Welcome to the official blog site of Barcelona Birding Point, your new birding & wildwatching travel agency. Here you will find trip reports, detailed information about some of our tours, tips on conservation and more.
Resum general: Un viatge a l’est de Polònia permet visitar els darrers boscos primaris que ens queden a Europa amb els ocells típics d’aquests boscos madurs i poc transformats. Alhora que es converteix en un dels pocs llocs on hi ha bones opcions per veure un dels mítics mamífers europeus: el bisó. Enguany el tour s’ha caracteritzat per unes temperatures més baixes del que és habitual per la zona, el que ha permès gaudir d’una millor activitat ornitològica al llarg de la majoria de les jornades.
Totes les imatges en aquest article són obra del Sergi Sales. Tots els drets reservats.
Dia 1
Arribada sense incidències a l’aeroport de Varsòvia on ens trobem procedents de diferents vols i comencem el transfer cap l’hospedatge al propi poble de Bialowieza on restarem les properes jornades.
En ruta travessem mosaics agrícola-forestals rics en diferents especies d’ocells com faisans, grues, diversos rapinyaires amb les 1eres àguiles marines del viatge i també inmensos grups de còrvids que inclouen graules sobretot prop de zones habitades. Una aturada logística ens permet escolta el 1er rossinyol rus amb grives cerdanes i verderoles a l’entorn de la benzinera.
Arribem a Bialowieza just amb mig hora de temps per poder fer un tastet dels ocells que anirem detectant al llarg del tour. Una breu caminada al costat de l’hotel ens permet escoltar a 2 mts de nosaltres les invisibles guatlles mareses. Amb l’acompanyament sonor de 3 membres de la família Locustella (boscarlers fluvial, pintat gros i comú) simultàniament, bona oportunitat per poder comparar-les i aprendre.
Rossinyol rus (Luscinia luscinia) ben a prop de l’allotjament. Imatge del Sergi Sales.
Dia 2
Visitar Polònia al mes de maig implica bones matinades per poder optimitzar el temps i la qualitat de les observacions. Per tal d’assegurar un dels gran al·licients del viatge, en 1er terme anem a la cerca del bisons europeus abans de no s’endinsin a l’impenetrable zona boscosa.
No tardem en detectar un grup a una zona de pastures amb idíl·liques observacions amb les boires matinals. A la poca estona i amb ritme pausat, aquests gran bòvids s’encaminen cap el bosc on acaben desapareixent.
Embriagats pels bisons, ens dirigim cap a una de les zones típiques per picots on ràpidament s’escolta i finalment es deixar observar molt bé un picot cendrós. Posteriorment s’apropa al mateix arbre un menut picot garser menut.
Bisó europeu (Bison bonasus) a la sortida del sol. Imatge del Sergi Sales.Picot cendrós (Picus canus).
Tornem a l’hotel per gaudir d’un bon esmorzar i agafar forces per fer visita a la zona on esperem poder trobar dos dels grans objectius del viatge: el papamosques menut i el papamosques de collar. Als pocs minuts de caminar per un dels interminables caminets que travessen certes parts del bosc, guiats per un ornitòleg local, sentim els cants del mascle del vistós papamosques de collar. Mosquiters comuns i xiulaires, tallarols grossos, mallerengues d’aigua i boscarles dels joncs sóns alguns dels ocells que es van detectant per la zona. Finalment, en una zona ombrívola, sentim el típic cant del mascle de papamosques menut, el qual després d’uns minuts d’espera, es deixar veure per satisfacció de tot el grup.
Dinar amb pícnic amb taules on mig del bosc, on poden veure un grapat de durbecs, cotxa cua-roja amb la veu de fons d’un parell de picots negres.
Abans de l’aturada per sopar, visitem la llera del riu a tocar del poble on gaudim del curiós cant de les busquetes icterines i els espectaculars mascles de tallarol esparverenc. Totes dues espècies es poden veure a curta distància tot i que són ocells especialment esmunyedissos.
Després de sopar provem un dels espectacles que a pocs més llocs es poder observar, els leks de nidificació dels becadells grossos. Seguint al guia local, arribem a un punt enmig del no res, zona de parts mig inundats amb petits i suaus turonets. Desprès d’una bona espera gaudint de cérvols i cabirols, s’escolta breument un becadell gros, amb l’ajut de càmeres tèrmiques s’acaben localitzant i ens veuen els típics salts obrin la cua per fer efectes flash per tal de seduïr a les femelles, tot això, amenitzat pels vols nupcials de becades i becadells comuns, moments absolutament màgics. Cansats però ben satisfets ens dirigim cap l’hotel i poder dormir algunes hores.
Dia 3
Avui el gran objectiu de la matinada es intentar detectar un dels rapinyaires nocturnes més característiques d’aquestes boscos, el mussolet eurasiàtic. No tardem un veure un exemplar, que com passa habitualment amb aquests ocells, genera situació d’excitació entre els petit ocells de l’entorn, desenes de mallerengues, tallarols i inclús picots surten per cridar i intentar foragitar els petit mussol.
Posteriorment continuem passejat pels passadissos d’aquests impressionants boscos, on van sortint diverses espècies de picots entre els que destaquen uns picots garsers mitjans i dorsblancs. Alhora que grups mixtes de mallerengues barrejades les mallerengues d’aigua, blaves, carboneres, petites, emplomallades i les úniques mallerengues capnegres del tour. Sempre es encisador l’observació de les mallerengues cuallargues del grup de cap blanc.
Mussolet eurasiàtic (Glaucidium passerinum) en una posició privilegiada per a guaitar el seu territori.Picot dorsblanc (Dendrocopos leucotos).Picot garser mitjà (Dendrocopos medius). La fantàstica raça oriental de Mallerenga cuallarga (Aegithalos caudatus).
Canviem d’hàbitat per tal de cercar noves especies. El mosaic de bosc amb petites zones entollades ens fa gaudir de ocells forestals però també d’altres targets com boscarles menjamosquits, pinsans carminats, tallarols xerraires, papamosques de collar i un boscaler fluvial del que vàrem necessitar moltes estona per veure’l a pesar de continuat i proper cant que emetia, finalment es deixa veure a plaer.
La tarda es complica el temps i arriba la esperada pluja que necessita aquest sector de Polònia després d’una històrica sequera. En el fons això ens permet recuperar energies per tornar a fer noves matinades i caminades pels boscos polonesos.
Dia 4
Tornem a visitar sectors i hàbitats que ja em trepitjat, en especial per buscar una espècie que fins al moment se’ns esta resistint, el trencanous. Aquesta vegada ajudats per l’experiència del guia local, no tardem gens en veure a plaer un exemplar amb el seu típic comportament i veus. Una parella de picots negres ens acaben mostrant el niu on estaven criant.
Nou esmorzar al hospedatge i ens dirigim cap una zona humida propera, deixant els boscos que durant aquests dies ens han estat acompanyant.
Canvi radical de paisatge i en aquestes basses apareixen gavines, xatracs, fumarells, ànecs, cignes i limícoles. Però el més destacable van ser els rapinyaires, aligot vesper, arpelles volaven contínuament per la zona amb bones observacions d’àguiles pomerànies i pigargs cuablancs en varies fases de plomatge.
Continuem voltant per la zona, tot visitant altres estanyats, piscifactories de peixos d’aigua dolça i prats que malauradament amb la sequera greu que esta patint aquesta zona del país, no estan inundats com anys anteriors, això fa que féssim breus observacions de cuereta citrina entre mig d’estols de cueretes grogues. Grups d’oques, grues i limícoles s’escolten i veuen per l’entorn.
La pluja i vent tornen a fer acte de presencia i fa que escurcem la visita i anem tornant cap l’hotel.
Després de sopar tornem als boscos tot aprofitant les darreres llums i les becades sobrevolen l’espai en els seus vols nupcials. Finalment caminem a la cerca del mussol pirinenc. Nius ocupats la setmana anterior ara estan abandonats probablement fracassats, possiblement pel seu principal depredador, la marta, mamífer del qual veiem a curta distancia i a ple dia un espectacular exemplar. Només arribar a la millor zona per l’espècie, s’escolta la veu del mussol, a curta distancia però malauradament en una zona de bosc molt tancat i atapeït, breus observacions molt amagades fins que decideix desplaçar-se fins a unes coníferes més llunyanes on els deixem cantant a ple pulmó. Cansats però satisfets marxem a fer la darrera nit a l’hotel abans d’iniciar el retorn cap la capital.
Dia 5
Ben aviat marxem cap l’oest per anar reculant cap l’aeroport. A mig matí arribem a unes espectaculars piscifactories que conformem un dels millors llocs del país per espècies com el rascletó i el cabussó gris. A pesar de l’amenaçant pluja decidim fer la volta sencera a l’espai i ja a la 1era llacuna veiem una parella d’espectaculars cabussons grisos al niu. L’entorn presenta bones masses de canyissar on canten i es deixen veure balquers, boscarles de canyar, teixidors, repicatalons i mallerengues de bigotis. A les lleres amb més sotabosc destaquen les sorolloses boscarles menjamosquits, dels joncs, oriols, pinsans carminats i rossinyols russos. A la darrera bassa escoltem el cant d’un rascletó, que ràpidament té resposta d’altres exemplars, tant mascles com femelles. Distàncies increïblement curtes però directament proporcionals a la dificultat de poder-los observar en una estona perllongada. Però el temps empitjora ràpidament, arriba un temporal de pluges que ens fa acabar la volta de forma ràpida.
Rascletó (Zapornia parva) mascle ben amagat a la vegetació.
Malauradament enguany els típics territoris de boscarla d’aigua d’aquesta zona no estan ocupades ja que estan absolutament seques. Ens desplacem a un altra localització que és simplement espectacular: becadells, fredelugues, tètols cuanegres, batallaires…en plenes tasques reproductives. Zones tant planes proporcionen bones opcions per detectar rapinyaires i àguiles pomerànies, aligots i esparvers no van faltar a la cita, afegint a la llista una llunyana àguila cridanera. En el moment que veiem lluents fumarells negres en plomatge nupcial, els membres del grup descobreixen un rapinyaire nocturn aturat, el qual confirmem que es tracta d’un mussol banyut! Aquest exemplar s’exhibeix davant nostre tot fent vols rassants de cacera i posteriorment s’hi afegeix un altre exemplar adult. Finalment, detectem un poll el qual alimenten els adults, una manera immillorable d’acabar la jornada.
El desitjat sopar al gran hotel on estàvem se’ns va anar a norris al tindre la mala sort de coincidir amb casament polonès, probablement encara més lluent i sorollós dels que fem a casa nostra.
Dia 6
Darrer dia del viatge que iniciem amb sortida voluntària sota l’amenaça de més pluges a la piscifactoria que ahir vàrem visitar. Repetim espècies però amb millors observacions sobretot dels rascletons i mallerengues de bigotis. Veiem els únic cignes cantaires del viatge. Aquesta vegada els pinsans carminats i boscarles menjamosquits col·laboren més i es deixen veure i escoltar a plaer.
Desprès d’un copiós esmorzar, iniciem el transfer de tornada cap l’aeroport. Creuant grans extensions de camps agrícoles esquitxades per densos boscos. Veiem una gran nombre d’espècies d’aquests hàbitats alhora que mamífers com cabirols.
Sense cap mena d’incidència arribem a l’aeroport donant per finalitzat un gran viatge a un privilegiat sector de Polònia on encara resten alguns del tresors que antigament deurien ser més comuns i abundants en altres zones.
Llistat d’espècies observades al llarg del tour:
Faisà comú – Common Pheasant (Phaisanus colchinus)
Overview: Our 8th issue exploring Northern Finland & Finnmark was another successful trip. The tour enjoyed mild weather during the first days of the trip, but the last days were cloudy and windy, with temperatures clearly lower than average. The last two days of the trip we got some light rain. In this trip we got nice views on all the species of Grouses and 5 species of Owls. The North of the itinerary was empty of rodents, and this explains the absence of Northern Hawk Owls and Rough-legged Buzzards (only 2 seen). On raptors, this was partially compensated by the occurrence of a male Pallid Harrier the first days of the trip. It was also a low year for Redpolls, and both Mealy and Arctic (now lumped in a single species) were showing in modest numbers.
All images in this trip report by tour leader Carles Oliver. All rights reserved.
Day 1. During the afternoon, all the tour participants are assembling at the Oulu Airport. Meet and greet at the terminal, and once the vehicle is collected we directly drive to our accommodation. After dinner we still have time for some birding, and taking advantage of the good light we had a walk to check in the bay beside our hotel. Here we got the first views on Common Rosefinch of the trip, but also other species including Red-breasted Merganser, Great Crested Grebe, Greenshank, Sedge Warbler and a distant flock of Common Cranes feeding in the bay. A drake Garganey is also very nice pick up, and our list also includes a distant Lesser Black-backed Gull (nominal race) and Common Snipes displaying in the air. After a few more minutes we called a day and come back to our rooms for a short sleep.
Day 2. Very early morning start. After leaving the accommodation with our local guide we go to the woodlands. Here we get a first stop to see a Eurasian Eagle Owl that is roosting along one lane. The Owl didn’t enjoy our company so it went deeper in the forest, we all got very nice scope views. Always a treat!
A second stop was made way inside the forest. This time to visit a nest of Great Grey Owl. After a short walk in the forest we enjoyed great views of the female on a massive nest of Northern Goshawk. Definitely a wonderful sight! Around it, we had both Spotted & Pied Flycatchers and, in the way to our van a distant, familiar call caught our attention, and the time proved us right when a wonderful Eurasian three-toed Woodpecker just emerged from the woods to stop right by the road, working in one of the oldest trees around. Jackpot! We were not expecting this species to show here!
From here we drove a short distance into a small backyard. As we arrive, a family group of Scandinavian Bullfinches (a very distinctive race both in size and in voice) were very showy in the trees around. Here we also got nice views on Goldcrest and our first Greenfinch was singing from high up in the tree. Soon, the first reason of our visit here was audible in the distance, and it didn’t take long to show up: a wonderful Black Woodpecker that landed a few meters away from us, in their way to attend its nest in the backyard. Very happy with this sight we only had to move slightly around the same tree to face a second whole. This time was a Tengmalm’s Owl that was on the nest! Amazing! It is always great to see this super cute creatures, especially when it comes to owl chicks.. After a few minutes enjoying this amazing bird and a couple of other small passerines, we went back to minibus.
