Overview

This is a report following a birding trip to Finland and Varanger by Wilton Farrelly, Dennis Weir and Willie McDowell.

We traveled in late May in order to maximise opportunities to pick up species that can be difficult at other times of the year e.g. Owls and Woodpeckers, and to get early migrants. We decided to travel extensively and the longer daylight hours enabled two whole 'nights' to be spent birding, although having to travel the following day, led to significant sleep loss (…..for myself and Dennis).

The route followed over the 11 birding days was Helsinki to Kuusamo, Varanger (Norway), Ivalho, back to Kuusamo, SE Finland, Hameenlinna and down to Helsinki. We kept to our planned itinerary for 24 hrs only when in Kuusamo we learnt of a White Winged Lark on Varanger and decided to travel up to Norway asap, after we had finished our night owling. Despite the extensive drive, this worked well as we then had some time free later in the trip to spend birding elsewhere in SE Finland, although as we had not expected to bird this area, our site literature for south east Finland was very poor.

Getting local information anywhere was important and we had built up some good contacts. Two paid guides were used, primarily for Owls. Most other birds were found by ourselves. Working the northern forests was extremely difficult and often very disappointing due to the few birds species which can be seen in late May and their scarcity. The same extensive forests also made the driving monotonous.

The weather in the north was extremely cold with plenty of snow although never on the trip did the weather prevent us from birding an area. Winds were continually strong and from the north and this had the effect of holding back spring migrants when in the north of the country.

Overall 200 species were seen and it proved to be a good trip but very demanding and it took about a week for us to get our sleeping pattern back to normal.


Travel, Accommodation and Logistics

We flew from Stansted to Helsinki on Buzz ( www.buzzaway.com ) at a cost of only £110 return. The flight took just under 3 hours.

We arrived in Helsinki around 7:30 pm and picked up a hire car with Avis (circa £600). We drove into Helsinki and took a car sleeper night train to Oulu. The cost was £150 including car transport and a three bunk cabin. This train journey was booked through Norvista in the UK.

We drove the remainder of the trip and generally the roads in Finland and Norway are excellent and well signposted. The roads in the north are very quiet and easy to drive.

Accommodation was generally taken in Cabins at Camp Sites. These ranged from £25 - £60 a night. Some are to excellent standards (and more expensive) but the lowest quality one taken (at Oiitta Camping, Espoo, Helsinki) was basically a room only with 4 bunks and communal toilets \ showers.

The only non 'camping' accommodation used during the trip was:

• Vardo, Varanger: A room for 2 nights was taken in a guest house near the harbour. The cost of a room which slept three was 300 Kroner (about £30) a night. This was a bargain as Norway is extremely expensive (a loaf, butter and milk cost nearly £6 and a pint will set you back at least £5!). The camping site at Vardo did not open until the 1st June.
• Golden Bear Hotel, Sodankyla: A three person room with breakfast was good value at £60.

General advice on travelling has been provided in other reports but I would also offer the following guidance:

• When getting bird site info, try and get very detailed information and write every instruction down at the time (and avoid references to dead trees and lakes - there are a lot of them!).
• Buy all your provisions and petrol before travelling into Norway.
• In Norway we found that on Sunday, all shops and most importantly petrol stations, close. We had to pay cash to another motorist for him in order to get petrol.
• The weather in the north was extremely cold so warm, windproof clothing is absolutely essential.

