Finland – another fantastically successful tour

Limosa’s Finland: Owls and Taiga Tour has recently concluded with our Tour Leader, Derek Barber, reporting that ‘all targets were achieved’. The tour kicked off with three nights in the Oulu area and, with our expert local guide, Kari Engelbarth, to assist us, we soon had Eurasian Eagle Owl in the bag.

Next up was Tengmalm’s (Boreal) Owl, with a couple of very well developed young peering out of a natural nest hole. Right next door was a Black Woodpecker’s nest, and it was incredible to see an adult bird come in to feed its young just metres away.

We knew that Hawk Owl was going to be very difficult this year as no nesting sites had been located locally, nor had there been any recent sightings. It was with relief, therefore, when news came through that a local birder had located an adult Hawk Owl just 10 minutes from where we were taking a coffee break. Amazingly, the Hawk Owl was still perched in a dead tree when we arrived on site. We had great scope views before it regurgitated a pellet and flew off. The Hawk Owl ‘twitch’ was followed by fabulous views of a Great Grey Owl on the nest, and pointblank views of Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker.

During our time in Oulu, we were also taken to an Ural Owl nest, where the female was sitting on eggs, and a European Pygmy-Owl nest where the male bird was sitting on guard outside the nest hole, giving cracking views. Nearby, a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was also nesting and we managed great looks at the female bird.

The wetlands and lake areas also provided us with some entertainment with the highlights including Slavonian Grebe in full breeding plumage, a couple of Broad-billed Sandpipers, Temminck’s Stints, a displaying Terek Sandpiper (a rare breeding bird in Finland) and a pair of Ortolan Buntings in nearby farmland.

Moving on, we headed East through the Taiga to the town of Kuusamo, close to the Russian Border. Here, we had a chance to see some of the ‘Siberian’ specialities of the region, amongst some absolutely stunning scenery. The area did not disappoint and we soon connected with Siberian Jay, Siberian Tit, Willow (Grouse) Ptarmigan and Hazel Grouse.

We had an evening booked in a bear hide where we were treated to views of a two-year-old female Brown Bear and, on our drives, we also encountered many Reindeer and a few Eurasian Elk (Moose).

We managed to see a couple of female Capercaille on one early morning drive, along with some lekking Black Grouse.

The Kuusamo area also holds good populations of Hen Harrier, Red-necked Grebe and Little Gull, and we managed to see all three species during our time here. Little Gull is particularly common and it was wonderful to see this beautiful gull species in large numbers on its breeding grounds.

On our last day we finally found a pair of Rustic Buntings after much trying and then, back up in the hills, we connected with Red-flanked Bluetail to conclude what was a very successful and most enjoyable trip.

Derek Barber 1 June 2025

This tour will run again in 2026 and details will be loaded on the website shortly. If you wish to register your interest, please contact us.