FINLAND & ARCTIC NORWAY TOUR REPORT 2025

23 May - 5 June 2025

Hannu Jännes

This well-established Finland & Arctic Norway tour has, over the years, become a very efficient clean-up of the special birds that inhabit the endless boreal forests, countless lakes, wet bogs, mighty rivers, partly snow-covered fells and rugged coast of the Arctic Ocean. This year, we once again were successful in finding a very high proportion of the special birds (or diamond birds) which are, of course, the main focus of the tour. Highlights were many and varied, but special mention should go to the following: six species of owls, including an impressive female Great Grey Owl at the nest, a splendid Ural Owl with three large chicks in the nest cavity, a close encounter with a diminutive Eurasian Pygmy Owl, a Tengmalm’s Owl and a very showy family party of Hawk Owl (a species missed by most groups visiting Finland this year!). Gamebirds proved co-operative too and we had great views of several Western Capercaillies, displaying Black Grouse, a total of three Hazel Grouse, plus exceptionally good numbers of Willow and Rock Ptarmigans. Other species worthy of mention were a splendid “singing” Corncrake that showed exceptionally well and was voted as the bird of the trip, good views of three White-billed Divers and a big flock of King Eiders in Norway, five species of woodpecker, including Black, Grey-headed and Three-toed. It was also great to see a pair of Gyrfalcon and their two small chicks at a nest, a confiding Eurasian Dotterel, Broad-billed Sandpiper and several other species of wader in full song flight, displaying Long-tailed Skuas, the elusive Pine Grosbeak, a singing adult male Red-flanked Bluetail, amazing Bluethroats, Siberian Jay, Siberian Tit, and Little, Rustic, Lapland, Ortolan and Snow Buntings. The fells of the highlands of the Varanger Peninsula mostly remained under a thick cover of snow and ice, causing birds to be packed on the few available spots of bare ground offering great views and very acceptable photo opportunities. There was also a very special visit to the bird island of Hornøy in Norway, which, with its myriads of breeding seabirds, is always a memorable experience. On the mammalian side it was great to see, for the first time ever on this tour, an Arctic Fox in the Varanger and there was also an opportunity to visit a bear hide in Kuusamo, where good views of a subadult Brown Bear were enjoyed. A prominent feature of this tour are the large areas of wilderness with very few people around making it possible to enjoy nature without too much anthropogenic disturbance.

Our tour began with a lunch meeting at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport from where we headed straight to our first birding destination, just a 10 minute drive from the airport. The weather was rainy, and it took some time to tease a Corncrake out from the tall grass, but eventually we had brilliant views of the bird calling its heart out. We then checked the territory of a White-backed Woodpecker, but the young of this early breeding species had already left their nest and were nowhere to be found. By way of compensation we had brilliant views of a singing Thrush Nightingale. Next, we took a short forest walk, hearing a Red-breasted Flycatcher and seeing an excellent Wood Warbler. Then it was time to drive to the Lahti area to check-in to our hotel and a meal in an Italian restaurant.

The next day, our only full one in the south of Finland, was very busy as we needed to try and see as many of the southern species as possible. The morning began with a visit to a forest area that held a male Three-toed Woodpecker, a showy Willow Tit (an increasingly rare bird in southern Finland), whilst nearby we visited a Black Woodpecker nest hole complete with a showy adult, and located, after a lengthy search, a male Grey-headed Woodpecker. Other birds seen during the morning included Black Grouse, Red-backed Shrike and Long-tailed Tit. This was followed by a drive to visit the nest box of a Pygmy Owl, which showed extremely well. A visit to another White-backed Woodpecker territory drew a blank again as the chicks had left the area a few days previously, but we did have a great encounter with a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. We drove further northeast towards Mäntyharju, where, in the evening, our local guide showed us a wonderful Ural Owl with three halfgrown chicks in a natural cavity. On the way back to Lahti, we still had enough time and energy for a detour to an artificial nest platform, where a beautiful female Great Grey Owl was sitting on small chicks or eggs, showing very well. Then after an action-packed day, with three species of owl and five species of woodpecker, we headed back to our hotel, arriving rather late in the evening.