Our last stop of the morning was to get deep into the boreal forest. a ten minutes walk into the habitat was mandatory to reach our goals there. This is normally a nice place for woodpeckers, but after we already nealed the Three-toed Woodpecker we focused in smaller species. In our we heard 1 Wood Warbler singing and we saw Tree Pipit, Eurasian Treecreeper, Lesser Whitethroat and a few Robins. Suddenly we arrived into a place where many birds were singing. There were Siskins but also Great & Blue Tits and Common Chaffinches. Not surprisingly, an Eurasian Pygmy Owl was the cause of all that mess. The owl was high up in the tree and we were lucky to find it! During the next minutes, we were enjoying the Owl, trying different angles to have better views/shots. While exploring the forest we also found a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker that showed out very well before we arrive to a Grey-headed Woodpecker nesting hole! The male performed very well of us, showing out for at least 10 minutes!
Back to the road, we had to a couple of stops because of Eurasian Woodcocks moving really close to the tarmac before arriving to the last stop of the morning. Here we visited a nesting pair of Ural Owls. When we arrived, it was quite cloudy and the female Ural Owl was inside the nesting box, providing really good scope views.
Great Grey Owl sitting on its nest. A wonderful sight!This Three-toed Woodpecker popped out from the forest. A really unexpected sight!Black Woodpecker showed really well around its nesting hole.Tengmalm’s Owl inside its nest hole in a private gardenWe were very lucky to pick up this Eurasian Pygmy Owl up in the trees. Here a closer look!Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerGrey-headed Woodpecker showing very nicely
Very excited after this wonderful morning, we went for an early lunch followed by a resting time in our accommodation. The after was sunny, and we kept going with the planning, going to check a massive bog area South of Oulu. As we went inside the place, we got nice views on some common species here including Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Yellowhammer, Pied Flycatcher, Lesser Whitethroat, Yellow Wagtail and Spotted Flycatcher. The path crosses and large area of bog, and here we got some Marsh Harriers flying around, and excitement rocked up when a wonderful male Pallid Harrier just came to us crossing the bog. Even if never came really close, this was one of the birds of the week for some of us! Beyond, we got the first (far) views on Ruff and White-tailed Eagle. The only one Caspian Tern of the trip was seen here, and the list was also including Garganey and 1 Taiga Bean Goose that flew over our group.
After dinner we still had energy to check a nesting place of Terek’s Sandpiper. Unfortunately, with no luck..
This male Pallid Harrier was one of the surprises of our first day!
Day 3. After enjoying a very good breakfast we left our accommodation and start heading East. Our first stop that morning was to check a couple of places looking for Ortolan Bunting. Our first stop produced Common Whitethroat, Curlews, Rooks, Green Sandpiper and close views on a pair of Grey Partridges. Following the lovely lanes that cross the farming around Oulu we soon arrived into a second interesting spot. Here, we soon heard at least 3 Ortolan Buntings singing around. Yellowhammers & Reed Bunting were both common here and it was not easy to connect with the Ortolans in the misty ambient. Still, after a few minutes, we got some proper views. From here we drove a few mile into a nice area of forest where we got really nice looks on both Garden Warbler and a very showy Common Rosefinch. A male European Honey Buzzard flew over us, clapping its winds up head in a phenomenal display that, for me, was one of the best behavioural tips of the trip! In this same spot we got our first Hazel Grouse singing around. This is normally a nice place to try to see it, and the bird did a couple of crossings at close range. Unfortunately not everybody in the group connected with the bird, and after a time trying to have better views we finally decided to leaving for another day and go to check a nearby pond where a drake Slavonian Grebe was waiting for us! After enjoying close views on this little gems we kept driving East, and after having an en route lunch we arrived to Kuusamo.
Grey Partridge was a nice adding to our listCommon Rosefinch singing his heart out from the top of a small pineLovely Slavonian Grebe showing its puffs up!
It was a cloudy afternoon in Kuusamo. Our first movement in this new area was to check a couple of places for Little Bunting, with little reward out of distant Little Gulls, Sand Martins (new for the trip) and the nice sand rather distinctive song of the “abietinus” race of Willow Warbler. The last stop before arriving to visit a colony of Little Gulls. Here we got excellent views on the smallest gull, but also on the nesting Red-necked Grebes and Whooper Swans distant 5 Black-throated Divers and Goldeneyes and the first Brambling of the trip!
Redwings became even more obvious around KuusamoWood Sandpiper is a common breeder in marshes of all sizes in Northern FinlandLittle Gull around one colony
Day 4. As usual in this areas, we had a very early start of the day before going to the forest. En route, we had a first en route stop. Here we got ruff views on a couple of Rustic Buntings that we heard as we were driving. A bit beyond, we got a small flock of Common Crossbills. The first Grouse drive of the trip was not totally successful. Still, we got nice views on the 1st Willow Grouse of the trip before arriving in a lek of Capercaillies. Here, Mark got a bird moving behind a bush, and this is how we got our first male Capercaillie lekking in the forest! We all got good views but we couldn’t get pictures, the bird went into a small ditch and went away from us.
After a shortwalk in the forest, we enjoyed our take away breakfast. Here we got a good number of forest passerines including Golcrests, Siskins, Redstarts, Pied Flycatchers, Willow Warblers, Treecreepers, all of them at close range. Back to the van, we did a bit more of Grouse drive, and we got a second lekking Capercaillie that provided way better views than the first views. After some coffee we tried a different place for Rustic Bunting with a nice male appearing in front of us and singing for long, and our efforts got rewarded with good views on Tree Pipits and, especially, some amazing views on an extremely obliging pair of Willow Grouses! They were so close that we could hear the noise of their long claws when classing the tiny rocks of the lane..
From here we drove to one of the most famous hills around Kuusamo. Walking up the hill, we got nice views on Bullfinches and Willow Tits, and once we arrived to the top we got views into 2 elusive Siberian Jays. It was a sunny morning, and soon we were hearing a lovely Red-flanked Bluetail singing from the top of the canopy. It didn’t take long to us to locate the bird, that a few minutes later came down to the ground to feed around, providing excellent views and photo chances! From the top of the hill we still got scope views on a second Red-flanked Bluetail and a Merlin flying at full speed on its way North!
To end the morning, we had a stop in a couple of ponds. Here we got Wigeons, Eurasian Teals, Tufted Ducks, Little Gulls and Goldeneyes. Common Sandpiper was new for the trip and other waders here included Common Snipe, Greenshank and Wood Sandpiper. Still, the best bird in this stop was the drake Smew that was swimming along with Goldeneyes.
After lunch, we went into a different place looking for Rustic Bunting, and this time we got very nice views on a singing male. A Hazel Grouse was singing around, but again we only got a male flying around the group, and with the tip of a Black Kite as we were enjoying the landscape at our accommodation.
The first bird of the morning was this shy Rustic BuntingMale Capercaillie moving in the woodsAmazing close up to female Willow GrouseAnd here, the male. It was so close that the all were about to touch it!Rather distant, but solid views on Rustic Bunting!A nice flock of drake GoldeneyesRed-flanked Bluetail showed very nicely to our group!A very attractive pair of Smews to end the morning!
Day 5. After enjoying breakfast at our accommodation, we drove back to some good areas for Grouses. Here we got nice views into a female Black Grouse before going for a short walk in the boreal forest. Our main goal was to contact with Hazel Grouse, but we had no luck. In the walk we had Willow Tit and an flock of unidentified Crossbills before transfering North. It was a poor year for Northern Hawk Owl, but we information of a recent sight midway between Kuusamo and Ivalo. We drove there and invested a couple of hours exploring the massive fogs around. Unfortunately we got no Owls, but 2 very showy Siberian Jays while Bohemian Waxwing, European Golden Plover and Mealy Redpolls were new for the trip. Other species here included Wood Sandpiper, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and a couple of flocks of Common Cranes.
Black Grouse up in a tree as we were about to start our short walkLovely Eurasian Siskin, a fairly common bird in the boreal forest
After some lunch, we arrived around Ivalo, where we invested some time exploring one of the many lanes around the town. It was a sunny afternoon with temperatures of 22ºC so, rather warm for this latitude. Along the lane we amazing and very close views on different females of Black Grouses, and a couple of Siberian Tits emerged from the boreal forest for the enjoyment of the photographers in the group. Along the afternoon we also got 2 Willow Grouses at short range, Redpolls, 3 Bohemian Waxwings and a few Mistle Thrushes (rather scarce this year along our itinerary) and 2 very showy Siberian Jays, but the best was the 4 different female Western Capercaillies that gave us quite a show, with their fan-like tails up and their amazing gorges down in an extremely interesting behaviour! Without doubt, one of the best sights on female Capercaillie for me after so many years!!
Very glad after such a great afternoon, we just covered the short distance to our accommodation before enjoying a very tasty dinner!
During the afternoon we got some amazing views on three species of Grouses. Here a female Black Grouse.Siberian Tit, a must for any birdwatcher exploring this regionOur afternoon in the boreal forest included very good looks on Siberian JaysNo words for this stunning sight on female Capercaillie!
Day 6. After having breakfast in our accommodation we drove a couple of miles to stop in a quite famous place for Little Bunting. Even if far away, we soon had nice scope views in this little fella while 2 more of them were singing around. It was again a sunny, and since we had not visited any bird tower for the last days we decided to go into a close one to have a fast look around. Here we got the first Whimbrel of the trip plus distant views on Goosander, Yellow Wagtail and Common Crane. Back to the road, we had to do an emergency stop because it was a male Parrot Crossbill feeding on the tarmac, but unfortunately I was the only to see them. With the van in the middle of the lane, we all realised that we were having a gorgeous female of Capercaillie right in front of us, watching us and deciding whether it was a good moment to cross the road, or not.
From here we went into a different spot, a nice boreal forest. Again, our main goal was Hazel Grouse, the only forest Grouse that was somehow scaping good views.. This area is normally good for forest birds, but this year was very low. Still, soon we got a male Hazel Grouse singing deep in the forest. We moved slowly, tracking him along the lanes. It sounded close and it seemed like singing from the ground, which is always better to try to locale this species. I was walking side by side with Mike, when he suddenly pointed out to the ground, only about 10 metres away from us: He had found the male Hazel Grouse! He was extremely happy. For him, it was the end of a long pursuit. Even if being a big lister with several thousands of birds on it, he had been missing this bird for years, even if he was trying in a few countries! I was very happy, especially to know that he self-found the bird!!
After the male, we also got the female deep in the forest. Both birds walked away a bit from us, getting inside a forest landscape puzzled with boulders and dead trees. It took us about 20 minutes to get everybody on the birds, as they were moving slowly down, and the work became easier once Núria settled down that the male was jumping up into a specific boulder to sing from there every few minutes. Scoping that rock, everybody enjoyed a bit of these Grouses!
In this issue we only got scope views on Little Bunting. Here a record shot.Hazel Grouse showed very well after a long search. A great spot by Peter!
After this we just started the transfer to Norway, with a lunch stop in one of the famous feeding stations for Pine Grosbeak that, this time, produced nothing.
From here we had some solid drive North, but with stops that allow us nice views on Smew, Red-breasted Merganser, Velvet Scoter, Bluethroat and one of the very few Rough-legged Buzzards of the trip along with commoner species.
I was enjoying the drive inside Norway when suddenly a “Moooooooooossse” came from the last raw of seats of the van! Yes, Mike got a Moose in a small field beside the road. After a safe stop in the lane, we all enjoyed a very nice views on the Moose, before it vanished inside the dense and low birches.
A first stop in Varanger produced scope views on Temminck’s Stints along with Redshanks & Oystercatchers and many, many Common Ringed Plover. A bit further, we did a second stop to enjoy the first White-tailed Eagles of the trip, and here we got lucky and we found a nice flock of 80+ Red Knots in full summer plumage! Along with them, Bar-tailed Godwits, Dunlins and other species!
The bird feeders are a nice place to enjoy some common species. Here a Great Spotted Woodpecker showing its tongue.The first Moose of the trip always creates a big wave of happiness in our groups. The image is a bit blurry, but it deserves to be here
After checking in at our accommodation in Varanger we still had plenty of time to enjoy some top locations. In Vadso we spent some lovely time in one of its famous “Pharalope ponds”. Here we got to see this small creatures very close as they were feeding and courtshipping in the water. The afternoon was lovely but not very sunny. Still, we had great views on these wonderful birds, in a moment that normally is one of the highlights of our time in Norway. Along with them, some gorgeous Ruffs were also lekking, and yet this was another very special moment. There were males of the different colours that fighted for the attention of a couple of females moving in the grass. But these were not the only birds around. A pair of Temminck’s Stints were feeding at close range, and we also got a Bluethroat moving in the vegetation as well as a couple of Red-throated Pipits. Both Arctic Skuas and Arctic Terns were flying over the small lagoon and the bay beyond was full of Common Eiders & Goosanders. Unfortunately no Steller’s Eiders this year, as the seemed to be vanished from the area weeks ago.
After such a great stop, we still had some time to check a small corner that it is very nice for waders. Here we got excellent views on a large flock of drake Dunlins but also 2 Temminck’s Stints and Bar-tailed Godwit to end another wonderful day!
During our first drive in Varanger we got some very close views on White-tailed EaglesTemminck’s Stint on its nesting siteThis wonderful Ruff was taking a break on the fights..A couple Red-necked Phalarope female close ups
Day 7. After enjoying a gorgeous breakfast at our accommodation we transferred North to Vadso. The main goal of the day was to visit Hornoya and its massive see bird colony. Our drive North had some stops to see Golden Plovers but also White-tailed Eagles, Arctic Skuas and a couple of Willow Ptarmigans standing up in the tundra. The drive also produced a small flock of Tundra Bean Geese in some fields next to the road.
After a short boat trip, we arrived to Hornoya. The boat trip produced little beyond a couple of distants Grey Seals, Black Guillemots and flocks and flocks of Auks as we were approaching the island. Hornoya hosts a massive number of seabirds. Here there about 100.000 sea birds, with Kittiwake being the commoner followed by Common Guillemots, both with tens of thousands of pairs. Along with them there a few thousand of pairs of Razorbills and Atlantic Puffins. Shags, Brünnich’s Guillemots and Fulmars are also nesting here, the last with only a few pairs.
It didn’t take long for us to find some pairs of Brünnich’s Guillemots nesting in the cliffs, normally about 20 to 40 metres high, in all nests of Kittiwakes. Along the following hours, we enjoyed the breathtaking ambient of the colony. Those in the group that wanted to explore the upper part of the island had nice views on Red-throated Pipits and Barnacle Geese, and those who prefered to stay lower had good views on Purple Sandpipers and Water Pipits.
