August 10, 2005
Weather Woes
Despite the fact that it has generally been quite pleasant lately, the weather seems to be getting the best of me whenever I decide to venutre out birding ...
Late last week, I went for an evening stroll to a park near my flat - mostly to stretch my legs, but also in hopes of seeing a Grey Heron which had been seen there the day before. It was a bright and sunny when I stepped out my door. I guess I didn't see it coming, sneaking up on me from behind as I walked down the quiet sidestreets. In fact, I didn't notice it until I reached the farthest point of land in the park -- a dark, menacing cloud closing in fast. I accepted my fate, knowing I couldn't outrun it if I wanted to. I was in the kind of mood to get rained on anyways ... Bring it on.
The sky darkened, and the birds became eerily silent. It started as a low rustle in the leaves, and grew to dull roar as the trees began to tremble and the wind whipped dust around my face. I could even hear the rain rushing towards me across the lake!!
The sky had already started to brighten by the time I got home ... wet and heron-less, but surprisingly refreshed!!
After having to work on Sunday, I took advantage of the overcast weather in the late afternoon to watch the gulls at the local dump. By the time I had set up and began to scan through the 300+ gulls, the sky began to darken and the rain started. After another 20 minutes of heavy downpour, my "this is probably just a shower" theory was soundly defeated and I slogged my way home, with only one juvenile Heuglin's Gull (L.f. heuglini; Selkälokki) to show for my troubles. Despite watching the birds flush a number of times, the only raptors were a Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Varpushaukka) and a Northern Harrier (Sinisuohaukka).
Taking advantage of a more flexible schedule and bright skies, I scooted off this morning to "Musti" - a large man-made lake (a mining pit reservoir, actually) which can be excellent for shorebirds. Unfortunately, my luck was not much better as strong winds and harsh light made for less than ideal viewing conditions. While the variety and number of shorebirds was less than I had hoped, I did manage to scout out my first Sanderling (Pulmusirri) for Finland. The vast majority of birds were once again Ruffs (Suokukko) and Wood Sandpipers (Liro), with a few Common Greenshanks (Valkoviklo) and Dunlin (Suosirri) thrown in for good measure. One Curlew Sandpiper (Kuovisirri) and a pair of Northern Wheatears (Kivitasku) proved to be the only other interesting species.
A Common Redshank (Punajalkaviklo) admires its own reflection ... (Click to enlarge)
A Common Ringed Plover (Tylli) just hanging out ... (Click to enlarge)