It was raining early the next morning when we started birding in the outskirts of Lahti and birds played hard to get. Again, the Marsh and Blyth’s Reed Warblers, we had already glimpsed the day before, gave only brief views, but a Grasshopper Warbler showed very well to all of those who walked through the wet grass to see it. Then breakfast, check-out and another short birding stop in the Lahti area. Much of the rest of the day was spent driving to Oulu, a 400 kms journey, but we had gathered intel of a possible pair of Hawk Owls at a site that we could reach by a ‘minor’ (well 100 kms, or so!) detour. As there were no known breeding pairs of the species in the whole of Finland or northern Norway at that time, it was obvious that we would need to check the site. While we were driving towards the Hawk Owl area, our friend Mika, who had been at the site since early morning, informed us that there was in fact six (two adults and four recently fledged juveniles) Hawk Owls there! Upon arrival, Mika greeted us and introduced us to the baby owls and their attentive parents, who continued feeding them during our visit. As far as I know this was the only gettable Hawk Owl in Finland in 2025! After the brilliant Hawk Owl session, we drove on to Oulu stopping en route for a combined lunch and dinner and then paid a visit to Oulu harbour where a male Terek Sandpiper held a territory and kept calling from the top of tall lamp posts. It was again rather late in the evening when we checked into our nice hotel in Oulu.

In the Oulu area our first task was to locate Ortolan Bunting, a bird in serious decline in Finland. After a quick search we managed to locate an obliging male. Then we made a short visit to Liminka Bay for wetland species including breeding Black-tailed Godwit, a couple of White-tailed Eagles and good numbers of commoner species of ducks and waders. We then headed 130 kms north to meet with a local guide Matti, who showed us a female Tengmalm’s Owl in its nest box. Next was a visit to a Hazel Grouse nest that Matti had found a few days earlier, but unfortunately it had been abandoned. While Matti was searching for the grouse nest, we found a splendid male Rustic Bunting that showed very well. After another action-packed day it was time for us to head for Kuusamo for a three-night stay. En route we had a male Hazel Grouse crossing the highway and we then spent time trying to get better views of it.

The first morning in Kuusamo was spent finding Siberian Jay, which we located easily and had great views of a family party. We also spent time chasing a singing Red-flanked Bluetail, but the bird was very skittish as it had been chased by photographers just prior to our arrival. Other birds found during the day included a pair of Siberian Tit, a total of three Capercaillies, ten Black Grouse, a very showy pair of Willow Grouse in the outskirts of Kuusamo city, our first Velvet Scoters and Smews, breeding Red-necked Grebes, a colony of Little Gulls, Waxwings and a Dipper at its nest. In the evening there was an optional visit to a bear hide where a subadult Brown Bear showed well.

A new day started with a visit to a traditional Hazel Grouse site, where we soon located not one but two male Hazel Grouse. Both birds were a bit skittish but showed well to at least some of us and in the end almost everybody had a decent view. In the afternoon we visited Oulanka National Park, a beautiful area with magnificent old growth forest, but didn’t see much that was new.

The last morning in Kuusamo saw us back on the bluetail hill and we managed great views of an adult male Red-flanked Bluetail singing its heart out. Later, we wasted time chasing a skittish male Little Bunting in Kuusamo but need not have worried as we had great views of another male later in the day near Kemijärvi. Before reaching our accommodation in Ivalo we stopped on a fell near Saariselkä, where we admired a very photogenic male Eurasian Dotterel at its nest, and of course there was the obligatory photo stop at the Arctic circle sign near Suomu.