Black Guillemot in VardoBrünnich’s Guillemots on their nesting corniseGuillemots only a few inches awayAtlantic Puffins were very tame, as usualFace to face with Atlantic PuffinThis year there weren’t many
Back to the continent, we did a picnic stop in a nice tundra patch. It was our first stop in a proper tundra, but unfortunately the weather was misty and cold, and we had only a few birds around. It became windy, but during our drive North from Vardo, we had a number of stops in sheltered bays that allowed to connect with some good birds. Here we had large flocks of Long-tailed Ducks but also several Red-throated Diver and a nice mixed flock of Common & Velvet Scoters. Black Guillemots and Goosanders were everywhere. But the best bird in these bays was a drake White-billed Diver that, even if a bit far, produced nice scope views. A bit beyond, we had a couple of Minke Whales swimming really close to the coast, and we stopped a couple of minutes to check around. It was time enough for Mark to find a White-billed Diver in the sea, right out from where were. Second for the afternoon!
We still drove beyond, eventually arriving to the end of the lane. This is a nice place to check the sea. We are actually out of the Varanger fjord, and facing North into the Arctic Ocean, it will be nothing between us and the Svalbard archipelago, about 1000 miles North! This is also nice place for seabirds to migrate. It is still migration, and birds keep moving East along this coast, in their way to their nesting grounds in Central Siberia. Here we had the first Atlantic Gannets of the trip, but also several Auks, 2 Fulmars (blue form), at least 1 Pomarine Skua and a wonderful Great Northern Diver still in winter plumage and quite close to the coast. From here we just drove South, and this last transfer didn’t produce any new species out of a flock of 6 Pink-footed Geese close to Vadso.
This is best image that we could get on White-billed Diver
Day 8. This day was devoted to explore the central plateau of Varanger. This is one of the most spectacular places to be along our itinerary. After breakfast, we drove up the plateau. Once arrived to the high tundra, our way was always joined by several Willow Grouses and the majestic Long-tailed Skuas nesting around. A first stop produced Bluethroat and a shy pair of Arctic Redpoll. Temminck’s Stints were flying around along with Red-necked Phalaropes. Here and there there were small flocks of busy Ruffs lekking in the tundra. Most of the tundra was covered with snow and the birds were concentrated in the few patches of grass, and conveniently along both sides of the lane. Here we saw 4 Shore Larks but also several Lapland Buntings displaying and feeding on the ground, one of them moving along a female Snow Bunting. Cannot remember of this was before or after having the first of many Rock Ptarmigans. On Rock Ptarmigans, a first highlight was to see a pair displaying, with a second highlight including a male Rock Ptarmigan & male Willow Grouse standing next to each other! Here we also had several waders including Golden Plover, Little Stint, Whimbrel, Curlew, Temminck’s Stint, Wood Sandpiper, Common Snipe, Bar-tailed Godwit and 2 Turnstones flying in the hills covered with snow. Quite a sight!
We had close views on Bluethroat on our first stop in the morningWillow Grouse showed superbly, once more!Long-tailed SkuaDunlin in full summer plumageRock Ptarmigan hiding as the weather became really cloudySnow Bunting feeding along a minor laneTundra Bean Goose & Red-necked Phalarope. A nice combination!
Exploring the Northern coast of Varanger, we had a rather poor afternoon. The day was very quiet with no wind and probably that explained the absence of migration in the sea. The last movement of the day was to check the bays around Bervelag. Here we got 4 King Eiders, including 2 bizarre-looking second summer males. In our way back, the most interesting sight was a female Merlin, some Black-throated Divers and a very attractive Stout that Paddy found in a typical place for Gyrfalcon that produced no falcons.
King Eiders showing their “gentle” faces.This Stout was a funny way to end the afternoon. The Wheatear saw it in a different way..
Day 9. Going back to Finland we had a stop in a small nature reserve at the very beginning of the Varanger fjord. Here we got Tree Sparrow (very scarce here), 2 Sand Martins (rare) and still 2 Little Gulls in summer plumage. It was windy and cloudy so a good day for birds to move and to find birds out of their normal spots. The tide was high, with only some yards of tidal marsh out of the water right in front of the two small hides of the nature reserve. Even if nothing very spectacular, here we got lovely views on summer plumaged Little and Temminck’s Stints feeding side to side along with other common species.
Back to Finland, we had a pair of stops under the (already) solid rain. Here we got nice views on a drake Spotted Redshank, a few Bohemian Waxwings and 2 close Taiga Bean Geese. The rain was making difficult to scan for waders in the bojs, but the rain had been really nice for us. The ambient so fresh and cloudy in the border between Norway and Finland that we saw up to 7 Moose, including some extremely close views providing us with great photo opportunities! Arrived to our accommodation in the afternoon, we had plenty of time to enjoy up to 4 Pine Grosbeaks at the feeding station to end our last full day!
Legendary views on Moose..We were lucky to pick up this Arctic Redpoll. There really few this year!Bohemian Waxwing along the road as we were crossing large boreal forestsDespite the rainy afternoon, the day ended with superb views on Pine Grosbeaks
Day 10. This day we agreed an early start to try to catch up with a couple of species that we were still missing. Our first movement was to check a nesting place for Broad-billed Sandpiper, and we had extremely good views on a bird singing, displaying and feeding on the ground. Always a pleasure to see how their plumage matches so well with the landscape where they belong! Here we also got 3 drake Spotted Redshanks, Red-necked Phalaropes and Ruffs about to lek in the cloudy ambient.
From here we moved into a forest, with the hope to connect with Parrot Crossbill. We got more Willow Grouses, Rough-legged Buzzard and a couple of Smews in the way, but our efforts to put down the Parrot Crossbill in the list of trip had no reward.
From here we just drove to the airport to end another great trip in Northern Finland and Finnmark. Very looking forward to be back there in 2026! Impossible to get enough of this place!!!
This Broad-billed Sandpiper gave us a show in the last morning of the tour!
All images in this trip report by Carles Oliver. All rights reserved.
Overview: Our 7th tour in Northern Finland & Finnmark was again a very successful adventure, despite some notorious absences. One of the most noticeable things during the trip was the almost total absence of Crossbills, with extremely few contacts and only a couple of proper sights. Parrot Crossbills seemed disappeared, with no records at all in the area. We got excellent views on all the Grouses during the trip, plus 5 species of Owls despite the low density of them both around Oulu and in Varanger. On the contrary, both Rustic & Little Buntings seemed to be everywhere in some parts of the trip, and Red-flanked Bluetail & Three-toed Woodpecker performed for our group in a very straightforward way.
Day 1. Part of group landed in Oulu with a small delay due to the heavy traffic at Barcelona Airport. We met some of the clients at Oulu Airport, where we got delayed again due to a problem with the delivery of one of the vans. We normally have a small window of birding in this first afternoon of the trip, but those delays smashed that window and the first birding of the tour was done after dinner.
We met the rest of the tour participants at the dinner, and taking advantage of the very late sunset, we had a small walk immediately around the hotel. Here we had a first contact with some common birds in this part of Finland, including Redwing, Pied & Spotted Flycatchers, Sedge Warbler, Red-breasted Merganser, Common & Arctic Terns, Common Redshank, Oystercatcher, Eurasian Teal, Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, Pintails but also other species a bit more scarce in this area such as Common Rosefinch, White-tailed Eagle, Black-tailed Godwits and the very first drake Garganeys of the tour.
Day 2. This day we went out for some owling. As always, a very early start is required so we left our accommodation ready to enjoy the first birding day of the trip, and our packed breakfasts! Small flocks of the distinctive Baltic race of the Western Jackdaw were everywhere, along with some Rooks. Our first stop was to check a nesting hole that was being used by Ural Owl, and we were lucky enough to be there when the female was on the nest. Even if the angle was not easy, everybody had good views on the bird including scope views on the face and the eyes of the bird. Walking in the boreal forest we heard the first Black Grouse of the trip as well as Common Redstart and the first of many Scandinavian Willow Tit.
A second stop in the boreal forest was to check a nesting area of Tengmalm’s Owl. Again, we were very lucky and even from the edge of the woods we saw a lovely chick of Tengmalm’s with its head blocking the aperture of the nest. The next ten minutes were simply magnificent. With the group sitting down on the boreal forest, we had excellent views on this chick while moving its head side to side, observing the trees around. At some point, it became clearly excited, almost about to jump from the nest! Suddenly, a call came from the forest but before we searched for the bird, Nick pointed out second chick of Tengmalm’s Owl that was perched only 3 metres away from us! The views on this 2nd bird were simply amazing, and after a couple of minutes we decided to step back. We found ourselves to be too close!
We still had some minutes to keep enjoying the Tengmalm’s Owls before moving to a different spot. In the way, we got 2 Red-backed Shrikes moving in the road, the only ones of the tour! Our next stop was close by in one of the several farming areas hosting Ortolan Buntings around Oulu. It didn’t take us long before finding the first male singing, followed by at least 2 other males and 2 more birds feeding on the ground. Other interesting birds here included Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, some drake Whinchats singing in the edges of the fields and Common Whitethroat while Common Rosefinch was singing around.
Back to the forest, we explored a suitable spot for Three-toed Woodpecker. Here, we got nice views on Wood Warblers but also on Lesser Whitethroats and Pied Flycatchers. Still, all of this goes to a second frame, because the main character of the stop were the obliging pair of Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker attending its nest only a few metres away from us! It was a real privilege to see the often considered as the most difficult species of woodpecker in Europe so close and for so long!
After such a great moment we decided to change a bit of ambient and a fast stop in a small lake produced two nesting pairs of Slavonian Grebes. Unfortunately they were not as close as in previous trips, but offered us good views anyway. Our next stop was to check a proper spot for Eurasian Pygmy Owl. Back in spot with dense spruce forest, it didn’t take long before we got a bird calling deep in the woods, and a couple of minutes later we got the bird moving around us! It was late in the morning, and the Pygmy Owl was followed by a cohort of forest birds including several Siskins but also 2 Chaffinches, 1 Great Tit, 1 Common Redstart and 1 Yellowhammer. The Owl was constantly moving around, being disturbed and moved by the smaller birds and the best way to try to locate it was to follow the flock of small birds calling and moving in the canopy.
This was actually the last birding stop of the morning. It was time for an early lunch and a very well deserved break. Since we had some small problems with one of the vans, no serious birding was programmed until after dinner.
Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus) provide the group with unforgettable views, and three different sights during the trip!Female (down) & male (up) three-toed Woodpecker around their nesting hole.Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana) is a scarce nesting species in Finland that keeps some strong spots around Oulu.Tengmalm’s Owl (Aegolius funereus) showing out of the nest.We enjoyed 5 unforgettable minutes with very close views on this Tengmalm’s fledging. Eurasian Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum) performed really well for our group! Flying Pygmy Owl. Something not that easy to catch!Part of our group enjoying the Tengmalm’s Owl.
After dinner we covered the short distance to the very last spot for nesting Terek’s Sandpipers in Finland. After parking our vans, we had a small walk around enjoying Common Rosefinch, Eurasian Curlew, Common Ringed Plover and the only 2 Little Ringed Plovers of the trip. A Terek’s Sandpiper was singing around but we were unable to connect with the bird. Finally, it was Aonghus who found the bird singing from the top of a distant lamp post. We walked down to the bird, but still took us 10 or 15 minutes to finally enjoy wonderful views, with the bird displaying around us and stopping in the lamp posts around us. In the walk, I got Caspian Tern and Northern Wheatear but I was the only one to notice them. Unfortunately, that was the only Caspian Tern to show out in the whole tour..
Very happy after these great views on Terek’s Sandpipers, we went back to the accommodation to have a very well deserved rest after a wonderful first day of the trip!
This year there were decent numbers of Common Rosefinches during the first days of the trip. Here a lovely female.Terek’s Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus) gave us excellent views after a funny circular walk all around its territory..
Day 3. Before breakfast we visited a birding tower around Oulu. This is a really well known spot for general birding in the area, and in former trips we have got amazing lists here! This time the number of birds was more reduced but still we got good views on Common Snipe, distant Spotted Redshanks (6), but also Ruffs, White-tailed Eagles, the only 2 Mute Swans of the tour, singing Reed Buntings and Arctic Terns. Here we also listened the only Greater Bittern of the tour.
After checking out from our accommodation we started to transfer to Oulu. In the way, we had a stop in the forest to try to get other species of Woodpeckers. It was already late morning, and the temperature (believe or not) was close to 30ºC in the warmest ever day for me in Finland! We got signs of Grey-headed Woodpecker but our efforts were regarded with excellent views on Black Woodpecker superbly perched on the top of a spruce tree. Here we also got nice views on Eurasian Bullfinches (Scandinavian) and Great Spotted Woodpecker.
In we had the best views on Common Snipe of the whole trip. Despite the unusual 30ºC we enjoyed great views on Black Woodpecker!
We had lunch in the way and arrived into Kuusamo in the early afternoon. The weather was clearly different than in the Baltic coast, with temperatures not exceeding the 20ºC and scattered rains in the area. Our first stop in Kuusamo was a very short trail to enjoy one of the most beautiful buntings in the country. Even from the car park it was possible to listen them singing. We were lucky so it was a question of not wasting time, and only a pair of minute after we were having excellent views on 2 Little Buntings singing really close to us and showing superbly for the whole group! We were not far away from a lake, and a number of Little Gulls were flying above us, most of them quite high up. Not a big deal, because from the Bunting place it only took us five minutes to arrive into a Little Gull colony. Here we enjoy these little gems but also got excellent views on two pairs of Red-necked Grebes, and the first drake Black-throated Divers of the trip. A few minutes from this watching point also produced a flying Short-eared Owl, and lovely views on Baltic Gulls (Larus fuscus fuscus). Other species here included Wigeon, Pintail, Eurasian Teal, Redwing and a wonderful Eurasian Woodcock singing in flight and crossing in the sky with a displaying Common Snipe!
After this great stop we just drove back to the accommodation for some dinner and rest.
Some of the gorgeous views on Little Bunting during the trip. What a cracker!To see a bunch of Little Gulls (Hydrocolaeus minimus) at a nesting site is always a beautiful experience!One of the very few Baltic Gulls (Larus fuscus fuscus) of the trip!Part of the group enjoying Little Bunting.
Day 4. Very early start to check some interesting locations around our accommodation. This morning our goal was to connect with some of the very good birds living in the boreal forest. Only 300 metres away from the accommodation we had a first flock of Rustic Buntings, with three individuals showing nicely on the dart road despite the poor light. A bit of driving soon produced a nice male Western Capercaillie, that was only enjoyed by the second vehicle. Along the next hour we had some drive with little reward in terms on Grouses, and we only got a lovely male Black Grouse showing itself at the top of a spruce and a Willow Grouse that was only seen from the second vehicle. During the drive we also got very nice looks on a pair of Eurasian Woodcocks feeding in a meadow.
After a nice coffee stop we drove to one of the many hills in the area, and only arriving to the spot we had a stop to enjoy a pair of Hazel Grouses that were moving along the road. We walked around as the grouses were very active. A male was chasing a female and both were doing flights all around the place. After some fight, everyone in thegroup had good views on the birds moving on the ground. At the same spot, we also got one Rustic Bunting and a couple of Siberian Jays moving in the canopy. A bit further in the road, we also had our first attempt for Northern Hawk Owl, but the stop “only” produced a couple of Rustic Buntings, Willow Tit, Tree Pipit and even a Three-toed Woodpecker that was only seen by me..
