Three Rivers Birding Club Southwestern Pennsylvania

Lands of the Midnight Sun, Norway and Finland, are homes to reindeer and birds in beautiful breeding plumage in May. Ever since the sighting of a plain female Ruff on 3RBC's outing to Cape May and Bombay Hook in 2004, we have been eager to see Ruffs in breeding plumage. The two of us also have been hoping to find Steller's Eider, Yellow-billed Loon, Boreal Owl, and other birds which we had not seen in Alaska. Rockjumper's excursion "Finland & Norway: Forests and Fjords," May 9 to May 21, seemed to be a perfect solution to seeing our birds and escaping the self-imposed isolation of COVID.

Sherron and I were very careful to wear masks on the international flights and especially within chaotic JFK Airport We felt secure not wearing them within Finland and Norway. We arrived a day early, May 8, in Helsinki and birded a little. Rain precluded us from doing much, but we enjoyed riding trams and seeing some of Helsinki's beautiful architecture.

On May 9 we took a short plane ride to Ivalo, Finland, where the tour began. Six birders came from the four corners of the U.S.: Virginia from Oregon; Jean from Texas; Mike and Ellen from Georgia; and us from Pennsylvania. Mike was especially good at locating birds. There were also two very knowledgeable Brits, John and David. John Caddick very kindly shared his photos with us for this article and for the club's website. Nigel Redman was our veteran guide, assisted by local guide Antero Topp.

We got acquainted while dining from a delicious smorgasbord. The smorgasbord is a common feature for all three main meals, although we sometimes had box lunches. Fortunately for fish lovers, there was plenty of fish, especially salmon and cod. One chef in Norway had tattooed on his arm "Cod is Great." Unfortunately, Sherron is not a fish eater. Reindeer meat in various forms - soup, meatballs, large slices, etc. - was common. There were always good bread selections along with traditional dishes. The meals were usually good.

Nigel reorganized the trip schedule for this year. Normally the group birded the Finland locations first, then birded northern Norway. Participants on the last few tours had not seen the Steller's Eiders - a very desired species - since the birds had left Norway before the birders arrived. Nigel started the tour a week early and changed the birding to begin in Norway. This change of schedule influenced us in selecting Rockjumper.

Because there were only eight birders and the two guides, we were able to spread comfortably in the two spacious vans. This was good since we had long days - typically 8 AM to 6 PM, often longer, in the vans. Nigel sometimes led pre-breakfast walks and/or post-dinner walks.

We left Ivalo and drove north on May 10. During our first stop, our group saw several impressively marked Taiga Bean Geese. An unopened café, Neljan Tuulen Tupa, in the village of Kaamanen, provided spectacular birding. Twenty Pine Grosbeaks vied with 10 Eurasian Green Finches, 20 Common Redpolls, 2 Arctic Redpolls, 4 Gray-headed Chickadees (Siberian Tits), and 30 Bramblings for food at the feeders behind the café. Several more stops yielded an abundance of waterfowl, including Taiga Bean Geese, 150 Tundra Bean Geese, Graylag Geese, Whooper Swan, Common Crane and a variety of ducks. Sherron saw a Taiga Been Goose comically lurch forward as its foot slipped through thin ice. There were plenty of shorebirds including 100 Bar-tailed Godwits, 10 Red Knots, a Common Redshank, and a Eurasian Curlew.

At first there were some disappointing scope views of distant Steller's Eiders. Fortunately, more eiders flew in and landed at a nearby shore and the first group of eiders joined them. Everyone rushed there and marveled at seeing 16 Steller's Eiders hungrily feeding only a few yards from shore. I don't know who was most thrilled -- the guides, the birders, or the photographers. It was a life bird for most of us. Nigel chose one of John's photos of an eider to head his official trip summary.

May 10 was definitely a very special day of birding. But as we drove north that day, it got colder and windier, and the group realized that we were underdressed for the day. Four or more layers became the rule for most of the trip. Some of the lakes and streams were frozen over in both countries. Nigel said he hadn't seen frozen water on previous trips. Snow was several feet deep in some high elevations. One key birding road was closed for a couple of days because of deep snow. Parts of some trails in the forests were snow-covered. Even natives mentioned how cold it was. Finland supposedly set a record low of 27 degrees Fahrenheit in May. Nigel and Antero were flexible in finding alternative birding sites.