Our full day in the Ivalo-Inari area began with a visit to a scenic bog near Karigasniemi, where we had a good collection of birds including photogenic Long-tailed Skua, a Rough-legged Buzzard, some singing Bluethroats, several Red-necked Phalaropes, Ringed Plovers, Eurasian Whimbrels, Spotted Redshanks, a single Bar-tailed Godwit, lekking Ruffs, European Golden Plovers, displaying Common Snipes and Wood Sandpipers, and, best of all, a Broad-billed Sandpiper. After the morning spent in ‘wader country’ we hurried to Kaamanen and the café Neljän Tuulen Tupa, where we enjoyed a tasty salmon soup for lunch. Unfortunately, the bird feeders just outside the windows of the café were very quiet, with only a few birds and there was no sign of the Pine Grosbeaks it is famous for. In the afternoon, on our way back to Ivalo, some of us made a short visit to Siida, the Sami Museum in Inari and we also stopped at a lake for a Black-throated Diver and had great views of a breeding pair of Heuglin’s Gull. After dinner we visited another wetland complex near Ivalo, where we saw Temminck’s Stint, Broad-billed Sandpiper and Taiga Bean Geese, but the hoped for Jack Snipe was nowhere to be found.

Next morning, on the way to Norway, we had another go for the Pine Grosbeak at the café, but there was no sign of this important target bird. The lack of grosbeaks this year at the feeders was a mystery, but it was speculated that salmonella or some other disease had wiped out the species at the site. Once in Norway, we stopped first by the old church on the scenic Nesseby peninsula and had a first taste of the birds the Arctic Ocean has to offer. Then on to the Ekkeröy peninsula, with its sandy beaches, to admire the many Purple Sandpipers, Dunlins, Sanderlings, Bar-tailed Godwits, Common Ringed Plovers, Ruffs and Turnstones. On the way to our hotel, there was one more stop by some fields, where Tundra Bean, Greater White-fronted, Pink-footed and Barnacle Geese were grazing.

Our first morning in Vardö was spent birding the mainland sites nearby seeing a pair of Horned Larks, a confiding male Lapland Bunting, a pair of Greater Scaup, and photographing a group of lekking Ruffs by a sheltered roadside. In the early afternoon we took the boat to the famous bird island of Hornøya, where we spent a couple of magical hours admiring and photographing breeding Brunnich’s and Common Guillemots, Razorbill, Atlantic Puffin, Eurasian Shag and Kittiwake. Late afternoon was spent searching the rugged coastline for anything interesting and finding a close-in flock of King Eiders that included one near-adult male.

The following day started with a thorough search of the coastline towards Hamninberg, which produced the hoped for White-billed Diver. In fact, we saw three summer plumaged adult birds and added Arctic Redpoll (now lumped with Common Redpoll) and Twite to the bird list. The weather had been worsening during the morning, and when we finally got to the remote village of Hamningberg, the rain and fog caused us to leave the area sooner than planned. After lunch in Vardö we headed back to the mainland visiting a couple of sites, where we were entertained by a pair of Gyrfalcon with two small chicks, a skittish Ring Ouzel, a pair of Peregrine Falcons and more Twites. Later in the evening, we went out again to try and find the brown morph Arctic Fox I had managed to locate with Mika the night before. On the way to the site, a white morph Arctic Fox suddenly appeared from nowhere and gave a great show before disappearing! It should be mentioned that Arctic Fox is an extremely rare animal in this area, and this was the first time it had been seen on this itinerary.

The following day we drove from Vardö to Båtsfjord on the other side of the Varanger Peninsula. During the journey we made some birding stops along the fjord. At the scenic Tana River delta we saw Shelducks, Greater Scaups, Bar-tailed Godwits, two Curlew Sandpipers and Little Stints. As it was raining quite heavily for most of the afternoon, we reached our hotel early and had a well-deserved break before a very tasty dinner. In the evening, we drove to the high, largely snow-covered fells of the central Varanger peninsula, where we enjoyed excellent birding in the calm and sunny weather. Ptarmigans were everywhere, and we witnessed the spectacular display flight of an excited male and had a very close encounter with a confiding pair. A brilliant pair of Snow Buntings came to check us out and there were several Horned Larks present too. Lower down in some taller vegetation, we heard several Willow Ptarmigans ‘singing’ and it wasn’t difficult to lure one of the hot-headed males to check us out.