Finally, we arrived to the Livaara, one of the most typical places for boreal species in Finland. The sun was already well high, and unfortunately was a bit warm. We walked up to the top, and it didn’t take long before we got our first Red-flanked Bluetail singing from the top of one of the spruces. A second male (2nd year old birds in both cases) were seen further beyond, but the area was quiet and we only got Tree Pipit and Spotted Flycatcher as other species of interest.
Our short afternoon was free so the group could explore the very nice habitat around our accommodation. Wood Sandpiper, Common Cuckoo, Greenshank and Black-throated Diver were some of the species seen by the group.
This Black Grouse (Lyrurus tetrix) was the best Grouse for the group around Kuusamo in the worst morning in that area for years! Scandinavian Willow Tit (Poecile montanus) spruce and pine forest in Northern Finland. Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola), a common bird in Northern Finland.Rustic Buntings (Emberiza rustica) seemed to be everywhere this time, but we never got extra close views on them..Normally a difficult species to contact with, this year we got really good looks on Red-flanked Bluetail (Tarsiger cyanurus) at our first attempt.Some of the amazing spruce habitat around Kuusamo.
Day 5. A new day and a new early start. The first stop of the morning was to explore a nice spot for Willow Grouses. In previous trips we have always had very nice looks on them here, but this time we only got flight views as one male was singing around the area. Here we also got two of the very few Common Crossbills of the trip (no records of Parrot Crossbill this spring at all in the whole Northern Finland) and very nice views on Eurasian Treecreeper. When coming back to the vans, we also got 2 Elks (a female and young animal) crossing the road 200 metres away from us. It was a rather foggy morning in the hills so we decided to do some grouse drive, again with very little reward and the only species of interest were some Bohemian Waxwings in flight. Our last stop of the morning was at a well known spot for Siberian Jay. Here we got excellent views on this gorgeous bird as well as nice ScandinavianWillow Tit, Scandinavian Bullfinch and Goldcrest. At least 3 Red-flanked Bluetails were singing around but we never tried to connect with them after the nice views from the day before.
We started our transfer North, and our typical coffee stop was a bit ruined by a plain tire that made us spend one hour and so. After buying a new tire, we kept moving North, enjoying some nice creps as en route lunch. Here, from the lovely cabin by a large lake that serves crep house, we also got the only one Osprey of the trip and 2 Black-throated Divers, surprisingly still in winter plomage.
Eurasian Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris)Moose (Alces alces) out of the woods. That morning we had amazing views on Siberian Jays (Perisoreus infaustus)
Arrived to Ivalo, we still had time for some birding in a great boreal forest location. At our very first stop in the forest, we got excellent and long views on Siberian Tits plus the first proper views on Common Redpolls of the trip. A tiny walk around also produced nice views on a pair of Bohemian Waxwings that were feeding in the spruce, and our second contact with a Three-toed Woodpecker feeding in the forest and showing very well for the whole group! Other good birds here included Common Redstart and Pied Flycatcher. A wonderful reward for one hour of birdwatching. Unfortunately, this spot, normally great for Crossbills, was surprisingly low onthem..
Back to the vehicles, we had a small drive around and in only 45 minutes we discovered that this area was having more activity of Grouses that down in Kuusamo. It was a pleasant afternoon with only 15ºC, and we were surprised by a nice fock of 8 Black Grouses moving in the forest and 2 amazing female Western Capercaillies, one of them feeding around and a second one lying on the undergrowth, a fantastic find by Alba!
Some of the nice & long views on Siberian Tit (Poecile cinctus), one of the main targets for everyone in the group!Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus) only a few metres away form Siberiant Tit and Bohemian Waxwing. Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla graculus) had good densities in Northern Lapland.Black Grouse (Lyrurus tetrix) around Ivalo. It is difficult to imagine a better sight on a female Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus). A wonderful spot by tour participant Alba.
Day 6. After enjoying a nice breakfast in our accommodation we had a short walk around. Here we enjoy nice views on Pine Grosbeaks, but in the lake beside we also got 3 Smews including 2 drake males and a lovely pair of Velvet Scoters that were nesting close by.
From here we drove North to the Norwegian border with several stops in the nice lakes and the many marshes around. Red-breasted Merganser was common here along with Whooper Swan and Goldeneye. Wood Sandpiper and Common Redpoll were also noted but the first Bluethroat of the trip was probably the most appreciated bird along these stops. Further North, our last stop before the border produced the first Rough-legged Buzzards of the trip (4) and the only one White-throated Dipper of the trip.
Before getting into Norway, we got the most pintoresc lunch of the trip. Hey there, how many of you have tasted Elk stew in the Sami way?
Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) is always one of the most sought-after birds of the trip. Male above; female below.Record shot of Velvet Scoter (Melanitta fusca)
Well, once inside Norway we drove North along the coast. A first proper stop produced the typical gulls in the area along with some summer plomaged Ruffs but also Eurasian Oystercatchers, Dunlins and 1 Little Stint. Escorted all the way by Rough-legged Buzzards, Parasitic Skuas and White-tailed Eagles, but also nice views on our first flocks of Tundra Bean Geese, we did our way North to arrive into a first lovely bay close by Vadso. Here we started scanning the many Common Eiders, and found the firsts Bar-tailed Godwits of the trip along with Common Redshanks and Dunlins. But the best surprise was to find 4 King Eiders, including two bizarre 1st summer males, that gave nice scope views despite the long way.
Nearby, a lovely pond was hosting 87 Red-necked Phalaropes that were feeding and displaying in a lovely afternoon light. There is simply no words to describe the beauty of these tiny waders in full summer plumage spinning in the water or simply chasing each other in the quiet and pristine ambient of that small Arctic pond. And that day we were even luckier! Along with the Phalaropes, the pond was hosting a minimum of 40 Ruffs, with some of the males in full display, battling, jumping and fighting in a scene that gave us excellent memories for the years to come!
A last walk around that pond still produced more species including Eurasian Curlew and Turnstones, and we had a short scan on the sea. Here, as the afternoon was passing by, thousands of Kittiwakes were moving back to their colonies after some hours of fish, closely followed by Parasitic Skuas and Great Black-backed Gulls. A detailed scan in the water produced another pair of Red-throated Divers feeding in the sea. In our way to the vans, we still had time to enjoy the first Red-throated Pipit of the trip.
Back to the cars we went for a comfort stop, but behind the petrol station is always a typical place for waders to be feeding in the afternoon, so I was directly to check and I was very pleased and surprised to find a Terek’s Sandpiper feeding along with a flock of Dunlins!!! This is quite a rarity for Norway and a great self found species for the group!
Tundra Bean Geese (Anser serrirostris) and Ruff lekking in our way to Vadso.We had some quality time in a wonderful Phalarope pond. Female above; male below. Drake Common Eider (Somateria mollissima). Without doubt one of the most attractive ducks in our region!Ruffs (Calidris pugnax) lekking.We were lucky to enjoy some nice Ruff action!A pair of Eurasian Oystercatchers surrounded by Red-necked Phalaropes.Here we enjoyed the first of many Red-throated Pipits (Anthus cervinus).We were lucky to find this Terek’s Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus) feeding along with Dunlins (Calidris alpina)!White-tailed Eagle (Hieraaetus albicilla) posing for us in lovely light. Amazing to see this icon of the Arctic like this!
Day 7. After enjoying a very nice breakfast based on the fish specialties of the Arctic Ocean, we walked the short distance to Vardo harbour. There, several Kittiwakes were moving in and out from the many colonies in buildings and along the docks. Along with them, there were also Arctic & Common Terns. The boat to Hornoya is only a 10 minutes ride but it was enough to give us a nice surprise, as 4 Northern Fulmars flew over the boat. These are the wonderful Arctic variety of the species, famous because of its bluish coloration. Unfortunately not everybody caught them in flight!
One of the most impressive views of Hornoya happens even before your arrive to the island. The last hundreds metres of sea before arriving are literally carpeted with hundreds, thousands of Guillemots and Razorbills. It is simply amazing to see that sea of Guillemots, something that I have never seen in any other seabird colony, not at least in the Northern Atlantic.
Hornoya hosts about 50,000 pairs of Guillemots, about a 15% of them are of the delicate “Bridled” variety. Along with them, 30,000 pairs of Kittiwakes, thousands of Razorbills, about 3,000 Atlantic Puffins, hundreds of Shags and smaller numbers of Northern Fulmars that combines with scattered colonies of Brünnich’s Guillemots (>300 pairs).
After a small walk in the island, we all enjoyed wonderful views not only in all the sea birds, but also on other wonderful side dishes including Red-throated & Scandinavian Rock Pipits, Barnacle Geese, a lovely although distant couple of Temminck’s Stints and Bluethroat. Our path up to the lighthouse also produced a very nice Twite, a very nice pick up by Roser and Joan.
Lovely views on Pectoral Sandpipers (Calidris matitima) in the fog next to our accommodation.Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) Razorbill (Alca torda) close-up. Classiest auk in the continent!A friendly Bridled Guillemot in the colony.Guillemot (Uria aalge) waking up in the fogAtlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) close up.Brünnich’s Guillemot (Uria lomvia) -right- and Common Guillemot -left.Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) coming back to their nest after some fishing.A very handsome Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla). Rock Pipits (Anthus petrosus litoralis) were nesting in the lowest part of the island.
Back to the continent we headed North through a dense fog. Where the fog allowed, we did some stops along the bays, enjoying several flocks of Goosanders, Long-tailed Ducks and Black Scoters along with some Divers and Velvet Scoters. The fog was still intense, and wherever we had an open window, we had a stop to enjoy some birds, normally producing ruff views on Arctic Redpolls, Bluethroats and Redwings. In our way back to our accommodation we had a stop to check some Common Eiders and we were surprised to find a very nice White-billed Diver out in the sea. After leaving the cars out of the lane, we got to the beach to have closer views and everyone in the group got excellent views on this very sought-after species!
Very happy after this great spot, we drove back to the accommodation. Still, right before arriving we had a last stop. A White-billed Diver had been seen in inner bay in Vardo so we stop to check. The bird was still there, but it was sleeping and the fog was very thick so it was difficult to see anything.. Along with the Diver, we also had 3 Black Guillemots and some Purple Sandpipers feeding in the shore.
We found this Willow Grouse (Lagopus lagopus) just finishing a sand bath. Please note the sand hollow left hand of the Grouse.Black Scoter (Melanitta nigra) “pod” in a bay. The first Yellow-billed Diver (Gavia adamsii) of the trip was this distant bird. A wonderful view in the Arctic Ocean with the fog surrounding us.Very nice looking Reindeers (Rangifer tarandus) next-to-sea.
Day 8. This day we moved back North, to explore the uplands in Varanger. But before hitting to road we had a new stop in the bay inside Vardo. Here, without fog, we had amazing views on a wonderful drake White-billed Diver. The bird was just waking up and we could enjoy the bird only 40 metres away from us. The views on this amazing bird were again complemented with 3 Purple Sandpipers, again at very close range.
Back to the continent, we took advantage of the pristine ambient to enjoy the tundra. There we got excellent views on Lapland Buntings & Bluethroats but also lekking Ruffs, several Parasitic Skuas, White-tailed Eagles, Dunlins and European Golden Plovers. Moving North we were caught by the fog, and when crossing the uplands we were surprised by 2 wonderful and very close Willow Grouses that allowed very close views. En route, we had a flock of 6 Pink-footed Geese, the only sight of this species during the trip.
The delicious views on this White-billed Diver ranked high as bird of trip, exceeding the expectations of all our guests!WOW!Probably the most iconic passerine in the tundra, the very attractive Lapland Bunting (Calcarius lapponicus)Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) showing out
Arrived to the uplands, we had a first stop to enjoy our packed lunches. Here, we found a nest of Arctic Redpolls in the bushy willows around a pond. The same pond was hosting a wonderful pair of Long-tailed Duck and Wood Sandpiper and Meadow Pipit were coming to feed in. Far away, some Long-tailed Skuas were flying here and there.
Driving throught the tundra, we had several Willow Grouses and a second pond produced great views on a nesting pair of Red-throated Divers but also on Ruffs, Red-necked Phalaropes, Teals,Pintails, the only 2 Scaups of the tour, Red-throated Pipits, Bar-tailed Godwit (very scarce nesting bird in the area) and several more.
Back to the coast, we visited a proper place for Gyrfalcon, but we had no luck with them this time. Instead, we got good views on White-tailed Eagles, Rough-legged Buzzards and a nesting colony of Great Cormorants. It was already late in the afternoon, a proper moment to go back to the tundra. In the way up we had a couple of stops to enjoy Willow Grouse and the only one Merlin of the tour, a lovely male perched for us in a small rock!
A few minutes later we were already in the proper habitat for the alpine species living in Varanger. It didn’t take long to find the first of a good number of Rock Ptarmigan nicely showing in the rocky landscapes. After long views despite the strong wind, we also located a couple of females feeding around. The very last of the Grouses to show out in the tour lead us also to contact with the first Horned Larks of the trip! This bird is getting scarcer and scarcer in the area, and becoming a treat to find them. A few more miles in the road produced more Temminck’s Stints but also lovely views on Horned Larks, even closer views on Ptarmigans and the cherry on cake; a wonderful pair of Snow Buntings singing and showing out for the group! In a memorable moment, we had Ptarmigan, Horned Lark and Snow Bunting all of them displaying for us at the same time in the same gorge!
From this wonderful scenery we just drove back to our accommodation to enjoy some nice meal and some rest in one of the very few hotels in the area.
Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) still migrating North.Arctic Redpoll (Acanthis hornemanni) around its nest.Drake Black-throated Diver (Gavia arctica), the most elegant bird in the Arctic?Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle) next to their nest boxOnce again we got excellent views on Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus). Here a wonderful male.Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) overlooking its territory.Another stunner! Male Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) only a few metres away from our group!
Day 9. Another sunny day in the Arctic tundra, and our group was out of the hotel very early in the morning. The breakfast was quite not as good as the rest of the days, but we had a good lunch to compensate the rather simple breakfast.
Back to the tundra, we had a stop in the way to enjoy close views on Long-tailed Skuas. Some walk was required, but we got excellent views on a pair of this always amazing birds! This year, the number of LT Skuas was reduced if comparing with previous trips. After checking the ponds we headed to the Northern coast, where we had some quality time on a wonderful seawatching point.