We stayed in Vardø and Båtsfjord in Norway at the edge of the Barents Sea. Both are a good distance north of 70 degrees latitude, "Land of the Midnight Sun." White-tailed Eagles and Hen Harriers seemed to be everywhere. Willow and Rock Ptarmigans and a Ring Ouzel were found in the high terrain. Beautiful European Golden Plovers were plentiful.

We visited small, steep Hornøya Island, which is well known for its huge numbers of nesting seabirds. At first we encountered relatively few birds on the island because most were in nearby huge rafts. After 11 AM, waves of thousands of birds - European Shags, Common and Thick-billed Murres, Razorbills, Black Guillemots, Atlantic Puffins, and Black-legged Kittiwakes - descended upon the island, creating an uproar as they landed and squabbled over nesting areas. A variety of species settled within a few feet of the paths, granting us excellent views of them. Jean related seeing two Atlantic Puffins grasping one another's bills, rolling several feet down the hillside, glaring at one another, and then going in opposite directions. Several shags were building their nests on a shed and its attached bench. Sherron loved seeing the beautiful green hues of the European Shags.

King Eiders were seen both in Norway and Finland in the distance through the scopes. We disappointedly could not see the males' breeding plumage very well. Fortunately, we had quite good looks at 15 Yellow-billed Loons (White-billed Divers). Another highlight was watching 2 White-throated Dippers and their nest under a bridge above a raging stream. A beautiful Red-flanked Bluetail dazzled the group. Both Sherron and I were fascinated in watching a group of Little Gulls hovering over and diving into a lake's open water near the bank. They seemed so close that we could almost reach and touch them. The Little Gulls appeared to be so delicate and pristine with their black heads and black underwings. Other favorite sightings included Eurasian Magpies, Siberian Jays, European Pied Flycatcher, Rustic Bunting, and Common Reed Bunting.

The tour's earlier beginning and the cold weather perhaps contributed to missing some shorebirds, such as Eurasian Dotterel, Pied Avocet, Curlew Sandpiper, Temminck's Stint, etc. However, Nigel suggested that a possible benefit of the cold weather was that many grouse perhaps were not on their nests. Near Kuusamo in Finland, we saw large numbers of male and female Black Grouse and close to 30 female Capercaillies standing along the roads. The much desired male Capercaillie, think of a turkey on steroids, was difficult to find. Eventually everyone but myself saw a male in the distance. One Hazel Grouse was very evasive; however, the group eventually saw several of these beautiful grouse well.

Normally, the group sees Ruffs early in the trip. Since we drove to Norway on the first day, May 9, we didn't see Ruffs until Sherron spotted 2 males displaying along the roadside on May 15 in Finland. We saw Ruffs every day afterwards. Their displaying, occasional battling, and vibrant coloring impressed everyone. We marveled at their various hues. Nigel calculated that several hundred were in a distance at Liminka Bay, Finland, on the last day of the trip. Unfortunately, one could not fully appreciate them since a scope was needed to see them. Sherron and I are especially thankful that John Caddick supplied us with several photos of the males.

Around Oulu in Finland, we concentrated on owling. Antero knew where some were nesting. A beautiful Boreal Owl peered at us from its nest box. A Eurasian Pygmy Owl flew from nearby branch to branch to get better looks at us. We saw a Great Gray Owl on its nest. After a long search, the male was spotted nearby watching the nest. Ural Owl, Northern Hawk Owl, and Short-eared Owl were also seen. Owl enthusiasts definitely had a good time!

We didn't see many animal species. Reindeer seemed to be everywhere in the countryside. They were often fenced in and wore tags. They seemed docile and moved slowly like cows away from vehicles. There were 4 moose (which are called elk in Finland). One dominated a hill's crest as though challenging us as our vans drove towards it. Fortunately, it decided to leave. Our group enjoyed seeing large white Arctic (Mountain) Hares. A pod of Fin Whales regularly spouted as we observed them. Everyone anxiously watched a Minke Whale outmaneuver some whaling ships and escape. Norway does not follow the International Whaling Commission's regulations and supports whale hunting. Some of the meat is exported to Japan.