Information sources

A wide variety of people provided information both before we went and when in the country. A big thanks is offered to them as many went to considerable efforts to provide us with detailed information. They included:

Annika Forsten, Finland
Rob Morris
Olli Karhu, Ivalho,
Dag Korsnes, Norway,
Heikki Seppanen, Kuusamo
Killian Mullarney
Angus Hogg
Angus Murray


There are various trip reports available on the internet and the better ones are:

Inarin Lappi and Varangerfjord, Harry Lehto - http://www.astro.utu.fi/~hlehto/reports

Northern Scandanavia, Pieter van der Luit - http://members.tripod.lycos.nl/warbler/scand99t.htm

Finland & Northern Norway, Barry Cooper - http://www.crosswinds.net/~birdtrips/Finland99.html

Northern Scandanavia, Gruff Dodd - http://www.crosswinds.net/~birdtrips/NorthScand98.html

Finaland & Varanger, Roberto Garavaglia - http://web.tiscalinet.it/ebnitalia/trips/trip08.htm

Northern Finland and Varanger, Simon Woolley - http://www.jjcskw.demon.co.uk/finland.htm



Where to Watch Birds in Scandanavia was used but only for some very general information and in particular for SE Finland when we decided to travel there and had no site gen. It is however out of date and sometimes inaccurate. For example there is an inaccurate reference to Collared Flycatchers at Valtavarra, there are no directions to Viikki and some key sites are missing (e.g. Tohmajarvi).



Itinerary

Date Location visited 23rd May Traveled Belfast to Stansted, Stansted to Helsinki, overnight train to Oulu 24th May Liminganlahti, Hirvisuo Bog, Kuusamo. Night, birded with Finnature around Kuusamo. 25th May Finished birding at 5:30am and headed on E63 north to Kemijarvi. Drove to Vardo, Varanger arriving there at about 4:00pm. Stayed Vardo. 26th May Vardo to Hamningberg in the morning and Vardo to Vadso in the afternoon. Stayed Vardo that night. 27th May Vardo, Vadso, Nesseby, Tana river, Sirma fields, Utsjoki, Mt Ailigas to Inari. Stayed at a camping site north of Inari. 28th May Kaamanen, Inari, Ivalo \ Veskoniemi, Tankavaara \ Urho Kekkosen NP, Peurasuvanto, Petkula Marsh, stayed Sodankyla. 29th May Sodankyla, Luosto Ski Resort, Kemijarvi, Kuusamo, Suomussalmi, Kajanni, Nurmes 30th May Nurmes, Lieksa, Patvinsuom NP, Vartsila, Tohmajarvi, Kitee. Stayed north of Parikkala. 31st May Parikkala, Hameenlinna, Hauho (tried unsuccessfully to sleep in car). 1st June Hauho area (started birding at 3:00am). Late afternoon to Espoo, Helsinki 2nd June Helsinki area including Porkkala and Vikki 3rd June Espoo Laajalahti and Vermo. Airport for 10:30am. Helsinki to Stansted to Belfast.

Site Guide

Despite some good trip reports we still found information (particularly directions) on some sites to be thin on the ground. I have therefore set out below, a list of all the key sites that we visited. We did stop speculatively at some sites although this did not really add any new birds for the trip. The exception was stumbling upon a pair of Rustic Buntings at a marsh between Oulu and Kuusamo.