Here, we were delighted to see hundreds of “Blue” Fulmars feeding around a trawler. The ambient was grey and cold but the birding was excellent. Flocks and flocks of Goosanders were moving East. Here, migration still goes on for thousands of birds that will keep moving North East, going to nest in Siberia. A large flock of Long-tailed Ducks was feeding in the sea, and Mark found a magnificent drake King Eider feeding along with them. Out in the sea, we had some Divers moving East. they were mainly Red-throated, but we also got nice views on at least one White-billed Diver; the third for the trip! Other interesting species here included Black Guillemots along with Red-breasted Merganser, Common Eider and Atlantic Puffin. But the very best bird from this very advantage place was a wonderful Gyrfalcon that crossed right in front of our group, moving West. A great spot by Aonghus that almost everybody in the group could see even if it was moving really fast!
Before lunch, we made a stop in a pair of bays. There, along with the typical gulls and ducks for the area, we got a nice juvenile Little Gull. Checking flocks of Common Eiders, we counted a minimum of 4 King Eiders, all of them females-type birds. This time, despite the foggy ambient, everybody had excellent views on the birds.
After enjoying some very nice pizzas from a local pub, we just drove South, back into Finland with no remarkable birding stops during the afternoon.
Long-tailed Skuas (Stercorarius longicaudus) were scarce this year.Red-throated Diver (Gavia stellata) is a common nesting species in Varanger.During this morning we got some impressive views on White-tailed Eagle (Hieraaetus albicilla).Male King Eider (Somateria spectabilis) in the Arctic Ocean. King Eider female & two Common Eiders.1st summer female King EiderFemale King Eider (center) and 4 Common Eiders.
Day 10. Basically a transfer morning. With the group divided due to the different plane timetables, most of the group started the transfer South including an early stop for a very last go on Northern Hawk Owl. Soon after living the van, we heard a Northern Hawk Owl calling inside the forest, and during the next minutes we got excellent views into a pair of this very iconic species of the boreal forest, including the male coming with a mole to feed the female!
Seen the bird, we contacted with the tour participants that stayed longer at the accommodation (they had a flight later in the day) and they also could come to the place and see the bird!
Along with the Owl, a pair of Siberian Tits was moving also in the area. We even got lucky enough to contact with the Wilson’s Snipe that had been courtship in the boj nearby. Not great views anyway but the bird past by twice while singing. Besides, the very last stop of the trip only produced Eurasian Whimbrel.
Back to the van, we had a final transfer including a fight for a morning coffee. It was Sunday morning, and a early morning coffee in Lapland proved to be more difficult to find that most of the boreal specialties! Finally, we got our very well deserved coffee and we arrived to the airport with nice views on a Short-eared Owl as a bonus!
And to here arrives the chronicle of our 7th tour in Northern Finland and Finnmark. Really looking forward to our 2025 issue. Pretty sure that it will be as good as always is!
Finally, we got well deserved views on this amazing owl!Northern Hawk Owl ready to hawk!Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) was the very last speciality to show up in the trip.
List of birds seen during the tour
Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus)
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)
Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
Greylag Goose (Anser anser)
Tundra Bean Goose (Anser serrirostris)
Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus)
Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis)
Eurasian Wigeon (Marecca penelope)
Gadwall (Marecca strepera)
Eurasial Teal (Anas crecca)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)
Garganey (Spatula querquedula)
Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
Scaup (Aythya marila)
Common Eider (Somateria mollissima)
King Eider (Somateria spectabilis)
Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis)
Common Scoter (Melanitta nigra)
Velvet Scoter (Melanitta fusca)
Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)
Smew (Mergellus albellus)
Goosander (Mergus merganser)
Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serratus)
Common Pheasant (Phaisanus colchinus)
Hazel Grouse (Bonasa bonasia)
Willow Grouse (Lagopus lagopus)
Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus)
Black Grouse (Lyrurus tetrix)
Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus)
Common Swift (Apus apus)
Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)
Feral Pigeon (Columba livia)
Common Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus)
Common Crane (Grus grus)
Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena)
Slavonian Grebe (Podiceps auritus)
Corncrake (Crex crex) ———————————– heard only
Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus)
Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)
European Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria)
Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
Temminck’s Stint (Calidris temminckii)
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)
Little Stint (Calidris minuta)
Purple Sandpiper (Calidris maritima)
Ruff (Calidris pugnax)
Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola)
Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)
Wilson’s Snipe (Gallinago delicata) —————— heard only
Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica)
Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)
Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata)
Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus)
Common Redshank (Tringa totanus)
Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)
Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)
Terek’s Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus)
Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus)
Little Gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus)
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Common Gull (Larus canus)
Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)
Kittiwake (Rissa trydactyla)
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)
Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea)
Arctic Skua (Stercorarius parasiticus)
Long-tailed Skua (Stercorarius longicaudus)
Guillemot (Uria aalge)
Brünnich’s Guillemot (Uria lomvia)
Razorbill (Alca torda)
Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylie)
Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica)
Red-throated Diver (Gavia stellata)
Black-throated Diver (Gavia arctica)
White-billed Diver (Gavia adamsii)
Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glaciallis)
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Shag (Gulosus aristotelis)
Greater Bittern (Botaurus stellaris) ————- heard only
Osprey (Pandion haliaetos)
Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
Rough-legged Buzzard (Buteo lagopus)
European Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus)
White-tailed Eagle (Haliaetus albicilla)
Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)
Tengmalm’s Owl (Aegolius funereus)
Ural Owl (Strix uralensis)
Northern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula)
Eurasian Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dryobates minor)
Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus)
Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius)
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Merlin (Falco columbarius)
Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus)
Red-backed Shrike (Lanius excubitor)
Siberian Jay (Perisoreus infaustus)
Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica)
Western Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula)
Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix)
Common Raven (Corvus corax)
Bohemian Waxbill (Bombycilla garrulus)
Willow Tit (Poecile montanus)
Siberian Tit (Poecile cinctus)
Eurasian Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
Great Tit (Parus major)
Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)
Sand Martin (Riparia riparia)
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
Western House Martin (Delichon urbicum)
Common Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)
Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)
Wood Warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix)
Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus)
Garden Warbler (Sylvia borin)
Common Whitethroat (Curruca communis)
Lesser Whitethroat (Curruca curruca)
Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)
Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Eurasian Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris)
Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)
Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
Eurasian Redwing (Turdus iliacus)
Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Eurasian Robin (Erithacus rubecula) —————- heard only
All images in this trip report taken by: Carmine Grasso, Mark Harper & Mark Newsome (tour participants), and Carles Oliver (tour leader). All rights reserved
Overview: Our 6th tour exploring Northern Finland and Norway (Finnmark) has been one of the best so far. We enjoyed mild weather all trip long, with a single day of rain. Again, we did very in Owls and Grouses, enjoying all 5 possible species of grouses with multiple views on all of them, and 5 species of Owls plus lovely views in rather scarce species including Gyrfalcon, White-billed Diver, Three-toed Woodpecker, Steller’s Eider and Rustic Bunting. Again, the number of Redpolls and Waxwings in the boreal forest was limited, but the numbers of waders and ducks was excellent all along the tour. Once again, it has a lovely experience in the untouched landscapes of the European North Pole. We are already looking for our 2024 issue, starting on May 31st!
Day 1. This day has been basically a travel day, with little birding. Still, some of the tour participants had the time to explore the marshes around our accommodation in Oulu and got very interesting sights including Little Tern, Temmincks Stints, the first Short-eared Owl of the trip and a flock of 10 Broad-billed Sandpipers among other goodies!
Day 2. First of a row of very early starts, this time devoted to explore a number of spots around Oulu. The morning was sunny and without any wind. Even before leaving the accommodation we had views on Common Rosefinch, Reed Bunting and Common Redstart. In our first stop we had a short walk in nice spruce forest. Bird activity was low but we still got the first Black Grouse of the trip that flew off from under our feet, good flocks of Common Crossbills and the only one European Crested Tit of the trip.
Common Rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus) nearby our base in Oulu. Image by Mark Harper.Moose (Alces alces) around Oulu. Image by Carles OliverGrey-headed Woodpecker (Picus canus), a very unusual sight as far North as Oulu. Image by Carles Oliver
From here we got a widely known place for Terek’s Sandpiper, but we were not lucky about it and didn’t have anything beyond Common Rosefinch, Arctic Terns, Goldeneyes, a distant calling Little Ringed Plover and a running Stout.
After a coffee break we headed into a different spruce spot around Oulu. Here we were more lucky, and we had a Black Woodpecker flying in front the van just when arriving to the place. A Grey-headed Woodpecker was calling around and we took our chance to have nice views on a bird that was a bit beyond its normal nesting range. The Woodpecker was quietly sitting on the top of a dead tree allowing good and long views to everyone in the group. But after a pair of minutes latter a Hazel Grouse called from inside of one of the spruce pockets around us, so we fastly moved to the place to try to connect with it. It took us some time, as the bird kept moving up and down inside the forest, providing us with good flight views but never conceded a proper perched view.
Beyond this woodlands it is an extensive patch of farmland. Here we had the first Whinchats of the trip along with Skylarks, Eurasian Hobby, Ring-necked Pheasant, Marsh Harriers and a pair of Hen Harriers that were nicely soaring above the fields, searching for boles.
After midday break to recover a bit from the early morning, we did visit a small pond where a pair of Slavonian Grebes where nesting. Here we had intimate views on them before going for a short walk to one of bird towers around Limintahari. Unfortunately it was windy, but still we got a pretty list of birds that included 4+ White-tailed Eagles, several Mute & Whooper Swans, the firsts Little Gulls of the trip, 3 Baltic Gulls, 2 Caspian Terns, 1 Herring Gull and several flocks of ducks that include Garganeys, Teals, Eurasian Wigeon, Goldeneye, Tufted Ducks and Greylag Geese. Distant flocks of Common Cranes were moving up and down while some Sedge Warblers and Reed Buntings were seen singing despite the wind. In the parking place, a pair of Pied Flycatchers were nesting in a nest box. Wader activity was low due to wind, but still got distant views on lekking Ruffs, Common Greenshanks, some Dunlins and Common Snipes.
Stout (Mustela erminea) at the run. Image by Mark Newsome.Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps auritus) in full summer plomage. Image by Carles Oliver
Day 3. As usual in Finland, it was nice to see a fast change in the weather from the previous day. Our morning developed in a rainy ambient, with temperatures ranking between 8ºC and 12 ºC. During the morning, the main target was to contact with a number of owl species. Our first stop was devoted to check a nest box for Tengmalm’s Owl, and after a short wait we had the female coming out from the hole and showing for some minutes and it was checking that everything was okay around its nest place. From here we moved some miles away, as a next box for Ural Owl was occupied at the moment. Once arrived we were surprised by the first Spotted Flycatcher of the trip, as well as a Coal Tit that was calling around, even if never showed out. We were in a lovely clearing of the forest, and everybody enjoyed great scope views on the Ural Owl inside its nest.
The rain gave us a break, and we moved into a different location. A lovely mature spruce forest was hosting a pair of Eurasian Pygmy Owl. We already tried a place the previous day, with no luck. And this trial had a similar end. Yes, we had one of the birds shortly replaying from up in one of the spruces but, despite our efforts, we were uncapable to bring this bird into sight. It was time for a breakfast break. Around us, Northern Bullfinches were calling and feeding, and that morning we had several sights on them, as many Bullfinches were coming to the dart roads, presumably to swallow some dart. Also in teh dart roads, we had a good number of Eurasian Woodcocks flying off, with a pair of birds standing up for some seconds and allowing short but solid views. We did a short stop in a farming area, not far from the place where we were the day before, and we fastly connected with 3 Ortolan Buntings singing and calling around us. Whinchat, Eurasian Curlew and Yellowhammer were also noted around.
The weather was clearly improving as the day went on so we came back to the forests, leaving the open lands behind. The first Brambling of the trip was seen just by the van, and the only 3 Taiga Bean Geese of the trip flew above us at the moment to get inside a small patch of forest where a gorgeous female Great Grey Owl was sitting on its nest. The Great Grey Owl is not only an impressive beast, but also the largest owl in this part of the world! After several minutes enjoying the bird, we decided to take a look. The male could not be far away, guarding from any potential risk the nest and his partner. And we were sucessful in finding the male, that was about 50 metres away from the nest, up in a dense pine. Again, the group enjoyed amazing scope views and, despite the rather windy weather, the camera men in the group had a wonderful quest to capture the spirit of such an impressive beast. Here we also had Eurasian Treecreeper and the very common Willow Warblers and Goldcrests.
Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa) on its massive nest. Image by Carles OliverThe always very impressive Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa). Image by Carles OliverOrtolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana). Image by Carles OliverBoreal Owl (Aegolius funereus) on its nest box. Image by Mark Newsome.Eurasian Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris). Image by Mark Newsome.Detail of the boreal forest. Image by Carles Oliver
After a pair of minor stops we went for a lunch stop, we hit the road in the direction of Kuusamo. A pair of stops in the way were mandatory as small flocks of Little Gulls were seen quite close, moving along with the nesting Black-headed Gulls. At mid afternoon we were already there, and we have time to explore a spot not far away from the town. Here the Mountain Hares were everywhere, but the area, an open land with small pockets of young willows, was only having Reed Buntings. When we were ready to leave, suddenly a tiny call came from the low branches of a willow, and a male Little Bunting showed up, singing a number of times from different branches. It followed a tiny peak of activity with a minimum of two males singing around and a putative female moving really low in the vegetation. We had to move a pair of times up and down in the track but at the end all the tour participants had excellent views on this little, wonderful patterned, birds.
From here we drove to the accommodation to have some rest and a bit of birding before dinner time, resulting in some Wood Sandpipers in the lake right beside our rooms, Common Cuckoo in the parking place, and Willow Warbler, Common Redstarts and the firsts House Martins of the trip as the most remarkable sights.
Little Bunting (Emberiza pusilla) feeding. Image by Mark Newsome.Little Bunting (Emberiza pusilla). Image by Carles OliverCommon Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) in the hotel grounds in Kuusamo. Image by Carles OliverLandscape around Kuusamo by Carles Oliver
Day 4. A full day to enjoy the wonderful birding around the Kuusamo. Early am the weather was stable, but the wind started to blow after 9:00am, making birding a bit more difficult. Leaving our accommodatioin, we had the first Black Grouses of the day, as some females were seen feeding beside some minor tracks. From here we covered the short distance to a nice spot for Willow Grouse, and even before arriving we had to make a small detour as a male was seen in the top of a small rock inside a private garden. It was still a bit dark, but we didn’t miss the chance of some good shots in this wonderful and really tame male. During the next hour we had a minimum of 10 Black Grouses, all of them females, and a second Willow Grouse really close to the van. We crossed by some lakes, and some stops were mandatory to enjoy close views not only on Little Gulls and a drake Smew, but also on 5 Red-necked Grebes, Garganey and a wonderful Black-throated Diver at close range! The variety of ducks was remarkable, including Eurasian Teal, Pintail, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Mergarser and Goosander.