On our last full day, we drove from Norway to Ivalo in Finland, birding on the way. The first longer birding stop was around the wetlands of the Gednje area, where, in the beautiful sunny weather, we had brilliant encounters with many displaying waders including Little and Temminck’s Stints, singing Lapland Buntings, a showy Red-throated Pipit, Horned Larks and several Long-tailed Skuas. After crossing the border into Finland we stopped for lunch in Nuorgam, the northernmost town in Finland. Whilst in Norway, we had received intel about another feeder, where grosbeaks had been seen regularly and headed there after lunch. Once at the site, the grosbeaks were easy to find and we had brilliant views of five different birds including adult and young male and females. Then it was time to drive back to our comfortable hotel in Ivalo.

On the last morning, we visited a large bog near Ivalo to try and find the Jack Snipe, that is sometimes displaying over this vast area, but had to make do with breeding Common Cranes, a Black Grouse, a drumming Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, plus other commoner species. A quick stop at another site, where a male Siberian Stonechat, a rare bird in Finland, had recently been courting a female Whinchat also proved fruitless. Then, after breakfast and packing, it was time to thank everybody for their good company during our adventure in the ‘Land of the Midnight Sun’, before the flight back to Helsinki.

‘BIRDS OF THE TRIP’ WINNERS:

1st: Corncrake

2nd: Hawk-Owl

3rd: Bluethroat & Ptarmigan

4th: Spotted Redshank, European Shag & Red-necked Phalarope

SYSTEMATIC LIST OF SPECIES RECORDED DURING THE TOUR

Species marked with the diamond symbol (◊) are either endemic to the country or local region or considered ‘special’ birds for some other reason (e.g., it is only seen on one or two Birdquest tours; it is difficult to see across all or most of its range; the local form is endemic or restricted-range and may in future be treated as a full species).

The species names and taxonomy used in the bird list follow Gill, F., Donsker, D., & Rasmussen, P.(Eds). 2024. IOC World Bird List (v14.2).

BIRDS

Barnacle Goose  Branta leucopsis

Greylag Goose  Anser anser

Taiga Bean Goose  Anser fabalis  Noted in Kuusamo and Ivalo areas.

Pink-footed Goose  Anser brachyrhynchus  As a result of recent change of migration routes, this species is now regularly recorded in N Norway during the time of our visit.

Tundra Bean Goose  Anser serrirostris  As a result of recent change of migration routes, this species is now regularly recorded in N Norway during the time of our visit.

Greater White-fronted Goose  Anser albifrons  One in the Varanger.

Mute Swan  Cygnus olor  Four at the Liminka Bay.

Whooper Swan  Cygnus cygnus

Common Shelduck  Tadorna tadorna   Eight at the Tana river delta.

Garganey  Spatula querquedula

Northern Shoveler  Spatula clypeata

Gadwall  Mareca strepera

Eurasian Wigeon  Mareca penelope

Mallard  Anas platyrhynchos

Northern Pintail  Anas acuta

Eurasian Teal  Anas crecca

Tufted Duck  Aythya fuligula

Greater Scaup  Aythya marila  Small numbers of this declining arctic duck were observed in northern Norway.

King Eider ◊  Somateria spectabilis  A total of around 50 birds, including a near-adult male, were observed on two days in the Varanger fjord.

Common Eider  Somateria mollissima

Velvet Scoter  Melanitta fusca

Common Scoter  Melanitta nigra

Long-tailed Duck  Clangula hyemalis

Common Goldeneye  Bucephala clangula

Smew ◊  Mergellus albellus

Common Merganser (Goosander)  Mergus merganser

Red-breasted Merganser  Mergus serrator

Hazel Grouse ◊  Tetrastes bonasia  A total of three males were observed.

Willow Ptarmigan (W Grouse)  Lagopus lagopus  First brilliant views of a pair in Kuusamo and then a total of 20 birds in Norway.

Rock Ptarmigan  Lagopus muta  Very common in the high fells of the central Varanger with around 20 birds on the best day.

Western Capercaillie ◊  Tetrao urogallus  A total of five were seen in Finland.

Black Grouse ◊  Lyrurus tetrix  Good showing with over 20 birds in different parts of Finland.

Common Swift  Apus apus

Common Cuckoo (Eurasian C)  Cuculus canorus

Rock Dove (introduced) (Feral Pigeon)  Columba [livia] var_domestica

Stock Dove  Columba oenas 

Common Wood Pigeon  Columba palumbus

Eurasian Collared Dove  Streptopelia decaocto  One in Liminka. A scarce and very localised bird in Finland.