Central Finland   Oulu Liminganlahti Located on Road 4, south of Oulu. Signposted and info is available at the reception centre. Good for e.g. Ortolan, Bunting, Cranes and waders. Also visited the Sannanlahti hide 6 / 7 km to the west. Hirvisuo Bog This is located on road 20 to Kuusamo, about 45 km east of Oulu. There is a Kiosk in the car park which is on the Northern side of the road. Bird Tower is about 5 mins walk. Had Golden Eagle, Great Grey Shrike and Bean Geese. Kuusamo Area We only spent about 3 hours and a night in the area. It deserved more time. The areas watched included the lake (from the rear of the Museum) and the Sewerage Works (accessed from the road parallel to the main road into Kuusamo). Valtavaara About 30 km north of Kuusamo. Take the right on the road 8694. Drive a further 4km to the parking place on the left. Two visits. First visit at 4:00am on the 24th had Siberian Jay, Capecaille and a singing but distant Red Flanked Bluetail on the northern side of the valley. There was heavy snow cover on the ground at this time. A second visit (in the afternoon) a week later and most of the snow had gone. Over 90 minutes we did manage to find10 species including Siberian Jay and Hazel Hen (3). The walk to the cabin is recommended. Road 5 \ E63 We travelled this road north from Kussamo on the morning of the 25th. We had Hazel Hen, Capercaillie and Willow Grouse all feeding on the gravel verges by the road. Well worth setting off early in the morning for some easy birding! Norway   Varanger Varanger is well covered in the literature and two recommended sources of information are: Morten Gunthers website at: http://home.online.no/~egnter/finnmark.htm Tommy Pedersons web site at: http://home.online.no/~stingray/Varanger.htm A number of updates on the birding sites on Varanger would be: Store Ekkeroy - Some literature refers to breeding Brunnichs Guillemot. Whilst the area was not fully explored, we could only see cliffs full of Kittiwakes and no Auks. Vadso - The site is no longer used as a dump but is still worth investigating. There is a platform on the south side of the island which gives excellent views out into the Fjord. The harbour is the top spot in Varanger for Stellers Eider. This is also the place from which to look for waders in the harbour. Hornoya - We did not visit the island as we had Brunnichs at Vardo and Hamningberg. There is seemingly no problem in getting a boat over during the week, but boats do not run on Sundays (unless you are willing to pay £100) Vardo - We only had four King Eider for the trip and three of these were immature birds in Vardo harbour. There are roads around the island to the north which run along the shore and these were worth taking for Auks and Eider. Kramvik - This village about 15 km west of Vardo held the rarity of the trip, a male White Winged Lark. It fed in the fields around the stream, close to the shore. We also had Temmicks Stint, Lapland Bunting, Shorelark and Snow Buntings in these fields. Other grass fields close to the shore a few km further to the east were also good for Snow and Lapland Buntings. Hayholmen This site is at the mouth of the Tana river on the 890. It is clearly signposted and is a spectacular landscape (but windswept). We had close up views of Long Tail Skuas, as well as a drake King Eider and Velvet Scoter here. We also heard of a hunting Gyr Falcon been seen shortly after we left. Lapland   Sirma Fields These fields are about 20km to the NE of Utsjoki. They are good for migrating geese. We had fabalis Bean and Greylag there along with Teal, Pintail and Wigeon. They are however best viewed from the border road to the south (in Finland) which follows the Tana river. There are a number of parking places which enable you to scan the fields. Mt Ailigas This is a known Dotterel and Ptarmigan site. Unfortunately we could only locate Willow Grouse and there was still too much snow cover for Dotterel. Haapalahti Bird Tower At about 22 km north of Inari, there is a good site. If travelling north, you will come across a large number of sign posts for a left turn. All signposts are brown in colour and one is for Lintutorni (bird tower). Drive down the road (tarmac) until a deer research station where the road turns to the left. Continue driving along a few hundred meters until you reach a bird tower on the right. We had a Hawk Owl which gave good views from the tower. Inari About 6 km south of Inari there is a turn to the left (if travelling north) to a radio transmitter. The area here had held Pine Grosbeaks but we were unable to locate any. Ivalo We were advised of a number of sites: The sewerage farm: Access was forbidden and there would seem to be a new gate so I