My alarm clock went off at 7:00am this morning. Having second-thoughts about heading into the university a bit early, I drowsily hit the snooze button. Before I could settle back in for an extra few minutes of shut-eye, my phone started beeping -- a text message. It read: "RANTAKURVI, SIILIN. RAASIO". I didn't need a Finnish-English dictionary to decipher that one.
I jumped up, got dressed in yesterday's clothes, grabbed my gear, and headed for the highway. Half an hour later, I was walking the trail at Raasio, Siilinjärvi -- a great birding spot I know well. A few minutes after that, I was staring down the barrel of my scope at a Terek Sandpiper (Rantakurvi) on the mudflats across the lake. Not amazing looks by any means - but even in the harsh light the front-heavy, dumpy silhouette was more than obvious, and that odd upturned bill a dead giveaway.
After missing this species during my recent trip to the Oulu region (its only European breeding area), I had only hoped that one might show up close enough to chase. But for one to be found close to home, at a place I am familiar with, and on a morning that I could go for it immediately ... How sweet is that!?!?
Swimming nearby were also three Red-necked Phalarope (Vesipääsky) - not particularily uncommon, but still a new species for my Finland list.
Wonder what the weekend might bring???
Posted by jaredclarke at July 1, 2005 11:38 AM