Hel Hath No Birdies

Two things have Black Throats on my mind, a recent online request for information on where to see summer plumaged Black Throated Divers, and the fact that we have just bought a new house. Country, Lake-side living awaits us, and that means constant exposure to the sound of these amazing looking beasts. The sound of Black Throated Divers, along with Crane and Black Woodpeckers, is one of the quintessential sounds I associate with Finland and Summer.  Long lazy evenings with barbeque and sauna by the lake as these beautiful silver surfers echo over the landscape. Wave A stunning plumage  Sleek I am vengeance. I am the night. Long lazy evenings with barbeque and sauna by the lake as these beautiful silver surfers echo over the landscape. Bring it on.

There's a game I like to play, whenever I have Irish birders visiting here or I'm in continental Europe birding with other Irish birders. I call this game "What made that a Goshawk?" I play this game when we come across a Goshawk whilst driving, which is the most frequent manner of seeing them, where you often have only seconds to ID one. I played this game recently when Cathal Forkan and Joe Proudfoot visited. Driving around ring 1 in Helsinki, Joe picked up a Goshawk sitting on a lamp post. We zoomed by, but both lads were happy it was a Gos. So I asked the question. "What made that a Goshawk?" Juvenile/1st winter Goshawk - Juvs are pretty easy and distinctive in their way. However I have often gotten the first impression that I have a harrier on my hands rather than a Gos. Their overall coloration is striking in this regard. The answer to this question? "It was f*ckin massive" ...and that, believe it or not, was th...