Corn Crake ◊  Crex crex  One brilliant individual near the airport in the south. Also heard in Lahti.

Common Moorhen  Gallinula chloropus  One in Helsinki on our first afternoon.

Common Crane  Grus grus   A common bird now in Finland, and small numbers were seen on seven days.

Red-necked Grebe  Podiceps grisegena

Great Crested Grebe  Podiceps cristatus

Eurasian Oystercatcher  Haematopus ostralegus

European Golden Plover  Pluvialis apricaria

Eurasian Dotterel ◊  Eudromias morinellus  A male at nest near Saariselkä gave excellent views.

Common Ringed Plover  Charadrius hiaticula

Northern Lapwing  Vanellus vanellus

Eurasian Whimbrel  Numenius phaeopus

Eurasian Curlew  Numenius arquata

Bar-tailed Godwit  Limosa lapponica

Black-tailed Godwit (Western B-t G)  Limosa [limosa] limosa

Jack Snipe ◊  Lymnocryptes minimus  Heard only by the leader.

Eurasian Woodcock  Scolopax rusticola

Common Snipe  Gallinago gallinago

Red-necked Phalarope  Phalaropus lobatus

Terek Sandpiper  Xenus cinereus  One displaying male in the harbour of Oulu. Nowadays a very rare bird in Finland.

Common Sandpiper  Actitis hypoleucos

Green Sandpiper  Tringa ochropus

Wood Sandpiper  Tringa glareola

Common Redshank  Tringa totanus

Spotted Redshank  Tringa erythropus

Common Greenshank  Tringa nebularia

Ruddy Turnstone  Arenaria interpres

Ruff  Calidris pugnax  Excellent views, including a number of displaying males, in the north.

Broad-billed Sandpiper  Calidris falcinellus  A total of three displaying males in the Ivalo-Karigasniemi area.

Curlew Sandpiper  Calidris ferruginea  Two at the Tana River delta in Norway were a pleasant surprise.

Temminck’s Stint  Calidris temminckii

Sanderling  Calidris alba  A few noted in Norway.

Dunlin  Calidris alpina

Purple Sandpiper  Calidris maritima  Fairly common in Norway.

Little Stint  Calidris minuta  A good showing, including some displaying birds, in Norway.

Arctic Tern  Sterna paradisaea

Common Tern  Sterna hirundo

Little Gull  Hydrocoloeus minutus

Black-legged Kittiwake  Rissa tridactyla

Black-headed Gull  Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Common Gull  Larus canus

European Herring Gull ◊  Larus argentatus

Great Black-backed Gull ◊  Larus marinus

Lesser Black-backed Gull ◊ (Baltic G)  Larus [fuscus] fuscus

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Heuglin’s G)  Larus [fuscus] heuglini  A total of four birds in the Inari area.

Long-tailed Jaeger (L-t Skua)  Stercorarius longicaudus  Good year, with around 20 individuals, for this rodent specialist.

Parasitic Jaeger (Arctic Skua)  Stercorarius parasiticus  Common in Norway.

Atlantic Puffin ◊  Fratercula arctica

Black Guillemot ◊  Cepphus grylle

Razorbill ◊  Alca torda

Thick-billed Murre ◊ (Brunnich’s Guillemot)  Uria lomvia

Common Murre (C Guillemot)  Uria aalge

Red-throated Loon (R-t Diver)  Gavia stellata

Black-throated Loon (B-t Diver, Arctic L)  Gavia arctica

Yellow-billed Loon ◊ (White-billed Diver)  Gavia adamsii  Three summer plumaged adult birds in the Varanger.

Northern Fulmar  Fulmarus glacialis  Just a few distant birds for the leader only.

Northern Gannet  Morus bassanus

Great Cormorant  Phalacrocorax carbo

European Shag  Gulosus aristotelis

Eurasian Sparrowhawk  Accipiter nisus  Two, both in Kuusamo.

Eurasian Goshawk  Astur gentilis  One in Helsinki on day one.

