Despite some beautiful weather, this turned out to be a pretty slow weekend for me. I spent Friday evening (and, well, much of early Saturday morning) celebrating my friend's PhD dissertation. That, of course, meant I was in no shape to be birding - let alone driving (or walking, for that matter) - for much of the next day.
But I did manage to haul myself to Raasio for a few hours in the mid-afternoon. After narrowly missing some Eurasian Dotterels reported in Siilinjarvi Friday afternoon, I was hoping for some shorebird migration. I was disappointed, and could count the total number of shorebirds on my fingers. Some patience paid off, though, when my first Temminick's Stint (Lapinsirri) flew in and fed on the shoreline in front of me for a while. There were also many Sand Martins (Bank Swallow / Törmäpääsky), and I enjoyed being able to sit and watch them zipping around and diving into their burrows.
I spent Sunday close to home, with an afternoon walk in the forests of Puijo. This is an absolutely beautiful, old-growth forest with low, green undergrowth - but it is very difficult to see the birds which hide waaaay up in the treetops. But I did manage to score the two species I was searching for -- a drumming Three-toed Woodpecker (Pohjantikka) and amazing looks at a very cute-looking Treecreeper (Puukiipijä).
** I'm hoping to add a few pictures soon, but am having computer probs -- Stay tuned **