At the farewell dinner Nigel polled us on our favorite birds. The Ruff was the favorite of the group and the Steller's Eider was the second favorite. The two of us had seen our most wanted species - Ruff, Boreal Owl, Steller's Eider, Yellow-billed Loon, and Western Capercaillie - and altogether 44 life birds and 158 species. The tour leaders recorded 175 total species.

— by Pat & Sherron Lynch

(Photo by John Caddick)

As an adjunct to this article, see photos of the birds the Lynches encountered on thier tour of Norway and Finland, including some birds from their species list not covered in their article. Find the photos here: Tour Birds.

Norway-Finland Species List 158 Species
Barnacle Goose	Common Snipe*	Eurasian Jay
Greylag Goose	Common Sandpiper	Eurasian Magpie
Taiga Bean Goose*	Green Sandpiper*	Western Jackdaw
Tundra Bean Goose*	Common Redshank	Rook
Pink-footed Goose*	Wood Sandpiper*	Hooded Crow*
Mute Swan	Spotted Redshank*	Northern Raven
Whooper Swan*	Common Greenshank*	Bohemian Waxwing
Common Shelduck	Black-legged Kittiwake	Grey-headed Chickadee*
Garganey	Black-headed Gull	Willow Tit*
Northern Shoveler	Little Gull	Eurasian Blue Tit
Gadwall	Common Gull*	Great Tit
Eurasian Wigeon	Great Black-backed Gull	Eurasian Skylark
Mallard	Glaucous Gull	Horned Lark
Northern Pintail	Iceland Gull	Barn Swallow
Eurasian Teal	European Herring Gull	Common House Martin
Common Pochard	Lesser Black-back Gull	Willow Warbler
Tufted Duck	Common Tern	Common Chiffchaff
Greater Scaup	Arctic Tern	Lesser Whitethroat
Steller's Eider*	Pomarine Jaeger	Goldcrest
King Eider	Parasitic Jaeger	Eurasian (Winter) Wren
Common Eider	Thick-billed Murre	Starling
Velvet Scoter*	Common Murre	Song Thrush
Common Scoter	Razorbill	Mistle Thrush
Long-tailed Duck	Black Guillemot	Redwing*
Common Goldeneye	Atlantic Puffin	Fieldfare*
Smew*	Red-throated Loon	Ring Ouzel*
Common Merganser	Black-throated Loon*	European Robin
Red-breasted Merganser	Common Loon	Red-flanked Bluetail*
Hazel Grouse*	Yellow-billed Loon*	European Redstart*
Willow Ptarmigan	Northern Fulmar	Whinchat*
Rock Ptarmigan	Northern Gannet	Northern Wheatear
Western Capercaillie*	Great Cormorant	White-throated Dipper*
Black Grouse*	European Shag*	Eurasian Tree Sparrow*
Gray Partridge	Western Osprey	House Sparrow
Common Cuckoo	Golden Eagle	Western Yellow Wagtail
Rock Dove	Eurasian Sparrowhawk	White Wagtail
Stock Dove*	Western Marsh Harrier	Meadow Pipit
Common Wood Pigeon	Hen Harrier	European Rock Pipit*
Common Crane*	White-tailed Eagle*	Common Chaffinch
Red-necked Grebe	Rough-legged Buzzard	Brambling
Great-crested Grebe	Common Buzzard	Pine Grosbeak
Horned Grebe	Boreal Owl*	European Greenfinch
Eurasian Oystercatcher	Northern Hawk-Owl	Twite*
Northern Lapwing	Eurasian-Pygmy Owl*	Common Redpoll
European Golden-Plover	Short-eared Owl	Arctic Redpoll
Common Ringed Plover	Ural Owl*	Red Crossbill
Eurasian Whimbrel*	Great Gray Owl	European Siskin
Bar-tailed Godwit	Eurasian Wryneck*	Lapland Longspur
Black-tailed Godwit	Great Spotted Woodpecker	Snow Bunting
Red Knot	Common Kestrel	Yellowhammer
Ruff	Merlin	Rustic Bunting*
Dunlin	Peregrine Falcon	Common Reed Bunting
Purple Finch	Siberian Jay*
* Denotes life birds