In a different spot of the forest we had one of the typical stops, as a male Western Capercaillie was displaying in the track! Unfortunately, this time didn’t allow time for everybody to get out of the vehicle and take some shots, as the bird flew off inside the forest, followed by a female that was at the edge of the forest. We walked down the track slowly and we could hear the distant song of the Capercaillies, that unfortunately didn’t show again. Standing in this place, Mark had a song in the distance; a Rustic Bunting was singing in a small boj in the forest. We walked all the way down to the boj and carefully scanning around, but could not find any sign of the buntings. Back to the track, we suddenly had a bird calling around, and some seconds after this we had a wonderful male singing around us! The bird was really mobile but we enjoyed great views in this little cracker! Just when coming back to the minibus, 2 Parrot Crossbills flew over us at close range, offering half a second of good views on their large head and very powerful bills! Unfortunately they never stop, and kept their way above the canopy.
Female Black Grouse (Lyrurus tetrix). One of 20+ seen during the trip. Image by Mark NewsomeLittle Gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus) in flight. Great shot by Mark NewsomeSmew (Mergellus albellus), a scarce nesting duck in Lapland. Image by Mark Harper.Whooper Swans (Cygnus cygnus) feeding in farmland. Image by Carles OliverWillow Grouse (Lagopus lagopus) showing nicely in our very first “grouse drive”. Image by Carles OliverWestern Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) displaying. Image by Carles OliverLovely Rustic Bunting (Emberiza rustica). A single stop in Kuusamo produced Capercaillie, Rustic Bunting and Parrot Crossbill! Image by Carles Oliver
Back to the minibus we still had more Black Grouses and a pair of female Capercaillies in the road, offering of all them really good views. It was still early morning but we wanted to check a small spot only 10 miles away from the Russian border. There, large areas of dead, broken pines and willows offered an excellent habitat for another of the owls living in the region. We spent over half an hour in the place, but we didn’t get anything beyond Redwings, Tree Pipits, Mealy Redpolls and Whinchats. Finally we decided to move on, and when we were leaving our efforts were greatly granted: a wonderful Northern Hawk Owl was sitting next to the road, in the highest part of a tall willow! We took our chance, park besides and we all enjoyed long views on this wonderful bird while was overwatching its hunting area. A Fieldfare was trying to moob the owl, but the only that got was the owl to open its wings a pair of times, allowing us to see a good detail on the wing design. After nearly 15 minutes enjoying the bird from the road, the Hawk Owl decided to leave the place, flying away and crossing the open land nearby.
Extremelly happy after this extemelly nice sight, we move to Livaara, a wonderful hill that oversees the extensive forests around Kuusamo. But we still had to do another stop in way, since Mark (yes, it was more than one Mark in the tour) found a Hazel Grouse nicely posing beside the road!! From inside the van, we all had incredible views, with the lovely morning sun illuminating the game bird. As it moved, a female appeared beside the male, and both male and female moved for a pair of minutes before getting away, back inside the boreal forest. Very happy after this, we covered the short distance to Livaara. Once arrived, we were surprised by a very intense Woodpecker activity. Firstly, a Great Spotted Woodpecker that was feeding immediatly around the parking place, and secondly a wonderful Black Woodpecker that appeared from the forest, displaying and calling. It was already cloudy and a bit windy so to see these Woodpeckers behaving like this was quite a surprise, especially when the Black Woodpecker decided to gly our way, stopping only 50 metres away from our group, offering another unforgettable sight!
The wind was getting serious, especially in the highest part of the hill. Still, we decided to walk a bit. We never reached the top of the hill (a famous place for Red-flanked Bluetail) as the bird activity was clearly very low. Still, in our short-walk around the parking place we got nice views on a passing by White-tailed Eagle and a second pair of Rustic Buntings as a nice end of a magic morning!
Back to the accommodation, we still had some time for rest before having lunch.
During the afternoon the weather deteriorated fast, with strong winds affecting especially the higher parts of Kuusamo. We invested a pair of hours exploring a pair of spots, but we got nothing of interest beyond the common species living in this part of the world so decided to have an early dinner.
Northern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula). Image by Carles OliverA couple of Hazel Grouses (Tetrastes bonasia) by the minivan was one of the highlights of the day. Image by Carles OliverThis Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) offered us amazing and really unexpected views when around Limahara. Another great shot by Mark Newsome.Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius). Image by Carles OliverBlack-throated Diver (Gavia arctica) around Kuusamo. Image by Carles Oliver
Day 5. Another early start to explore some of the hills around Kuusamo. Our first stop was devoted to explore Valatavaara, where it was going on a mountain race. Bird activity was quite low, but when arrived to the summit we had good views on a singing Common Cuckoo + Common Redstart and Dunnock. It didn’t take long before we contacted with the our first Three-toed Woodpecker that gave us excellent views while calling and moving up in a dead tree. Besides, a Great Spotted Woodpecker was also calling, and it was interesting to compare the calls of both species. Our walk kept going, adding lovely views on Tree Pipits and Spotted Flycatchers. A bit more of time was required to find a pair of Siberian Jays that, after moving quite high in the trees for a while, finally decided to come down. At some point, we had only a few meters away! Moving around the area we had a second Three-toed Woodpecker working the wood, but went away quite fast and not everybody in the group saw it. We still listened them drumming and calling several times! After a good pair of hours, it was quite clear that we were not going to have any Bluetail at Valtavaara so we decided to move away from here to try a second spot. After some breakfast, we drove the short distance and went to explore another section of boreal forest. We again enjoyed of the views above the endless forest that covers this region of Finland. And here we had more luck, and we listened a male Red-flanked Bluetail singing from the top of a distant spruce. The effort was worth it, especially when the bird moved into a different spruce where it caught the wonderful morning light! There we had 20 minutes to enjoy the bird, while a second Bluetail was singing around us.
Once everyone was satisfied with the views on these wonderful Bluetails, we came down the hill. Including a pair of stops for lunch and coffee, we had some solid drive North to the area around Ivalo.
Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) female showing its wonderful camouflage. Image by Mark NewsomeThree-toed Woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus) posing nicely for our group. Image by Carles OliverSiberian Jays (Perisoreus infaustus) were as approachable as always. Image by Mark NewsomeRed-flanked Bluetail (Tarsiger cyanurus). Image by Carles OliverThe amazing landscape of the boreal forest around Kuusamo. Image by Carles Oliver
We were already inside Lapland and the North Polar Circle. Here, extensive boreal forests can be found all around. Before covering the short distance to our accommodation in the area we spent an hour and so in a lovely corner. In teh way, more Willow Grouses were visible along with Black Grouses. A pair of stops in selected places produced lovely views on obliging Siberian Tit, a highly appreciated speciality in this trip. Along with it we scanned the several Common Crossbill around in search for something different. Three-toed Woodpeckers were also active, and we could listen them drumming and had a glimpse in one of them while moving in the forest.
After this we just drove to our accommodation for some rest and a good evening meal!
Siberian Tit (Poecile cinctus) possed nicely for the group. Image by Mark HarperWood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) in its nesting grounds. Image by Carles OliverPine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) despite the rain. Image by Carles Oliver
Day 6. A rainy day this morning, so an excellent chance to enjoy our the amazing buffet breakfast in our hotel at Ivalo. After breakfast we transfer North, with a mandatory stop in a popular coffee stop to enjoy the amazing Pine Grosbeak that attend the feeding station nearby. Here we also had good views on drake Bramblings but also Common Redpolls, Greenfinches, several Red Squirrels and a Waxwing that showed up just when we were leaving the coffee shop.
The day was wet and cold, but a pair of stops still produced the first Bluethroat of the trip along with Siberian Jay crossing the road. Here is where, stopping by the road, we had one of the best moments of trip. A walk inside a woodland of low willows allowed good views on Arctic Redpolls. It was dropping and the display of two displaying Common Snipes arrived to us from the nearby boj when a call came from inside the forest. A fast scanning in the area revealed not less than a Northern Hawk Owl that was hatching in a nest box, only a few meters away from the path! After some minutes of excitement the call came again from inside the forest, and it was not coming from the nest box. It was obvious that the male was around. A bit of scanning and exploring the forest was necessary before we found the male perched up in a tree. It was extremely quiet, only 15 metres away from us. Actually, it was so chill out that, at some point, it decided to fly down from the tree to stop only 10 metres away from us, in the top of a dead and broken willow. There, under the light rain, we got one of the most amazing sights of all the tours that we have had in Finland! Some were taking photos, while some participants just decided to sit down and enjoy the moment.. After 20 unforgettable minutes we decided to move away, back to minibus. The male still on its trunk, the female hatching. Without doubt one of my best experiences in the taiga, so far!
Northern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula). Images by Carles OliverA pair of Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) was nesting around our accommodation. Image by Carles Oliver
Back to the van, we all honestly needed some time to recover from this amazing experience, and later on we kept moving North, still with the ecos of the very low calls of the male in our heads. After a lunch stop, we arrived in Varanger by early afternoon. In our way we had several White-tailed Eagles moving along the coast line, and a good number of Rough-legged Buzzards looking for boles all along the road.
The coast along Varanger is a truly paradise for wildlife, and this unspoiled landscape is till preserving good densities of a long list of birds nesting all along its tundra and boj. A fast stop road allowed us to enjoy the first Kittiwakes of the trip, but also Dunlin, Temminck’s Stints, Redshanks, Bar-tailed Godwit and Ruddy Turstone.
The first proper stop in the fjord could no be better. As always there were several Goosanders, Red-breasted Mergansers and tens of Common Eiders along with many waders. We knew that some Steller’s Eiders were around, and Mark found them after a proper scan of the shore! There were two 2nd year males and one female. No bright colours then for the group (not yet) but still Steller’s Eiders!
Walking the short distance until an advantaged point, we enjoyed very long views on the birds as they moved a bit in the shore, being moved sometimes by the much larger Common Eiders. Here we also had the first Purple Sandpiper of the trip and Eurasian Whimbrel.
After we found the most important items of the afternoon, we went to enjoy of the many Phalarope ponds that are in this area to end our day with the amazing experience of 20 of this Nordic gems feeding only a few meters away from us. They arrived to their nesting grounds only a few days before, and they were extremely busy feeding on insects to recover from the long journey. They were all very excited, and we saw at least three different mating during the hour and so that we were there.
Arctic Terns (Sterna paradisaea). Image by Mark Newsome.Some urban Mountain Hares (Leppus timidus). Image by Mark NewsomeTundra Bean Geese (Anser serrirostris) by Carles OliverRed-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) female (up) & male (below) by Carles Oliver
Day 7. A cloudy and fresh day, a nice weather to explore the Arctic landscapes with small windows of sun and with only a few drops of rain during the day. After breakfast we drove North to check one of the many bays along the coast in Varanger. But before we had a stop when crossing Vadso, since 3 Steller’s Eiders (the same three birds of the previous afternoon?) were feeding close to the shore along with Common Eiders. Here really improve the views on them as well as enjoying 30 Purple Sandpipers in the rocks.
Our first proper stop didn’t produce so much. Here there were recent reports of close views on a White-billed Diver, but we couldn’t find it. Still, the spot allowed us to connect with the firsts Long-tailed Ducks, Guillemots, Black Guillemots and Red-throated Divers of the trip, all of them common birds along this coast.
From here we drove to Vardo and wait for the boat connecting with Hornoya. After some waiting, we finally got the boat and cover the short distance out the bay of Vardo before arriving by the massive cliffs of the island.
Hornoya is the Easternmost point in Norway and hosts one of the most amazing seabird colony in Europe. Between March and July, the island concentrates between 150,000 and 180,000 sea birds, depending on the year. About 75,000 pairs of birds nest here including 40,000 pairs of Common Guillemots, 8,000 of Atlantic Puffin and about 5,000 of Brünnich’s Guillemot! Both the ambient of the colony, the extremely loud noise plus the incredible density of birds on its cliffs are not easy to forget for any visitor!
We landed in the island, and it was not long before we had the firsts Brünnich’s nesting up the in cliff. Small pockets of them can be found, always surrounded and outnumbered by Common Guillemots (including several from the smart Bridled form) and Razorbills.
Atlantic Puffins were everywhere in the lowest areas, and Shags and Kittiwakes were taking advantage of every single cavity, terrace or even bank, to nest on. The walk around the island also produced both Meadow & Red-throated Pipit, Bluethroat, Twite Arctic Skua, Barnacle & Greylag Geese, Rock Pipits, Goosanders and, of course, Redwings.
A bit of seawatching produced a few Atlantic Gannets going North and the first of a bunch of whales; a Minke Whale.
White-tailed Eagle (Haliaaetus albicilla). image by Carles OliverCommon Guillemots (Uria aalge) in Hornoya. Images by Carles OliverBrünnich’s Guillemots (Uria lomvia) by Carles OliverAtlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) by Carles Oliver
From Hornoya we kept moving North, stopping in the tundra to search for some species we fastly connect with some wonderful Lapland Buntings in full summer plomage and the very firsts Ruff lekking in short grass while both European Golden Plovers and Arctic Skuas were also ready to nest around.
Soon, the lane stick to the shore and several flocks of Goosanders start to appear. Here, Mark sharply spotted a number of whales. Most of them turned out to be Fin Whales, but a at least two of them were Humpback Whales! After some good views on them we kept driving North, but soon we had to stop again: a drake White-billed Diver was really close to the coast, offering great looks to all the tour participants. This is a good time of year to try to see them, as they are migrating North (!) to arrive to their nesting sites. Depending on the year, one or two non-breeding birds may stay in the area!
While scanning the harbour, another 2 White-billed Divers (one of them a 2nd year bird) were found, as well as a 6 Red-throated Divers, several flocks of Long-tailed Ducks and 2 Grey Seals. From here, we started a slow way back enjoying some views on Willow Grouse, Twite and more whales!
Back around Vardo, we still had two more stops in the way back to the accommodation. The first as 4 Pink-footed Geese were feeding nearby the road, and the second stop because of 2 wonderful Short-eared Owls that were chasing each other over the farmland next to the road. Here we were specially lucky as one of them just decided to stop next to our minibus, allowing us to capture some incredible image. Definately not a bad way to end our day!
Lapland Bunting (Calcarius lapponicus). Image by Carles OliverRuff (Calidris pugax) ready to lek in the tundra. Image by Carles OliverWhite-billed Diver (Gavia adamsi) in full summer plomage. Image by Mark Newsome.White-tailed Eagle being moved by a apir of Arctic Skuas. Image by Mark Newsome.Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus). Image by Mark Newsome.Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). Image by Mark NewsomeShort-eared Owl (Asio flammeus). Image by Carles Oliver
Day 8. A pre-dawn walk produced nice views on the typical coastal birds around our accommodation, and Mark Newsome had a full adult Heuglin’s Gull (currently considered as a race of Lesser black-backed Gull), a quite unexpected species in this area!