Western Marsh Harrier  Circus aeruginosus

Hen Harrier  Circus cyaneus  Two sightings, one near Oulu and another near Karigasniemi.

White-tailed Eagle  Haliaeetus albicilla  Often seen in coastal Norway. Also, four in Finland.

Rough-legged Buzzard (R-l Hawk)  Buteo lagopus  A total of five.

Common Buzzard  Buteo buteo

Boreal Owl ◊  Aegolius funereus  One beautiful female in the nest box near Tornio.

Northern Hawk-Owl ◊  Surnia ulula  A family party of six (2 adults with four fledged juveniles) in Central Finland.

Eurasian Pygmy Owl ◊  Glaucidium passerinum  A showy female (with four chicks in the nest box) near Hauho.

Short-eared Owl  Asio flammeus  Poor year for this species. A total of three seen.

Ural Owl  Strix uralensis  An adult female with three chicks in southern Finland.

Great Grey Owl ◊  Strix nebulosa  An adult female at nest in southern Finland.

Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker  Picoides tridactylus  Male in southern Finland.

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker  Dryobates minor

Great Spotted Woodpecker  Dendrocopos major

Black Woodpecker  Dryocopus martius  Great views of an adult bird near its nest.

Grey-headed Woodpecker  Picus canus  Great views of a male.

Common Kestrel  Falco tinnunculus

Merlin  Falco columbarius

Gyrfalcon ◊  Falco rusticolus  A pair with two small chicks at nest in Norway.

Peregrine Falcon  Falco peregrinus  A breeding pair in Norway.

Red-backed Shrike  Lanius collurio

Siberian Jay ◊  Perisoreus infaustus  Brilliant views in Kuusamo.

Eurasian Jay  Garrulus glandarius

Eurasian Magpie  Pica pica

Western Jackdaw  Coloeus monedula

Rook  Corvus frugilegus

Hooded Crow  Corvus cornix

Northern Raven (Common R)  Corvus corax

Bohemian Waxwing ◊  Bombycilla garrulus  Small numbers, with some excellent views, on three days.

Coal Tit  Periparus ater

Grey-headed Chickadee ◊ (Siberian Tit)  Poecile cinctus  Small numbers were noted on three days in Finland.

Willow Tit  Poecile montanus  A few in the south of Finland.

Eurasian Blue Tit  Cyanistes caeruleus

Great Tit  Parus major

Eurasian Skylark  Alauda arvensis  Common in the south of Finland.

Horned Lark (Shore L)  Eremophila alpestris  Fifteen or so were observed in Norway.

Sand Martin (Bank Swallow)  Riparia riparia

Barn Swallow  Hirundo rustica

Western House Martin  Delichon urbicum

Long-tailed Tit  Aegithalos caudatus  Two birds of the white-headed nominate subspecies caudatus near Lahti.

Wood Warbler  Phylloscopus sibilatrix

Willow Warbler  Phylloscopus trochilus

Common Chiffchaff  Phylloscopus collybita

Sedge Warbler  Acrocephalus schoenobaenus  Heard only.

Blyth’s Reed Warbler  Acrocephalus dumetorum  Good views of one in the Lahti area, where we also heard three.

Marsh Warbler  Acrocephalus palustris  One rather skittish bird was seen on two days near Lahti.

Common Grasshopper Warbler  Locustella naevia  Good views of one near Lahti.

Eurasian Blackcap  Sylvia atricapilla

Garden Warbler  Sylvia borin

Lesser Whitethroat  Curruca curruca

Common Whitethroat  Curruca communis

Goldcrest  Regulus regulus

Eurasian Wren  Troglodytes troglodytes

Common Starling (European S)  Sturnus vulgaris

Song Thrush  Turdus philomelos

Mistle Thrush  Turdus viscivorus

Redwing  Turdus iliacus

Common Blackbird (Eurasian B)  Turdus merula

Fieldfare  Turdus pilaris  Everywhere.

Ring Ouzel  Turdus torquatus  One rather skittish bird was sighted on two days in the Varanger area.

Spotted Flycatcher  Muscicapa striata

European Robin  Erithacus rubecula

Thrush Nightingale  Luscinia luscinia  Great views of one in Helsinki. In addition, a few birds were heard in southern Finland.

