Jared Goes to Finland

Ruska

A Canadian, a Czech and a Spaniard get into a car ...

No, it's not the start of a really corny joke. It's the beginning of my adventure this past weekend, taking a whirlwind tour of the Laplands.

My travelling companions were non-birders, so this was far from a birding trip. In fact, I drove straight through many habitats where I would normally have made a short detour to search for Capercaille, and I had to restrain myself from asking them to "watch out for Hawk Owls" as we sped through cut-overs!! Nevertheless, it was a great trip with lots of amazing scenery.

"Ruska" is the Finnish word used to describe the magical colours of autumn, especially in Lapland ... when the leaves turn shades of red, gold and brown. While the trees north of the arctic circle had dropped many of their leaves in the last few days, it still made for an unforgettable experience.

Our journey began on Saturday morning, as we headed to Rovaniemi -- the gateway to Lapland, sitting on the very edge of the Arctic Circle ("Napapiiri"). We spent the afternoon visiting the official Napapiiri crossing - which, with scores of souvenier shops and restaurants, just oozes shamelessly of "tourist trap". (Not that it wasn't worth the visit -- some of the best Lappish handicrafts can be found in those shops, and the "real" Santa Claus even has an official village there!!).

On Sunday, we continued north to the small town of Inari -- the unofficial centre of life and culture for the "Sami" people, who have lived in Lapland for thousands of years. At a latitude of 68.54 N, it is a great example of true northern Europe (and, in the Canadian scheme of things, is further north than Inuvik, Nunavut). The Siida Museum was an informative and very attractive place to visit, and our hike to the Pielpajärvi Wilderness Church (9 km return) was a great taste of the local landscape.

While not doing any "real" birding, I did encounter a few of my favourite northern boreal species during the hike --- two Parrot Crossbills (Isokäpylintu) twittered from the treetops, a couple small flocks of Siberian Tits (Lapintiainen) flitted about, a Willow Ptarmigan (Riekko) skulked in the underbrush, and four Siberian Jays (Kuukkeli) dropped in to check us out. One Golden Eagle (Maakotka) on the drive up was my only new species for the trip, and unfortunately I dipped on a few of the other species I had hoped to encounter.

Monday was a dark, dreary and sometimes drizzly day --- making the scenery on the long drive home a little less spectacular. A few strategic stops, including one at the Urho Kekkonen National Park, only made me wish I had more time to explore the amazing wilderness areas of Lapland. With the exception of many roadside Ravens (Korppi), Magpies (Harakka), Eurasian Jays (Närhi) and one Black Grouse (Teeri), birds were pretty scarce. Although other wildlife was also scant, the girls did get to see their first Reindeer (Poro) and Moose (Hirvi) during the journey.

We had clocked 1750 km by the time I got home ... a long but worthwhile trip. Lots left to see up there -- next time, I guess!!

A Willow Ptarmigan (Riekko), trying its best to be invisible. (Click to enlarge)

The colours of "Ruska" reflecting off the waters in Inari ... (Click to enlarge)

Lots of interesting landscapes in the Laplands, such as the old forests which have grown up around the erratic boulders left by glaciers. (Click to enlarge)

Another weekend ...

... another slow one.

Saturday was a fine day ... with the exception of a few isolated showers and one spell of "freezing rain", it was generally sunny with light winds. The unpredicatability of the weather here is very reminiscent of back home!!

I spent a few hours walking the Jälä fields - a farming area just north of the city which attracts a variety of passerines this time of year. I spent most of my time trying to turn some of the many Meadow Pipits (Nittykirvinen) into something a bit more interesting, but without any luck. One Skylark (Kiuru) and a handful of Northern Wheatears (Kivitasku) was as close as I got ...

The most exciting bird was a Rustic Bunting (Pohjansirkku), which made a brief appearance near a small patch of forest at the far end of the fields. It was a bit of a "coup" for me, as it was one of the few species I had missed in my trips up north earlier this summer!! Also of interest was my first Jack Snipe (Jänkäkurppa) which flushed up from a wet field, along with a few Common Snipe (Taivaanvuohi).

I tried to round out my Snipe list on Sunday, trudging through the wet fields of Haminalahti in search of Great Snipe. Alas, not a stir.

Sunday was a much cooler, windy day ... and my trip to Siilimasuo was pretty much a bust. With the birds keeping to the thick vegetation, scaring up the Chaffinch (Peippo) was the best I could do. I decided to try some Newfoundland-style alder-bashing (well, "willow"-bashing in this case!), but my "pishing" only attracted a few Willow Warblers (Pajulintu), European Robins (Punarinta) and Dunnocks (Rautiainen).

I'll have to try and sneak off again some early morning later in the week ...

One Sunday in September ...

This past weekend turned out to be a beautiful one for birding. Unfortunately, one of my other "hobbies" led to a late night out on Friday ... so Saturday was pretty much a bust. No regrets, of course!!

Sunday morning I joined some other birders at Siilamasuo -- an old abandoned garbage dump, which is now covered in grass and tall vegetation, producing great habitat for many birds. As has been usual for me lately, things were a little slow. The thick grass was alive, however, with common species -- such as Chaffinch (Peippo), Willow Warblers (Pajulintu), and Dunnocks (Rautiainen). The first fall Bohemian Waxwing (Tilhi) for the region was a nice sight, as was a Two-barred Crossbill (Käpylintu) - the most uncommon of the three crossbill species in Finland. A Black Woodpecker (Palokärki) was a fine addition to the morning. A Honey Buzzard (Mehiläishaukka) perched in a distant tree was interesting, and it later soared above my car as I headed out.