would presume that this site is now out of bounds. Veskoniemi: drive 10 km east from Ivalo and turn left to Veskoniemi. After 10 km or so turn left just after a small bridge and drive/walk straight on as far as you can to the waters edge. Mielikköjänkä: Drive 10 km:s east of Ivalo, turn left to Veskoniemi, drive 6km and you will see a bog and a small lake on your left. There is now a new bird tower here. Mt Kiilopää This is 42 km south on Ivalo and is supposed to be a good place for Dotterel and Ptarmigan. There is vehicular access to the top but there was too much snow on the ground for Dotterel and we did not see any Ptarmigan Tankavaara \ Urho Kekkosen Nat Park This park is about 95 km north of Sodankyla. After many birdless hours on the road this looked a good place to stop. It is detailed in the Where to watch guide. Between the three of us, we walked two trails (3 km and 6km). However, never have we had to look so hard for birds and then produce so little. Three hours later, we had amassed a total of 3 species for the site (although we did have Siberian Jay down to a metre). Whilst it was still early in the year and it was cold we would presume that this site holds a lot more! Petkula Marsh 30 km north of Sodankyla. Luosto This is a ski resort about 40km south of Sodankyla. It is well signposted and we had been told that Pine Grosbeaks had been seen. An hour in the area did produce e.g. Siberian Tit and Black Woodpecker but again, it was hard work. Pyhatunturi This is a mountain \ forest site located off the E63 about 65km south of Sodankyla. It is a ski resort as well as a national park and did have a nature centre that was open. We only spent an hour here but it was more productive than other areas and deserved more time. South East Finland   Patvinsuom National Park This is located about 30km south east of Lieksa. Again it was referred to in 'Where to watch birds …' but was very disappointing. Even the bird tower in the south western corner did not give good views and was distant from the marsh. Vartsila This was the first good site that we encountered in south east Finland and is very close to the Russian border. Take the 490 east from road 6, and drive to Vartsila. Travel north on the 500 for a few km and the bird tower is signposted on the right. Booted Warbler breeds here (not seen) and there is a good bird tower. We had Slavonian and Red Necked Grebes, Garganey, Bittern and Corncrake as well as numerous other species. Well worth a stop. Parikkala After Liminganlahti, this is Finland's best wetland site. It is located about 70km north east of Imatra and is signposted from the main road and the town of Parikkala. There is a reception centre and a good bird tower. The groves to the bird tower held Thrush Nightingale. From the tower we had Hobby (5), Golden Oriole, Garganey, Slav Grebes, flying Bittern, Great Reed Warbler and plenty of other bird activity. White Backed Woodpeckers breed on the island in front of the tower. If you continue past the parking place, near to the bridge we had Blyths Reed Warbler. We also had our only River Warbler of the trip, near to the junction with the main road. Southern Finland   Hauho Area Birded the area with Pekka Pottu. See below. Helsinki - Porkkala This is one of the southern most headlands and a migration watch point. You can park near the end and follow 'paths' to the most southern point. If you have the available time it is worth a visit, particularly at the weekend when there are local birders present. We added a few birds for the trip list. There is a bird tower about 5 km before the end at a large car park and we had 11 Honey Buzzards moving through as well as White Tailed Eagle. Also had Barred Warbler and Hawfinch in the area. It is also one of the best areas in which to look for Parrot Crossbill although we did not see or hear any. Helsinki - Viiki This is a marsh in Helsinki at which we had Little Tern. It has a bird tower at the southern end. This is a known breeding site for Citrine Wagtails although over an hour we did not see any. We did have good views of Thrush Nightingale here, from the boardwalk close to the tower. Helsinki - Vermo Behind the Vermo race track is a known area of scrub and bushes which held Marsh Warbler and numerous Scarlet Rosefinches. Unfortunately we visited here on the last morning of our stay and the pace and lack of sleep had started to have its affect. We did not manage to bird the area until 8:00am in the morning and very little was heard to call. Helsinki - Espoo Laajalahti A wetland, marsh and wooded site which although not holding anything seen elsewhere, looked as though it has considerable potential. (A River Warbler was reported from here).