Bluethroat  Luscinia svecica  Rather common in the north with some excellent views.

Red-breasted Flycatcher  Ficedula parva  Heard only.

European Pied Flycatcher  Ficedula hypoleuca

Red-flanked Bluetail (Orange-f Bush Robin)  Tarsiger cyanurus  Brilliant adult male in Kuusamo.

Common Redstart  Phoenicurus phoenicurus

Whinchat  Saxicola rubetra

Northern Wheatear  Oenanthe oenanthe

White-throated Dipper  Cinclus cinclus  One in Kuusamo.

Eurasian Tree Sparrow  Passer montanus

House Sparrow  Passer domesticus

Dunnock (Hedge Accentor)  Prunella modularis

Western Yellow Wagtail (form unknown)  Motacilla flava  A few individuals

Western Yellow Wagtail (Grey-headed W)  Motacilla [flava] thunbergi  .

White Wagtail  Motacilla [alba] alba

Meadow Pipit  Anthus pratensis

Tree Pipit  Anthus trivialis

Red-throated Pipit  Anthus cervinus  A few in Norway.

European Rock Pipit  Anthus petrosus  A few birds in Norway.

Eurasian Chaffinch  Fringilla coelebs

Brambling  Fringilla montifringilla

Pine Grosbeak ◊  Pinicola enucleator  A total of five at a feeder near Karigasniemi. In addition, one was heard singing in Kuusamo.

Eurasian Bullfinch  Pyrrhula pyrrhula

Common Rosefinch (Scarlet R)  Carpodacus erythrinus

European Greenfinch  Chloris chloris

Twite  Linaria flavirostris  Seen on two days in Norway.

Common Linnet  Linaria cannabina

Redpoll (Common R)  Acanthis [flammea] flammea  Poor showing, only a few birds were noted this year.

Redpoll (Coue’s Arctic R)  Acanthis [flammea] exilipes  Two sightings, of two and three birds, in Norway.

Red Crossbill (Common C)  Loxia curvirostra  Heard only.

European Goldfinch  Carduelis carduelis

Eurasian Siskin  Spinus spinus

Lapland Longspur (L Bunting)  Calcarius lapponicus  Seen on five days with brilliant views.

Snow Bunting  Plectrophenax nivalis  A few, with excellent views, in the high fells of the Varanger peninsula.

Yellowhammer  Emberiza citrinella

Ortolan Bunting  Emberiza hortulana  Excellent views of a male near Oulu.

Little Bunting  Emberiza pusilla  Two males, with great views of the second one, in northern Finland.

Rustic Bunting  Emberiza rustica  Great views of a male near Tornio.

Common Reed Bunting  Emberiza schoeniclus

MAMMALS

Brown Bear  Ursus arctos  Good views of a sub-adult in the bear hide in Kuusamo.

Red Fox  Vulpes vulpes  Seen on six days, both in Finland and in Norway.

Arctic Fox  Vulpes lagopus  One white morph individual in the Varanger. The Fennoscandian population of this species is acutely endangered, despite being legally protected from hunting and persecution for several decades. One of the reasons is that Arctic Fox is losing ground to the larger and stronger Red Fox, which, due to climate change, is nowadays able to occupy Arctic Fox habitat.

Unidentified Seal  An unidentified seal was noted in the Varanger.

Moose (Elk)  Alces alces  Two in Kuusamo and one for the leader only in the Lahti area.

Western Roe Deer  Capreolus capreolus

Caribou (Reindeer)  Rangifer tarandus  Reindeer (domesticated) is a common sight in the north.

Common Minke Whale (Northern M W)  Balaenoptera acutorostrata  One in the Varanger.

White-beaked Dolphin  Lagenorhynchus albirostris  Two in the Varanger.

European Hare  Lepus europaeus  Common in the south of Finland.

Mountain Hare (Arctic H)  Lepus timidus  Common in the north.

Eurasian Red Squirrel  Sciurus vulgaris  Seen on five days in Finland.

Common Muskrat (introduced)  Ondatra zibethicus