This day we transfered to the inner Varanger, where the tundra becomes a wonderful carpet that covers the whole plateau, with plenty of rocky outcrops, lakes and deep valleys that mark the distribution of the many goodies nesting here.
But before we had a small stop South of Ekrenoy, where a French gentleman had a drake Steller’s Eider the day before. At the first attemp Carmine had a small flock of 4 Steller’s Eider appearing from behind some rock, and there was our wonderful drake male offering some wonderful views while feeding along with 3 females! The birds kept coming closer and closer, and the rather intimates views paid off the time that we spent waiting for them in the rather cold ambient.
From here we drove all the way to the central plateau in Varanger, where a first stop produced the first views on lovely Long-tailed Skuas, several Arctic Redpolls and good views on the very splendid Bluethroats nesting in the area. From here we went to check a number of spots where the very sought after GyrFalcon is likely to appear. In our second stop, we found a pair of these massive falcons in a small cliff showing clear nesting signs.
We had scope views on both the male and the female while resting in the cliffs. At some point, the male flew off, circling in the sky to powerfully fly into the cliffs, probably in the chase of any potential prey.
Heuglin’s Gull (Larus fuscus heuglini) by Mark NewsomeAwesome views on Steller’s Eiders (Pollysticta stelleri)Long-tailed Skua (Stercorarius longicaudus) by Mark Newsome.Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) singing its heart out. Image by Carles OliverArctic Redpoll (Acanthis hornemanni) by Mark NewsomeGyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus). Images by Carles Oliver
After this incredible sight we kept exploring the tundra, adding close views on Black-throated & Red-throated Diver to our list. Red-throated Pipits were singing around and a pair of Shore Larks was found feeding along one of the lanes. In the roocky outcrops, we enjoyed up to 4 Rock Ptarmigans showing out its white plomage. We even had some display flights, and their rocky calls contrasted with the happy display songs of both European Golden Plovers and Dunlins that full filled the ambient. Some Snow Buntings were also noted, but only a female provided the group with more or less close views. Just the opposite from Lapland Buntings, that looked like being as common as ever, with some males walking really close to the prominent Long-tailed Skua nests.
At the end of the afternoon, we got a pair of Rough-legged Buzzards hunting by one of the lanes, providing great views and the day ended with some scanning of large gulls in the search of any scarcity, and with some Willow Grouse by the lane before arriving to our accommodation.
Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus). Image by Carmine GrassoThis afternoon we had splendid views on Rough-legged Buzzards (Buteo lagopus). Image by Mark NewsomeThe impressive landscape in the highest area of Varanger. Image by Carles Oliver
Day 9. During the morning we explored a bit further the tundra, adding better views on Snow Finch, Long-tailed Skuas, Red-throated Pipits, as well as enjoying with the display and close views on Red-throated Divers, Ruff and Scaups. We spent some time in a small stream where in previous years we had Dipper, but we failed to find any of the. For instance, the only one Peregrine Falcon of the tour appeared in the gorge. Back to the tundra, we had 2 Bar-tailed Godwits flying low over the area, an interesting sight since they are not supposed to nest here. At midday we started the transfer back South, and we spent the rainy afternoon in our accommodation.
Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus) in flight display. Image by Mark Harper.Obliging Ruff (Calidris pugnax) by Mark Newsome.Long-tailed Skua portrait (Stercorarius longicaudatus). Image by Carmine Grasso. European Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria) in nesting grounds. Image by Carmine Grasso.
Day 10. This day we took advantage of our midday flight to have a last am in proper boreal forest. Unfortunately we had a cold morning with a heavy snow fall. It was actually the first snow fall ever in this trip. Still, we had a good pair of hours, and a nice short walk in the forest produced several Common Crossbills, a feeding pair of Bohemian Waxwings and a nice male Parrot Crossbill that showed quite properly in the top of a spruce along with several Bramblings, Mealy Redpolls and Eurasian Siskins.
The drive around this spot South of Ivalo produced also a minimum of 7 Black Grouses, including 6 males moving together and a female Western Caspercaillie nicely flying beside the minibus and showing the lovely peachy patch on its breast.
After a pair of hours of birding we went to enjoy a coffee and some food before heading to airport while the landscape was being covered by a massive snow fall! Without doubt, a great way to end our 2023 trip in Finland!
Black Grouse (Lyrurus tetrix). Several males were active in the boreal forest during our last morning. Image by Mark Newsome.Parrot Crossbill (Loxia pytyopsittacus). Image by Mark Newsome.
List of birds seen during the trip:
Red-throated Diver (Gavia stellata)
Black-throated Diver (Gavia arctica)
Yellow-billed Diver (Gavia adamsii)
Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena)
Slavonian Grebe (Podiceps auritus)
Atlantic Gannet (Morus bassanus)
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Atlantic Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis)
Great White Egret (Casmerodius albus)
Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus)
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)
Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
Greylag Goose (Anser anser)
Tundra Bean Goose (Anser serrirostris)
Taiga Bean Goose (Anser fabalis)
Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus)
Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis)
Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope)
Gadwall (Mareca strepera)
Eurasian Teal (Anas crecca)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Pintail (Anas acuta)
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)
Garganey (Spatula querquedula)
Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)
Common Eider (Somateria mollissima)
Steller’s Eider (Polysticta stelleri)
Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis)
Common Scoter (Melanitta nigra)
Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)
Smew (Merguellus albellus)
Goosander (Mergus merganser)
Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)
Black Kite (Milvus migrans)
Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) — heard only
Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
Rough-legged Buzzard (Buteo lagopus)
Osprey (Pandion haliaetos)
White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)
Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo)
Merlin (Falco columbarius)
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus)
Hazel Grouse (Tetrastes bonasa)
Willow Grouse (Lagopus lagopus)
Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus)
Black Grouse (Lyrurus tetrix)
Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus)
Common Crane (Grus grus)
Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus)
Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) — heard only
Eurasian Golden Plover (Charadrius apricaria)
Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
Temminck’s Stint (Calidris temminckii)
Little Stint (Calidris minuta)
Red Knot (Calidris canutus)
Purple Sandpiper (Calidris maritima)
Ruff (Calidris pugnax)
Broad-billed Sandpiper (Limicola falcinellus)
Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola)
Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)
Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica)
Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)
Eurasian Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata)
Common Redshank (Tringa totanus)
Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)
Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)
Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
Ruddy Turstone (Arenaria interpres)
Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus)
Arctic Skua (Stercorarius parasiticus)
Long-tailed Skua (Stercorarius longicaudus)
Little Gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus)
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Common Gull (Larus canus)
Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)
Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)
Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea)
Little Tern (Sternula albifrons)
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)
Guillemot (Uria aalge)
Brünnich’s Guillemot (Uria lomvia)
Razorbill (Alca torda)
Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle)
Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica)
Feral Pigeon (Columba livia)
Stock Dove (Columba oenas)
Common Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus)
Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)
Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)
Tengmalm’s Owl (Aegolius funereus)
Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa)
Ural Owl (Strix uralensis)
Northern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula)
Common Swift (Apus apus)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus)
Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius)
Grey-headed Woodpecker (Picus canus)
Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
Western House Martin (Delichon urbicum)
Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis)
Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)
Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus)
Rock Pipit (Anthus petrosus)
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
Western Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava)
Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)
Dunnock (Prunella modularis)
Eurasian Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)
Red-flanked Bluetail (Tarsiger cyanurus)
Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)
Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra)
Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)
European Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca)
Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)
Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)
Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
Eurasian Redwing (Turdus iliacus)
Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus)
Eurasian Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) — heard only
Overview: Our 5th tour exploring Finland was dated a pair of weeks earlier than previous issues. The average temperature was low during the whole trip, and the early dates marked the tour, improving our chances for Grouses and Owls, but also making not possible to connect with some species including Terek’s Sandpiper, Common Rosefinch and Greenish Warbler. However, the early date provided us with better chances for both Steller’s & King Eiders and some interesting migratory species (Marsh Sandpiper, Greater White-fronted Goose, Purple Sandpiper), while the cold ambient was excellent to spot Grouses in the taiga forest. The number of Owls was extremelly high, especially aorund Oulu. Here, we counted a minimum of 20 Short-eared Owls in a single day!
All images in this trip report by tour leader Carles Oliver
Dates: 19th to 28th May, 2022
Number of participants: 8 +1 tour leader
Species along the tour: 171
Day 1. After meeting in Helsinki Airport, the whole group of participants landed in Oulu in the afternoon. The beggining of the tour was delayed as we had to wait for our bus to come, but even from the airport terminal we already had a good sensation about the trip since one of the very first birds to appear was Short-eared Owl flying above the parking of the airport. Other birds noted while waiting included the first of many Yellowhammers and Tree Pipits.
Once in our accommodation we had an early dinner, and after dinner we enjoyed some pre dawn birding in a localy location nearby. There we enjoyed the first displaying Ruffs along with several Wood Sandpipers and Common Snipes. A Greater Bittern was booming in the distance, and Reed Buntings were singing all around. This location, a lovely bay with an extensive bog plain around produced also 6 White-tailed Eagles, Marsh Harriers, Dunlins, 2 Greenshanks, Whooper Swans and hunting Short-eared Owls. Small flocks of Common Cranes were feeding in the fields nearby, the song of Pied Flycatchers emerged from the woodlands close to the sunset, and a male Whinchat joined them for a little while. In our way back to the accommodation European Starlings and Rook were both noted.
Male Ruff (Calidris pugnax) in full summer plumageLesser Whitethroat (Curruca curruca) was churring around our accommodation in Oulu
Day 2. A very early start to explore some typical places for some of the wonderful Owls living around Oulu. It was a really cold morning, with temperatures far below the average, arriving to -4ºC! Not far from our accommodation we had the first surprises of the day, as we had several Black Grouses displaying along the lane, some of them in the open fields, others flying away as our van recheaded them. We crossed several good spots a low speed, and we were granted we our firsts Western Capercaillies of the tour, including a wonderful male that showed out for us in the top of a pine.
Soon after we arrived to the first key place, where a Northern Hawk Owl had been hunting the last days. We didn’t have to wait long before the Northern Hawk Owl showed out of the forest, landing in the wires and allowing excellent views. The bird spent some time hunting around and we could all enjoy views of the bird hovering and diving on the grass in search of prey.
Black Grouse (Lyrurus tetrix) was the very first species of Grouse of the trip this yearGreat Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa) crossing the lane right in front of our vanNorthern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula) offered consistent but rather distant views
During the morning we counted 20+ Short-eared Owls, that seemed to be everywhere! We always thought that we would be granted with a close view soon or later, but that never happened this time…
A second stop in the morning produced another wonderful moment of our group. A Great Grey Owl was seen standing up in a meadow by the our road, so we had a stop and enjoyed wonderful views on the bird moving in the field and even catching a prey before vanishing into the woods. Even if the stop was short, we again had 2 Short-eared Owls moving in the fields around!
We kept moving into the woodlands, with more Black Grouses here and there and eventually some Eurasian Woodcocks flying around until arriving to one of the several territories of Eurasian Pygmy Owls around Oulu. Coal Tit and Mistle Thrush were added to our list but a nice (pressumed) male stole the show when decided to stop really close to us in a dead branch. For 5 minutes, we all enjoyed great views on this tiny Owlet, and when decided to leave the spot, the Owl was still sitting on his branch, enjoying the very early morning ambient in the forest.
It was already mid morning, so we had a break to enjoy some coffee before going on with some more birding. Lesser Whitethroats were singing around, and the first of many Eurasian Bullfinches and Common Crossbills of the trip were also seen. But the best surprise of the stop was to enjoy more than decent views on a Black Woodpecker that was feeding around the area!
Eurasian Pygmy Owls (Glaucidium passerinum) inhabits spruce and fear forests, sometimes in high densitiesTengmalm’s Owl (Aegolius funereus) in its nest box around Oulu
Back into the boreal forest, we visited a nest box for Tengmalm’s Owl, and we also enjoyed good views on the bird taking out the head from its whole and watching us. From here, a short drive was mandatory to explore one of the typical corners for Ural Owl, and we were again granted with excellent views on a adult of this magnificient Owl! It was one of the tour participants who found the massive Owl roosting in a pine, and we had 15 minutes to admire and take some shots on the bird. Always respecting the distance so the bird was not disturbed.
After such a wonderful morning we drove back to our accommodation to have some rest. After lunch and rest, we visited a pair of places in the afternoon. Before dinner, we visited a corner near Oulu in the search of Terek’s Sandpiper. There, we enjoyed Common Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers, Common Sandpipers, Arctic Terns, Whinchats and singing Skylarks, but no sign of the Terek’s Sandpipers.
The last stop in the afternoon was to explore the large belt of marshes South of Oulu. Here we had a good list of waders, but also enjoyed good views on 1 Marsh Sandpiper along with several Wood Sandpipers and some Common Greenshanks. We had good scope views on the Marsh Sandpiper but not long because it was all the time getting inside the many ditches around.
Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola), a very common nesting wader in Northern Finland
After this 2nd stop we drove back the small distance to our accommodation to get an early dinner. After dinner, everybody with still some energy went for a walk inmediatly around our accommodation. A new booming Greater Bittern was listened around as well as a good variety a good selection of waders that included two Spotted Redshanks, Eurasian Oystercatchers and Common Ringed Plovers to name a few. In the distance, we also had a small flock of Barnacle Geese (now nesting in different places along the Baltic See), Great Crested Grebes (the only ones along the trip) and 2+ Great Northern Divers feeding in the bay.
Day 3. Early morning start to explore a pair of spots before our midday transfer to Kuusamo. The first spot was to check a nesting place of Great Grey Owl around Oulu. After some searching in the place, we enjoyed wonderful views not only of the female in the nest but also on the perfectly camouflaged male nearby!
An impressive Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa), one of the most impressive sights along the tour!
A second stop was to done North of Oulu, and even before arriving to the location we had excellent views on a pair of Hazel Grouses feeding on the ground, very vocal and moving in the woodlands. Very happy after such a great success, we still scanned around the area looking for other goodies, but Eurasian Robin and Reed Buntings was everything that we could see. After this scanning we went to search for some of the Pallid Harriers nesting around. The different stops along the morning produced Short-eared Owls, White-tailed Eagles, Rough-legged Buzzards, 3 Hen Harriers, several Marsh Harriers and even a Black Kite and 1 Eurasian Hobby (both species pretty scarce in the area), but unfortunately we couldn’t contact with any Pallid Harriers. Special mention required for a lovely pair of Garganeys that were spotted in our final stop that morning.
This one was the first of many Western Capercaillies (Tetrao urogallus) Mountain Hare (Leppus nitidus)
After lunch we drove to Kuusamo, where we did arrive in the late afternoon. En route, a stop was mandatory to enjoy the first of many females Western Capercaillies along the trip. All the clients enjoyed great views on this gorgeous female! Once in our accommodation, our guests enjoyed some free birding in the lake and forest around the hotel, enjoying good views on the nesting Goldeneyes, Black-throated Divers and Whooper Swans before dinner.
