Super Hot September
A really, abnormally hot September just gone. A weather system that really affected bird migration with it being notably quieter for certain types of birds, particularly raptors which I would normally be putting the effort in for. Things started out well with a vagrant Lesser Grey Shrike on the east side of Helsinki. Lesser Grey Shrike - rare, but multi-annual in Finland. They don't always turn up somewhere convenient to the capital though. I count myself lucky if I see one once every two years maybe. A fantastic species. The parental units then arrived for a two week visit from Ireland, and for a change we made our way out west to the Uusikaupnki area. On the way, myself and d'oul fella stopped off at Turku dump where an number of Caspian Gulls made themselves instantly available. Caspian Gull - 1st Winter a tall, lanky bird with very long scaps and mantle feathers and generally dark tone. Looked new based on the various shots available online, but always difficult to say at