Ecologist Susan Harrison has been to the North, and today we get her photos of some birds from Finland. Her notes and IDs are indented, and you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.
Northeastern Finland
Birdwatchers flock to northeastern Finland because there are more extensive old-growth coniferous forests there than anywhere else in Europe. Also, the relatively unmanaged forests of western Russia are a vast haven for wildlife, helping to maintain the neighboring eastern Finnish bird populations. Old-growth forests provide the large trees with decaying centers that certain birds require for nesting, as well as abundant lichens for nest materials and lush understories for food.
On our route to Arctic Finland and Norway in May 2024, a group of bird enthusiasts investigated Oulanka National Park and other areas around the northeastern Finnish town of Kuusamo, and then we crossed the Arctic Circle and looked around forests near the ski resort town of Ivalo.
These are some of the sought-after, old-growth-dependent songbirds we saw.
Red-flanked Bluetail (Tarsiger cyanurus):
Gray-headed Chickadee (Poecile cinctus):
Willow Tit (Poecile montanus):
Siberian Jay (Perisoreus infaustus):
Here are several forest grouse species.
Hazel Grouse (Tetrastes bonasia):
Black Grouse (Lyrurus tetrix):
Capercaillie female (Tetrao urogallus):
We saw a Hawk Owl female (Surnia ulula) nesting in an enormous Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris), and her mate perched on another such tree nearby:
Here are a few other birds we saw around Kuusamo and Ivalo.
Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus):
Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) adult male and first-year male:
Ruff (Calidris pugnax): a colorful male, a non-colorful male, and a non-colorful male courting two females while a Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) stood by. As you may have read, this bird has a fascinating breeding system with three genetically distinct types of males:
Splendid set – great alpine feel – never seen such a rotund waxwing!
Great photos! That red on the Hazel Grouse and the Black Grouse is a gorgeous red. Great owl pictures and of course the chubby waxwing.
Terrific! Thanks!
Not just “to the North” but a good fly from UC Davis! You life science academes are surely citizens of the world. Thanks Susan. As always, great photos.
Thank you for sharing your photos of some very special and rare birds from these far-northern realms. It’s always great to keep up with your fascinating travels to distant lands. I’m especially impressed that you got pictures of the secretive grouse species.
Ditto! Did you get to see any of the grouse lekking? One of my most memorable Finnish experiences was going to a black grouse lek and watching the males display. Your photo looks like he might be!
Yes, the black grouse were indeed lekking – 15 or so males performing for females who sat quietly watching. The display is a wonderful sight involving dashing back and forth, tail-wagging, and a sort of ‘gunslinger’ walk with wings held out to the sides. I’m sure they can only do it if they lack parasites (= an insider comment on Marlene’s brilliant work)!
Thanks John! Finding the elusive Hazel Grouse while out on an early morning solo walk, and later showing it to the rest of the group, was my brief moment of glory on the trip 😀
The adult pine grosbeak and the red-flanked bluetail pictures look like exquisite motives for watercolor drawings.
I looked up the pine grosbeak, as it seemed such an American, or rather, Canadian-sounding name for a Fennoscandian bird. I hadn’t really been aware that there are that there are many bird species beside crows/ravens that are holarctic, or maybe I should say circumpolar in this case.
Very true. The N Europe fauna is a mix of totally different species (like the bluetail and ruff), totally same species (like the pine grosbeak and waxwing), and extremely similar species pairs (like the tufted duck vs. ringtail duck, and pochard vs. redhead duck), relative to the N American fauna. I am pretty sure John’s research can explain some of these patterns!
RingNECK duck not ringtail 🙂
Thanks!
Excellent photos, each one a perfect portrait!
I have read up on ruff sexuality, fascinating stuff: Three 100 % autosomally genetically determined male morphs, let’s call them “genders”, which are morphologically and behaviourally distinct, and of which one is determined by an allele that is fatal in homozygous birds. The different males really like to copulate with each other, and the females are massively polyandrous.
The alleles that are gender-determining in males seem to have no particular effect in females?
That’s a wood sandpiper, surely?
Thanks for the correction! We were seeing a lot of both common and wood sandpipers that day, as well as so-called ‘green’ sandpipers. It was a challenge for me to keep the three species straight.
About ten years ago, we took a float trip down the Marsh Fork of the Canning River in Alaska. The Canning is the western boundary of the Arctic NWR. The trip’s purpose was to locate Gray-headed Chickadees. The guides ultimately located a nest where we watched the adults bring insects in to feed the young.
I think that the status of the bird in Alaska is now questionable, and the trip now offered has downgraded the chances of seeing it. This chickadee is a Eurasian species found along the northern edge of the Eurasian continent(s). It is known there as the Siberian Tit. We hope to see it again next May during a birding trip to Finland.
The raft trip was fascinating- ten people including two guides with no one else seen. Lots of wildlife- wolves, grizzlies, moose, ground squirrels and marmots and caribou. Other great birds included a pair of Smith’s Longspurs and a Golden Eagle on a nest.
Beautiful photos thanks!
Susan: What equipment are you using? Thanks.
Hi Jim, I use a Sony RX10.4 ‘bridge’ camera, with one set of settings for perched birds that I use for 95% of shots. It’s not like having an SLR with a huge lens, but it’s nice and portable.
Thank you — these are extra special. I love the super closeup of the Red-flanked bluetail. So nice. Made my Friday.
Wait a minute! Pine grosbeak? So what about the bill? How about crossbills?
PG has large thick even bill. Not this one; it is clearly crossed.
We saw some gorgeous Red and Parrot Crossbills too, but this one is a Pine Grosbeak. Maybe it needs an orthodontist? 🙂 Both grosbeaks and crossbills are just large finches that eat conifer seeds, so there’s some resemblance.