Next, I headed off on my own to the current dump, hoping to spend an hour with the gulls. Oddly, there were NO gulls when I arrived -- maybe because the garbage had recently been spread and buried, with nearby farm fields now providing better menus?? Opting instead to check the grassy hill above the dump, I was pleased to flush up my first Lapland Longspur (Lapinsirkku) for Finland, and listen to its unique voice. Lots of White (Västäräkki) and a few Yellow Wagtails (Keltavästäräkki) ran around the path in front of me, and two Willow Tits (Kuusitiainen) played on a nearby fence. Best of all, a migrating Bluethroat (Sinirinta) sat on an exposed perch, allowing nice looks at an uncommon and often elusive bird.

Later in the day, I joined two friends who were leading a group trip to the Maaninka farmlands. It was mostly a replay of my last few trips to the area, seeing many of the same birds as before. Of some interest was a very late Curlew (Kuovi) that appeared to be injured, and a straggling Golden Plover (Kapustarinta). The number of Common Cranes (Kurki) had decreased dramatically due to the widespread harvesting on the fields -- down from about 400 last week to less than 50. A few of the regular raptors were seen, including Eurasian Kestrel (Tuulihaukka), Eurasian Hobby (Nuolihaukka), and a female Northern Harrier (Sinisuohaukka). A Grey Heron (Harmaahaikara) flying over the road on the drive back was one of the better birds of the day.

This Lapland Longspur (Lapinsirkku) was quite nervous, but eventually allowed me to snap a few pics. (Click to enlarge)

Vesajöki, one of the farming areas of Maaninka which can provide great birding. (Click to enlarge)

Afternoons and Coffee Spoons

Monday morning this week was overcast and breezy -- I figured it was high time to check in on that raptor migration again. And ... I was thwarted once again. Despite the much better conditions than last week, all I could find were a few small raptors -- a handful of Kestrels (Tuulihaukka), Sparrowhawks (Varpushaukka), and two Eurasian Hobbies (Nuolihaukka).

Today, I joined two friends for a full day of birding in nearby Rautalampi -- a great area of wetlands and farmfields, where some interesting birds have been reported lately. It was a windy but relatively nice day -- the temperature slipping over 20C at midday. Unfortunately, it was also a slow day for birds.

If the Finns take their birding seriously, they take their coffee breaks even moreso. Back home in Newfoundland, a "break" means chugging some warm coffee and devouring a sub from the PCS corner store while driving between birding spots. But NOT here. No siree ...

Here, a coffee break is something sacred. The first mid-morning break involves finding a civilized place to sit down, drink coffee from a mug instead of directly from the thermos spout, and a healthy lunch of fruit and homemade sandwiches. A little later, closer to noon, a coffee break can be something much more complex. Today, it involved packing our things into a picnic shelter next to the birding tower (Yes -- coffee breaks are so important here that the birding society has even built a shelter just for that purpose). This time we pulled out all the stops ... started a fire, kicked back, enjoyed coffee, homemade juice, salad and more sandwiches. Most important was the makkara (Finnish sausage) -- roasting sausage over the fire is a staple of any Finnish summer outing. Boy am I going to miss makkara when I have to go home ...

As for birds, it was indeed a bit slow. The tail end of shorebird migration consisted of a handful of Ruffs (Suokukko), 2 Dunlins (Suosirri), a Common Ringed Plover (Tylli), and a Greenshank (Valkoviklo). The mediocre highlight was my first Black-bellied Plover (Tundrakurmitsa) for Finland. We did manage to note a few songbirds moving about -- notably Crested (Töyhtötiainen) and Willow Tits (Kuusitiainen) flocking together, increasing numbers of Eurasian Jays (Närhi), and a Brambling (Järripeippo).

A few raptors were on the move -- the most noteworthy of which were a Rough-legged Hawk (Piekana) migrating southward and a Northern Goshawk (Kanahaukka) seeming to enjoy the wind.

I also had my first experience with a "Moose Fly" (Haematobosca alcis) -- which has been expanding westward into Finland the last few years and is now a regular part of late-summer birding. They are ugly little buggers and, while they generally don't bite humans, they do like to get in your hair. Almost makes me want to shave my head and stop peeing in the woods ...

A typical makkara roast. Mmmmmmmmmmmm ... (Click to enlarge)

A Moose Fly ... Cute, eh? (Click to enlarge)

Raptor Migration

The end of summer and first few weeks of autumn is time for raptor migration in Finland - which becomes obvious when one looks at the birds being reported on local newsgroups.

This year has seen an unusually large invasion of Red-footed Falcons (Punajalkahaukka) to Finland, with 250-300 reported in the month of August -- most in the last week or so. On Saturday, I got a message about one being watched in Riistavesi (~30km NE of the city), but by the time I made it out there it had disappeared. While waiting around in hopes of it returning, I did get to see five Common Buzzards (Hiirihaukka), and a great family of Whooper Swans (Laulujoutsen) nearby.

I've been busy this week, and this morning was the first chance I had to check out the raptor migration for myself -- so I headed out to the agricultural area of Maaninka, where a good variety can be seen on a good day. Unfortunately, weatherwise, this was TOO good a day ... sunny and very light winds. Such days are not conducive to raptor-watching, and the best we could muster up were a handful of Eurasian Kestrels (Tuulihaukka) and Sparrowhawks (Varpushaukka). In fact, at most good vantage-points the closest thing to raptor we could find was a dragonfly or two!! Just goes to show how important the weather can be to birding --- I'll have to keep my eyes on the forecast and head back for the next breezy, cloudy day.

Besides raptors, we did manage to see a few other interesting birds -- including three late Curlews (Kuovi), five Golden Plovers (Kapustarinta), and my first Grey Heron (Harmaahaikara) for Finland. Grey Herons are not common breeders in Finland, and are observed here mostly in late summer.