Owling and Guides

Two guides were used:

1) Finnature. This was prebooked from the UK and was for a nights birding at Kuusamo on the 24th, at a cost of 500 FM (about £50 stg) each. It would seem that Oulu is the main Owling centre in Finland but this year was a very poor owl year. Hawk Owl nest sites were only known around Kuusamo. We met the guide in Kuusamo and five of us were taken to a Hawk Owl nest site. The female was on the nest and unfortunately only three tail feathers were showing! After an hours wait, the male had not shown up so the guide decided to take us to another site. It was however an hour's drive away and very close to the Russian border but did result in good, but brief (a few minutes) views of a male Hawk Owl. The guide also showed us Siberian Jay, Siberian Tit and we had a Red Flanked Bluetail singing at Valtavarra. The latter was the only bird that we did not see elsewhere on the trip.

2) We had arranged through Annika Forsten, a night \ morning birding on the 1st with Pekka Pottu near Hauho. Pekka was described in a previous trip report as a 'maestro'. This is an understatement. He is an extremely talented birder who has an excellent ear and who knows his area and the birds extremely well. We met him at 3:00am in the morning and 12 hours later we had clocked up Ural, Tengmalms, Pygmy and Eagle Owl, Three Toed and Grey Headed Woodpecker, numerous Black Woodpeckers, Nutcracker, Coal Tit, Long Tailed Tit and Icterine Warbler. We had excellent views of all Owls and Woodpeckers although we did have to look in a nest box at Pygmy Owl but this did not cause any disturbance. Finally he showed us a Flying Squirrel that had taken up residence in a nest box. The charge was a total 1500 FM for the day and it was the best birding day of the trip.


