My first Great Grey Shrike of the autumn was also here, a bad bad sign of things to come.

Barnacle and Greylag geese were migrating over in their hundreds, often swerving to avoid the few White Tailed Eagles floating around, but I couldn't find any Red Breasted Geese among them.

I made my way slowly through the fields towards myrans, again seeing one or two Rough Legged Buzzards and a few Marsh Harriers, but nothing resembling the hoped for Pallids.

After a full day in the countryside with birds like Grey Headed Woodpecker, Hazel Grouse, Black Grouse and lots of migrating geese we called time and made our way home.

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