Rapturous Raptors

Sunday was to be a day of splendid raptor watching.

The forecast had been to be dry, if a little on the grey side. Unfortunately, that did not materialize as quickly as hoped.

I started the day down at Porkkala with a bit of sea scanning. A White-Billed Diver had been seen here a few days back, likely the same one that had been in Helsinki and I hoped to connect. 

It was not to be, however conditions were good for duck, and several hundred Long Tailed Duck were scattered around the bay.

These birds are astounding to see flying in numbers and a real treat of the Finnish coast. A beautiful duck in any of it's plumages, and a couple of White-Tailed Eagle regularly making attempts on the flocks gave a number of good flight views.

2 female type Velvet Scoter were the best of the seaduck on offer.

From here it was back north to the Saltfjarden area. A stakeout in the car park produced two immature Golden Eagle soaring around over the distant forest, while Grey Headed Woodpecker called from the nearby copse.

On to Kantvik where the usual prey bonanza had two White-Tailed Eagle and two Goshawk, an adult and a 2CY in attendance.

"You are the wind beneath my wings!"

 

2CY Goshawk

The grain dock at Kantvik provides a perfect habitat for prey species, in particular a big flock of feral pigeon. In Finland, where there are feral pigeon...there will be Goshawk in attendance.

I then explored the woods to the north of Kantvik, finding a beautiful area of "Tanglewood", a large catchment of mixed Aspen and birch, virtually impenetrable due to the number of young intertwined trees among the mature ones. It looked great for Woodpeckers, and I soon stumbled upon a flock, an actual mixed flock of two Black Woodpecker, multiple Great Spotted, 1 Grey Headed and 1 female White-Backed, behaving almost like the mixed flocks you see in the tropics.

Unfortunately the thickets were such that no scope view was unobscured by twigs, so I just settled for bins views of them all as they moved through.

It then occurred to me that it was also perfect habitat for Pygmy Owl, so I gave a brief whistle for one and got an instant response from the back of the wood, so definitely an area I will watch in future.

On the way back through Kirkkonummi I stopped off to watch a small flock of approachable Waxwing.

I then received new that a Red Kite was present just north of Kirkkonummi, so a quick nip up the road and I was watching a Finnish tick.

Red Kite

Red Kites are rare in Finland and I was not alone turning up for this bird, with some 50-60 birders present. I didn't spend too long with it, however, for two reasons.

1. I had just seen dozens of them back home in Ashbourne, where they have become a muck bird.

2. I raced back home, desperate to try and pick up the bird, however unlikely, from our pier.

There was no joy on that front, but a very enjoyable day's birding nonetheless.

Can't beat a good raptor day.