The last evening of March in Helsinki. Gulls have returned.

#helsinki
#pikkuhuopalahti
#finland
#spring
#march

The Haaganpuro brook meets the sea at the bay of Pikku Huopalahti in Helsinki – in black and white for a change.

#haaganpuro
#pikkuhuopalahti
#helsinki
#finland
#march
#spring
#blackandwhite

The moon over the Paciuksenkatu street in Helsinki today. The street was named after Fredrik Pacius, a German composer who composed our national anthem back in the day. Maybe we get to hear it at least once at the Winter Olympics in Milan next month.

Oh, and the sun already sets an hour later than it did a month ago in Helsinki. Hence there is a certain word that comes to my mind but I should not say it aloud. Not yet.

#helsinki
#pikkuhuopalahti
#paciuksenkatu
#finland
#january
#winter

Shades of brown in Helsinki on December 18th.

I managed to go for a casual photo walk today, hoping to find something interesting to photograph despite the weather. It was a struggle at first and it felt like I was filling my SD card with junk. And then you check the clock and start to stress about how little daylight there is for photography. At least it did not rain and I caught glimpses of the blue sky occasionally. Eventually I did a get a few photos I like.

Willow catkins in December, which is... not good. Christmas trees for sale at a dingy shopping center. I love how 'Finnish' and 'unchristmassy' the photo is 😄 The abject dreariness of Helsinki without snow in winter. People in front of a bakery, waiting to get their hands on fresh bread. I caught a whiff of it and considered joining the line.

#photowalk
#helsinki
#etelähaaga
#munkkivuori
#pikkuhuopalahti
#finland
#december
#winter

Runners in the Helsinki City Marathon and Helsinki City Run in May. The weather was wonderful that day so I decided to have a go at sports photography. It felt awkward taking close up photos of the runners so the results were mostly meh. I do like these three photos though: The composition is alright in the first photo. The runner in the second photo looked a bit like Bono from U2. The kilometres had taken their toll on the runner in the third photo – the contrast between that and the beautiful spring weather.

The runners' bibs had flags on them so I was curious to see how many countries I could spot. Mainly other European countries, but there were also people from more distant countries like Namibia, Japan, and Australia. By the way, Spaniards and Italians often smiled and waved at the camera, catching a reserved Finn like me off guard :D

#helsinkicitymarathon
#helsinkicityrun
#marathon
#helsinki
#pikkuhuopalahti
#finland
#may
#spring

The weather forecast predicted thunderstorms in southern Finland yesterday, and I thought that one of them might reach Helsinki. What better time to go for a walk with a camera? Moreover, warmth finally arrived in Helsinki – with temperatures hovering around 25-27 C. The air was still and humid, and I spotted a storm cloud approaching slowly in the distance.

It was time to get a move on then. I visited a local allotment to see if there are ripe berries to photograph yet. Not really, I have to wait a little longer. But I did find a raspberry that had taken a head start. Afterwards I spotted oystercatchers on a nearby lawn. They had three chicks! It looked like one of the parents was teaching its kids how to find treats.

The storm cloud kept creeping closer but I ignored it until the wind started to pick up speed. I walked to a bridge to try to take a decent photo of the dark sky. With that done, I decided I should head home before I got drenched. Unfortunately that meant walking towards the cloud. Well, “kesä kuivaa sen minkä kastelee”, I thought.

But then the wind died down and nothing happened. I’m not sure why. I guess the storm must have changed direction. The walk back was uneventful, but I spotted plump goldfinches feasting on thistle seeds. Are they even ripe yet?

#helsinki
#pikkuhuopalahti
#finland
#summer
#july
#raspberry
#eurasianoystercatcher
#haematopusostralegus
#goldfinch
#cardueliscarduelis

My umpteenth leisurely evening walk in cool breeze today accompanied by the moon. Nordic summer evenings are just the best.

#summer
#summerevening
#helsinki
#pikkuhuopalahti
#finland
#june
#muteswan
#cygnusolor

I decided to go for an evening stroll today with four goals in mind:

A) Find a thrush nightingale ✅
B) Take a photo of one... ✅
C) ...when it's singing... ✅
D) ... in evening sunshine ❌ (Clouds got in the way.)

I guess these are one of the most famous members of the bird choir here in the spring. They are not much to look at, but does their voice compensate for it? Oh yes. To be fair, you would not want one of these singing next to your bedroom at night. My father has a few choice words about that.

Oh yeah, I found a lesser whitethroat in a bush as well.

#thrushnightingale
#luscinialuscinia
#lesserwhitethroat
#currucacurruca
#helsinki
#pikkuhuopalahti
#finland
#birds
#spring
#may

There was a vintage camera sale at a local camera store today, and I decided go there and have a look. Of course I took a few photos along the way while the spring weather put on a show: sunshine, chilly wind from the north, clouds, some snow, and then more sunshine.

Anyway, our lawns are finally green again, and there are more and more flowers each day. My favorite time of the year is about to start. As for birds, I spotted two little ringed plovers and managed to photograph one of them and a common moorhen a while later.

I didn't buy anything at the camera sale, but I have been thinking about getting an old lens such as a Canon FD 50mm lens just to see how it works with a modern camera sensor. However, the lens will probably become a paper weight once the novelty wears off, so...

#helsinki
#pikkuhuopalahti
#etelähaaga
#mannerheimintie
#finland
#spring
#april
#littleringedplover
#charadriusdubius
#commonmoorhen
#gallinulachloropus