All Saints

Wednesday was a day off for All Saints Day.

I had been trying to pop over to the birding store in Viiki for ages, so we decided to combine this with a days birding in the area.

Our first birding stop was Fastholma, where the feeders usually attract a nice mix of species. 

A Nuthatch had been present here for some weeks now, always a decent bird in Finland, being a very rare breeder (less than 20 pairs). In fact this is a species commoner in winter than during the breeding season, and we get birds of both europea and asiatica sub species, with variations of europea including the pale below scandinavian birds (i.e from the west of us in Sweden) and more rufous toned birds from the south.

This bird seems to be a straightforward europea of the paler types, but as a friend always likes to remind me, with some asiatica often staying over to breed, who knows what the mix could be here in Finland.

Generally asiatica birds are small with an obvious kinked, upturned little bill, so likely no issues here.



 

 
European Nuthatch - It was bizzare to send shots of this bird to the lads back home on whatsapp asking "When will one turn up in spudville?", only to see one being reported in Northern Ireland the next morning. Amazingly, and worryingly, the bird was reported as a scandinavian type. I honestly cannot see one of these making the trip, and if ever one was to turn up, surely it would be a rufous, british bird. Or could it be a fancier species from the west? 

Whilst at Fastholma we heard about a roosting Ural Owl on the other side of the bay, so we nipped around there. Several birders were already on site and the bird was sitting happily, half dozing.

Urals are stunning creatures. So gentle looking and yet we know they really aren't. We spent a good half hour watching the bird as it stared down the occaisional mobbing thrush or magpie before we made our way home.

Like I've said before, any day you see an owl is a good day, but any day you see a Ural is absolutely mega.

 
Ural Owl - Northern bliss

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