I am seriously worried about the dearth of wildlife photos on hand. We have enough to last for about five days, and then that’s it. I urge you to send in your good wildlife photos if you have them. (For submission guidelines, see the “how to send me wildlife photos” post on the left sidebar. Summer is coming in the Northern Hemisphere, and that means lots of sun, which prompts the appearance of flora and fauna.
Today’s photos are from UC Davis ecologist Susan Harrison. featuring her recent trip to Finaland. Her narrative and captions are indented, and you can click on the photos to enlarge them.
Oulu, Finland, May 2023
While in Finland in early May to attend a meeting at Oulu University, I had the opportunity to see one of nature’s marvels: the arrival of migratory songbirds to their high-latitude breeding grounds. At the edge of the Baltic Sea, at 65°N, and well-forested, southern Lapland is a prime destination for many migrants as well as a thoroughfare for others headed for the Arctic. Never before had I heard woods ringing with birdsong and observed new species arriving every day. The pace felt frantic: birds in constant motion singing, feeding, chasing, nest-building. Every morning I headed to the parks and trails at sunrise — 4:30 am! — clutching the very helpful Merlin bird ID app.
Here’s Oulu; a very Finnish scene blending water, forest, traditional-style buildings, and industry (the giant Stora Enso paper mill):
Here are a few of the birds….
Great Tit (Parus major):
Eurasian Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus):
Eurasian Robin (Erithacus rubecula):
Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs):
Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris):
Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula):
Redwing (Turdus iliacus):
Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella):
Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe):
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major):
Here are two adorable small mammals that have become rare in much of Europe…
European Hare (Lepus europaeus):
Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris):
Here’s my main birdwatching haunt, Hupisaarti City Park, at dawn with European Hare in foreground and Oulu Lutheran Cathedral in background:
Beautiful photos! I especially love that last one with the European Hare just sitting there.
Lovely photos. Great pictures (and Eurasian blue pictures).
I always greatly enjoy learning of your travel adventures and seeing photos of the wildlife you encountered on these trips. Thanks!
Very well done! I looked up the European hare and learned that their numbers have declined, owing to expansion of land development with intensive farming. In farmed areas they can do ok as long as there is a variety of forage. They have been introduced into several continents, and there is even a population over here in the U.S.
Great photos – thanks for sharing!
I’ll get hate for it, but hare is the closest thing to moose for eating purposes. It amazes me how they taste so similar.
Hares have multiple foes, it turns out – gardeners being one example! My Finnish host, a 100% nature lover in all other ways, told me that hares are very BAD animals. 😸
What a picturesque town. Almost all the birds were new to me, and what a lovely bunch you captured. Sounds like a lot of fun…well, maybe not the 4:30 am part! 🙂 I admire your dedication.
Or at least useful insomnia…..
Aha…insomnia’s silver lining- works for nature photographers!
Lovely. All familiar for European readers, though changes in agriculture & human environmental degradation have reduced numbers of some – yellow hammers for example, used to be common in the UK in the 60s.
Not any more 🙁
Don’t give up on the feature! I’m in Botswana RIGHT NOW and will have a great cache of wildlife photos from the familiar (hippos, lions, giraffes) to the unusual (Egyptian goose, Kori bustard, African Fish Eagle)
An avid birder like yourself that far north could bird almost 24 hours a day.