Summer rolled around and birds settled in to breeding mode. Our local Tawny Owls delighted us with a good sized brood of fluff balls which spent several days in and around the garden, also allowing for occasional views of the watchful adults too.

Tawny Owl - Fluffy

A visit to Vallisaari, a first for me, revealed spectacular habitat, with numerous Icterine Warbler in full song, a single Red-Breasted Flycatcher in song and and obliging Wryneck.

Wryneck

Up in Hämeenkyrö, a pair of Marsh Sandpiper were present most of the summer at one of my local patches, allowing for excellent views, along with the usual Black Grouse at this site.

Marsh Sandpiper

Garden ticks back home included very juicy additions like singing Nightjar and Thrush Nightingale.

Thrush Nightingale

Marsh Harrier - Regular over the garden

Early summer breeders gave opportunities to see and hear Marsh Warbler, Blyth’s Reed Warbler, Corncrake and Common Rosefinch.

Common Rosefinch

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - in mid summer, these birds can often be found in ditches, feeding on these hogweed like plants.

Returning waders headed back south included several Broad-Billed Sandpiper at Laajalahti. Having missed them going through in May, this was a nice catch up, and exceptionally good views.

Broad-Billed Sandpiper

Little Ringed Plover - fresh juvs are a delight

Caspian Terns - as always, the Tern kings are a joy of summer birding.

Into August, I was surprised to see my first Great Grey Shrike already on the move (though likely having bred not too far away) at Tarastenjärvi.

Great Grey Shrike

Wader numbers were good here with several Temminck’s Stint, Green and Wood Sandpiper and Snipe and Shanks.

Temminck’s Stints

As usual, Baltic Gulls gave very good views here.

Baltic Gulls

No Caspian Gull during my summer visits to Tarastenjärvi but finding this Lesser Black Backed type (as opposed to Baltic) was a decent return.

Lesser Black Backed vs Baltic. There really is no question.

Around the Hämeenkyrö countryside, it was evident that Red-Backed Shrike had a good breeding season with juvs along every country lane.

Red-Backed Shrike

Back home, I finally took the time to twitch a very long staying Crested Lark in Espoo. I’ve seen 3 of these guys in Finland now, and this was by far the grottiest, but it did give good views down to a few meters and even brief bouts of song, taking me back to summers in Eastern Spain.

Crested Lark

Juv waders began to move south and as usual, juv Wood Sandpipers performed well.

Wood Sandpiper

Red-Backed Shrikes continued to build in numbers

Hunting around the countryside for harriers produced some Black Grouse out in the open for once.

Black Grouse

Great White Egret - the colonization continues unabated

Tree Pipits as always moved in tremendous numbers

Eventually the Pallid Harriers appeared with my first being this self found female. Older females are probably the plumage I see the least regularly outside of the middle east, so this was a treat.

Pallid Harrier - female

A week or so later and it was juv Pallid Harriers on the menu and I had a spectacular day of raptors. Heading south out of Kirkkonummi town, I was instantly greeted with a slim looking harrier soaring over the road.

I swung the car in and jumped out to snap it, luckily grabbing some ID confirming shots. A great result!

The bird carried on west and disappeared behind the treeline.

Not even 2 minutes east along the road to Saltfjarden and I found another juv, which gave prolonged views on the deck.

Pallid Harriers - Ya gotta love the Pallids

Common Cranes we’re building up their staging flocks

The raptor watching continued with me finding a Peregrine (always a good bird in Finland), and seeing 2 Black Kite, numerous Honey Buzzards, Goshawks etc.

Peregrine

Goshawk vs. Sparrowhawk

Finally, the same viz mig day concluded with another juv Pallid Harrier and the cherry on top, an adult Male Pallid Harrier!

Pallid Harriers - just can’t beat them.

Pallid Harrier even made it onto the garden list, finding a nice juv just as I returned home a few days later. This was followed with a real surprise addition some days later again, with a singing Hazel Grouse entering the property!

I had been somewhat frustrated that attempts to find Caspian Gulls had been unsuccessful. Visiting Tarastenjärvi had been fruitless. Lohja dump has gone to pot. And Viiki, which had been excellent last year, was pretty dead whenever I had been passing since July.

That all changed towards the end of September, however, practically when I had given up hope of seeing any birds this Autumn.

It started, surprisingly, with finding a 2CY bird. It was instantly a standout bird, but it took some time to get all the relevant features, and indeed, I only managed the growing p10 by reviewing pics on my phone after the fact.

Note the mirror on that growing p10

Caspian Gull - 2 CY, likely female

I was pretty happy with this. It was not a fresh juv as I would have expected but an enjoyable bird.

However, no sooner had I lamented not finding a juv, then the very next day, hoping to see the 2CY again, there was a juv before my eyes!

Caspian Gull - Juvenile

Returning to the site a few days later and lightning struck again, with the same bird (likely a female) still present, now being kept company by another juv (likely a male).

Caspian Gull - a "leafy" type as I call them, with fine markings to feather fringes. But nice broad (but worn) diffuse tertial tips.

A few days later, checking the site again, and I was presented another new bird, this time a far more advanced and frankly beautiful individual, seemingly already well bleached and ready for winter.

Caspian Gull - Juvenile - an absolute beauty this one. I found this bird facing me just like this and just that facial expression alone (along with the paleness admittedly) set off alarm bells. Compare with a juv Baltics below and you can see the difference in character.

Baltic Gull - juv. A reasonably late one.

All in all a pretty good return for the season with several self found Pallid Harriers and Caspian Gulls.

Looking forward to some Rough-Legged Buzzard passage now, and maybe a few Golden Eagle or rarer.