Day 4. Very early start that morning to explore the gorgeous boreal forests around Kuusamo. Before doing some walk in selected areas we had some “game drive” in some areas which are normally great for grouses. In about 30 minutes of drive we got 10+ Capercaillies and 2 Willow Grouses! We changed the area, and in a different lane we still got more Capercaillies (it looked like being everywhere) and 15+ Black Grouses, some of them lekking directly in the tarmac!
Black Grouses (Lyrurus tetrix) lekking in the road
After such a great start, we went to explore one of the most famous corners in the Kuusamo. This hill, with a good spruce forest in the top, is hosting some of the most wanted birds in the region. Unfortunately the rain was going to join us during the rest of the morning, but still we got 2 Bohemian Waxwings moving around and good views on 1 Red-flanked Bluetail while singing. The variety of birds was low, anyway. A further walk under the rain only produced Song Thrush and flocks of Crossbills passing away.
We had to wait until the stopped at mid-morning. Then we tried again the same spot, having good but good views on Parrot Crossbills and amazing views on 2 Siberian Jays that delighted the photographers in the group.
The boreal forests around KuusamoSiberian Jay (Perisoreus infaustus) within its amazing habitat
After our early lunch and a good nap, we went out to check out a pair of locations around Kuusamo. Our first stop produced excellent views on Mountain Hares, but also Eurasian Wigeon, Pied Flycatcher and Eurasian Woodcock singing around. But the best birds on this small grassland were a superb pair of Rustic Buntings that came to us, allowing excellent views by everyone in the group! After this stop we went to enjoy a colony of Little Gulls in the area, and we found more birds than ever before, allowing really close views on some pass by birds. Along with them, 4 Red-necked Grebes in full summer plomage were a wonderful way to end our afternoon.
This it turned out to be a good year for Rustic Buntings (Emberiza rustica)Little Gulls (Hydrocoloeus minutus) have rather mobile nesting colonies in Northern FinlandArctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea), the equivalent of Long-tailed Skuas for terns!
Day 5. Another really early start. After a wonderful breakfast, our first stop was to explore one of the best corners to enjoy Willow Grouse, and even before getting out of the van we were listening a bird singing around. After a short strall we got excellent views on a male singing from the top of a birch tree. 2 Rustic Buntings were also seen around, and the stop produced also a flock of migratoy Yellow Wagtails, and a male Eurasian (Northern) Bullfinch.
Willow Grouse (Lagopus lagopus) inhabits a wide range of habitatsRed-flanked Bluetail (Tarsiger cyanurus) keeps expanding its still tiny nesting range in FennoscaviaWhile searching for forest specialties we were surrounded by some very obliging Siberian Jays (Perisoneus infaustus)Scandinavian Willow Tit (Poecile montanus) showing the white edges in the wingThis superb Hazel Grouse (Tetrastes bonasia) was one of the birds of the day!Another superb view on Rustic Bunting (Emberiza rustica)
The second stop of the morning was devoted to have better views on Red-flanked Bluetail, and after some walk, we had wonderful views on a lovely male, but also Common Redstart, another male Rustic Bunting, Northern Goshawk and extremely confiding Siberian Jays!
From here we still visited another area of boreal forest, still searching for Tree-toed Woodpecker. Unfortunately we had no luck with this specialty but we got our first drake Smew, but also Scandinavian Willow Tits. In our way back, another stop was mandatory as we spotted a pair of Hazel Grouses. After some waiting, we all enjoyed amazing views on the male while singing and performing for us at close range!
After a stop and a coffee it was time to go North. From Kuusamo we drove North, getting inside the Northern Circle Pole. After an en route lunch, our last stop of the day was to explore a gorgeous patch of spruce forest really close to Ivalo. In here, one of my favourite spots in Finland, we had a pair of stops but it didn’t take long before we had our first Siberian Tit appearing and showing in front of us! A second stop produced another pair, and along the we had 3 Capercaillies and really close views on Black Grouses (both males and females).
Part of the group enjoying the first drake Smew of the tripNot many times you can enjoy Hazel Grouse (Tetrastes bonasia) in full sun lightSiberian Tit (Poecile cinctus) was a really desired bird for our group.We got several superb views on Capercaillies (Tetrao urogallus) around IvaloBrambling (Fringilla montifringilla) in full summer plumageWe were granted with really long views on a pair of Pine Grosbeaks (Pinicola enucleator)We had another displaying Willow Grouse (Lagopus lagopus)The group enjoying Pine Grosbeaks, one of them also visible in the image
A short walk around, even if it was at mid-afternoon, produced Siberian Jay, Bohemian Waxwing, Siberian Tit and Mealy Redpolls. But the very best birds of the afternoon were a pair of Pine Grosbeaks feeding, and the male even singing extremely close from the path. Our group enjoyed a 20 minutes long view in this amazing, and often extremely hard to find bird! In our way out of the area, we still had to stop again as 2 Willow Grouses were lekking in the dart road, and provided us, again, with unforgettable views!
Day 6. After the previous successful days, we decided to have a slightly later start today. After breakfast, we kept moving North towards to Norwegian border. In our way, we had a pair of stops to enjoy Rough-legged Buzzard and a pair of nesting PeregrineFalcons. Siberian Tit and Great Grey Shrike were other “en route” birds.
Rough-legged Buzzards (Buteo lagopus) reaches its best densities in the North Polar Circle
Once in Norway, we enjoyed excellent views on Rough-legged Buzzards and we had a mandatory stop in the road to enjoy some really close Moose. Keeping our way North, we had a stop in an estuary to look for migratory waders and geese. Here we had the only 2 Greater White-fronted Geese of the trip, and also 2 Tundra Bean Geese. The area was hosting some waders such as Eurasian Whimbrel, Sanderling, Ruddy Turstone, Dunlin in lovely full nesting plomage, Little Stints and the first Temminck’s Stint of the trip: a calling bird that was flying around the hide.
Getting inside Varanger is always a great experience, and soon we were enjoying great views on a number of White-tailed Eagles and Rough-legged Buzzards. A pair of Short-eared Owls were also noted, as well as the first of many Arctic Skuas. Before arriving to our accommodation we had some scanning in the bay around, and we were lucky enough to find 6+ Steller’s Eiders roosting along with Common Eiders, and including 3 drakes! While enjoying the birds, a close Temminck’s Stint feeding along Dunlins was also a nice adding! Happy with the scope views, we had a break and some members of the group decided to try closer views on the birds while exploring the meadows and coastline around our hotel.
A small flock of Steller’s Eiders (Polysticta stelleri) delighted us for most of an afternoon.
In the afternoon, the Steller’s Eiders were moved to the other side of the bay, so we drove and enjoyed excellent views on the birds while swimming and feeding, sometimes getting at close range of our group! Everybody was delighted with these magnificient birds as it was one of the main targets for most of our clients. Along with these beauties, the area produced the first of many Kittiwakes of the tour along with several Dunlins, Ruffs and some drake Bar-tailed Godwits.
Before dinner, we still had time to explore a first patch of tundra. Unfortunately it was windy so the number of birds was low. Still, we had good views on Meadow Pipits and European Golden Plovers but the best bird of the stop was a stunning Bluethroat singing his heart out!
Red-spotted Bluethroats (Luscinia svecica) can be really common in the bushland around the tundra
Day 7. Again a windy day in Varanger. The pre-dawn strall didn’t produce much because of the wind. After breakfast we went North to Vardo, where a small boat brought us to the bird colony in Hornoya. It is quite difficult to put down in words how an experience such as visiting Hornoya is. Tens of thousands of birds nesting, calling, yelling in cliffs. Waves of birds taking off from the roks to the sea: Guillemots (about 20% being “bridled”), Razorbills, Kittiwakes and wonderful Puffins nesting around! Atlanlic Shags a few inches away from you, nesting under rocks on the ground. Broken eggs of Auks on the ground, and the intense smell all around!
But Hornoya is also home for one of the easiest accessible colonies of Brünnich’s Guillemot, and once we were in the island, our first target was to find some of them. Even if not specially common, it didn’t take long before we had some of them nesting in the cliffs. Once located, we had some time enjoying the very close views on the Auks. We also had a confiding flock of Purple Sandpipers that catched our attention while a pair of Razorbills were mating only inches away from us! Rock Pipits were also seen around, catching insects but also exploring broken eggs while Great Black-backed & Herring Gulls were patrolling the area. Black Guillemots were scarce in the island this year, but we still got to see some around.
The impressive colonies of Auks in HôrnoyaGuillemots (Uria aalge), about 25% of them Bridled, are the commonest Auk in the areaIn Hôrnoya it is possible enjoy ridiculous views on Shags (Golosus aristotelis) Brünnichs Guillemots (Uria lomvia)Atlantic Puffins (Fratercula arctica) are the less common of the Auks nesting in HôrnoyaKittiwakes (Rissa Tridactyla) are everywhere!Purple Sandpipers (Calidris maritima) in full summer plumage. Flocks of these beauties were still in the move going towards RussiaRazorbill (Alca torda), the most elegant Auk in Europe!Here Common, Bridled and Brünnich’s Guillemots
In the distance we could the Greylag Geese nesting a close island, but our eye was permanently in the sky, looking for anything interesting to appear. 2 White-tailed Eagles were also patrolling the cliffs, and their movements produced waves of Auks leaving the nesting sites in search of shelter down in the ocean. We never saw any of the eagles catching an Auk, but they didn’t look in a hurry… Even if our main target in the sky never appeared (too early in the season?), we were granted with a pastby Glaucous Gull.
Back in the continent, we spend the afternoon exploring the tundra and the many bays between Hornoya and Hamminberg. The wind was still blowing, but even with it we soon had great views on some males Lapland Buntings. Several Arctic Skuas were also moving in this spot, already chosing the nesting site and being monitored by the White-tailed Eagles around. European Golden Plovers, Rough-legged Buzzard, Red-throated Pipits, Ruffs, Common Snipes, Wood Sandpipers and Common Ringed Plovers were also noted around. Along the bays we had several Long-tailed Ducks, but also Common Eiders, Tundra Bean Goose and large feeding flocks of Goosanders. Black-throated & Red-throated Divers were also seen in different locations.
Lapland Buntings (Calcarius lapponicus) were quite active all along the areaWhite-tailed Eagles (Haliaeetos albicilla) were a common view along the coast, including some very attractive adultsSmall flocks of Tundra Bean Geese (Anser serrirostris) were seen in the typical places
But the best sighting on our way North were 2 impressive Humpback Whales really close to the coast. One of them was splashing its large pectoral fin in the water, and at times we saw both the pectoral and the tail fins out of the water! It looks like this behaviour is not uncommon during the mating season, when females can do it for quite long to keep the attention of the males!
Once arrived to Hamminberg, we enjoyed good views on Atlantic Gannets fishing close to the coast. Large flocks of Goosanders were in the move to the East while both Long-tailed Ducks and Black Guillemots were all around. Still, the strong wind made the sea watching quite unpleasant. In our way back, a nice Pomarine Skua was also noted and provided us with good views!
Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) was the 3rd species of whale seen in our tours exploring Finnmark!
Day 8. In the morning we explored a patch of forest were a pair of Northern Hawk Owl was nesting, but unfortunately we couldn’t find it. Still, we got excellent views on Bluethroat while Bohemian Waxwings were moving around. After this stop we moved to center of Varanger, to explore some tundra plateaus. As soon as arrived to the high lands, we had the first Long-tailed Skuas performing for us, chasing each other in long pursuits. They were just arrived, so it means a lot of activity to defend the best corners of the tundra.
A number of stops along the way produced a great list of birds including close ups to Temminck’s Stints, Shore Larks, Lapland Buntings, Bluethroats, Ruffs and 4+ mobile Snow Buntings in shinning summer plomage!
The extremely smart Long-tailed Skuas (Stercorarius longicaudus) within its tundra nesting groundTemminck’s Stint (Calidris temminckii) in full summer plumage
After this successful start in the tundra, we decided to explore the Northern patch of coast of Varanger. There, Atlantic Gannets were fishing all around along with large numbers of Black Guillemots and Long-tailed Ducks. Great Cormorants and Goosanders were migrating East in good numbers and flocks of Purple Sandpipers were noted doing the same. The dramatic landscapes of the area were also the perfect background for small flocks of Twites moving in the grasslands, and a nice pair of King Eiders (female and 2nd year male) that we found inside a flock of 20+ Common Eiders.
Back to the plateau, we had a pair of stops searching for Rock Ptarmigan before we found a wonderful pair of them. Everybody in the group enjoyed wonderful scope views, and some enjoyed a walk in the snow to have closer views and good shots on the Ptarmigans. In our way to our hotel we still had a last stop, since we found an obliging pair of Red-throated Divers feeding really close to our lane.
2nd calendar-year male King Eider (Somateria spectabilis) along with Common Eiders (Somateria mollisima)Most of Varanger was still really icy!Rock Ptarmigans (Lagopus mutus), the male still showing his winter plumageRed-throated Diver (Gavia stellata) in wonderful afternoon lightSnow Buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) were scarce and very mobile!
Day 9. Morning stop in the plateaus in our way South to enjoy more views on Rock Ptarmigans, Snow Buntings and Shore Larks. Unfortunately we were a bit too early for Eurasian Dotterels, but the Long-tailed Skua spectacle was a wonderful reward anyway!
Almost in Finland, we had a last stop in Norwegian territory to scan for Gyrfalcons. Under the intense rain and wind we could only find a pair of Peregrine Falcons while pastby Merlin and Ring Ouzel were noted. Back into Finland, and despite the intense rain, we had a pair of stops in our way to the accommodation to admire close Smews and Bohemian Waxwings were noted again along the road.
During the afternoon, we were hit by the rain and the very strong wind. Still, we decided to explore a pair of corners targeting some specialties that had been scaping to us so far. After some driving, we arrived to one secret pool, were we enjoyed 10 minutes of plain weather, with Bluethroats, Reed Buntings, Yellow Wagtails around and confiding Wood Sandpipers. But the very best were 3 Red-necked Phalaropes landing in the pond quite close and offering some great views even under the incipient rain!
This drake Smew (Mergellus albellus) appeared in a smalls pond by the roadRed-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) was the very last specialty to appear in the tour, under the heavy rain!
Day 10. Early morning start to enjoy the bird feeders of our accommodation under the rain. Pine Grosbeaks offered great views as so it did the many drake Bramblings and 1 Red Squirrel. In our way to the airport for our morning flight, a very last female Capercaillie showed out as a wonderful way to end our 5th tour exploring Northern Finland and Finnmark!
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