Comments on species seen

Species Comments Red Throated Diver Common, particularly Lapland north of Kuusamo Black Throated Diver Common, particularly Lapland, north of Kuusamo White Billed Diver Only three, all at Varanger. Great Crested Grebe Seen regularly in central southern Finland. Red Necked Grebe Seen in Southern \ SE Finland, e.g. Vartsila Slavonian Grebe Seen regularly in Southern Finland Fulmar Birds seen in Varanger Gannet A few birds seen in Varanger Shag Common in Varanger Cormorant Common in Varanger Bittern About 6 birds heard and one seen well, flying at Parikkala Grey Heron Only seen in the south of the country Whooper Swan Seen on a daily basis Mute Swan Various sites in and around Helsinki Bean Goose fabalis Birds seen in small flocks at Hirvisio Bog, Sirma fields and small lakes in Lapland. Greylag Goose Oulu and Lapland Canada Goose Feral birds at Helsinki Brent Goose (Dark Bellied) A single bird came in off the sea at Porkkala Barnacle Goose One flock of about 30 birds at Parikkala Shelduck Seen at various locations Wigeon Common American Wigeon A drake at Tohmajarvi on the 30th May Mallard Seen frequently but not in the same numbers as would be expected in the UK Pintail Birds seen in Varanger and Lapland Shoveler Various locations throughout Finland Teal Various locations throughout Finland Garganey About 10 birds seen, Oulu, Parikkila, Vartsila Pochard Seen regularly in central and SE Finland Tufted Duck Common King Eider Only four seen. Vardo harbour on the 26th May (3 immature males) and a drake male at Hayholmen on the 27th. Stellers Eider Over 1000 birds seen in Varanger. Also a single drake on Tohmajarvi on the 30th May. Eider Common in Varanger Long-tailed Duck Common, central and northern Finland. Common Scoter Common, central and northern Finland and Varanger Velvet Scoter Varanger and Porkkala Goldeneye Common Smew Only a few birds seen in central Finland Red Breasted Merganser Seen regularly Goosander Common Marsh Harrier Common, central and northern Finland at the right habitiat. Sparrowhawk Only a few birds seen in southern Finland Honey Buzzard 11 from Porkkala bird tower on the 2nd June Buzzard A few seen in SE \ southern Finland Rough-legged Buzzard Common in Lapland and Varanger White Tailed Eagle After extensive searching on Varanger, we had an adult about 10km west of Vardo. Also had an adult at Tohmajarvi on the 30th May and a distant bird from Porkkala bird tower on the 2nd June. Golden Eagle Two birds flew over Hirvisuo Bog on the 24th May. Osprey One bird just south of Perxxxxx and birds at Vartsilla and Parikkala Kestrel One bird only at a location we cannot remember. Surprisingly rare! Hobby Five birds Parikkala, two birds Porkkala Peregrine One bird only at Liminganlahti Merlin Common n the north and in Varanger Willow Grouse Common north of Kuusamo, into Varanger. Capercaillie Five birds, one Valtavarra, three on the road north from Kuusamo and a 'rogue' Caper near Hauho. Black Grouse Common Hazel Grouse Two by road north from Kuusamo, three Valtavarra Corncrake Heard at Vartsila Water Rail Heard at a number of sites in SE Finland Coot Common in the south Crane 50+ at Liminganlahti, Hirvisuo bog, Hauho and various other sites. Oystercatcher Varanger and Porkkala Ringed Plover Liminganlahti Golden Plover Common in Varanger Grey Plover One flock at Porkkala Lapwing Common, central \ southern Finland Turnstone Common Varanger Curlew Sandpiper One, Vadso. Dunlin Vadso and a few sites on Varanger Purple Sandpiper Common, Varanger Little Stint One Vadso Temmincks Stint Vadso, Kramvik and a few other locations on Varanger. Ruff Common Curlew Common Whimbrel A few birds in Varanger Black-tailed Godwit Two birds only at Liminganlahti Bar-tailed Godwit Common in Varanger Redshank Seen frequently Spotted Redshank Seen frequently at the right habitat Greenshank Seen regularly Wood Sandpiper Common Green Sandpiper Seen regularly but not as often as Wood Sandpiper Common Sandpiper Seen frequently Woodcock Only one bird seen at Valtavarra at circa 4:00am. Snipe Seen in Central \ Southern Finalnd. Red-necked Phalarope A flock of 15+ birds seen at Kuusamo on the 29th May. No doubt the strong northerly winds keep birds from moving north and we had none in Varanger. Arctic Skua Common in Varanger Long-tailed Skua Common in Varanger Little Gull Common in Central and SE Finland Black-headed Gull Common Common Gull Very common Kittiwake Common in Varanger Glaucous Gull Around 20 birds seen in Varanger. Iceland Gull One bird only at Hamningsberg. Great Black-backed Gull Seen regularly Lesser Black-backed Gull A number of birds seen in Central and southern Finland. Common Tern Seen frequently Arctic Tern Seen frequently Little Tern One, Viiki 2nd June Guillemot Common on Varanger Brunnichs Guillemot Two birds, Vardo island and Hamningsberg. Razorbill Common around east Varanger Black Guillemot Common Puffin Reasonable numbers seen in and around Vardo \ Hornoya Wood pigeon Seen in southern Finland Stock Dove Four birds at Viiki Cuckoo Heard regularly and seen in