It's a gradual process, but I'm settling in.
I did manage to get out for a couple short walks on Wednesday. Most of the larger lakes here in Kuopio are still patially ice-covered, but some birds are gathering where there is open water. I was a little surprised to discover that the most common duck was Mallard, at least in the city (although it does make me a feel a bit more at home!), followed closely by Common Goldeneye. It was nice, though, to see a number of Great Crested Grebes hanging out close to shore.
The birds that seem to excite me most, momentarily at least, are the ones which we look out for back in Newfoundland as possible cross-Atlantic vagrants. It was rather difficult to suppress the sudden urge to scream out when I saw a Redwing and a Fieldfare in the same tree!! And I was pretty thrilled by my first close looks at a pair of White Wagtails Wednesday evening, until I realized they are so common here that they often feed on the lawns with House Sparrows.
Yesterday was a public holiday in Finland, so my friend Anna and I decided to head out of town and to Koli National Park (~150km NE). The scenery on the drive alone blew me away - rich, tall forests of pine, spruce and birch surrounded by lakes and wetlands, and dotted throughout with beautiful, rolling farmlands. Koli itself rises high above the rest of the landscape, offering magnificent views over the lakes, islands and eskers that were carved out eons ago by glaciers. It was difficult to see most of the birds that were singing, but my first Goldcrest was a treat - a comical little fellow flitting around restlessly, looking and sounding very much like the kinglets back home. Great and Willow Tits sang and chattered, and a Blackbird surprised me with a beautiful song I was far from expecting.
The clouds are gathering as I write this. I hope that my first weekend here is not rained out ...
Posted by jaredclarke at May 6, 2005 08:19 AM