Southern Finland. A 'red' female was seen flying at Parikkila. Short Eared Owl Two birds. One near Liminganlahti and one at Kuusamo Eagle Owl A pair seen with Pekka Snowy Owl A single bird about 10km west of Vardo Hawk Owl Three birds seen. Two with Finnature. One bird at Haapalahti Bird Tower. Ural Owl A female seen and a male heard with Pekka Great Grey Owl A single bird seen outside Kuusamo. This was a real bit of luck as it was only found about 12 hours before we arrived and in Finland there were no known breeding sites at the time of our trip. Pygmy Owl A female in a nest box with Pekka. Tengmalms Owl A single bird at a nest box with Pekka. Swift Common in south Black Woodpecker Singles at Luosto and from the road north of Helsinki. About six birds seen with Pekka Grey Headed Woodpecker A pair seen with Pekka Great Spotted Woodpecker Seen frequently Three-toed Woodpecker A female seen with Pekka Skylark Seen regularly Shore Lark Seen in Varanger White-winged Lark A male seen at Kramvik on Varanger was the surprise of the trip. Sand Martin Common House Martin Common Swallow Common Tree Pipit Seen regularly Meadow Pipit Common Pied Wagtail alba Very common Yellow Wagtail thunbergi Seen regularly Waxwing Seen frequently in Lapland Wren Only seen in southern Finland. Dunnock Only seen in southern Finland. Robin Seen in small numbers Thrush Nightingale Seen in southern Finland Red-flanked Bluetail A single singing male at Valtavarra on the morning of the 25th Bluethroat Seen in the north of Finland Redstart Seen in Lapland and SE Finland Whinchat Seen regularly Wheatear Seen regularly Blackbird Common Fieldfare Very common Redwing Very common Song Thrush Seen regularly Mistle Thrush Seen regularly River Warbler One bird only at Parikkila Great Reed Warbler One bird only at Parikkila Sedge Warbler Common Blyths Reed Warbler Seen at Parikkila and Porkkala Marsh Warbler Espoo Vermo held about six birds Reed Warbler Birds at e.g. Parikilla Icterine Warbler One bird only near Hauho Garden Warbler Common Lesser Whitethroat Seen regularly Whitethroat Common Blackcap Seen \ heard regularly Barred Warbler One male at Porkkala Wood Warbler Seen regularly (generally felt that these birds were much duller in appearance than GB \ I birds). Willow Warbler Very common Chiffchaff Common Goldcrest Frequent in the south Pied Flycatcher Common Spotted Flycatcher Common Siberian Tit Probably about 15 birds seen in total Willow Tit About half a dozen bids seen of this distinctive race Crested Tit Seen around Hauho Blue Tit Seen regularly Great Tit Seen regularly Coal Tit Only one pair seen near Hauho Long-tailed Tit A pair at a nest, seen near Hauho. Excellent views of this Scandanavian race. Treecreeper Seen infrequently Red-backed Shrike About seven birds seen in total, all in the south of the country Great Grey Shrike Only one bird at Hirvisuo Bog Starling Seen regularly in the south Golden Oriole Two birds seen, one other heard at Parikilla Siberian Jay About 15 - 20 birds seen in Lapland, including birds at the car park at Valtavarra Jay Common Nutcracker A single bird near Hauho was a real surprise Magpie Common Jackdaw Common in south Raven Seen regularly Carrion Crow Common Tree Sparrow A few birds were seen north of Parikilla House Sparrow Common Chaffinch Common Brambling Common in Lapland, often in large flocks Hawfinch One bird, Porkkala Siskin Common Greenfinch Common Goldfinch A few birds seen in SE Finland Bullfinch Seen frequently Mealy Redpoll Common in Lapland. Some would often be problematic and could not be assigned easily to one particular species Arctic Redpoll Seen in Lapland and in particular Varanger Twite Five birds in Varanger Scarlet Rosefinch Common at Espoo Vermo and seen at a few other sites in southern Finland Crossbill Seen \ heard fequently in southern Finland Yellowhammer Seen at various sites Ortolan Bunting Four birds at Oulu Liminganlahti Rustic Bunting A pair were seen very well at a marsh east of Hirvisuo Bog. A single bird flew over Valtavarra on the 25th Reed Bunting Common Lapland Bunting About 20 birds seen on Varanger Snow Bunting Common on Varanger

Also seen: Pheasant.


Summary

This was a demanding trip. Over 4400 Km's were driven in 10 days. We managed to connect with all our priority species but we were disappointed not to have seen e.g. Pine Grosbeak or Parrot Crossbill. The cold weather and a week of strong northerly winds had also held back many summer migrants such as Greenish Warblers.

If planning a trip again, I would suggest starting out probably a few days later at the end of May as this would still be ok for the Owls and should enable more summer migrants to be seen. I would also liked to have spent a bit more time researching sites in SE Finland as this area was not on our original itinerary. We also probably spent too much time working northern woodlands that were unproductive.

Despite the above it was a rewarding and enjoyable trip. Finland is an easy country to travel around, it is not expensive and overall the birding was excellent.


Wilton Farrelly